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All that Makes a Man: Love and Ambition in the Civil War South
In May 1861, Jefferson Davis issued a general call for volunteers for the Confederate Army. Men responded in such numbers that 200,000 had to be turned away. Few of these men would have attributed their zeal to the cause of states' rights or slavery. As All That Makes a Man: Love and Ambitionin the Civil War South makes clear, most southern men saw the war more simply as a test of their manhood, a chance to defend the honor of their sweethearts, fianc s, and wives back home.
Drawing upon diaries and personal letters, Stephen Berry seamlessly weaves together the stories of six very different men, detailing the tangled roles that love and ambition played in each man's life. Their writings reveal a male-dominated Southern culture that exalted women as "repositories of divine grace" and treasured romantic love as the platform from which men launched their bids for greatness. The exhilarating onset of war seemed to these, and most southern men, a grand opportunity to fulfill their ambition for glory and to prove their love for women--on the same field of battle. As the realities of the war became apparent, however, the letters and diaries turned from idealized themes of honor and country to solemn reflections on love and home.
Elegant and poetic, All That Makes a Man recovers the emotional lives of unsung Southern men and women and reveals that the fiction of Cold Mountain mirrors a poignant reality. In their search for a cause worthy of their lives, many Southern soldiers were disappointed in their hopes for a Southern nation. But they still had their women's love, and there they would rebuild.
Drawing upon diaries and personal letters, Stephen Berry seamlessly weaves together the stories of six very different men, detailing the tangled roles that love and ambition played in each man's life. Their writings reveal a male-dominated Southern culture that exalted women as "repositories of divine grace" and treasured romantic love as the platform from which men launched their bids for greatness. The exhilarating onset of war seemed to these, and most southern men, a grand opportunity to fulfill their ambition for glory and to prove their love for women--on the same field of battle. As the realities of the war became apparent, however, the letters and diaries turned from idealized themes of honor and country to solemn reflections on love and home.
Elegant and poetic, All That Makes a Man recovers the emotional lives of unsung Southern men and women and reveals that the fiction of Cold Mountain mirrors a poignant reality. In their search for a cause worthy of their lives, many Southern soldiers were disappointed in their hopes for a Southern nation. But they still had their women's love, and there they would rebuild.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
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36 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Berry
8 books6 followersSome of his books have been published as Stephen W. Berry II
Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 3, 2020
Stephen W. Berry II's All That Makes a Man focuses on why they fought in the Civil War. As he points out in Footnote 12, the question isn't one question but two. If "they" refers to the North and South, then disagreements over slavery caused the South to secede. Then disagreement over whether or not the South had the right to secede caused the war. But if "they" refers to the southern civilians, slavery and secession were – at best – minor reasons. All That Makes a Man investigates why southern men put their lives and fortunes on the line to fight.
Although Berry focuses mainly on slave owners who owned small-to-large plantations and also held professional jobs such as lawyers, many of the reasons apply to southern men in general. Quoting from a slew of letters and other primary sources, Berry follows the careers of seven man and the women they loved. Several themes emerge from his analysis.
Southern culture was dominated by males.
The men viewed the war as an opportunity to use the war as a way of showing how much they loved their wives and fiancées by fighting to protect them from the ravages of the Yankees. (If they didn't have a fiancée, they might latch onto a woman.)
They saw the war as a way to become great men like George Washington and other larger-than-life American heroes.
Like many of the men who fought in World War I, they viewed fighting in the war as a means to escape their humdrum existence working humdrum jobs.
In the end, the men became disillusioned with the war and simply wanted it to end.
Berry also describes the lives and roles of the women, who were confined to taking care of the home and children, in their male-dominated society. Some did fight back clandestinely. For example, one woman didn't like a particular suitor but couldn't reject him outright. Instead, when he came to call she told him she'd lost a button and he spent hours searching unsuccessfully for it under chairs and sofas. Of course, there was no lost button.
Berry wraps up his book by describing what happened to the seven men. Some happy. And some sad and tragic.
Personally, I don't think the fact that most southern men weren't fighting primarily for slavery or succession would surprise most people who have read the primary sources written by Confederate soldiers and officers. Their reminiscence are full of such sentiments.
All That Makes a Man is a good book about a subject that should receive more attention.
Although Berry focuses mainly on slave owners who owned small-to-large plantations and also held professional jobs such as lawyers, many of the reasons apply to southern men in general. Quoting from a slew of letters and other primary sources, Berry follows the careers of seven man and the women they loved. Several themes emerge from his analysis.
Southern culture was dominated by males.
The men viewed the war as an opportunity to use the war as a way of showing how much they loved their wives and fiancées by fighting to protect them from the ravages of the Yankees. (If they didn't have a fiancée, they might latch onto a woman.)
They saw the war as a way to become great men like George Washington and other larger-than-life American heroes.
Like many of the men who fought in World War I, they viewed fighting in the war as a means to escape their humdrum existence working humdrum jobs.
In the end, the men became disillusioned with the war and simply wanted it to end.
Berry also describes the lives and roles of the women, who were confined to taking care of the home and children, in their male-dominated society. Some did fight back clandestinely. For example, one woman didn't like a particular suitor but couldn't reject him outright. Instead, when he came to call she told him she'd lost a button and he spent hours searching unsuccessfully for it under chairs and sofas. Of course, there was no lost button.
Berry wraps up his book by describing what happened to the seven men. Some happy. And some sad and tragic.
Personally, I don't think the fact that most southern men weren't fighting primarily for slavery or succession would surprise most people who have read the primary sources written by Confederate soldiers and officers. Their reminiscence are full of such sentiments.
All That Makes a Man is a good book about a subject that should receive more attention.
June 18, 2020
I noted in 2010 that gender based studies almost never look at masculinity. Why is likely due to few men engaging in such theories and also that gender studies is at heart opposed to masculinity. This attempt to discuss the motivations of white Southerners through gender theory in the Civil War era sounded interesting. Even more so as work like this would not be likely today given the vilification of the subject matter in particular, and straight white males in general. Yet, I found this one unconvincing. I liked the illustrations and Berry is not a bad writer, but the emphasis on particular figures was unconvincing to the arguments being made. That said, when the actual shooting starts, the narrative and analysis becomes sharper. I must conclude a great little book can be found in the final 1/3, but its quite a slog to get there.
January 14, 2013
A captivating and insightful history of the deeply personal motivations of Southern men to fight in the Civil War. Berry examines the generation of well-to-do white Southern men, beginning with their childhoods and often ending with their deaths on the battlefield, and argues that their conceptions of masculine duty and honor drove men into the Confederate ranks. This book explores the era as a lived experience; thereby, offering the reader with an exceptional study of these men's relationships with each other, women, their parents, their country, and themselves.
February 16, 2018
This is an excellent piece of historical scholarship. Berry's writing is impressive. Each chapter tells the story of two different characters, all getting at the theme of masculinity in the South. What makes this book exceptional, though, is that it does not stick with the tired tropes of slavery and the "master class." Instead, Berry examines southern men across walks of life. It's as much intellectual history as anything. The characters are well developed, creating a personal investment in each chapter. The book touches on common and expected subjects of war, identity, and politics. But it also uncovers some fascinating bits regarding sexuality, personal reflection, faith, and the timeless reflections of men at war.
I am not sure this book would work for an undergraduate class, but it's definitely fantastic for grad school or interested scholars. Readers interested in masculinity, the Confederacy, or 19th century culture overall will enjoy this book.
I am not sure this book would work for an undergraduate class, but it's definitely fantastic for grad school or interested scholars. Readers interested in masculinity, the Confederacy, or 19th century culture overall will enjoy this book.
June 17, 2018
This is a well researched and well put together from the correspondences of men and women during the civil war. It combines quotations as to how men and women saw their roles and required behavior in civilian life and in battle. So many conventions of the day and fond Couples. Beautiful love stories.
June 15, 2016
The generally accepted version of history is that the Civil War was fought for Union on one side and Slavery/States' Rights on the other (depending on which version of history you read). The central thesis of Stephen Berry is that for many men, the impulses that propelled them headlong them into war were much simpler and yet far more fundamental to their nature and image of themselves as men - namely, love and ambition. And it is that image of men as men, and what role the twin impulses of love and ambition play in that image, that is the central prop of this book. As Berry argues at the outset, to a very great extent all history is men's history, yet very few books dwell on what it meant to be a man in that particular time and place - largely because most history focuses on men's actions and not their thoughts and feelings, which are necessarily private and rarely expressed.
Love and ambition, he argues, are what propelled most men into war, at least on the Confederate side, and these are the men he studies. Other than the political leaders and figureheads, most soldiers in the Confederate army probably had, at best, a hazy understanding secession and the Union, slavery, abolition, states' right, independence. But they were fighting for something, nonetheless. Berry's argument is that they were fighting for the women whom their male-centric, chivalrous culture exalted as the pinnacles of civilization and grace, the repositories of all that was good and pure and honourable in their society. These women were their country, as more than one individual in this book made explicit in his letters home. And these women served as the base from which men could become great, could fulfil their potential as men, affirm their manhood, demonstrate their worth - the women they loved were both cause and effect, their very existence the reason for fighting and the audience for whom that fighting had meaning.
It's certainly a compelling argument, one he amply backs up with extracts from letters and diaries - although focusing on several individuals rather than a broader scope does leave this open to accusations of selective history. I also doubt much of the 'love-ambition' thesis is unique to this time and place - Civil War Confederate South. After all, most wars in history probably come down on some level to men trying to live up to some culturally-determined notion of masculinity, with defence of home and hearth as the major impulse, and women and children serving as the symbol of all they fight to defend. But it makes for an unusually intimate history of the Civil War - a far more emotional and moving insight into participants than one usually gets.
Love and ambition, he argues, are what propelled most men into war, at least on the Confederate side, and these are the men he studies. Other than the political leaders and figureheads, most soldiers in the Confederate army probably had, at best, a hazy understanding secession and the Union, slavery, abolition, states' right, independence. But they were fighting for something, nonetheless. Berry's argument is that they were fighting for the women whom their male-centric, chivalrous culture exalted as the pinnacles of civilization and grace, the repositories of all that was good and pure and honourable in their society. These women were their country, as more than one individual in this book made explicit in his letters home. And these women served as the base from which men could become great, could fulfil their potential as men, affirm their manhood, demonstrate their worth - the women they loved were both cause and effect, their very existence the reason for fighting and the audience for whom that fighting had meaning.
It's certainly a compelling argument, one he amply backs up with extracts from letters and diaries - although focusing on several individuals rather than a broader scope does leave this open to accusations of selective history. I also doubt much of the 'love-ambition' thesis is unique to this time and place - Civil War Confederate South. After all, most wars in history probably come down on some level to men trying to live up to some culturally-determined notion of masculinity, with defence of home and hearth as the major impulse, and women and children serving as the symbol of all they fight to defend. But it makes for an unusually intimate history of the Civil War - a far more emotional and moving insight into participants than one usually gets.
May 22, 2014
These stories are applicable to every generation of men and not necessarily just those in war. I'd recommend this book to anyone in a long distance relationship because there's definitely a lot of "castle building" there, too.
July 14, 2011
Thoroughly enjoyable, filled with beautiful prose and great use of gender theory.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews