'Tis Not Our War: Avoiding Military Service in the Civil War North

by Paul Taylor

James McPherson’s classic book For Cause & Comrades explained “why men fought in the Civil War”—and spurred countless other historians to ask and attempt to answer the same question. But few have explored why men did not fight. That’s the question Paul Taylor answers in this groundbreaking Civil War history that examines the reasons why at least 60 percent of service-eligible men in the North chose not to serve and why, to some extent, their communities allowed them to do so. Did these other men not feel the same patriotic impulses as their fellow citizens who rushed to the enlistment office? Did they not believe in the sanctity of the Union? Was freeing men held in chains under chattel slavery not a righteous moral crusade? And why did some soldiers come to regret their enlistment and try to leave the military?

’Tis Not Our War answers these questions by focusing on the thoughts, opinions, and beliefs of average civilians and soldiers. Taylor digs deep into primary sources—newspapers, diaries, letters, archival manuscripts, military reports, and published memoirs—to paint a vivid and richly complex portrait of men who questioned military service in the Civil War and to show that the North was never as unified in support of the war as portrayed in much of America’s collective memory. This book adds to our understanding of the Civil War and the men who fought—and did not fight—in it.

Genres: Civil War, History, Nonfiction

528 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 18, 2024

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

None of my direct descendants fought in the Civil War - most of them weren’t even here yet. Among the few who were, most were either too young or too old to have served. Only one was of military age at the time - a great-great grandfather, who was an Irish immigrant living in New York. I can see from old records that he dutifully registered for the draft in 1863, but he doesn’t appear ever to have served. What I don’t know is, why?

And that’s what Taylor aims to explore in this book, in a scholarly and nonjudgmental way. Not specifically why my own great-great grandfather didn’t fight in the war, but why so many northerners like him chose not to. Many simply shared the mindset of Union General Joshua Chamberlain’s father, who gave this book its title by observing about the conflict, “‘tis not our war.”

Many books have explored what motivated Union soldiers to fight. But Smith points out that only about 40% of eligible northerners did. So why didn’t the others?

Taylor mined letters and diaries and other sources, pulling quotes and anecdotes that he uses throughout the book to represent civilians’ various justifications for staying out of the war, ranging from hostility to indifference. Some who joined the fight did so for the reasons we like to imagine were foremost in everyone’s mind - to preserve the Union and defend the country’s ideals. To others, though, liberty meant having the freedom not to fight if they so chose.

Others were far less high-minded about their choices. Some who enlisted needed money and a job, while some who didn’t were already steadily employed. Some were simply bored and seeking adventure, while others had families and responsibilities. Some recent immigrants didn’t feel duty-bound to fight for a country that wasn’t really theirs, for a cause that didn’t directly impact them, while others enlisted in order to prove their patriotism to their adopted country. And yes, it must be said, some were brave while others would do anything to avoid putting themselves in harm’s way. The common belief that the war would be a short one led some enlistees to say “why not?” while others concluded, “why bother?”

While many southerners believed they were fighting for their very survival and way of life, the war was more remote to many northerners. One might imagine today that the war hovered over everything and was omnipresent in daily life. But Taylor found at least a couple of diaries that span nearly the entirety of the war years, whose authors memorialized the daily minutiae of their lives, but somehow failed to meaningfully mention anything at all about the war. Not only did they not volunteer to fight, it appears that doing so never even crossed their minds.

Once the Union draft was instituted, only a tiny percentage of those who registered actually ended up serving - alluring bounty payments for volunteers and the mere threat of being drafted (with no bounty) made large numbers of draftees unnecessary. Even with this carrot-and-stick approach, though, war weariness and a reluctance among some to fight for emancipation ultimately dimmed many would-be enlistees’ enthusiasm to sign up - and dulled the societal pressure to do so. “What was viewed as shameful, cowardly behavior in the summer of 1861,” Taylor writes of avoiding service, “became acceptable in a shrug-of-the-shoulders manner by late 1864.”

The book gets off to a strong start in analyzing and categorizing non-soldiers’ motives, but later strays somewhat from its stated focus by considering such topics as deserters, draft dodgers and paid substitutes, which are more about how men avoided service rather than why. It’s a bit of a diversion, but once Taylor considers all the reasons that northerners chose not to join the fight when the war broke out, there needs to be somewhere for the book to go as it follows the war to its conclusion. The book could also have been a bit tighter, as there are a few observations that Taylor repeats more than once.

As compared to, say, the Mexican-American War or the Vietnam War, which faced vigorous and vocal homefront opposition, the Civil War (in the north at least) is largely seen today as one of the “good wars.” So it’s tempting to look back and believe that everyone at the time thought the same, and pulled together for a common cause. Of course, in some quarters, there was some strong opposition to the war. But Taylor’s book shows that there was a large degree of relative ambivalence as well.

I’ll never know why my great-great grandfather chose to stay home. Was he strongly opposed to the war’s aims? Or, as a recently-married working man and father to a newborn, were his loyalties to his family and community stronger than those to his adopted country and what it stood for? For the majority of northern civilians like him, Taylor concludes that the war “had not grazed their lives.” As much as we might prefer to romanticize that era and those who lived through it, to many of them, just like Chamberlain observed, “it had not really been their war” at all.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Stackpole Books for providing an advance copy of this book for review, ahead of its June 18th release.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually read this book in the hardcover format; not sure why it isn't listed among the editions. Oh well. This book turns over 160 years of Civil War historiography on its head. The author posits that only slightly less than 40% of Northerners eligible for military service actually fought in the war. The book details why this was, and the personal stories of many eyewitnesses are included in the narrative. I was impressed with the lack of typos in the book; I only found one. Overall, a very good book, though it probably isn't meant for the general reader. More of an esoteric type book. But very good nonetheless.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Tis not our war" was said by the father of Joshua Chamberlain of Gettysburg fame, who was also named Joshua Chamberlain. As of right now, all of my ancestors fought for the Union with no known Confederate family members. On my mom's side they fought in the east and in the west on my dad's side. When I saw this book was coming out, I knew I had to get it. I read The Life of Billy Yank and Cause and Comrades by James McPherson, which are excellent works, but I wanted to see the side of the dissenters.

Paul Taylor's book begins with why men enlisted after the attack on Fort Sumter. The attack was seen as an assault on the American way of life and a threat to democracy. As the war continued, men did not wish to fight for the Union. Why? Taylor provides a variety of reasons. One is the romance of war ended pretty quickly. Some of the enlisted men thought it was going to be a glorious adventure, but the hard soldier's life showed reality. Marching for miles with heavy equipment, getting little food, and enduring hellish conditions changed many of these soldiers minds. One soldier wrote to his brother and told him not to enlist because of the horrible conditions. This comes to one of the strongest parts of Taylor's book: anecdotes. His use of using soldiers' and families' stories was well done.

The medical care was not terrific and some soldiers hoped a bullet would kill them. News reports of men getting their limbs cut off as they scream in agony was not exactly a good motivation for unlisted men to say "You know what? I want to enlist and fight for my country." Disease was a major killer, and, in fact, disease killed more men than any bullet. This part related to my family because one of my ancestors on my mom's side died in camp in 1862 and another of my ancestor on my dad's side got so sick that he was sent home.

Other reasons men did not enlist besides the horrible conditions were opposing emancipation, conscientious reasons, opposing the draft and seeing it as tyrannical. Men feigned illnesses or deliberately injured themselves, so they would not go. It reminded me of reading last year when the number one search in Russia was "how to break your leg?" Some men even got captured on purpose, so they could get a parole and go home.

Taylor's book was not great as I had hoped. I read a lot of Civil War books and a lot of these reasons I knew. I did learn new things, however, so it was not a waste of time and I am glad I read the book. I will read it again because the anecdotes he collected were helpful to his narrative. It is also readable. I wish people that wrote history made their works more accessible than just writing for a few scholarly people. I recommend Paul Taylor's book Tis Not Our War. I am hoping he does a Confederate version.

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here’s a book that I think is sorely needed. ‘Tis Not Our War by Paul Taylor looks at the Civil War from the Union side, and how it was never the intensely patriotic, we’re-all-in-this-together-movement that many people tend to view it as today.

There are so many examples listed in the book for reasons men absolutely did NOT want to go off and fight. Parents wanting to keep their young boys from bad influences in the military, immigrants not wanting to get involved, men who needed to care for their wives and children or ailing parents, men waiting to inherit property and money who were unwilling to throw it all away to be a soldier, the pay was bad and unreliable, men wanting to fight solely for abolition or not at all (with the inverse in 1863 of them NOT wanting to fight for abolition), conscientious objectors, and those who labelled themselves honestly as cowards—all these are excuses given, with many more to be found. Men were desperate to avoid first the war and then the draft, paying commutation fees, hiring substitutes, fleeing ahead of the draft, or simply not showing up if called to duty. Families and communities banded together to warn men when the military was coming to seek enlistments, and often they would throw rocks, set dogs on the officers, or even engage in open gun fighting. People dug in their heels to avoid taking part in the war; whether they personally supported it or not, they did not want to be the ones to make a sacrifice, especially if they had already sent family members off to fight while others in the town had not.

I did not know the depth of resistance to the war, with only 6% of the men who were drafted actually showing up to take their position in the ranks. I did not know that 40% had deserted at some point by the war’s end. I did not know when Lincoln promised amnesty to soldiers who returned within 60 days near the end of the war that only 1,755 did so out of a total of over 119,000. Most civil war books don’t really focus on the resentment and rage of the men who would do anything to stay out of the army, so all of this is sobering information. I am glad of it, though, because I think more people need to see it.

I especially would like to slide this work in the direction of those who claim that the war was essentially fought in this manner: South wanted to keep slaves, North wanted to free the slaves. This book underlines that many in the Union did NOT join for that reason, and used it as an excuse to flee or to resist joining, whether or not they felt so strongly on the point of abolition.

I think this could do with perhaps a little editing here and there, but overall it’s very enjoyable. I also appreciated the inclusion of illustrations that broke up the text now and again that ranged from advertisements for insurance to pay for substitutes to artwork mocking Copperheads and shirkers.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Adam‘’s book reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paul Taylor’s ’Tis Not Our War is a well-researched look at why many people in the North tried to avoid military service during the Civil War. Using personal letters between soldiers and family members back home, Taylor focuses on the voices of low-ranking, everyday soldiers rather than generals or political leaders. That approach really worked for me, since so much Civil War history is usually told from the top down.

Once the early excitement of the war faded, Taylor shows that resistance to service came from very practical concerns—financial hardship, fear of leaving family behind, and uncertainty about whether the war was worth the personal cost. I liked how these letters complicate the usual picture of widespread Northern enthusiasm and help rewrite parts of the historical narrative. It highlights an underreported side of the war that often gets lost beneath battlefield strategies and famous names.

I also appreciated how some of these concerns feel familiar even today. The reasons people struggled with service in the 1860s aren’t all that different from the reasons people wrestle with it now, and that connection adds depth to the book.

That said, I felt the book became repetitive, especially toward the end. Many of the same points are revisited without adding much new insight, which made the pacing drag and weakened the overall impact.

Overall, this is a solid, informative read with a valuable bottom-up perspective. It’s not a standout favorite for me, but it’s still a worthwhile book for readers interested in the social realities of the Civil War and voices that are often overlooked. ⭐⭐⭐

[Annie J (The History Solarium Book Club) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Fresh Perspective on Civil War Dissent

‘Tis Not Our War shattered numerous assumptions about Civil War patriotism that I didn’t even know I possessed. It’s hard to imagine that in 2024 an author could write something about the Civil War that hasn’t already been fully addressed amidst the plethora of works about the War of Rebellion. But Taylor does just that. Uncovering a wealth of primary source accounts, Taylor exposes the various reasons for anti war sentiments in the North. Making the claims that dissent against war isn’t a novel concept in America and that it was most fervently demonstrated in the Vietnam War, ‘Tis Not Our War exposes the massive difficulties faced by Lincoln and his administration in maintaining the manpower necessary to sustain the war effort. The book attempts to portray the multitude of causes for avoiding war service while also providing a chronological record of the issue. With this approach, there was quite a bit of repetition in the later chapters. However, the vast research and multitude of individual narratives make this dense work an important and interesting work for any Civil War enthusiast.


I am grateful to NetGalley and Stackpole Books for providing me with an advanced reader copy of Paul Taylor’s ‘Tis Not Our War.

[Ron Nurmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a look at the 60% of the men who did not serve in the Civil War. How any why they opposed service.

[JerryDeanHalleck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhat repetitive but overall a worthy book. Taylor shows that while the North had an overall 4-1 edge in total available men of military age, the ratio of Notherners v. Southerners willing to fight was much less than that.

Of course, after the war, all those who enlisted for money or were drafted became heroes. Unlike the South, the North did not draft 18 or 19 y/os. Instead these boys were bribed into service, either by signing up as substitutes or taking the large bounties offered.