Introduction: only bread and the newspaper we must have -- Part I. On fools, hypocrites, and scoundrels -- Striped pants and empty heads: the fools, swells, and jesters of the Civil War -- Don't you think it is time you took off that uniform? Shoulder straps and faux soldiers -- Your diamonds may flash gaily, but there's blood on them: a shoddy aristocracy -- Part II. On duty, cowardice, and citizenship -- Our duty: sacrifice and citizenship -- No man of honor shall shrink from running his chance: Federal conscription and individual obligations -- The woman hides her trembling fear: good wives and selfless volunteers -- Will they fight? Should they fight? African Americans and citizenship in wartime -- Conclusion: We are coming Father Abraham: patriotism and choice
Summary
Examining the breadth of Northern popular culture, J. Matthew Gallman offers a dramatic reconsideration of how the Union's civilians understood the meaning of duty and citizenship in wartime. Gallman shows how thousands of authors, artists, and readers together created a new set of rules for navigating life in a nation at war