The Civil War Soldier and the Press

The Civil War Soldier and the Press examines how the press powerfully shaped the nation’s understanding and memory of the common soldier, setting the stage for today’s continuing debates about the Civil War and its legacy.

The history of the Civil War is typically one of military strategies, famous generals, and bloody battles, but to Americans of the era, the most important story of the war was the fate of the soldier. In this edited collection, new research in journalism history and archival images provide an interdisciplinary study of citizenship, representation, race and ethnicity, gender, disability, death, and national identity. Together, these chapters follow the story of Civil War soldiers, from enlistment through battle and beyond, as they were represented in hometown and national newspapers of the time. In discussing the same pages that were read by soldiers’ families, friends, and loved ones during America’s greatest conflict, the book provides a window into the experience of historical readers as they grappled with the meaning and cost of patriotism and shared sacrifice.

Both scholarly and approachable, this book is an enriching resource for undergraduate and graduate courses in Civil War history, American history, journalism, and mass communication history.

Katrina J. Quinn, Ph.D., is chair of the Strategic Communication and Media Department at Slippery Rock University. A 2019 Hazel Dicken-Garcia Distinguished Scholar of Journalism History, Dr. Quinn has published on topics such as nineteenth-century political reporting, the Civil War press, sensationalism, narrative, and journalism of the American frontier.

David B. Sachsman, Ph.D., held the George R. West, Jr. Chair of Excellence in Communication and Public Affairs at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he served as director of the annual Symposium on the 19th Century Press, the Civil War, and Free Expression for nearly 30 years.