Dread Danger

'Despite a rich literature on US Civil War soldier motivation, surprisingly few scholars have examined the topic of military cowardice. Lesley Gordon's beautifully crafted work offers a compelling case study of two units that reveals the Civil War generations' near obsession with the subject and why it should matter to us, too.' Susannah J. Ural, Williams Chair, Mississippi State University

'Dread Danger is much more than the first serious, book-length analysis of cowardice in the Civil War. Reaching beneath the sepia-toned stereotypes and mindful of the space between events and their narration, this welcome study offers a thoughtful meditation on how humans anticipate, experience, and remember war.' Brian Matthew Jordan, author of Marching Home: Union Veterans and Their Unending Civil War

'Lesley J. Gordon's welcomed study of battlefield performance highlights the emotional and reputational costs of failing to meet the heady expectations of heroism assumed of all soldiers, regardless of training and experience. Dread Danger elucidates what happens when bravery is not enough and expectations crumble, when recriminations set in, and dreams of glory evaporate.' Sarah E. Gardner, Mercer University

'An inspired practitioner of Civil War regimental history, Lesley J. Gordon reconstructs the social setting in which soldiers met the trial of combat and responded to moral judgments on their battlefield conduct. She chooses revealing case studies and tells compelling stories.' Thomas J. Brown, co-author of Zouave Theaters: Transnational Military Fashion and Performance

Lesley J. Gordon is the Charles G. Summersell Chair of Southern History at the University of Alabama. Her publications include General George E. Pickett in Life and Legend (1998) and A Broken Regiment: The 16th Connecticut's Civil War (2014).

Introduction: 'Almost Enough to Make Cowards of the Bravest Men'; Part I. The 11th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment: 1. 'Soldiers, and Yet Not Soldiers': New York & Washington, D. C.; 2. 'Effervescent Courage': Virginia; 3. 'Soul Sick': Virginia & New York; Part II. The 2nd Texas Volunteer Infantry Regiment: 4. 'The Display of Soldiery': Texas; 5. 'A Pack of Cowards': Tennessee & Mississippi; 6. 'A Skeleton of Itself': Mississippi & Texas; Conclusion: 'When Cowards Shrink and Brave Men Die'; Bibliography.