Battle Cry Of Freedom Analysis

After publishing Battle Cry of Freedom in 1988, Mcpherson decided to pursue a different path instead of everything about the Civil War he decided to reflect on the Civil War as seen through Drawn With The Sword published in 1996. Mcpherson decided to split Drawn With The Sword into five different parts and each of those parts tied back to his six themes established in the preface of the book. Those themes being slavery as a polarizing issue that split the country and brought the war, evolution of a conflict from limited war for restoration of the old Union to a "total war" for a new birth of freedom, role of blacks in the war, why the North won, political and military leadership, the enduring impact of the war on consciousness and institutions
Lincoln making sure in 1861 once elected the South seceding him having to reassure the Southerners in 1861 the war had no designs for slavery. Starting to dive into the theme at Chapter five titled, “From Limited to Total War;” the first total war in American War making sure not just the Confederate soldiers feel it but everyone supporting the Confederates having to derail their morale by any means possible such as by burning anything in their path. Lincoln not just having to go against the South Confederates but also having to deal with rebels known as guerrillas led by the notorious Clarke Quantrill and Bloody Bill Anderson burning out Missouri and tying down Union troops with hit and run raids. Once the rebels counterpunched at Shiloh Grant had changed his mind going against the Union’s apparently confirmed validity of a limited-war strategy. Grant saying, “To protect the property of the citizens whose territory was invaded”; afterwards his policy became to “consume everything that could be used to support or supply armies.” (McPherson 76) Leading no longer a limited war but a total war, leading to everyone having to feel the hand of war. Lincoln using on of his favorite metaphors, “Broken eggs cannot be mended.” McPherson also going onto say,” The rebels had already cracked the egg of slavery by their own
Diving into the third theme of the role of blacks in the war as seen in parts two and four. Starting in Chapter six titled, “Race and Class in the Crucible of War;” McPherson saying, “An important theme in the book is the campaign by black soldiers and their officers to get the opportunity to fight.” (McPherson 89) Blacks fighting against the Confederates supporting the Union, increasing their respect from whites; the blacks most of the time fighting on the front lines not in the back. By 1862 Lincoln, being convinced by the Confederate war effort invoking his power as commander in chief making sure to include that blacks would be “received into the armed services of the United States.” (McPherson 101) However, the 54th regiment not being the first black regiment being organized to see combat the first organized black regiment being organized in Missouri, lower Mississippi Valley, and South Carolina sea islands, four of the regiments connected to the Vicksburg campaign. The blacks having to also play a role in freeing themselves seeing the Civil War as a potential war for abolition well before Lincoln. McPherson saying, “Lincoln repeatedly “placed the preservation of the white Union above the death of black slavery.” However, without the Civil War there would have been no Emancipation Proclamation, no thirteenth Amendment, and no end of slavery for