Every Revolution Was First a Thought: The Civil War and Transcendentalism in Transatlantic Context

Tracing the impact of transcendental philosophy on Union soldiers and their loved ones during the American Civil War

Scholars of the American Civil War have long wondered about the seemingly earnest and sincere sentimental commitment that most Northern soldiers had to their nation and the North’s cause. Unlike many others in other wars, Union soldiers appeared to embrace the war with an unusual conviction and sacrificed their lives with a rare nobility. Their grieving relatives were also b...