Dread Danger: Cowardice and Combat in the American Civil War

by Dr. Lesley J. Gordon, via ZOOM.

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When confronted with the abject fear of going into battle, Civil War soldiers were expected to overcome the dread of the oncoming danger with feats of courage and victory on the battlefield. The Fire Zouaves and the 2nd Texas Infantry went to war with high expectations that they would perform bravely; they had famed commanders and enthusiastic community support. How could they possibly fail? Yet falter they did, facing humiliating charges of cowardice thereafter that cast a lingering shadow on the two regiments, despite their best efforts at redemption. By the end of the war, however, these charges were largely forgotten, replaced with the jingoistic rhetoric of martial heroism, a legacy that led many, including historians, to insist that all Civil War soldiers were heroes. Dread Danger creates a fuller understanding of the soldier experience and the overall costs and sufferings of war.

Professor Lesley J. Gordon earned her BA in History from The College of William and Mary, and her MA and PhD in American History from the University of Georgia. She taught at Murray State University and the University of Akron before becoming the Charles G. Summersell Chair of Southern History at the University of Alabama in 2016. Professor Gordon has authored three monographs, co-edited four volumes of essays, and co-written a textbook about the American Civil War. She has also published numerous book chapters, journal articles, book reviews and encyclopedia entries, and presented her work at scholarly conferences across the country and abroad. Professor Gordon has been a Distinguished Lecturer for the Organization of American Historians since 2009 and has had her lectures and presentations featured on C-span. She has served as editor of the academic journal Civil War History (2010-2015), President of the Society for Civil War History (2022-2024) and is currently Chair of the Editorial Board for the University of Alabama Press

ISBN Number: 9781108729192