The Civil War and Its Place in Military History

Abstract: This roundtable discussion among War and Society historians places the American Civil War in a comparative military context. It suggests that the conflict between the Union and the Confederacy was an aberration in the broader military history of the United States and the world. Scholars consider citizenship, Black military service, masculinity, the evolution of the regular army, volunteer and conscript armies, the myth of the decisive battle, guerrilla conflict, the nature of the home front and battlefront, and interservice rivalry. The roundtable concludes with an assessment of the application of digital tools and AI.