James McPherson, Edwards Professor of American History at Princeton University and author of several books including Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, which he won the Pulitzer Prize for, gave UTM students a history lesson straight from his book Monday, Nov. 7.

With many students and faculty members in attendance, McPherson described the title of his book and the relativity of the Civil War to American life today.

The title of the book refers and explains the Northern and Southern views of the Nineteenth Century conflict. The Southern states seceded in freedom of self-determination and self-government for which they stood on in 1776, according to McPherson. The Northerners stood in defense of the Union.

McPherson’s theme was “When Will This Cruel War Be Over? The Failure of Peace Negotiations, 1864-1865.” McPherson said that several attempts to end the war broke down before the eventual surrender of the Confederate States to the Union at Appomattox.

“Even though the war resolved the issues of Union and slavery, it didn’t entirely resolve the issues that underlay those two questions,” McPherson told reporter Amy Lifson. “These issues are still important in American society today: regionalism, resentment of centralized government, debates about how powerful the national government ought to be and what role it ought to play in people’s lives. The continuing relevance of those issues, I think, is one reason for the continuing fascination with the Civil War.”

Contrary to some scholars’ belief, McPherson holds that soldiers on both sides of the conflict maintained strong allegiance to the causes for which they fought. McPherson said that religious belief often had an important role in motivating soldiers.

McPherson said the soldiers’ ideals were similar to those of the United States’ founding fathers, such as liberty, freedom, justice and patriotism.

He is most known for his uncanny ability to take the Civil War from academia and place it back into the realm of the public.

In writing his award-winning books, McPherson drew on more than 25,000 letters and 250 journals from Civil War soldiers.

McPherson was the 2003 president of the American Historical Association.

In addition to Battle Cry of Freedom: the Civil War Era, Lincoln also penned For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War. His book, Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam, was a New York Times best-seller.

McPherson appeared at UTM as part of the Academic Speaker Series, which is sponsored by Honors Programs, the Vertical Immersion Program and the Department of History and Philosophy.