The poem I chose is “The Hesitating Veteran” by Ambrose Bierce. I believe this poem takes you through each stage of the war. Where in the beginning he had faith in the Union and what they were fighting for. But, as the war continued and men from both sides were dying in mass numbers, doubt started to creep in. Many soldiers began to question if the cause of the war out weighed the cost of the war. Was it worth to continue to see young men die and the living having to bury the dead without a proper burial? As the war ended Bierce describes how the “black chap” got his freedom but, was still not allowed to vote. Something that all free white men are able to do. But, the line that stood out to me was the last one, “I know what uniform I wore – O, that I knew what side I fought for!” I guess it stands out because it is almost as he is unsure of the war was worth it. Both sides lost so many men, one side fighting for a sovereign national government and to end slavery; while the other wanted to keep slavery and be sovereign states.
"The Hesitating Veteran." The Hesitating Veteran. Accessed September 13, 2015. http://www.civilwarpoetry.org/union/postwar/bierce.html.
During the fall and summer of 1918 the British Expeditionary Force would experience breakdown in review of battles and encounters to reveal British and Dominion culture. Silbey would compare the Canadian Corps, the New Zealand Division, and the Australian Imperial Force. He would describe how nationalism affected their operational decisions and these decisions helped the development of nationalism.
Silbey explains that militaries and wars do not simply appear, he describes how conflict is linked to principles, beliefs, and myths of those cultures involved in war. operations on the battlefield shaped national culture and national culture shaped operations on the battlefield” (Lee, p. 181). His largest argument is the usefulness of modern tool used by historiography to military history.
National moments: Each country established a signature event categorized as nationalism with examples as; events, people, or things seen by the population as being peculiarly representative of their motherland.
Lee, Wayne E. "Connecting Culture and the Battlefield." In Warfare and Culture in World History. New York, NY: NYU Press, 2011.
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