Marching Home
Union Veterans and Their Unending Civil War

The Odyssey Of The Union Soldier The Civil War is often referred to as the American Iliad. As shown in historian Brian Jordan's first book, "Marching Home: Union Veterans and their Unending Civil War" (2015), the story of Union veterans after the war deserves to be known as the American Odyssey. Jord......more

Throughout U.S. history, war veterans have received very different treatment upon returning home, depending on the era and the war. Consider the case of World War II veterans, who were hailed as heroes and benefited from programs like the G.I. Bill in their return to civilian life, as compared to Vi......more

Most Civil War books end at Appomattox and then have an epilogue talking about the last surrender by General Kirby Smith in the West. Some will have follow-up biographies of what happened to the major players like Grant, Lee and other generals or politicians. But no one has written about what happen......more

Many years ago I wanted to write something very much like Brian Matthew Jordan’s Marching Home. I was enamored with the discussion of memory in Embattled Courage and Race and Reunion, but I found each lacking when it came to the Union memory of the war, which I dubbed the Just Cause. Reading through......more

3.5/5* “Already the North’s civilians were shrouding the war’s scars with the fabric of forgetfulness. Content to observe the wounded in a tidy exhibition, civilians looked toward a future of prosperity and national unity, marveling at their own empathy.” While Northern society wanted to celebrate th......more