Henry B. Motty's A Desperate Fight views Civil War Louisiana through the lens of its soldiers' experiences-and interdependence-with civilians. Louisiana fielded approximately sixty thousand men for the Confederacy, equaling nearly 18 percent of the state's white population. Most of these men came straight from civilian life. Although separated from their loved ones, soldiers and civilians did not endure the war in isolation, and the importance of the social bonds that developed between soldiers and civilians cannot be overstated. Motty focuses on these vital relationships and interactions, explaining how these communal attachments kept most of the state's soldiers fighting throughout the war. Participation in military campaigns and engagements shaped the world of Louisiana's soldiers and also affected civilians, who had to deal with the ensuing destruction. Both civilians and soldiers contended with the injury or death of family members, property damage or loss, and shortages or lack of necessities; their wartime experiences were intertwined. Soldiers, the majority of whom intended to be citizen-soldiers, needed civilian support, and many civilians who sympathized with the Confederacy expected their soldiers to protect and defend them. While the ideology of patriotism and nationalism motivated men to enlist, Motty argues that soldiers' civilian relationships provided a meaningful connection to their sacrifices and that many soldiers believed they were fighting primarily to protect and defend their families and conceptions of civilian freedom.
Henry B. Motty, a native of southwest Louisiana, received his PhD in American history from Louisiana State University.
"Motty offers an essential study of Confederate soldiers from Louisiana and their social relations. This work demonstrates the vital overlap between social history and military history, and scholars from both fields are sure to find this book insightful." - J. Matthew Ward, author of Garden of Ruins: Occupied Louisiana in the Civil War "With thoughtful precision, Henry B. Motty humanizes the unsettling drama of soldiering for the Confederacy." - Andrew F. Lang, author of In the Wake of War: Military Occupation, Emancipation, and Civil War America "A refreshingly comprehensive overview of the experiences of Louisiana Confederate soldiers from enlistment to surrender. Motty advances our understanding of the life challenges that confronted all classes of soldiers from across the state." - Samuel C. Hyde Jr., author of Pistols and Politics: Feuds, Factions, and the Struggle for Order in Louisiana's Florida Parishes, 1810-1935 "Motty's well-researched study goes beyond the traditional division between war and society to reveal the complexity of Louisiana's Civil War experience. A Desperate Fight shows that soldiers and civilians found that the challenges and sacrifices of war did not diminish but instead strengthened and reinforced community ties. A valuable addition to our understanding of Civil War Louisiana." - Harry S. Laver, author of A General Who Will Fight: The Leadership of Ulysses S. Grant
