Uncovers holes in our understanding of the men who fought the Civil War and the society that produced them

Finalist for the 2011 Gilder
Lehrman Lincoln Prize


"A seminal work. . . . One of
the best examples of new, sophisticated scholarship on the social history of
Civil War soldiers."
—The Journal of Southern History

“Will undoubtedly, and properly, be
read as the latest word on the role of manhood in the internal dynamics of the
Union army."
—Journal of the Civil War Era

During the Civil War, the Union
army appeared cohesive enough to withstand four years of grueling war against
the Confederates and to claim victory in 1865. But fractiousness bubbled below
the surface of the North’s presumably united front. Internal fissures were rife
within the Union army: class divisions, regional antagonisms, ideological
differences, and conflicting personalities all distracted the army from
quelling the Southern rebellion.

In this highly original
contribution to Civil War and gender history, Lorien Foote reveals that these internal
battles were fought against the backdrop of manhood. Clashing ideals of
manliness produced myriad conflicts, as when educated, refined, and wealthy
officers (“gentlemen”) found themselves commanding a hard-drinking group of
fighters (“roughs”)—a dynamic that often resulted in violence and even death. Based
on extensive research into heretofore ignored primary sources, The Gentlemen and the Roughs uncovers
holes in our understanding of the men who fought the Civil War and the society
that produced them.

"Foote is to be commended for drawing attention to the much-neglected 'roughs,' and for offering a means by which to study their behavior...Foote has delivered a far more substantive presentation of this group than has heretofore existed...this is an important and provocative study." - The North Carolina Historical Review

"Foote reveals as much about the nature of the army and daily regimental life as she does about the competing concepts of manhood . . . This is a refreshing book that offers new ways of looking at the Union army, which overcame more than just the ineffectiveness of its generals and the skill of its Confederate opponents in order to preserve the nation intact." - Net Reviews

"The Gentlemen and the Roughs" is an interesting book, carefully researched and covering an area of the Civil War that has been virtually ignored." - The Daily News-Bowling Green Kentucky

"A much as the Union army was at war with Confederate troops, according to Foote, it was also simultaneously internally at was along fault lines created by changing ideas of what it meant to be a man in a rapidly modernizing northern economy and social order. . . This book will undoubtedly, and properly, be read as the latest word on the role of manhood in the internal dynamics of the Union army." - Journal of the Civil War Era

"Foote's monograph is complex and well written, and focuses the lens of gender and manhood studies on the Civil War North . . . Manditory reading for any scholar of 19th-century masculinity." - Choice Magazine

"Lorein Foote's study of conflict in the Union army makes an insightful contribution to our understanding of the military experience of the common soldier" - Journal of American History

"Lorien Foote in The Gentlemen and the Roughs provides a fascinating perspective on the pervasive issues of manhood and honor that served to undermine the cohesion of the Union army . . . Her research, which looks at the social history of military relationships, is invaluable to broadening our overall undertanding of the American Civil War." - Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

"Lorien Foote's new book is another innovative attempt to rewrite American military history using the methodology of social history." - American Historical Review

"This book is one of the best examples of new, sophisticated scholarship on the social history of Civil War soldiers." - The Journal of Southern History