May 3, 1863

Okay … what do you think the events of May 3, 1863, had on the course of the Civil War?

Grant: Union and Emancipation

I must admit that I’m not terribly taken with the debate over union versus emancipation that I’ve seen recently in response to the appearance of Gary Gallagher’s new book, The Union War.  Yes, Gary’s right that Union soldiers valued the Union in and of itself as something worth fighting for, and yes, I have thought that some claims that the war was not worth fighting until it became a war of emancipation to be somewhat besides the point, although I can understand why some observers might not share that perspective.

But let’s have Grant speak for himself