At War with King Alcohol - (Civil War America) by Megan L Bever (Paperback)

About the Book

"Wartime consumption of beer, wine, and spirits by civilians and soldiers in both North and South inflected debates over alcohol's effects on the individual body as well as the body politic. While drunkenness was a clear vice that threatened the war effort on both sides of the conflict, alcohol nevertheless was integral in military culture and medical departments for keeping soldiers healthy and fit for service. Bever shows how over time, the idea spread that sobriety was an essential trait of good, patriotic men, but this left Civil War veterans (many of whom continued to drink) outside the culture of acceptable masculine behavior at war's end"--

Book Synopsis

Liquor was essential to military culture as well as healthcare regimens in both the Union and Confederate armies. But its widespread use and misuse caused severe disruptions as unruly drunken soldiers and officers stumbled down roads and through towns, colliding with civilians. The problems surrounding liquor prompted debates among military officials, soldiers, and civilians as to what constituted acceptable drinking. While Americans never could agree on precisely when it was appropriate to make or drink alcohol, one consensus emerged: the wasteful manufacture and reckless consumption of spirits during a time of civil war was so unpatriotic that it sometimes bordered on disloyalty.

Using an array of sources--temperance periodicals, soldiers' accounts, legislative proceedings, and military records--Megan L. Bever explores the relationship between war, the practical realities of drinking alcohol, and temperance sentiment within the United States. Her insightful conclusions promise to shed new light on our understanding of soldiers' and veterans' lives, civil-military relations, and the complicated relationship between drinking, morality, and masculinity.

Review Quotes

"At War with King Alcohol offers a well-researched and well-written study on the complexities of alcohol use during the Civil War. Bever's research is valuable to those interested in the histories of the Civil War, temperance reform, and masculinity and manliness."--H-CivWar

"A carefully written and thoroughly researched study. Its varied subject matters will find broad appeal among students of nineteenth-century America, while its nuanced arguments about officers and soldiers will appeal to scholars of the Civil War era."--Journal of the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War Era

"American Civil War scholars would do well to get their hands on At War with King Alcohol. . . . Besides offering valuable insight into discussions about drinking and masculinity, it also reveals new dimensions to seemingly separate historiographic debates: the power struggle between state and national authorities, the role of a national government in mid-nineteenth-century life, and intriguing forays by those national governments into matters of morality and humanitarianism. . . . A staple for historians of gender during the Civil War, as well as any scholar of military history who seeks insight into the transformative effects of alcohol on armies and societies."--H-War

"An indispensable portrait of the Civil War. . . . The intricacies of this story are wonderfully detailed in this accessibly argued book. Bever presents an excellent example of how historians cans, and should, examine the fungible roots of identity and the power of identity politics."--Journal of the Civil War Era

"A useful reference for historians of nineteenth-century temperance and prohibition, as well as for military historians who examine ordinary soldiers' lives. . . . Bever's rich description of drinking practices and commercial networks will undoubtedly make [researching alcohol debates' history] easier for a future historian."--Journal of American History

"A well-researched and well-written study that succeeds in demonstrating how Union and Confederate soldiers' drinking represented a consequential and contested element of military life that came under the scrutiny of numerous 'stakeholders.' It is a fascinating read and should be included on reading lists for courses on the Civil War, reform movements, and military history, to name a few."--H-Nationalism

"In At War with King Alcohol, historian Megan L . Bever provides a long overdue study of alcohol's contested, yet essential role during the American Civil War. . . . a holistic yet finely detailed account of alcohol's contentious place in American society and culture during the Civil War era."--North Carolina Historical Review

"Recommended . . . this well-researched, well-written monograph . . . is both a contribution to the story of drink and temperance in the 19th-century US and a rare historical study of drinking in the American military."--CHOICE