How the Civil War Became a Revolution

Lauren RubensteinAugust 8, 20121min
Richard Slotkin discusses a turning point in 1862, when both the North and South committed to all-out war

In an opinion piece published in the New York Times and an interview on NPR’s Fresh AirEmeritus Olin Professor of English and American Studies Richard Slotkin discusses how the North and South strategies changed in the summer of 1862, marking a turning point in the Civil War. At that time, both sides committed to an all-out total war and Lincoln squared off against Gen. George McClellan, an ardent Democrat who held fantasies of both a dictatorship and a military coup against the Union.