Edward L. Ayers In The Presence Of Mine Enemies

Edward L. Ayers is the author of In the Presence of Mine Enemies, which is a book that takes a look at the American Civil War in new perspective. Ayer gives the reader an idea of what life during the Civil War was like. Instead of focusing deeply on the military aspects of the war, Ayers through his narrative was able to personify the Civil War through the characters in which he talked about. Because of his differing view of history, Ayers was able to identify the attitudes in the North and the South that change over time due to factors that were not in their control. Through the use of different perspectives of the Civil War, Ayers was able to demonstrate the challenges, beliefs and worries of all the people affected by the Civil War in a way that brought to light some unknown experiences of the war and the shifts in North and the South up to the battle of Gettysburg. The use of articles from …show more content…
There was a great exodus of slaves to the Northern states, leading their owners and other “noble” citizens to go “Negro-hunting”. A majority of those who went Negro hunting where Confederate soldiers who viewed these escaped and freed slaves as a losing property. The people in Franklin County experienced “black men [enlisting] at a speed and with a spirit that surprised their white neighbors.” Another perspective were the soldiers who fought under the Command of “Stonewall” Jackson whose religious values seemed to calm the anxious hearts and minds of his soldiers. In focusing on the people of the Civil War rather than the militaristic achievements of the war Ayers presented the Civil War as a war that was shaped by the political agendas of both sides of the spectrum. The outside forces like political debates, newspapers and the testimonies of the solders themselves shaped the Civil War through constant