Gallagher (history, U. of Virginia) presents this new history of the Civil War, examining the makeup and motivations of the Union armies and positing that a philosophical and political devotion to the Union as a concept, as an indicator of American exceptionalism and the righteousness of American history as it had progressed so far, motivated the hundreds of thousands of volunteers that fed the Northern army's ranks. The volume includes numerous illustrations as well as several reproductions of period photographs. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)