Gary Gallagher describes Confederate morale, soldier and civilian, as generally very positive between mid-1863 and the end of the Civil War. In what specific ways, according to Gallagher, does his interpretation differ from those of most other historians? To what factors does he attribute these continuing high expectations among Southern civilians and soldiers during a period when hindsight informs us that defeat was increasingly likely and perhaps inevitable? In your judgment, does Chandra Manning’s analysis of Confederate soldiers (in What This Cruel War Was Over) support, refute, or complicate Gallagher’s interpretation of this matter? Whose approach or interpretation do you find more convincing, and why?
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