Booknotes: At War with King Alcohol

New Arrival:
• At War With King Alcohol: Debating Drinking and Masculinity in the Civil War by Megan L. Bever (UNC Press, 2022).

The wartime use of alcohol by the officers and men of both Civil War armies, along with the problems that stemmed from drinking and the military/societal debates surrounding it, are important topics ripe for examination. Historians have certainly explored at great depth American temperance reform before and after the Civil War, but I am not aware of a current book-length standard when it comes to specialized scholarly study of drinking and prohibition movements during the conflict. With no historiographical progression noted in its author introduction or suitable predecessors found in its bibliography, Megan Bever's At War With King Alcohol: Debating Drinking and Masculinity in the Civil War appears to be a work addressing a clear gap.

From the description: "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."

While the study does concentrate its efforts on military matters, one popular source of discussion is omitted. Bever does not seek to "answer the question of whether certain generals were drunk on certain days or whether intoxication can be blamed for catastrophes on the battlefield." However, the book does explore more generally the limits to which common soldiers and their officers tolerated drinking among both rank and file comrades and leadership colleagues.

The multi-directional nature of temperance reform, from grassroots secular and religious organization to state and federal government legislation, necessitates a wide source exploration, and Bever's research range delivers the goods. More from the description: "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."