"Why they Fought" - A Study of the Lives and Motivations of the Common Civil War Soldier

This class provides a Civil War study, from the perspective of the common soldier. Focus will be on Maine soldiers, mostly from the MidCoast area, who fought in the Richmond-Petersburg area in 1862 and 1864 campaigns.

Extensive material will be presented from diaries, journals, and published works by the soldiers themselves as first hand witnesses to these events in Virginia.

Questions to be answered, such as "why they fought," focus on the personal motivations of these common soldiers.

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Instructor: David Urquia

Orthopedic Surgeon, recently retired as Associate Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

Degrees: Princeton University B.S. 1979
University of Virginia School of Medicine 1983
Duke University Medical Center Residency 1983-89

Member: Petersburg Civil War Roundtable, Pamplin Historical Park
Member: Petersburg Battlefield Foundation

Photo credit: David Urquia, from "For Cause and Comrades" James McPherson 1997