When confronted with the abject fear of going into battle, Civil War soldiers were expected to overcome the dread of the oncoming danger with feats of courage and victory on the battlefield. The Fire Zouaves and the 2nd Texas Infantry went to war with high expectations that they would perform bravely; they had famed commanders and enthusiastic community support. How could they possibly fail? Yet falter they did, facing humiliating charges of cowardice thereafter that cast a lingering shadow on the two regiments, despite their best efforts at redemption. By the end of the war, however, these charges were largely forgotten, replaced with the jingoistic rhetoric of martial heroism, a legacy that led many, including historians, to insist that all Civil War soldiers were heroes. Dread Danger creates a fuller understanding of the soldier experience and the overall costs and sufferings of war.

Finalist, 2025 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

‘Despite a rich literature on US Civil War soldier motivation, surprisingly few scholars have examined the topic of military cowardice. Lesley Gordon’s beautifully crafted work offers a compelling case study of two units that reveals the Civil War generations’ near obsession with the subject and why it should matter to us, too.’

Susannah J. Ural - Williams Chair, Mississippi State University

‘Dread Danger is much more than the first serious, book-length analysis of cowardice in the Civil War. Reaching beneath the sepia-toned stereotypes and mindful of the space between events and their narration, this welcome study offers a thoughtful meditation on how humans anticipate, experience, and remember war.’

Brian Matthew Jordan - author of Marching Home: Union Veterans and Their Unending Civil War

‘Lesley J. Gordon’s welcomed study of battlefield performance highlights the emotional and reputational costs of failing to meet the heady expectations of heroism assumed of all soldiers, regardless of training and experience. Dread Danger elucidates what happens when bravery is not enough and expectations crumble, when recriminations set in, and dreams of glory evaporate.’

Sarah E. Gardner - Mercer University

‘An inspired practitioner of Civil War regimental history, Lesley J. Gordon reconstructs the social setting in which soldiers met the trial of combat and responded to moral judgments on their battlefield conduct. She chooses revealing case studies and tells compelling stories.’

Thomas J. Brown - co-author of Zouave Theaters: Transnational Military Fashion and Performance

‘… a fresh and interesting new look into the more unheroic aspects of Civil War service and the dark shadows, sometimes permanent, they often cast.’

Andrew Wagenhoffer Source: Civil War Books and Authors

‘A most welcome addition to the field’s historiography. Hopefully, it spurs additional examinations into this important subject matter with future books in both topical and case study formats. Impressively documented with paged footnotes and a thorough bibliography, it is sure to claim a well-earned spot among the best of Civil War soldier and unit studies.’

Tim Talbott Source: Emerging Civil War

‘… well-researched and highly readable … provide[s] fascinating perspectives into the darker side of Civil War military history while enriching our understanding of human behaviour under the extraordinary strains and stresses of battle.’

Matthew Barrett Source: Canadian Military History