Rhetorical Analysis of War Letters

Rhetorical Analysis of War Letters
Name
Institutional Analysis
Rhetorical Analysis of War Letters
The chronological account of events as they occurred provides historical backgrounds upon which both the existing and subsequent generations of societies learn, reflect, and understand the underlying details defining such occurrences. War letters make for some of the sources documenting diverse accounts of experiences and contexts of the different wars witnessed and recorded in the history of humanity. For instance, Andrew Carroll's collection of war letters provide a wealth of literature on American wartime history through the lens of the experiences and observations documented in various correspondences of the country's men and women who participated in the warring events. War letters written by soldiers and other individuals caught up in the warring events create a framework for understanding different elements about the wars. Such details include a profile of the writer or sender of the letter, their family affiliations or relationship to recipients, and descriptions of the warring experiences. The outlined details create a vivid picture of the recipients of war letters while also providing valuable information about the past historical events for society's enlightenment over the particular warring event documented in the correspondences. Among the letters in Andrew Carroll's collection, War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars, is a letter by Lieutenant Ai Thompson to his father, recounting the Union Army's disgraceful loss to the Confederate army in the battle at Manassas (Bull Run) during the Civil War. Provided herein is a detailed analysis of the letter for evaluating key elements characterizing its content, including the writer's profile, relationship to the recipient and other mentioned parties, historical placement of the correspondence and event, and a reflection to modern American wars.
Lt. Ai Thompson Writes to His Father After the U.S. Army's "Disgraceful" Loss at Manassas (Bull Run)
Lieutenant Ai Thompson wrote a letter to his father dated 24th July 1861, expressing his disappointments following the defeat of the Union army by the Confederates at Manassas in what came to be known as the First Battle of Bull Run (Carroll, 2001). Thompson is a soldier in the federal or union army, taking part in the Civil War. The war broke out after calls for abolishing slavery by the federal government under President Lincoln, resulting in threats of sedition by the pro-slavery Southern states seeking to break away from the Union (History.com Editors, 2020). Thompson is a 28-year-old male enlisted in the Union army and appears to have a strong belief in the federal army's ability to crush the rebellion from the South. The soldiers' strong belief in the Union army's supremacy over the Confederates reflects in the evident disappointment over the "disgraceful" defeat he reiterates to his father in the first paragraph of the letter. Though the letter is meant for his father's eyes, Thompson's suggestion that his statement about the New Hampshire 2nd Regiment being nowhere and doing nothing during their predicament needs to be qualified meant that it could be read by other parties (Carroll, 2001). The letter highlights the political stalemate between the Northern and Southern states on the polarizing matter of abolition of slavery that brought the country to its knees in the Civil War. The Northern states sought to establish and strengthen the state of the union under the founding fathers' principles of freedom and equality for all by abolishing slavery making the Southern states take up arms in protest to the perceived economic sabotage by the North (Furgurson, 2011). The southern states depended on slavery to run their huge plantations of cotton and other cash crops. Thompson shared in the beliefs of freedom and equality for all unto which he suffered the disgraceful defeat under General McDowell in the first battle of Bull Run. He sends the letter to his father from Camp Sullivan in Washington D.C., where the federal forces retreated following the brutal defeat.
The People of the Letter
Lieutenant Thompson's letter to his father introduces the reader to some of the generals and officers acknowledged for their diverse exploits in the American wars, including General McClellan, Brigadier General Daniel Tyler, and General McDowell from the Union army (Carroll, 2001). Thompson also creates a vivid picture of Burnside's Brigade, highlighting their inexperience in warfare played out on the battlefield. The 28-year-old lieutenant is part of the brigade charging into Richmond, Northern Virginia, under General McDowell (Carroll, 2001). The brigade of four thousand men is carrying its full gear in readiness for battle against the Confederates in a bid to crush their rebellion and oust them from their capital in Richmond, Virginia. According to Thompson, the army of four thousand soldiers is equipped with the paraphernalia to swiftly discharge its duties and with precision to reflect the union's strength (Carroll, 2001). Despite being armed and equipped for the battle, Thompson recognizes the lack of experience and fear among his colleagues. He contrasts their readiness for war in the heavy armory and equipment carried with their "hearts as light as were their falling footsteps" (Carroll, 2001). In an article on the Smithsonian Magazine, Earnest B. Furgurson (2011), the federal government's confidence through the Union army for a quick defeat to the Confederate's rebellion. The author states that President Lincoln asked Congress to sanction the enlistment of 400,000 troops on a budget of $400 million towards a short and decisive defeat of the confederates (Furgurson, 2011). The budgetary allocation highlights or reflects in the heavy artillery and equipment carried by the four thousand soldiers on their march towards Richmond, Virginia. Furgurson (2011) also echoes the lack of experience noted by Thompson among his fellow soldiers, recognizing the Union army's general in chief's reservations against rushing to attack the rebels. The general in chief, Winfield Scott, gave the field command in the charge to Richmond to the inexperienced Brigadier General Irvin McDowell in a move that spelled disaster for Thompson's brigade (Furgurson, 2011). Thompson blames the disgraceful defeat to General McDowell, whom he claims lacked the tactical know-how to lead the charge against General Beauregard's Confederate forces at Manassas. Thompson writes, "The Federal forces were badly cut up and retreated in the most disgraceful disorder, and all on acco...