Fighting for Home | Christopher Oates | Talks at Google
13Christopher Oates visits Google's Mountain View, CA, headquarters to discuss his book, "Fighting for Home." This event took place on August 20, 2009, as part of the Authors@Google series.
Soldiers were adamant that they weren't fighting for slavery. Generals were simultaneously scheming politicians. The Civil War you learned in high school was a scattershot of topics that could fit in an Advanced Placement exam. The real war was far messier, dramatic, and important to the political direction of the world than we were ever taught.
Chris Oates is a Ph.D. student in International Relations at Oxford University. While an undergraduate at Brown University, his book "Fighting for Home: The Story of Alfred K. Oates and the Fifth Regiment, Excelsior Brigade," was published. The work chronicles the experiences of a blacksmith's apprentice from Pittsburgh who joined one of the most famous units in the Civil War, led by one of its most controversial generals, a former Congressman and murderer. Based on 106 previously undiscovered letters, the book takes the reader through the boredom of winter camp, the fires of battle, and the struggles of one soldier to stay alive long enough to return home.