Super Short Summary

This Republic of Suffering by Drew Gilpin Faust examines how the unprecedented scale of death during the Civil War affected survivors, detailing struggles with logistical, spiritual, medicinal, and legal challenges. Faust explores soldiers' willingness to face death, new wartime killing attitudes, difficulties in proper burials, the anonymity of many deceased soldiers, civilian hardships, evolving religious beliefs, recovery of the dead, and how counting the dead became a coping mechanism. References to mass death, battle, and disease.