Historian James McPherson spoke to the many reasons why Civil War volunteer soldiers would choose to fight in the uniform of either the blue or the gray. He responded to questions from members of the audience.

"Volunteers in Blue and Gray: Why They Fought" was the concluding event of the Lowcountry Civil War Sesquicentennial Observance series of events, "Why They Fought," commemorating the April 12, 1861, bombardment of Fort Sumter. This talk was held on the sesquicentennial of that event at Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, S.C.