who gave all that up for something he saw as a lot higher?

他放弃一切追求至高
If you can come to understand a Uriah Parmelee

如果你逐渐对这个乌利亚有所了解
yet, if you can come to understand young,

如果你开始理解年轻那一代
white, northern, Yankee,

白人也好北方人也好
Anglo-Saxon, Protestants,

盎格鲁撒克逊人也好新教教徒也好
who often were very contemptuous of Irish immigrants,

那些曾经很鄙视爱爱尔兰移民者的人
and even more contemptuous of black Americans,

对美国黑裔甚是敌视
who nevertheless believed the War of 1861 had to be fought,

他们当初坚信1861年内战是必定的
and ultimately came even to support the destruction of slavery

而最后却一起支持奴隶制的崩塌瓦解
if you can understand why

如果你能明白为什么
those Northern Yankees get to that point,

哪些北方佬能明白
you really will understand the Civil War.

你就真的理解内战了