Civil War America: Voices from the Home Front

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

A revealing compilation of essays documenting the effects of the Civil War and its aftermath on Americans--young and old, black and white, northern and southern. The American Civil War was truly a "people's war," where neighbor fought neighbor and brother fought brother. Families and friends were as painfully divided as North and South. What impact did the bloodiest and mostly costly war in American history have on civilians and their assumptions about race, government, and freedom Civil War America: Volces from the Home Front describes the myriad ways in which the Civil War affected both Northern and Southern civilians. Through a unique collection of diary entries, memoirs, letters, and magazine articles, more than two dozen essays chronicle the personal experiences of soldiers and slaves, parents and children, nurses, veterans, and writers. Exploring such wide-ranging topics as Sanitary Fairs in the North, the "illustrated weeklies," children playing soldier, and the care of postwar orphans, most stories communicate some element of change, such as the destruction of old racial relationships, the challenge to Southern whites' complacency, and the expansion of government power. While some of the subjects are well-known-Edmund Ruffin, Louisa May Alcott, Henry Cabot Lodge, Booker T. Washington-most of the witnesses presented in these essays are relatively unknown men, women, and children who help to broaden our understanding of the war and its effects far beyond the home front.

Reviews

"The first scholarly treatment of the war's youngest participant's and observers-engagingly retells the wartime stories of civilians dealing with the traumatic changes set in motion by the conflict. Offering a rare glimpse of the impact of the war on children, it provides a useful overview ... Recommended for larger public and academic libraries." - Library Journal "Using both primary and secondary sources, the author shows how daily life and contemporary attitudes differed dramatically depending on one's gender, locale, or race ... Readers will find Marten's overarching theme of change-both immediate and long-range-revelatory and instructional ... A useful book that combines competent research with the distinct advantage of having a variety of homefront experiences and attitudes presented in a single volume." - School Library Journal

Author Bio

James Marten is associate professor of history at Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI.