Food and Agriculture during the Civil War

(Hardback)

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This book provides a perspective into the past that few students and historians of the Civil War have considered: agriculture during the Civil War as a key element of power. The Civil War revolutionized the agricultural labor system in the South, and it had dramatic effects on farm labor in the North relating to technology. Agriculture also was an element of power for both sides during the Civil Warone that is often overlooked in traditional studies of the conflict. R. Douglas Hurt argues that Southerners viewed the agricultural productivity of their region as an element of power that would enable them to win the war, while Northern farmers considered their productivity not only an economic benefit to the Union and enhancement of their personal fortunes but also an advantage that would help bring the South back into the Union. This study examines the effects of the Civil War on agriculture for both the Union and the Confederacy from 1860 to 1865, emphasizing how agriculture directly related to the war effort in each regionfor example, the efforts made to produce more food for military and civilian populations; attempts to limit cotton production; cotton as a diplomatic tool; the work of women in the fields; slavery as a key agricultural resource; livestock production; experiments to produce cotton, tobacco, and sugar in the North; and the adoption of new implements.

Reviews

For 50 years, the 'go to' monograph for an overview of agriculture during the U.S. Civil War has been Agriculture and the Civil War, by Paul W. Gates. That distinction passes now to this book by Hurt, which incorporates recent scholarship, primary source research, and extensive use of contemporary publications that targeted agrarian readers. While the primary arrangement of Gates's work is geographic, Hurt approaches the topic chronologically. His 10 chapters address from Union, Confederate, and border state perspectives, the war's impact on agriculture, and how the ability to produce, process, and transport food, fiber, and livestock affected the conduct and outcome of the war. . . . Essential. All levels/libraries. * Choice *

Author Bio

R. Douglas Hurt, PhD, is professor and head of the Department of History at Purdue University.