"The collection offers an excellent introduction to an enormously complex story, shedding light on how women and men, black and white, North and South were shaped by—and helped shape—the great sectional bloodletting."—Gary W. Gallagher, John L. Nau III Professor of History, University of Virginia, author of The Confederate War and Lee and His Army in Confederate History
"[This is] an outstanding and very original collection of fifteen essays about the Civil War, including the latest and best scholarship on the North, South, and border states, soldiers and civilians, men and women. Readable and thought provoking, this is a book all students of the Civil War should have in their libraries."—Jean H. Baker, author of The Stevensons of Illinois
"This collection's great strength is that it addresses a subject that has been inexplicably understudied: the impact of war on civilians. The contributors are among the leading younger figures in the field, and the essays are grounded in extensive archival research. They show that the Civil War was just as disruptive on the homefront as it was on the battlefield. "—Steven Mintz, University of Houston
"A fresh and intriguing text."
"This is a dense and rich tapestry of Civil War civilian life, one that will enrich reigning narratives in the field. Readable, rigorously researched, with ample and diverse articles, this is a must for Civil War scholars and biffs alike."---Lyde Cullen Sizer, H-Net Reviews
"
This collection will be of great interest to scholars for its breadth of coverage as well as for the notable strength of the essays' research,
writing, and interpretation.
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---Margaret M. Storey, Journal of Southern History"An exceptional collection of original essays that focus on the connections between the front line and the home front. . . . Taken as a whole, they remind readers that the majority of Americans experienced the war out of uniform. Home-front experiences demand our attention if we are to come to a better understanding of the United States' great drama."---Paul A. Cimbala, Journal of American History
"Joan Cashin has assembled a stellar cast of historians to probe different aspects of civilian life during and after the Civil War. The happy result is a collection of essays that brims with innovative questions, new information, and fresh insights."—Michael F. Holt, Corcoran Department of History, Langbourne M. Williams Professor of American History, University of Virginia
"This excellent collection offers a host of new insights into the impact of the Civil War on civilian life. The essays on subjects ranging from race relations to family life, changes in the role of women, and the war in popular memory, make clear that some of the war's most profound consequences for American history took place away from the battlefield."—Eric Foner, DeWitt Clinton Professor of History, Columbia University
"Overall, every essay in this volume is an excellent scholarly contribution to our understanding of the Civil War. Additionally, the volume points the way to new scholarship on the Civil War era, both North and South."---Angela Boswell, Virginia Magazine of History and Biography
"[This book] not only makes a considerable contribution to the field, but it also suggests new ways of approaching wartime social and cultural history. . . . Every essay is well written, admirably researched, and provides not only vital new insights into the civilian home front but also suggests new interdisciplinary boundaries for historical writing on the Civil War."---Silvana R. Siddall, Civil War History
"These are fresh topics, written in an engaging style by solid historians, and based on primary sources. . . . Highly recommended."
