A People at War: Civilians and Soldiers in America's Civil War / Edition 1

by Scott Reynolds Nelson, Carol Sheriff

Overview

A People at War brings to life the full humanity of the war's participants, from women behind their plows to their husbands in army camps; from refugees from slavery to their former masters; from Mayflower descendants to freshly recruited Irish sailors. We discover how people confronted their own feelings about the war itself, and how they coped with emotional challenges (uncertainty, exhaustion, fear, guilt, betrayal, grief) as well as physical ones (displacement, poverty, illness, disfigurement).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195146547
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	04/16/2007
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	9.38(w) x 6.46(h) x 1.26(d)

About the Author

Scott Nelson is Associate Professor of History at the College of William and Mary. He is the author of Iron Confederacies: Southern Railways, Klan Violence, and Reconstruction and Steel Drivin' Man: The Untold Story of John Henry and the Birth of an American Legend.

Carol Sheriff is Associate Professor of History at the College of William and Mary. She is the author of The Artificial River: The Erie Canal and the Paradox of Progress, 1817-1862.

Table of Contents

Introduction: A People at War
FROM COMPROMISE TO CHAOS: 1854-1861
1. The Road to Bleeding Kansas
2. From Wigwam to War
THE CHANGING FACES OF WAR: 1861-1863
3. Friends and Foes: Early Recruits and Freedom's Cause, 1861-1862
4. Union Occupation and Guerilla Warfare
5. Facing Death
POLITICAL, MILITARY, AND DILPOMATIC REMEDIES: 1862-1865
6. Two Governments Go to War: Southern Democracy and Northern Republicanism
7. Redefining the Rules of War: The Lieber Code
8. Diplomacy in the Shadows: Cannons, Sailors, and Spies
THE WAR HITS HOME: 1861-1865
9. We Need Men: Union Struggles over Manpower and Emancipation
10. The Male World of the Camp: Domesticity and Discipline
11. "Cair, Anxiety, & Tryals": Life in the Wartime Union
12. War's Miseries: The Confederate Home Front
REBUILDING THE NATION: 1865-1877
13. A Region Reconstructed and Unreconstructed: The Postwar South
14. A Nation Stitched Together: Westward Expansion and the Peace Treaty of 1877
Acknowledgements
Political Chronology
Military Chronology
Suggestions for Further Reading
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Nelson and Sheriff offer a good social history of the US Civil War.... Overall, very well researched and nicely written. Highly recommended."—E.M. Thomas, CHOICE

"A People at War is especially welcome because its subject cannot be overstudied and this particular examination is beautifully executed. The authors are comprehensive, wide-ranging and sensitive. The book is informative and pleasurable to read."—Ray B. Browne, Journal of American Cultures

"A People at War stands out as one of the best comprehensive overviews because of its focus on the lives and experiences of ordinary civilians and soldiers. Relying upon recent social histories and extensive primary sources, the book provides a new perspective on an otherwise well-studied subject. Scholars, the public, and especially students will benefit greatly from this highly readable and fascinating volume."—Maris Vinovskis, Bentley Professor of History, University of Michigan

"In 1861 Abraham Lincoln described the Civil War as 'a people's contest.' A People at War chronicles in encyclopedic detail just what that phrase meant to the millions of soldiers and their families and friends back home who experienced that bloodiest of American wars. Drawing on hundreds of books and articles that have made social history the most dynamic field of Civil War historiography in recent years, the authors bring alive the impact of the war on ordinary as well as extraordinary people."—James M. McPherson, Princeton University

"I am very pleased to see someone generally succeed at a book that covers vital themes in the history of the Civil War, seamlessly integrates and builds on the best of recent scholarship—and does so with such economy and, at times, stylistic flair."—Michael Mason, Brigham Young University

"An excellent, well-written, broad overview of important yet often muted facets of Civil War history. Scholars, teachers, and buffs should all enjoy this inspired work."—William Feis, The Annals of Iowa

From the Publisher