The North Fights the Civil War: The Home Front / Edition 1

by Matthew J. Gallman

Overview

In the wake of the firing on Fort Sumter, outraged Northerners looked forward to a quick and decisive victory over the Confederate rebels. But after the First Battle of Bull Run it became clear to supporters of the Union that the Civil War would be prolonged and deadly. How Northern society mobilized to fight this first great modern war is the subject of J. Matthew Gallman's perceptive history. Drawing on a wide range of up-to-date scholarship and addressing the issues from a fresh perspective, his book fills a surprising void in Civil War literature. Gallman's focus is on continuity and change—what traditions the North relied on in preparing for war, and what adjustments it made in its behavior and institutions. From his analysis it seems clear that the Civil War was not the great watershed in political, economic, and social development that is often supposed. Gallman's investigation of the status of women and blacks, for example, shows that wartime gains, if significant for a few, were on the whole decidedly modest. And while "total war" came to the battlefield in a frightening manner, its impact on the Northern home front was far less certain. American Ways Series.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781566630504
Publisher:	Dee, Ivan R. Publisher
Publication date:	03/01/1994
Series:	American Ways
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.55(w) x 8.57(h) x 0.64(d)

About the Author

J. Matthew Gallman teaches American history at Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland. He has also written Mastering Wartime: A Social History of Philadelphia During the Civil War.

Editorial Reviews

A solid book that fills a real need: the impact of the Civil War on northern society.

Journal of Southern History - Robin L. Einhorn

Packs a great deal into a concise, readable account of the war...important.

James M. McPherson

Gallman has written an exemplary work of synthesis...offers new interpretations and raises questions for further investigation.

Reid Mitchell

J. Matthew Gallman presents a strong case, connecting on his arguments time and again.

The New York Times - Ruth Bayard Smith

Gallman performs a valuable service in providing meaningful detail of the epic war.

The Historian - Edward K. Spann

First-rate...will be informative for both historians and the general reader.

Stanley L. Engerman

Gallman performs a valuable service in providing meaningful detail of the epic war.
— Edward K. Spann

The Historian

J. Matthew Gallman presents a strong case, connecting on his arguments time and again.
— Ruth Bayard Smith

The New York Times

A solid book that fills a real need: the impact of the Civil War on northern society.
— Robin L. Einhorn

Journal Of Southern History

J. Matthew Gallman presents a strong case, connecting on his arguments time and again.
— Ruth Bayard Smith

New York Times Book Review