From the Lincolns and the Grants to the
Loughridges and Erskines, families suffered during the civil war
through the loss of family members, property, and jobs. Ural tells
the story of the Civil War chronologically, but intersperses the
descriptions of political maneuverings and battles with the letters
and stories of real people. Soldiers wrote letters home and wives and
families responded sometimes bravely, sometimes with complaints and a
plea to come home.
The book is filled with human interest.
The Loughridge girls sending kisses to their father and begging him
to come home on a furlough. The search for a nameless soldier who
died clutching the picture of his three children. He turned out to be
Amos Humiston. But perhaps the most devastating chapters are at the
end where Ural describes the murderous attack on Seward and the death
of Lincoln.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and
would recommend it to anyone interested in the Civil War. I've read
several books about the War Between the States, but this is the first
book to let me clearly see the families and the struggles on the home
front. Some of the stories of the slaves who ran away to join the
Union Army are also troubling. The family of one soldier was turned
out of their quarters in the bitter cold of November. All of them
died.
I highly recommend this book for the
excellent historical research, but also for the human feelings. It is
definitely a book worth reading and the illustrations are excellent.
I was particularly pleased that in the conclusion, Ural told the
stories of what happened to the families after the war. There were
some marvelous success stories again showing the resilience of
humans.
I reviewed this book for Net Galley.
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