Product Description
The acclaimed sweeping history of a nation at war with itself, told here for the first time by the people who lived it.

Bottom-up history at its very best, A People's History of the Civil War "does for the Civil War period what Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States did for the study of American history in general" (Library Journal). Widely praised upon its initial release, it was described as "meticulously researched and persuasively argued" by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Historian David Williams has written the first account of the American Civil War though the eyes of ordinary people—foot soldiers, slaves, women, prisoners of war, draft resisters, Native Americans, and others. Richly illustrated with little-known anecdotes and first-hand testimony, this pathbreaking narrative moves beyond presidents and generals to tell a new and powerful story about America's most destructive conflict.

A People's History of the Civil War is "readable social history" which "sheds fascinating light" (Publishers Weekly) on this crucial period. In so doing it recovers the long-overlooked perspectives and forgotten voices of one of the defining chapters of American history. Forty b/w images. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

interesting, critical
I liked speacially because introduces a critical view of the civil war.
Too much movies. It helped me to see war history from another
perspective.

a conservative's look at historic controversy
it details the suffering of civilians in the North and the South.The insights provided into everyday problems of everyday people are enlightening.As an amateur history buff, I knew the civil war was not popular in either the North or the South, and this book details why and how it was opposed by civilians.In contrast to popular beliefs, common folks hated the war.Only politicians and speculators liked & wanted the war.

Overwrought
That's funny. I thought Marxism was dead, or at least unfashionable. But it appears to be alive and well in academia.

De-romanticizing the Civil War
I'm on my second reading of David Williams' book.The first time around, about a year ago, I went through the book rapidly.Williams' depiction of the darker side of the Civil War--its abuse of poor people, women, blacks, and Native Americans, its horrible effects on soldiers and civilians, its disregard for civil liberties, and the heartbreaking disparity between the rhetoric that justified it and the reality that came of it--fascinated and shocked me.This time around, after a year of double checking Williams' sources and assuring myself that in fact the real Civil War was worse than even he depicts it, I'm reading to impress upon myself the need never to romanticize any war, much less the most traumatic war in our nation's history.

It's curious that we need our Civil War to be glorious, noble, and somehow holy, fought by heroic men on either side who were "only battling for what they thought was right."Any sane person knows that civil wars are the bloodiest and the least noble of any war.Why, then, have we exempted our own from that general rule?My guess is that we still can't face the reality of what we once were and could become again.Books such as Williams' are painful but necessary breakers of our illusions.

Highly recommended.By the way, just as a teaser:if you think that the recent sanctioned use of torture by the US government is a (shameful) novelty in our history, take a look at Williams' chapter on the draft riots, especially page 259.

Thick and extensive
For a long time, the American Civil War became a war of valiant white Southerners fighting for "their way of life". History was re-written to be not about slavery or profits, but about "state's rights" against the government. Such figures like Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis became heroes in the post-war South, while the people who fought the war were largely white-washed. Movies like "Gone With the Wind" or "Birth of a Nation" romanticize slavery and the ruling planter class. More importantly, dissenters against the war, especially in the South, were nearly written out of history. Only in the last 50 years has the swing back to the war being about slavery and a rich man's war, where nearly a million people lost their lives.

"A People's History of the Civil War: Struggles for the Meaning of Freedom" does a superb job of explaining why the Civil War happened, as well as the struggles of all people, not just the politicians or generals during the war, and the major reasons for the defeat of the South beyond just plain military reasons. To every war, there is multiple reasons. The Southern Plantation owning class feared race war if their African slaves ever became free, then poor whites and poor blacks might unite against them. Throughout the 1850s and especially in the months prior to the start of the war, numerous bouts of paranoia of abolitionist plots to spark slave revolts appear in Southern Press (which the militant John Brown used to fan the fears of the planters.) The planters believed that their control of the South would be safer in a Slaveholder's republic than compromise with Northern industrialists. In the North, wealthy industrials and emerging capitalists feared losing access to cheap Southern cotton and agriculture, and therefore pressed their government not to let the Southern states leave. In that, they had a stake in continuing the slave system. Copperheads and pacifists throughout the North opposed the war, but were routinely shut down by Lincoln's government, who suspended habeas corpus.

Williams explores the hidden history behind the war which has seemingly been erased from history, such as the incredible amount of dissent against the war on both sides, but especially in the South where whole regions were strongly pro-union (especially poor white farmers who hated the ruling plantation owner class), in parts of the South like East Tennessee, West Virginia, North Alabama, West North Carolina, North Louisiana.) Nearly 500,000 Southerners ended up fighting for the union side, both in the US Armies and as guerrillas struggling against the Confederates. It is noted that the Confederates were both fighting the union armies and anti-planter guerillas, destroying the notion that the American Civil War was a regional war and not a true civil war.

The role of women deviates as well, exploring how Southern women actually helped end the war. In the South, most men were away in armies, leaving women behind to tend the crops and other such work by themselves. They felt the starvation of the war first hand, as the Plantations of the South, a supposed breadbasket, continued to produce cash crops such as cotton and tobacco instead of food like corn and wheat. The first to demand bread from the government were women, and Williams documents several big bread riots in the South by women. He also documents several cases of female spies and nurses, women who dressed as men to serve in the armies, and women openingly telling men to desert the war effort.

There are also chapters of the struggles of the soldiers themselves, who deserted on mass near the end of the war in the South, Blacks who refused to work and fled for the union lines whenever they could get a chance (despite the very cool reception Union soldiers, generals, and politicians gave them), and Indians who continued to fight the centuries old war against white people theft of their land. I fully recommend it for anyone looking to get a sense of how the war actually effected people, and why the ruling classes still came out on top after the war's end, even if chattel slavery was abolished as a result of the war. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

By the end you wonder why you picked it up
As an avid history enthusiast with a strong interest in English history I picked up this over 500 page book expecting to learn something new and interesting, and also obtain another perspective about the period.If nothing else I expected an enjoyable read about a time period that fascinates me. Unfortunately, I must admit I found nothing as to what I expected. I agree with other reviewers who have been negative, for it was way overdone in including unnecessary facts and rather uninteresting bits of information that she has a habit of mentioning unnecessarily again and again.After the third time reading the same account regarding a person's beliefs or problems during the Civil War I felt like screaming "enough is enough". Although the last few pages regarding the trial were interesting, it did not make up for the long arduous trail I had to take to get to that point.However, I did not learn anything knew about the trial and it would appear she kept out a few tidbits which would have been more interesting then some of the other facts she included earlier in the book.

I am still not sure what her point was in writing this book for she seems to go back and forth constantly until I finally gave up trying to understand what she was attempting to convey and simply wanted to finish the book so I could get on with something more worth while, like washing the car.

A Gentle Reader's Review
If Diane Purkiss had entitled her book by its subtitle, I might be favorably inclined to her interpretation.Her journey through "the trees" fails to arrive at the forest's edge.I waded through her so-called compelling history of the English Civil War and felt burdened by the many inconsequential facts relayed.I then reread the introduction and proceeded to have a nice read without the expectation of learning what I had initially anticipated.

prophetic science fiction
Purkiss does a brilliant job of delineating the process whereby the British naively admitted unwieldy numbers of unassimilable immigrants to their shores, and what happened next:slowly but surely the immigrants took over, first chipping away at English liberties long thought sacrosanct (e.g., freedom of expression), then slowly and inexorably obtruding their barbaric, pre-Medieval mindset into one of the most civilized countries of the 21st century.In the end, a horrific religious war breaks out, ending in cultural calamity for the hapless (but politically correct) natives.

Unique and Effective
A fantastic example of a bottom-up history that works.Dr. Purkiss paints a picture of the English Civil War using particular examples and stories from the common man, while keeping clear the role of political events, battles, and "great men".This book provides a detailed account of the causes and implications (without oversimplifying them) of the English Civil War on a grand scale while focusing on the impact it had on the people of England, something that is essential to understanding the period.If you are looking for an account of battles and diplomacy, there are better choices, but if you want to understand the mark the Civil War left on the English people, look no further.

Bit disjointed but still good
I was able to follow the narrative despite the author's focus on accounts of individuals. This focus gave me a better sense of what it felt like to be a participant in the war (whether or not you wanted to be). Also, unlike other books I've read on the English civil war, I was able to get a sense of which events were truly important:the battle of Naseby, for example, was not merely a defeat for the Royalist forces (as was Maston Moor) but a complete route which left the Royalist forces unable to recover.I do think that the book would benefit from a timeline of important events, so that reader can be reminded of the chronological order of vents.Also a list of the important "characters", with short biographies, would be helpful so that the reader is not confused when an eyewitness who has not been heard from in recent pages reappears. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Takes a look at the seven debates in 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephan Douglas in their race for the U.S. Senate in Illinois. ... Read more

Product Description

Civil War: People and Perspectives looks at one of the most convulsive events in American history through the eyes of ordinary citizens, examining issues related to the home front and war front across the full spectrum of racial, class, and gender boundaries.

Moving away from the traditional focus on famous political and military figures, this insightful volume recounts the experiences of soldiers, women and children, slaves and freed persons, Native Americans, immigrants, and other social groups during a time of extraordinary national upheaval. It is a revealing look at how the lives of everyday people—Northern and Southern, black and white, rich and poor, male and female, enslaved and free—shaped and were shaped by the American Civil War.

Product Description
Describes the daily life, in the Confederacy, of ladies and gentlemen, slaves, middle class whites, and marginal characters. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Brief yet comprehensive
I recently discovered Lucent's "The Way People Live" series through my public library, and I have to say I'm glad I did.This is the first volume I've actually read; if they're all as good, they should be found in every library, and on the bookshelves of every history-loving home, in the country.Despite his title, author Reger actually gives much of his attention to the way Southerners lived *before* the War.He covers every level of Southern society, from planters through the "yeoman farmer" on down to slaves and "po' white trash," and while he necessarily does so rather briefly, he manages to cover a lot of ground and even impart some information I had never seen before (which is always the biggest test of a nonfiction volume to anyone who has spent 40 years studying this very period and the eras immediately before and after!).One thing I especially like about his treatment is that he's not politically correct and has the good sense to report that slave-owning Southerners thoroughly understood how, according to one quote he offers, "A Negro's life is too valuable to be risked...Do not kill the goose that lays the golden egg."Many revisionist historians would have you believe that all Negroes were treated brutally in slavery days, but Reger states that "more than 70% of the [former slaves] interviewed [in the 1930's by the WPA] reported dominantly positive recollections of their time in captivity."

The book treats its subject in a vivid and interesting way, admitting to the faults as well as the positive aspects of a vanished system and bolstering its assertions with many quotes from primary sources, as well as dozens of black-and-white illustrations, both photographic and otherwise.There is also a brief bibliography and a good index.Though seriously curious students will need to seek out more books to get a broader picture of the time and place, this is definitely a good one to start with, and should prove useful to adults too.

Good for any Age
Although a YA book, this is a perfect book for anyone wanting to know about daily life in the south during the Civil War. It is part of a series called The Way People Live, which focuses on "cultural pockets" which share the distinction of having "been viewed before but not completely understood". The author believes that removing stereotypes, both positive or negative, is the only way to really understand any culture.

The emphasis in this Lucent series is on the personal aspects of life in the culture that is being examined and "seeing humans as victims, heroes, and onlookers". To do this, the book uses a large number and wide variety of primary quotations and illustrations.

Everyday Southern life is examined in this book, along with the effects of the Civil War on daily life. Plantation life is described and the roles of the men, the women, and the slaves on them are explained.

The author then brings his focus to the vast majority of those in the South during the Civil War -- the poor and the middle class. The men and boys of these classes comprised most of the Confederate Army, not the wealthy.

A good resource for those wishing to delve into the culture of the Civil War South. ... Read more

Product Description
An illustrated anthology of the most revealing Civil War letters by Vermont soldiers and homefront civilians. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Gift for hubby
I purchased this book as a Christmas gift for hubby!I had no thought of reading it until it arrived at the house!Looks very interesting!After he is done with it I will place it within my reading material.There are pictures through out.Ok, so maybe I will read it BEFORE I give it to him for Christmas! :)

This Book Is Not Just For Civil War Buffs.
I don't think I can improve on the e-mail I sent to friends and family as soon as I finished the book.....'I just finished a book called "A War of the People" by Jane's good friend Jeff Marshall. It is a collection ofletters from (and to) Civil War soldiers from Vermont. Ican't say enough about this book. I feel as if I've just read a greatnovel, and yet it's all true. Jeff has done a brilliant job of choosing theletters, and many of the letter-writers reappear, as you're taken throughthe course of the war. The most emotionally wrenching aspect is that Jeffincludes a brief but pithy biography of each soldier at the back of thebook, listed alphabetically, so that after reading a letter, you can lookup the soldier to find that he lived until 1915 and was "wounded ...at Savage Station , June 29, 1862. ... Mustered out June 19, 1865. Returnedto Concord and became a farmer. Married Eliza E. Hale (to whom some of hisletters are addressed) in 1867." Or that he was "Killed in actionat Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864."I found myself biting my nailsreading the letters, barely able to keep from turning to the bios inmid-letter to see if the soldier survived the war. These soldiers, most ofwhom were farm boys, were eloquent nonetheless. I guess you can tell Ireally, really loved this book, and I highly recommend it. (Jane's family:you know Jeff and may have already read the book, so please forgive myliterary euphoria. I just finished it and went right to the computer.) Tom'

Another great Vermont book on the Civil War
University Press of New England asked me to review Jeff Marshall's new book, "A War of the People: Vermont Civil War Letters." In the words of Private William Daniels, of Barton, one of the letters included inthe book, "I will respond simply." WOW!

Over 140 letters to andfrom 78 soldiers, from practically every unit Vermont fielded during thecourse of the war!Letters from all theaters of the war, covering everyperiod of time from the Spring of 1861 to the Spring of 1865! You'll find agovernor (or at least his wife), a general or two and some Colonels. Butfor the most part you'll find common soldiers, their fathers and mothers,their brothers and sisters,their friends. Don't expect these letters todivulge some great heretofore unsolved mystery about the war. These lettersaren't about the war; they are about life, about the people, and Jeff hasdone a great job collecting just the right letters to show the whole gamutof emotions and attitudes the soldiers and their families expressed, andthe joy and concerns and pain they endured during the course of thewar.

I usually have a hard time carefully reading the introduction andcommentary in a book of letters (I want to get to the letters!), but Jeffdoes a great job of explaining the rationale behind the soldiers' reasonsfor writing, and has given accurate and relevant background for each seasonof the war.Its a great read! I hope this is the first of a number ofbooks like it. ... Read more

Product Description
Describes urban, rural, and Union Army camp life in the northern United States during the bloodiest war in America's history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not faultless, but a good comprehensive intro
In this companion to Reger's Life in the South During the Civil War (Way People Live) (see my review), author Biel, like his counterpart, takes a necessarily brief overview of the Northern states in 1860-5 (including a number of fascinating bits from the Census of the former year).He begins with a quick look at the ways in which the Industrial Revolution, by then 70 years old, had made of the North almost a separate country from the South, goes on to describe the process of tooling up for war and the life of a common soldier, and studies the economic impact of the war and the lives of typical common people in the city and on the farm.(He unfortunately completely ignores the middle ground, the Small Town, which was the focus of every community of farmers.)He also includes a careful explanation of the reasons for the anger of the "working class" and contemporary descriptions of the New York Draft Riot to which they led.One of the best parts of the book is his description of how the poor of the day (mostly immigrants) came to be more and more trapped in their poverty, how little the booming economy helped them, and how, in the end, the war's close may have brought hope to some.Unfortunately he includes several rather glaring errors of fact which an alert editor should have caught: he says Stephen A. Douglas was particularly popular in West Virginia (which didn't exist till 1863), says that subscription magazines were "a relatively new idea in the 1860s" (they'd been around for over 20 years), mentions potbellied stoves as being used for cooking (they were heating devices only), and describes Grange activities although the organization wasn't founded till 1867.He also describes a divining rod as being a "highly unreliable" way to find underground water--which, as many a veteran of Vietnam can testify, it isn't.Still, I found this volume a source of much information I hadn't found elsewhere, and would recommend it as a good place to start on the subject. ... Read more

Product Description
Despite the limited opportunities for them at the time, women made a significant impact during the American Civil War. Some chose to serve as nurses, helping wounded soldiers. Others worked secretly as spies or disguised themselves as men and enlisted in the Confederate Army. Enslaved women eagerly awaited their freedom, but didnt know what the future held. Others struggled to keep their farms and plantations going. These women not only survived, but also faced the unknown with courage and strength. ... Read more

Product Description
On April 12, 1861, Confederate troops attacked Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. This marked the beginning of the bloody Civil War. Union soldiers volunteered and were later drafted to fight the war. An estimated 2.1 million Northern men served in the Union Army. Their lives were difficult, as they faced brutal combat, disease, starvation, and loneliness. The four long years of war changed their lives forever. ... Read more

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Provides an overview of slavery in America, the election and presidency of Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, and the battle in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, leading to the writing of Lincoln's famous speach, the Gettysburg Address. ... Read more

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During the 1800s, the question of slavery was threatening to divide the country. States in the North banned slavery, while those in the South allowed it. Dred Scott, an enslaved man from Missouri, took his quest for freedom to the courts. The U.S. Supreme Court would decide his fate, along with the fate of slaves throughout the country. When the courts controversial decision was reached in 1857, it pushed the United States toward the Civil War, a bloody four-year conflict that almost tore the nation in two. ... Read more

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Looks at the political and moral issues that caused President Abraham Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, the 1863 document that freed many slaves, and at the immediate and long-term consequences of his action. ... Read more

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Discusses the surrender of the Confederate Army, ending the U.S. Civil War. ... Read more

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During the American Civil War, women had limited opportunities and little political influence. But when thousands of women from Northern states offered their time and skills to support the war effort, they not only impacted the war but also transformed the role of women. Some daring women ventured to the battlefields to serve as nurses, doctors, cooks, and spies. Some even disguised themselves as men and secretly joined the Army. These women bravely faced the challenges of war and helped reshape the nation. ... Read more

Product Description
On April 12, 1861, Confederate troops attacked Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. This marked the beginning of the bloody Civil War. Confederate soldiers volunteered and were later drafted to fight the war against the Union. An estimated 800,000 Southern men served in the Confederate Army. Their lives were difficult, as they faced brutal combat, disease, starvation, loneliness, and lack of proper shelter and clothing. The four long years of war changed their lives forever. ... Read more

Product Description
David Madden, former Director, U.S. Civil War Center, points out "that we've spent too much time on the 'lure of romantic battles and leaders.' Unusual Persons is offbeat in the real sense of the word; where else will you find photos of the only honorary Federal female major plus a black Confederate veteran, along with dozens of illustrations and vignettes about men who have stories unlike any others?"

This book contains infamous characters, fascinating tales, and strange coincidences. A collection of fascinating anecdotes and colorful stories, this book covers a wide variety of individuals from the men and women to the children who fought in this conflict.

Civilian John Burns won immortality by fighting at Gettysburg--but a different John Burns, also a civilian, took part in a famous battle far to the south.

Only one man, a Confederate, entered the war as a private and rose to the rank of lieutenant general before the shooting stopped.

Ulysses S. Grant, who didn't find it easy to get back into uniform in 1861, vigorously protested the promotion of two generals who won lasting fame on the battlefield. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Very Interesting Book

The facts that Garrison writes about are both interesting and captivating.

Being a AP high school American History teacher, I use the facts found in this book to captivate my students and give them aperspective on the war that they may have never found otherwise.

I havethree other Garrison's books: The Amazing Civil War, Civil War Curiosities,and More Civil War Curiosities. I would recommend to every anyone!

A splendid read
Compelling,provocative, and leavened with more than a dash of humor, this collection challenges readers to look at old topics in new ways. It is a splenid read, enlighting and entertaining in equal measure ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Both Charleston and history deserve better
Mr. Rosen, who passes himself off as a native Charlestonian (after a mere three generations) should stick to practicing law. The book is attractive enough, almost indistinguishable from the Time-Life books that could be its template. It is, unfortunately a politically correct, polemical treatise on Charleston as the cradle of slavery. In lawyerly fashion, facts are cherry-picked, amplified or ignored to drive home the point. Nullification is predictably underplayed. Is this another indoctrinated Southerner who feels he must 'dance naked before his sins' in order the tell his story or does he really believe this stuff? I'm keeping it for the illustrations, otherwise it would be the first book I have ever returned. What a terrible disappointment. I have been to this great city many times, and my own family spilled blood in her defense at Battery Wagner in 1863. The story of Confederate Charleston deserves a far better story-teller than this!

Like Standing on the Battery
A wonderful book with pictures you will not find elsewhere.Thoroughly enjoyable before and after our trip to Charleston.A great way to prepare, for the Civil War enthusiast who will travel to this, 'time capsule,' city.

Dozens of books combined in one!
As an avid fan of the Civil War, Charleston in particular, I've read about40-50 books and I thought I'd read everything I could.I was wrong. Thisbook alone has so many facts that I had never read and pictures I'd neverseen.The author really went into detail about the city that I haven'tfound in any other book. ... Read more

Product Description

This book looks at key people of the Civil War: Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, and more.
... Read more