Title Food and agriculture during the Civil War / R. Douglas Hurt

Published Santa Barbara, California : Praeger, an imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC, [2016] ©2016

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Description 1 online resource : illustrations Series Reflections on the Civil War era Reflections on the Civil War era. Contents Expectations -- Power -- Certainty -- Discontent -- Plenty -- Want -- Bounty -- Despair -- Readjustment -- Aftermath Summary This book provides a perspective into the past that few students and historians of the Civil War have considered: agriculture during the Civil War as a key element of power." Provides a succinct survey of agriculture in the North and South directly relating to the Civil War that considers the expansion of Northern agriculture and the demise of Southern agriculture and the effects of each development on the war" Examines the transition of Southern agriculture from slavery to freedom" Discusses the roles of white and black women in Northern and Southern agriculture during the Civil War era" Includes a compelling black-and-white photo essay" Represents an invaluable resource for undergraduate students taking courses on the American Civil War or Southern history The explosion of recent Civil War history titles has focused incisively on why soldiers fought, how their commanders mobilized their troops, and the war's bigger meaning within the American national and international contexts. Yet not since Paul W. Gates's classic work Agriculture and the Civil War (1965) has any historian asked what soldiers and those on the home front ate; how civilians produced and marketed foodstuffs during a devastating civil war; how the conflict impeded, encouraged, or altered agriculture, North and South; and how it impacted the world of land owners and farm laborers. The Civil War revolutionized the agricultural labor system in the South, and it had dramatic effects on farm labor in the North relating to technology. Agriculture also was an element of power for both sides during the Civil War--one that is often overlooked in traditional studies of the conflict. R. Douglas Hurt argues that Southerners viewed the agricultural productivity of their region as an element of power that would enable them to win the war, while Northern farmers considered their productivity not only an economic benefit to the Union and enhancement of their personal fortunes but also an advantage that would help bring the South back into the Union. This fascinating study by one of America's foremost agricultural historians examines the effects of the Civil War on agriculture for both the Union and the Confederacy from 1861 to 1865, emphasizing how agriculture directly related to the war effort in each region--for example, the efforts made to produce more food for military and civilian populations; attempts to limit cotton production; cotton as a diplomatic tool; the work of women in the fields; slavery as a key agricultural resource; livestock production; experiments to produce cotton, tobacco, and sugar in the North; and the adoption of new implements. Food and Agriculture during the Civil War fills a major void in Civil War scholarship and introduces the economic and social history of agricultural staples to 21st-century readers. Like today, Civil War-era armies reflected the societies they serve. Hurt's book offers deep insights into the communities that spawned soldiers blue and gray and that transformed America into a permanent Union based on free labor. -- Inside jacket flaps Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-208) and index Notes Compliant with Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Content is displayed as HTML full text which can easily be resized or read with assistive technology, with mark-up that allows screen readers and keyboard-only users to navigate easily Print version record Subject Agriculture -- United States -- History -- 19th century Agriculture -- Confederate States of America History. TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING -- Agriculture -- Agronomy -- Crop Science. TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING -- Agriculture -- Agronomy -- General. Agriculture Food supply SUBJECT United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Food supply Subject United States United States -- Confederate States of America Genre/Form History Form Electronic book LC no. 2015029618 ISBN 9781440803260 1440803269 9798216085447 9798400652233

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