| Description |
1 online resource (xiii, 302 pages) : illustrations, maps |
| Contents |
A lifeline of letters -- Illinois citizens become soldiers -- Camp life and bonding with the boys -- Soldiering -- Managing affairs from afar -- Seeing the elephant -- Southern culture through northern eyes -- Officers, generals, and "old Abe" -- Debility and diseases -- Writing the indescribable as prisoners of war -- Soldiers no more -- Appendix A: Soldiers' brief biographies -- Appendix B: Chronology of the Civil War -- Appendix C: Quoted soldiers, by county of origin |
| Summary |
A vital lifeline to home during the Civil War, the letters of soldiers to their families and friends remain a treasure for those seeking to connect with and understand the most turbulent period of American history. Rather than focus on the experiences of a few witnesses, this impressively researched book documents 165 Illinois Civil War soldiers' and sailors' lives through the lens of their personal letters. Editor Mark Flotow chose a variety of letter writers who hailed from counties throughout the state, served in different branches of the military at different ranks, and represented the gamut of social experiences and war outcomes. Flotow provides extensive quotations from the letters. By allowing the soldiers to speak for themselves, he captures what mattered most to them. Illinois soldiers wrote about their reasons for enlisting; the nature of training and duties; necessities like eating, sleeping, marching, and making the best of often harsh and chaotic circumstances; Southern culture; slavery; their opinions of commanding officers and the president; disease, medicine, and hospitals; their prisoner-of-war experiences; and the ways they left the army. Through letters from afar, many soldiers sought to manage their homes and farms, while some single men attempted to woo their sweethearts. Flotow includes brief biographies for each soldier quoted in the book, weaves historical context and analysis with the letters, and organizes them by topic. Thus, intimate details cited in individual letters reveal their significance for those who lived and shaped this tumultuous era. The result is not only insightful history but also compelling reading |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index |
| Notes |
Print version record |
| Subject |
Soldiers -- Illinois -- Correspondence
|
|
Soldiers
|
| SUBJECT |
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives.
http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85140261
|
|
Illinois -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives
|
| Subject |
Illinois
|
|
United States
|
| Genre/Form |
History
|
|
Personal correspondence
|
|
Personal narratives
|
|
Personal narratives.
|
|
Récits personnels.
|
| Form |
Electronic book
|
| Author |
Flotow, Mark, 1955- editor.
|
| ISBN |
9780809337644 |
|
0809337649 |
|
