Southern Families at War Loyalty and Conflict in the Civil War South

Whether it was planter patriarchs struggling to maintain authority, or Jewish families coerced by Christian evangelicalism, or wives and mothers left behind to care for slaves and children, the Civil War took a terrible toll. From the bustling sidewalks of Richmond to the parched plains of the Texas frontier, from the rich Alabama black belt to the Tennessee woodlands, no corner of the South went unscathed. Through the prism of the southern family, this volume of twelve original essays provides fresh insights into this watershed in American history.

Catherine Clinton is a historian of southern history, women's history, and the American Civil War. She is currently Weissman Visiting Professor of History, Baruch College, City University of New York.