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The Women's War in the South |
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 The Women's War in the South:Recollections and Reflections of the American Civil War Edited by: Charles G. Waugh and Martin H. Greenberg Cumberland House 432 pages, 1999 ISBN 1581820216 Reviewed by Bev Walton-Porter Personal, pensive and often painful, this mammoth collection of first-person essays, missives, diary entries and letters by Southern women during the time of the Civil War is an eye-opening history lesson viewed through female eyes. Before their men left to fight (and sometimes die) on the battlefield, these women were relegated to wifely duties such as cooking, cleaning and mending. Once their spouses took up arms, a previously hidden will of steel manifested itself as these wives, mothers and sisters fought off invading Yankee forces, shortages of basic materials and food. While their men sacrificed limbs and life on fields of blood, the South's women sacrificed their naivete and basic dignity on the altar of a war they could have never dreamed would happen in the first place. In this book, readers will have the chance to absorb significant events and occurrences during the Civil War - all through the eyes of Southern women. Read the compelling account of the inauguration of Jefferson Davis by Mrs. Jefferson Franklin Jackson, as told through a letter sent to a relative. Peer into the intimate correspondence shared between captured Confederate Captain George Washington "Wash" Nelson, Jr. and his beloved fiancée, Mollie Scollay. One absolutely fascinating read concerns the 1863 so-called bread riot in Richmond, Virginia, when a crowd of over 1,000 hungry women and children converged on shops and came away with not food or bread as was intended, but with clothing and jewelry instead. These are but a few examples of the intriguing stories you'll find within this book's pages. Finally, despite the long-standing psychic and emotional scars these Southern women endured during the Civil War period, they also emerged with a new sense of self-reliance and independence. This book is a testament to the inherent strength of all women - those who have come before us, and those of us who live now in a more modern era. The Civil War helped shape our spirits and open our eyes to a world beyond darning socks and baking homemade bread. We have been granted a legacy of feminine willpower and freedom. May we always honor, respect and share it with generations of women to come. Thankfully, The Women's War in the South is one book that allows us to do just that. An excellent book. |
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