The history of the Civil War is the stories of its soldiers; writes Ronald S. Coddington in the preface to Faces of the Confederacy. This book tells the stories of seventy-seven Southern soldiers―young farm boys; wealthy plantation owners; intellectual elites; uneducated poor―who posed for photographic portraits; cartes de visite; to leave with family; friends; and sweethearts before going off to war. Coddington; a passionate collector of Civil War–era photography; conducted a monumental search for these previously unpublished portrait cards; then unearthed the personal stories of their subjects; putting a human face on a war rife with inhuman atrocities. The Civil War took the lives of 22 of every 100 men who served. Coddington follows the exhausted survivors as they return home to occupied cities and towns; ravaged farmlands; a destabilized economy; and a social order in the midst of upheaval. This book is a haunting and moving tribute to those brave men. Like its companion volume; Faces of the Civil War: An Album of Union Soldiers and Their Stories; this book offers readers a unique perspective on the war and contributes to a better understanding of the role of the common soldier.
#1037745 in Books Johns Hopkins University Press 1999-04-07Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.50 x .81 x 6.00l; 1.05 #File Name: 0801861837322 pages
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Very Tough Student TextBy ShakespearemomI selected this book for a class on myth; mainly after reading reviews discussing how well the stories were told compared to other resources. All I can assume is that other resources include almost incomprehensible stories. Birrell has obviously done a great deal of research; and she is trying to compile hundreds of sources into some sort of meaningful whole; but the result is very difficult to read. Her introductions to the stories are more meaningful than the tiny tales themselves; and I fear I will use this text only sparingly in the coming semester; giving more time to books explaining other mythic systems; not because I dislike Chinese myth; but because this text does little to clarify it. My students will have a hard time with these readings; and I will need to supplement them as much as possible so that the students can see what's at work within each story and understand the sociological and historical context.I know trying to tackle all of Chinese myth is hard in itself--much harder than Greek or Norse myth--but after reading this; I am not sure I have a better sense of Chinese myth than I did before I opened the book. As an introduction; it may tend to be more daunting than it should be; and less accessible to a student course.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. perfect for a serious college student or professorBy Timothy G. DeMarteIt's an academic nonfiction work; perfect for a serious college student or professor.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Not a story book; but a collection for study.By chaoswebI feel that this is an upper level college course text book. The stories are arranged by category; and no attempt is made to place the collection of stories into a cultural context that would relate to how they would be told by a story teller to an audience.
