It is well this is so terrible! We should grow too fond of it;" said General Robert E. Lee as he watched his troops repulse the Union attack at Fredericksburg on 13 December 1863. This collection of seven original essays by leading Civil War historians reinterprets the bloody Fredericksburg campaign and places it within a broader social and political context. By analyzing the battle's antecedents as well as its aftermath; the contributors challenge some long-held assumptions about the engagement and clarify our picture of the war as a whole. The book begins with revisionist assessments of the leadership of Ambrose Burnside and Robert E. Lee and a portrait of the conduct and attitudes of one group of northern troops who participated in the failed assaults at Marye's Heights. Subsequent essays examine how both armies reacted to the battle and how the northern and southern homefronts responded to news of the carnage at Frederickburg. A final chapter explores the impact of the battle on the residents of the Fredericksburg area and assesses changing Union attitudes about the treatment of Confederate civilians. The contributors are William Marvel; Alan T. Nolan; Carol Reardon; Gary W. Gallagher; A. Wilson Greene; George C. Rable; and William A. Blair.
#979329 in Books The University of North Carolina Press 2005-03-07 2005-03-07Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x .80 x 6.13l; 1.12 #File Name: 0807855855352 pages
Review
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. best book I've read on this subjectBy ReaderA well-researched and even-handed look at women's reproductive history in the 20th century; this book uses a wide range of sources to look at all aspects of society -- government; philanthropists; medical workers; individuals -- and how the agendas of each sector impacted women's healthcare and options...or lack thereof.Dr. Schoen avoids absolutes: that women or the poor were always the passive; helpless victims or that agencies or doctors held all the social power. She showed that things were (and still are) far more complicated than those easy; cliched stereotypes. At the same time; she writes about difficult subjects and events with compassion. It avoids the hyperbole evident in other books I've read on the matter; and it does not talk down to the reader. At the same time; it is very readable and engaging.Those on the extremes of the pro-choice/anti-abortion argument will likely be annoyed with it because it looks at the subject of women's reproductive history through an objective lens rather than an emotional or sentimental one. It's a fine line to walk; and; in my opinion; she walked it well.
