The effects of the Civil War on civilian life in Texas are powerfully conveyed in the correspondence of Dr. Gideon Lincecum (1793–1874); a natural scientist and philosopher who moved to Texas in 1848 with his family of ten children and settled in Washington County. Having retired from an extensive and lucrative botanical medical practice in Mississippi; Gideon devoted much of his time in Texas before the war to studying the natural sciences and carrying on an extensive correspondence that included Northern scientists and even Charles Darwin. He used a letterpress to make copies of almost all of his letters; and these letterpress volumes; totaling more than a thousand pages; were preserved by one of his daughters. Gideon’s letters provide a rich and detailed account of how one individual and his large extended family; all of whom were strongly committed to the Confederacy; kept up with the progress of the conflict and coped with the multitude of problems it created.Lincecum’s resourcefulness in the face of shortages included weaving spanish moss into blankets and investigating the papermaking potential of milkweed. He was always optimistic about the prospects of the Confederacy and always willing to further the cause however he could. His dedication to the South often led him into astonishing diatribes; as when he wrote his son Lysander: “It would be a gratifying thing to my feelings; to be certified that every man; woman and child in the bounds of the confederacy had taken a solemn oath that to die fighting is far preferable to submission; and so long as they have life and strength to damage a yankee in any manner or form that they will continue to do so.â€
#1331732 in Books Univ Tennessee Press 2011-02-28Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.29 x 1.03 x 6.37l; 1.33 #File Name: 157233729X344 pages
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. A good read; made great if you enjoy the history of the Civil WarBy WesleyI purchased this book for two reasons: I enjoy the history of the U. S. Civil War; but moreso because my great great grandfather was a member of the 28th Pa. Vols; and I wanted to get an idea of the conditions; the battles; and the overall experiences that he would have known alongside of Sgt. Hayward. Although my ancestor was in a different company (he was in Co. F; Hayward was in D); the overall wartime experience would have been the same. I was delighted at even the mere mention of Company F.As far as the book itself is concerned; the letters; footnotes; and a prelude to each section provided by the author are laid out in such a fashion that it becomes easy to follow the story. I also appreciate that the author kept the integrity of the Hayward collection of letters; down to the misspellings; faulty use of punctuation; and only inserting a qualifying word surrounded by brackets to keep the flow of words moving. In the footnotes section; separated at the back of the book as opposed to the bottom of each page; the author indicates a short biography of the names listed in Hayward's letters; and if it is unclear to what Hayward was alluding to; it is indicated as such.As far as my overall impression; I am not much of a book-reader; but I was hard-pressed to put this book down upon setting forth to read it.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A KeeperBy S. GilmontI was already a Civil War buff when I discovered that my great-great grandfather had served in the 28th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. It was disappointing to learn that three was no regimental history for the regiment. This book is the next best thing. This collection of Civil War letters is rich in the kind of detail and context that any student of history is after. Henry Hayward wrote long letters home full of the grit of camp life and the terror and chaos of battle --Antietam; Chancellorsville; Gettysburg; the Atlanta campaign. I borrowed the book from a library first; and liked it so much that I knew I had to have it. This one is a keeper.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Pa 28th - Civil WarBy BalthackThis book gave me the best account of how men in Philadelphia got involved in fighting for Union Army during the Civil War. Also all the battles of the Pa 28th Infantry of which my ancestor was a member.
