During the Civil War women did a lot more than keep the home fires burning. Expanding on his pioneering Patriots in Disguise; Richard Hall has now produced the most accurate and up-to-date survey available of women who were determined to serve their nation in that time of crisis.Drawing on a wealth of regimental histories; newspaper archives; and a host of previously unreported accounts; Hall shows that women served in more capacities and in greater number—perhaps several thousand—than has previously been known. They served in the infantry; cavalry; and artillery and as spies; scouts; saboteurs; smugglers; and frontline nurses. From all walks of life; they followed husbands and lovers into battle; often in male disguise that remained undiscovered until they were wounded (or gave birth); and endured the same hardships and dangers as did their male counterparts. Hall presents the most complete portrait yet available of these courageous women—including Sarah Bradbury; Lizzie Compton; Frances Hook; and Confederate spy Loreta Janeta Velazquez—many of whom earned the praise of the male soldiers they served with and rose through the ranks to become sergeants; even officers. Through his investigation of specific case histories; he has authenticated many previously undocumented reports while debunking myths and exposing previously published errors about the subject. The book also includes a biographical directory of nearly 400 women participants and dozens of Civil War documents attesting to women's role in the war.As a new synthesis and critical appraisal; Women on the Civil War Battlefront is a richly anecdotal work that unearths a hidden history and opens a new window on women's lives in the nineteenth century. These women were determined to serve; and Hall's research confirms that they did so in significant numbers-and with distinction.
#257735 in Books University Press of Kansas 1997-10-08Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.40 x .54 x 5.49l; .54 #File Name: 0700608591184 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Lacks Focus and ImmediacyBy herrmannfanIf you're looking for a chronological account of the trials told in a straightforward manner; this is NOT the book for you. If you're looking for an account of the trials with an emphasis on the finer points of pre-Revolutionary War politics and jurisprudence; this IS the book for you.I found it difficult to get through; even though it's only 146 pages. I repeatedly found myself shouting internally (and once or twice out loud); "Just tell me what happened!" Again and again the writer starts to tell some detail of the events only to then head off into abstruse points of law. To be fair; the book did seem to improve as it went along; and perhaps so many records have been lost that we can't have detailed chronological accounting of the events. But even the ending left me hanging--so what happened to the young women whose lies created such havoc? Did they just stop "having visions"? Were they punished? Were they repentant? People DIED because of their lies. To have them just sort of vanish at the end of the book was a big disappointment.On the positive side; I felt the writer gave the Puritans a fair shake; not mocking them for their beliefs or their credulity. But the book never gives you that sense of "you are there;" the immediacy that separates acceptable historical writing from outstanding historical writing10 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Great acccount; fascinating historyBy Carolynn N.This book is full of theories easily proven and ideas that are common-sense and stuff we never heard about in social studies and history classes. The with trials were NOT about religion; they were about factions in a small; bored town. It is absolutely fascinating. Can't recommend this highly enough.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Just What I NeededBy Daniel Busman III needed this book for a research project for college and it proved to be a good purchase. It had some good information about the trials and worked out well.
