Description
Book SynopsisBetween Home and the Front offers not only a unique first-person account from those that experienced the Civil War but an annotation in meticulous detail to provide valuable historical context for the events, people, and material culture described in the letters.
Trade Review"Between Home and the Front uses the words of the Walters family to bring a uniquely personal perspective to the suffering and sacrifices of the American Civil War. This well-referenced book uses letters, maps, and background information to illuminate one family's experiences and losses—the same kind of experiences and losses felt by millions due to war, both then and now."—Terry Reimer, Director of Research, National Museum of Civil War Medicine
"Between Home and the Front stands out amid the many published collections of Civil War correspondence in numerous ways. These letters vibrantly capture the daily lives and emotional strains of countless ordinary Americans during the war years. They reflect not just one soldier's experience but a rich network of correspondents: spouses, siblings, and friends. Especially fascinating is the role played by Rachel Walters, farmer's wife-turned-schoolteacher, in orchestrating communications among relations scattered by the upheavals of war. Heidelbaugh and Paone's careful attention to all aspects of this distinctive archive—from its military and social contexts to the materiality of its envelopes—has given us an exceptional primary-source collection that will prove eye opening for any student of the Civil War."—Christopher Hager, Trinity College
"This unique collection of letters offers an exceptional glimpse into one Indiana family's tragic Civil War experiences. Taking readers across the eastern and western theaters, the chase for John Hunt Morgan in Ohio, and into the northern home front, Between Home and the Front provides a broad view of the war and will be a boon for scholars and general readers alike."—Jonathan W. White, author of A House Built By Slaves: African American Visitors to the Lincoln White House
Table of ContentsFamily Trees
Maps
Acknowledgments
About the Letters
1. Introduction
2. 1861–1862
3. 1863
4. 1864
5. 1865 and Post-War Years
Epilogue
Afterword
Bibliography
Index
