Description
Book SynopsisFor men in the Union and Confederate armies and their families at home, letter writing was the sole means to communicate. Taking pen to paper was a new and daunting task, but Christopher Hager shows how ordinary people made writing their own, and how they in turn transformed the culture of letters into a popular, democratic mode of communication.
Trade ReviewChristopher Hager uncovers the worlds of battlefront and home front for ordinary people in one of the most important books ever written on the history of emotions. He finds in the tortured grammar of soldiers and their loved ones the shocks, trauma, fear, and the deadening mundane of war's upheaval. This book is a profound portrait of humanity undisguised, unconventional, and under pressure—a truly original work of literary history. -- David W. Blight, author of
Frederick Douglass: American ProphetA deeply researched, imaginatively structured, and eloquently written study of the letter-writing practices of soldiers and family members during the U.S. Civil War. It is the rare scholarly work with a narrative momentum that makes it hard to put down. I have no doubt that it will take its place as the defining book in its field. -- William Merrill Decker, author of
Epistolary Practices: Letter Writing in America before TelecommunicationsHager brings alive the personal letters of ordinary soldiers and their families, people who had neither traveled nor written much before the war came calling. With astounding interpretive skill, and in gorgeous prose, he weaves deeply personal stories, gleaning rich and resonant details from words, phrases, and even blank spaces on a page.
I Remain Yours is a book for those who study the Civil War or just love to read about it. There is simply no other book like it. -- Martha Hodes, author of
Mourning LincolnChristopher Hager has recovered the voices of ordinary soldiers who struggled into literacy during the Civil War. Their letters home are poignant and sometimes heartbreaking.
I Remain Yours is an extraordinary addition to the documentary history of the Civil War. -- Joan D. Hedrick, author of
Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life
