Reference Reviews

Lawrence Looks at Books

American Civil War, edited by Stephen E. Woodworth. 2vols. 674p. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2008. 978-1-4144-3009-6; 2007-47017. $211.

It would be difficult to overestimate the impact of the Civil War on daily life in the United States. Some 3.2 million men would serve in uniform, nearly one fifth of the country’s male population. One in five would not return home, dying of disease or in battle. In both the North and the South, the departure of so many able-bodied workers caused shortages in labor and supplies. Women, children and the elderly assumed new roles as families worked harder to survive. The demands of war encouraged industrialization, but in the South, the blockade reduced access to manufactured goods and medicines. As Union armies penetrated southern states, thousands of slaves tasted freedom for the first time. Others, unable to escape, were forced to work harder as the South was depleted of other sources of labor.

This new set in the Gale Library of Daily Life series examines the changes that the Civil War affected upon average Americans. From the thousands of soldier away from home for the first time to families and communities left behind, the 202 thematically arranged articles explore the many facets of everyday life in a time of war. For soldiers at the front, this includes uniforms, rations, sanitation, drills and the many pastimes pursued to relieve the boredom of camp life. On the home front, the coverage includes food shortages, difficulties maintaining schools, family separations, widows and orphans. Other entries document the popular culture of the time, including religion, art, music, literature, social organizations and community activities. From professional nurses to black marketers the essays highlight the changes forced in health, medicine, labor and the economy. Political coverage includes propaganda and opposition to the war. Special attention is reserved for those most affected by the outcome of the conflict, slaves and freedmen. A final section reviews the war’s aftermath, efforts at reconciliation and the continuing remembrances of those sacrificed during the war. Numerous illustrations, more than 40 sidebars and substantial bibliographies support the text, providing a useful introduction for readers from high school to adult to the challenges of life during this nation’s greatest conflict.
—John R.M. Lawrence