The Civil War Bawdy Houses of Washington, D.C. with Other [Hardcover]

Thomas P. Lowry (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Civil War Bawdy Houses of Washington, D. C. has to be one of the most unique, unusual, and yet historically accurate books ever written on the American Civil War experience. Thomas Lowry has done painstaking research on a most unusual subject. Yet this was a time when prostitution and "houses of ill repute" were to be found in virtually every substantial city in the east, and every cow-town in the west. The public and governmental attitudes of a century ago toward "working girls" and their patrons were dramatically different than what we see today. This novel historical treatise is enhanced with a map showing the location of more than sixty bordellos and an official U. S. Government ratings as to their quality! No American cultural history or Civil War studies collection can be considered complete without the inclusion of Thomas Lowry's serious study on The Civil War Bawdy Houses of Washington, D. C. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Hardcover: 104 pages
• Publisher: Sergeant Kirkland's Press; Har/Map edition (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887901140
• ISBN-13: 978-1887901147
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,629,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a product of northern California -- beaches, high Sierras, high school in the East Bay, plane spotting in World War II, seven years at Stanford. Starting in 1957, I was a physician and psychiatrist -- an always interesting life -- in California and New Mexico, publishing several very dull medical books. Around 1995, with my wife Beverly, we began reading the Civil War records of misbehavior at the National Archives. Just like today's tabloids, only wilder. We found that high school history left out all the interesting stuff.

As you can see from my titles, I don't do battles or famous generals or comment on grand strategy. We do "human interest" stories (all true) of men terrified in combat, of women who miss having their men in bed, of abused horses, of loyal friends, of political conniptions, and of the surpringly ubiquity of prostitution. And little byways: Was Lincoln gay? Why were so many of his bodyguards drunks? Was Robert E. Lee's favorite ranger just a horse thief?

So, I retired from scuba diving (damaged ears), and from medicine (forty years is enough), and I'm having a great time. About my books -- I don't think you'll find a boring one.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A interesting look inside the Federal Capital during the CW, June 12, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Civil War Bawdy Houses of Washington, D.C. with Other (Hardcover)

Here's just three sample reviews of this fine text and outstanding 2by3' map...
"Following his book, The Story The Soldier's Wouldn't Tell, about sex during the Civil War, Tom Lowry focuses here on a ... small area of central Washington, DC during the Civil War. Close to the heart of government lay this hot bed of vice and prostitution, catering largely to the military. Fascinating reading." John Bancroft, M.D., Director, Kinsey Institute, Indiana University

"With this book on the bordellos of Washington, D.C., during the Civil War, Lowry has presented insights into a previously neglected aspect of the great conflict, which touched not only active-duty soldiers but also long-retired veterans. The usual description of 1861-1865 Washington portrays muddy roads, confusion, and men hurrying along the streets. Now we know where ... some of them were going!" Jack D. Welsh, M.D., Author of Medical Histories of Union Generals

"A concise, open-minded, and lucid look at the vice district of Mr. Lincoln's City, where even the pressure of war could not change the hierarchies of power and the ordering of class, of race, and of gender. This is a scholar's illuminating look at the difficult questions about America's future which emerged in those sin-sodden streets. Future studies of this neglected subject will have a difficult time matching Dr. Tom Lowry's compassion, coherence, and class." Benedict R. Maryniak, President, Buffalo Civil War Round Tabl

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tom Lowry has done it again!, May 9, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Civil War Bawdy Houses of Washington, D.C. with Other (Hardcover)

Tom Lowry has done it again! With this book on the Bordellos of Washington, D.C., during the Civil War, he has presented insights into a previously neglected aspect of the great conflict, which touched not only active-duty soldiers but also long-retired veterans. The usual description of 1861-1865 Washington portrays muddy roads, confusion, and men hurrying along the streets. Now we know where at least some of them were going!
This book will interest not only Civil War buffs, but also present-day Washingtonians interested in the past of their city. An excellent map shows the location of more than sixty houses of ill-fame, and tables contain official U.S. Government ratings of their quality. Every Civil War enthusiast headed for our nation's capital must pack a copy of this book, along with the usual contemporary guides.
Jack D. Welsh, M.D., Author of Medical Histories of Union Generals

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Waste of Paper, May 8, 2004

By 

C. Baker "cbaker" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Civil War Bawdy Houses of Washington, D.C. with Other (Hardcover)

I'm not sure why anyone would bother to publish this. It's not really about history. It's basically a bunch of pictures and a map of the Civil War era bawdy houses, with an occasional sentence or two. I thought I was going to get an interesting slice of history. Instead I got someone's collection of tidbits and pictures and a map of where the bawdy houses were.

I'm not sure what the whole point of this book is.