Customer Reviews

From the Pen of a She-Rebel: The Civil War Diary of Emilie Riley McKinley

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Historian Gordon Cotton's From The Pen Of A She-Rebel: The Civil War Diary Of Emilie Riley McKinly is the fascinating and informative story of Ms. McKinly, told in her own words, as she and her rural Southern neighbors witnessed the depredations of the Civil War. What made Ms. McKinly unique was that she was a Yankee by background, yet she personally embodied deep sympathy for her Confederate neighbors. Extensively annotated vignettes bring to life the travails of living under Union occupation, and paint a vivid picture of a corner of America that was uprooted and changed forever by the surge of history. An epilogue provides as much historical closure as is available concerning Ms. McKinly and her neighbors after the war. From The Pen Of A She-Rebel is a unique and welcome addition to the growing body of Civil War literature available for readers and students today.

Avid civil war women's diary readers may want to take a pass on this book. While Ms. McKinely is definitely a fiesty southern sympathizer with a Union heritage, I didn't find this book to present anything new or that much more interesting than other southern women's diary.

What draws me to diaries is not only the historical value of the diaries but the chance to become initimately involved in the lives of these women and their families. Whether it be the editing, Ms. McKinely's writing style or the sparse details of her background, I didn't connect with Ms. McKinely. In my opinion, the best diaries are those that have left me wanting to know more, wishing that the diary hadn't ended and feeling as though I know more about the writer and the plight of civil war women then when I started. From that standpoint, the book fell short.

That being said, I would recommend the book to someone who hasn't read any or only a few diaries. Ms. McKinely's fiestiness is typical of women in the south and much of what she goes through is similar to other women across the south.