Rally 'Round the Flag: Chicago and the Civil War [Hardcover]

Theodore J. Karamanski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1993 | ISBN-10: 0830412956 | ISBN-13: 978-0830412952 | Edition: First

In this landmark narrative history of Chicago during the Civil War, Theodore Karamanski examines the people and events that formed this critical period in the city's history. Using diaries, letters, and newspapers that survived the Great Fire of 1871, he shows how Chicagoans' opinions evolved from a romantic and patriotic view of the war to recognition of the conflict's brutality. Located a safe distance behind the battle lines and accessible to the armies via rail and waterways, the city's economy grew feverishly while increasing population strained Chicago's social fabric. From the great Republican convention of 1860 in the 'Wigwam,' to the dismal life of Confederate prisoners in Camp Douglas on the South Side of Chicago, Rally 'Round the Flag paints a vivid picture of the Midwest city vigorously involved in the national conflict.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Deeply researched and wide-ranging. . . . A welcome discussion of the central individuals and events in Civil War Chicago. (Journal Of American History )

Rally 'Round the Flag is an impressive, informative, and scholarly history of Chicago history following the years of the American Civil War. Karamanski draws from diaries, letters, and newspapers to reveal how Chicago's public opinions on the war evolved from a romantic and patriotic naiveté to a clarion recognition of the brutality of the conflict. (Midwest Book Review )

A good read and a useful summary of events. (American Historical Review )

About the Author

Theodore J. Karamanski is professor of history at Loyola University of Chicago. He founded the Loyola Public History Program and presided the National Council on Public History. A lifelong resident of the Chicago area, Karamanski is the author of Fur Trade and Exploration, Deep Woods Frontier, Ethics and Public History, and numerous articles.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 328 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers; First edition (January 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830412956
• ISBN-13: 978-0830412952
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,839,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rally Round the Flag, March 22, 2000

By 

Viking - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rally 'Round the Flag: Chicago and the Civil War (Hardcover)

As a lifelong Chicagoan, I could never view Chicago within the context of the Civil War until reading Karamanski's "Rally Round the Flag." From the great Republican convention of 1860 in the "Wigwam," to the dismal life of Confederate prisoners in Camp Douglas on the South Side of Chicago, Karamanski paints a vivid picture of the midwest-city as bieng vigorously involved in the national conflict. Highlighted personalities include Lincoln, Douglas, Seward, Greeley and many Chicagoans including Mary Livermore, Reverand Dwight Moody, Colonel James Mulligan, and Elmer Ellsworth. My favorite areas of "Rally Round the Flag" include: The Republican Convention of 1860 in Chicago (Karamanski does a great job of showing how Chicago influenced Lincoln's nomination); the daring siezure of arms held in the St. Louis Armory by musket-hungry Illinois regiments; and the influence Chicagoan Elmer Ellsworth's prize-winning Zouves had on northern militia units before the war, and his subsequent martyrdom in bieng the first Union officer killed in the war while taking down a rebel flag in Alexandria, Va.

5.0 out of 5 stars Strongly recommended, October 4, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rally 'Round the Flag: Chicago and the Civil War (Paperback)

"Rally 'Round The Flag: Chicago And The Civil War" by Theodore Karamanski (Professor of History, Loyola University of Chicago) is an impressive, informative, and scholarly history of Chicago history during the years of the American Civil War. Professor Karamanski draws from diaries, letters, and newspapers to reveal how Chicago's public opinions on the war evolved from a romantic and patriotic naivete to a clarion recognition of the brutality of the conflict. Because Chicago was far from battle lines, war fields and killing grounds, yet accessible to them through railroad and waterway systems of transport, its war-time economy boomed, attracting a huge increase in population that strained Chicago's pre-war social fabric. From the Republic convention of 1860 to the dismal conditions of the Confederate POWs in Camp Douglas on the South Side of Chicago, readers are provided with a vividly accurate historical account of Chicago's conditions during the bloody conflict that threatened to tear apart the American nation. Highly recommended for non-specialist general readers, "Rally 'Round The Flag" is a seminal and strongly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library American History and Civil War Studies reference collections and reading lists.