Women in the Civil War [Paperback]

Mary Elizabeth Massey (Author), Jean V. Berlin (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1994

The Civil War wrought cataclysmic changes in the lives of American Women on both sides of the conflict. Women in the Civil War demonstrates their enterprise, fortitude, and fierceness. In this revealing social history, Massey focuses on many famous women, including nurses Dorothea Dix, Clara Barton, and Mother Bickerdyke; spies Pauline Cushman and Belle Boyd; writers Louisa May Alcott, Julia Ward Howe, and Mary Chestnut; pamphleteer and military strategist Anna Ella Carroll; black abolitionists Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth; feminists Susan B. Anthony and Jane Grey Swisshelm; and political wives Varina Davis and Mary Todd Lincoln. The anonymous women who maintained farms and plantations are described, as are camp followers, businesswomen, entertainers, activists, and socialites in Charleston and Washington.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Originally titled Bonnet Brigades, this volume "presents a comprehensive yet readable account of a long-neglected aspect of American history" (LJ 8/66). Massey contends that the Civil War aided women's emancipation by creating "nondomestic opportunities" for them as industrial workers, writers, and even spies.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"For the first time we have in this energetic yet sensitive volume a thorough, comprehensive, and impartial history of the enormous work the women [of both North and South] did when the guns sounded, and the steps they meanwhile took toward the sweeping transformations that followed Appomattox. . . . Miss Massey’s book [is] one of the most original contributions we have had to the literature of the Civil War."—Allan Nevins

(Allan Nevins )

"This is a serious book, at once charming, scholarly and highly readable. . . . It is probable that the most enduring consequence of the war for women was the changed conception they come to hold of themselves. . . . Massey most skillfully brings out the contribution the press made toward this result."—New York Times Book Review

(New York Times Book Review )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 401 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (April 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803282133
• ISBN-13: 978-0803282131
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #676,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and thorough study of a fascinating subject., May 30, 2006

By 

James Yanni (Bellefontaine Neighbors, Mo. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Women in the Civil War (Paperback)

This book does a marvellous job of detailing the effects of the Civil War on almost all classes of women: Northern, Southern, rich, poor, those who actively took part as nurses, spies, and actual combatants, and those who were "only" effected as the battles caused major disruptions in their lives, those whose lives were relatively unaffected, those who were forced to work in factories, those who turned to prostitution, and others. Well-written, well-researched, well-organized. Highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outline of amazing research, November 11, 2008

By 

Vivian (Lake George) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Women in the Civil War (Paperback)

I found this book nicely organized..... a good resouce for further research. The thought of one going through thousands of letters and journals is overwhelming to me, but there is no other way to get this overall picture of what it was like to be a woman in this country, during this period. I will keep this book forever and refer to it often. Thank you M.E.M., etc for your gift.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Charming if Dated, Marred by Introduction, December 4, 2000

By 

Alexandra Griggs (Charlottesville, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women in the Civil War (Paperback)

Massey's book was a pioneering effort in its time, and we should all be thankful for that. At least it is a welcome point of departure. But the introduction by Jean Berlin is lacking much in the way of insight or understanding. A more experienced scholar might have presented a richer analysis.