By January 1865, most of Virginia’s schools were closed, many newspapers had ceased publication, businesses suffered, and food was scarce. Having endured major defeats on their home soil and the loss of much of the state’s territory to the Union army, Virginia’s Confederate soldiers began to desert at higher rates than at any other time in the war, returning home to provide their families with whatever assistance they could muster. It was a dark year for Virginia.
Virginia at War, 1865 closely examines the end of the Civil War in the Old Dominion, delivering a striking depiction of a state ravaged by violence and destruction. In the final volume of the Virginia at War series, editors William C. Davis and James I. Robertson Jr. have once again assembled an impressive collection of essays covering topics that include land operations, women and families, wartime economy, music and entertainment, the demobilization of Lee’s army, and the war’s aftermath. The volume ends with the final installment of Judith Brockenbrough Mc Guire’s popular and important Diary of a Southern Refugee during the War. Like the previous four volumes in the series, Virginia at War, 1865 provides valuable insights into the devastating effects of the war on citizens across the state.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Land Operations in 1865
Uncertainties and Alarms: Women and Families on Virginia’s Home Front
The Question of Bread is a Very Serious One: Virginia’s Wartime Economy
Better To Be Merry Than Sad: Music and Entertainment in Wartime Virginia
To Danville: A Government on Wheels
When Johnny Comes Marching Home: The Demobilization of Lee’s Army
Traitors Shall Not Dictate to Us: Afro-Virginians and the Unfinished Emancipation
So Unsettled by the War: The Aftermath in Virginia, 1865
Diary of a Southern Refugee During the War, August 1864-May 1865
Über den Autor
James I. Robertson Jr. is Alumni Distinguished Professor of History at Virginia Tech. He is the author or editor of more than two dozen books, including the award-winning Stonewall Jackson: The Man, the Soldier, the Legend. He was the chief historical consultant for the movie Gods and Generals.