This title discusses the crisis of the 'house divided'. The Civil War has long been described as a war pitting 'brother against brother'. The divided family is an enduring metaphor for the divided nation, but it also accurately reflects the reality of America's bloodiest war. Connecting the metaphor to the real experiences of families whose households were split by conflicting opinions about the war, Amy Murrell Taylor provides a social and cultural history of the divided family in Civil War America. She studies letters and diaries to understand how families coped with division between husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, fathers and sons, and she traces the image of the 'house divided' as it emerged in newspapers and popular fiction to describe the war-torn nation.

About the Author
Amy Murrell Taylor is assistant professor of history at the State University of New York at Albany.

Reviews
"A fascinating study of actual families, North and South, white and black, divided by war." - Journal of American History "The first social and cultural history of Civil War - era divided families.... The dynamic portrait painted here ably renders any simple stories as much more complicated and complex narratives, and therefore ultimately much more historically satisfying." - Civil War History"



Book Information
ISBN 9780807861868
Author Amy Murrell Taylor
Format Paperback
Page Count 336
Imprint The University of North Carolina Press
Publisher The University of North Carolina Press
Weight(grams) 888g