A Country Riven

Irene McCrystal, PhD
American Literary Press (2006)
ISBN 1561679437
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (11/06)

Irene McCrystal has compiled excerpts from speeches, correspondence, journals and diaries from representative enlisted men, military officers, and political leaders that were affected by their participation in the war between the Union and the Confederacy. 

She has included memoirs, diaries, and letters from women who were directly involved in the armed forces, in supporting roles, doctors, nurses, wives and mothers whose lives were impacted by the outcome of this destructive, yet uniting, American conflict.  Slaves freed before and after the war are also represented in this well researched and documented work.

Sometimes paraphrased but without secondary sources, these dramatic monologues reflect the tenor of days surrounding the Civil War.  I was deeply moved as I read story after story of personal bravery, sacrifice, and dedication to their cause.

These writings give insight into the inner struggles of the participants.  Some were fighting for states rights, some to maintain status quo and to protect their plantations and their slaves.  Some were fighting at all costs to save the Union, others to free the slaves.  All recognized or experienced the suffering and the anguish of losing loved ones to the war.

On a lighter side, Sarah Morgan, a young girl in Baton Rouge, recorded her reactions during the occupation by Union soldiers.  “We were Episcopalians.  During the occupation, I was shocked and dreadfully distracted upon seeing, directly in front of me, Yankee soldiers, also Episcopalians, in church praying with us.”  She went on to observe, “Meantime, I could not help pondering the vitriolic, obsessive hatred borne all Yankees by some of the most devout ladies in our church.”

I was especially touched by the letters of General Robert E. Lee to his family.  His expressions of concern for their welfare and his deep trust in God gave me a deep respect for Lee as a man.

References to President Lincoln reflected the high regard the Union soldiers held for him.  Letters written by Mary Todd Lincoln spoke of her love and of her grief after his death.

These first person accounts have had a profound impact on me and given me new insight into the bravery, fervor, and determination of those fighting for their cause in this crucial period of American history.  “A Country Riven” should be required reading in every high school and college social studies curriculum, and recommended reading for every American family.

Make comment on weblog