In Masquerade; Alfred F. Young scrapes through layers of fiction and myth to uncover the story of Deborah Sampson; a Massachusetts woman who passed as a man and fought as a soldier for seventeen months toward the end of the American Revolution.Deborah Sampson was not the only woman to pose as a male and fight in the war; but she was certainly one of the most successful and celebrated. She managed to fight in combat and earn the respect of her officers and peers; and in later years she toured the country lecturing about her experiences and was partially successful in obtaining veterans’ benefits. Her full story; however; was buried underneath exaggeration and myth (some of which she may have created herself); becoming another sort of masquerade. Young takes the reader with him through his painstaking efforts to reveal the real Deborah Sampson in a work of history that is as spellbinding as the best detective fiction.
#130533 in Books Vintage 1992-07-28 1992-07-28Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .66 x 5.10l; .56 #File Name: 0679738282248 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A Genuine Voice from the Civil WarBy Roderick S. HaynesI was a good friend of Jimmy Rhodes; a direct descendant of this Civil War hero from Rhode Island; in grade school. I am proud to note the author hailed from my native state of "Little Rhody." This particular primary source from the Civil War was utilized by Ken Burns' in his Civil War series with great success. Rhodes was a participant in many if the major battles ranging from Bull Run all the way through Appomattox. And like many others he quickly rose from the rank of lowly private to a Colonel by the time the War was over; and he was a proud member of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) veterans organization for many years following the war's conclusion. His writing voice is clear and descriptive. He is an unabashed patriot for the Union cause; as the title of this work suggests. He is unquestionably brave; and writes movingly about the horrors of combat; bringing the conflict to life in a brutal; vivid way. Rhodes; to repeat; is a hero; just as much as the glory-seeking Joshua Chamberlain from the 20th Maine; who after his exploits on Little Round Top at Gettysburg spent the remainder of his life touting his singular leadership and bravery (this is not to knock or question Chamberlain's bravery; he was wounded four or five times during the war; it's just that Chamberlain spent so much time bragging about himself once the war ended). Rhodes; on the other hand; is not nearly as obnoxious. The focus of Rhodes' writing is not on himself; but on the conflict around him; the men; the misery; the futility of war. And love of country reasonates throughout the read. Highly recommended read.7 of 8 people found the following review helpful. An outstanding telling of the young soldier at work.By Roger J. Buffington"All for the Union" is an outstanding story of a young soldier at work. Elisha Hunt Rhodes enlisted in the Army of the Potomac and fought in almost every major eastern Civil War engagement. This book is a compilation of his private diary and papers written at the time of these events. The book is one of the most insightful and honest glimpses into the life; hardships; motivations; and opinions of a young soldier that the reader is ever likely to find. Rhodes writes with clarity and candor; if you want to know what it was like to be a Union Civil War soldier; there is perhaps no better book.The PBS Documentary "The Civil War" drew heavily on Rhodes' book. By the way; one of the things I really liked about the book is that it included some contemporary photographs of people that served with Rhodes in his regiment. Being able to match faces with his narrative was delightful.What amazing times Rhodes lived through! As soon as he enlisted; he was sent to the Capitol to help guard it. On the way his regiment was booed and reviled by pro-Rebel citizens in parts of Maryland. Rhodes lived through battlefield defeats and victories--the reader can fully appreciate the signficance to a young soldier like Rhodes when the great Union victory at Gettysburg takes place. After all; there had been many Union defeats preceding it.Rhodes comes through as a good and honest man; very intelligent; but in the beginning somewhat naive as twenty year olds are apt to be. This is an outstanding glimpse into the mind of one of the soldiers who helped to save and preserve the Union. After reading it; one can see that America was fortunate to possess thousands of Elisha Hunt Rhodes because that is what it took to win the war. As the South had many equally good men; equally motivated; the reader can understand why it was a hard and long war.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. One of the better stories and very readableBy gary Landser at the frontThis was well written and detailed. I am still amazed how someone could start out a buck-private and be a Colonel three years later. Good story.
