In the Shenandoah Valley and Peninsula Campaigns of 1862; Union and Confederate soldiers faced unfamiliar and harsh environmental conditions--strange terrain; tainted water; swarms of flies and mosquitoes; interminable rain and snow storms; and oppressive heat--which contributed to escalating disease and diminished morale. Using soldiers' letters; diaries; and memoirs; plus a wealth of additional personal accounts; medical sources; newspapers; and government documents; Kathryn Shively Meier reveals how these soldiers strove to maintain their physical and mental health by combating their deadliest enemy--nature.Meier explores how soldiers forged informal networks of health care based on prewar civilian experience and adopted a universal set of self-care habits; including boiling water; altering camp terrain; eradicating insects; supplementing their diets with fruits and vegetables; constructing protective shelters; and most controversially; straggling. In order to improve their health; soldiers periodically had to adjust their ideas of manliness; class values; and race to the circumstances at hand. While self-care often proved superior to relying upon the inchoate military medical infrastructure; commanders chastised soldiers for testing army discipline; ultimately redrawing the boundaries of informal health care.
#1293524 in Books The University of North Carolina Press 2013-10-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.50 x 6.50 x 1.00l; 1.24 #File Name: 1469610701288 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A book that all should readBy Sally100After a slow meticulous academic start; this book goes to theheart of the matter and leads the reader intotoday's continuing Jim Crow world.Holliday is a wise and perceptive man in every way.11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Come AroundBy DavidJWhen I first started reading this book; I thought why is he spending so much time giving his history and families history. As I continued reading; it made reflect on my own history and the implications of being born in the 50's - hearing stories and not hearing stories from my parents and grandparents about racism and Jim Crow. And I do remember how memories were "shaded" depending on the pain and experiences described by my family. So the writer helped me tremendously to come around to better understand why he chose to write this book from this prespective. This helped me so much that I am now starting to research my own family history in order to get a better sense about how that history impacted my grandparents; parents; me; and utimately how my new found knowledge will impact my children.This is a very good read and I am glad that I did not give up and that allow myself to come around and better understand why the author was trying to convey.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Highly recommended.By John E. PepperThis is an extraordinarily mind-opening book. An exploration of memory; of what we choose to remember and what we don't; of where we find our home; with special relevance certainly to African-Americans but equally to all of us; including me-- a white male in his 70's. As candid and transparent and eloquently written personal testimonial as you could imagine. Highly recommended.
