Two months before the Civil War broke out; Emma Holmes made the first entry in a diary that would eventually hold vivid firsthand accounts of several major historical events. Born into an elite South Carolina family; Holmes was in her twenties during the war years. She lived in Charleston during April; 1861; bombardment of Fort Sumter and was visiting there during the 1863 Union shelling of the city. Her description of the Charleston fire of December; 1861; which destroyed her family home and leveled much of the city; is one of the most powerful passages in the diary.Holmes also spent extended periods of time on plantations and visited army camps; which she described in detail. Because of the Charleston fire; her family was uprooted to Camden; South Carolina; where she came face-to-face with Union forces: first Sherman's army; then black troops; and finally the small Reconstruction garrison. In presenting her picture of the wartime South; Holmes discussed numerous northern and southern military figures; the role of women in the war effort; the religious and social life of the day; and the heavy toll that fighting and disease took on the military and civilian population.John F. Marszalek has eliminated extraneous details in order to highlight Holmes's individual insight; the vital heart of the volumn. His new Forward considers this valuable contribution to social history in the context of the current growing popularity of the Civil War and the relatively recent interest in that conflict among women's studies scholars.
#254083 in Books 2007-06-01 2007-06-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.10 x .60 x 5.20l; .68 #File Name: 0807077291240 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A Book for All the FaithfulBy Catherine L. HurstonHow Christians; Jews; and Muslims can all live together peacefully in today's world seems to be an unrealistic goal. This book explores how it could be done. Written by a leader of each of the three sects; we can see things in a way we haven't seen before now.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Not distinctly different from other good books on the Abrahamic tradition and what unifies the ...By Kindle CustomerNot distinctly different from other good books on the Abrahamic tradition and what unifies the people of the Book. If this had been the first book I read on the topic; it would have garnered more stars; but others have done it just as well or better.22 of 22 people found the following review helpful. DoyalBy Layod SivadThe Tent of Abraham presents a vision of hope: what Jews; Christians and Muslims can do for a mutual understanding of the essence that binds these three great religions in Abraham. This book is especially clutching in showing the reader how women; mothers caught up in the madness of war; can see more clearly than politicians; that our humanity and our compassion should inform us that war can never be a satisfactory solution to any human need. People of all faiths should read this book.
