When the Civil War began in 1861 Lucy Rebecca Buck was the eighteen-year-old daughter of a prosperous planter; living on her family's plantation in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. On Christmas Day of that year she began a diary which she would keep for the duration of the war; during which time troops were quartered in her home and battles were literally waged in her front yard.This extraordinary chronicle mirrors the experience of many women torn between loyalty to the Confederate cause and dissatisfaction with the unrealistic ideology of white southern womanhood. In powerful; unsentimental language; Buck's diary reveals her anger and ambivalence about the challenges thrust upon her by the upheaval of her self; her family; and the world as she knew it. This document provides an extraordinary glimpse into the "shadows on the heart" of both Lucy Buck and the American South.
#870564 in Books University of Georgia Press 1999-11-18 1999-11-18Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .57 x 5.50l; .65 #File Name: 0820321362208 pages
Review
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful. A Good Portrait of "New England's Perfect Son"By Ms WinstonAlthough Robert Gould Shaw was only 25 years old when he died; leading the 54th Massachusetts Infantry in a futile assault on Fort Wagner; he has become an object of interest in the past dozen years; especially since the release of the movie "Glory;" which gave a somewhat fictionalized account of the 54th. This book by Russell Duncan is a good introduction to the life of Shaw; and gives an extensive bibliography for those who want to engage in further reading and research.In this book (which is an expanded version of the introduction to Shaw's collected letters that Duncan edited and published in the book "Blue Eyed Child of Fortune") Duncan gives a view of a life that one can truly say was tragically cut short by war. Robert Gould Shaw spent much of his short life trying to find his way and place in the world; something that many of us can identify with immediately. He had difficulty in accepting authority; he could not decide upon a career; he was the only son of well-known abolitionist parents; yet he had grave reservations about the abilities of black people. A "rebel" by nature; he could be rigid and unbending with others. He was dominated by his mother; only truly breaking away from her by marrying a lovely young woman against his mother's wishes. Married to a woman he apparently adored; he also engaged in a flirtation with a schoolmistress in South Carolina after accepting the command of the 54th. Shaw had found his calling in the military: he was brave; and able to inspire confidence within his men; yet he promised his future wife that he would not persue the military as a career once the war was over.This book is a good introducation to the brief life of Robert Gould Shaw. It contains some photographs of the Shaw family and Annie Haggarety; Shaw's wife. It also dispells some of the myths about the 54th that were present in the movie "Glory;" chief among them the myth that the 54th was made up primarily of unlettered escaped slaves. From reading Duncan's book it appears many were literate freedmen of long standing. Also; the sergeant-major of the 54th was the son of Frederick Douglass; not the middle aged recruit as played by Morgan Freedman in the movie. I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in the life of Robert Gould Shaw; or the history of the 54th; as a jumping off point for further reading.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A true historical acccount of Robert Gould Shaw's lifeBy Angela LunnThe book is a good historical recording of Robert Gould Shaw; describing in detail his early childhood; his family and his education. It also shows how he struggles with his place in his life. The 54th was Robert's chance to truly show the abolitionist in him.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. If you love history and the civil warBy Davy GIf you love history and the civil war; you will love this book about the exploits of Col. Robert Gould Shaw (from the movie "Glory")
