Houses of Civil War America: The Homes of Robert E. Lee, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Clara Barton, and Others Who Shaped the Era - Hardcover

"As a historian, I am acutely conscious of the importance of place as well as time in our understanding of the past. One must walk the battlefields of the Civil War to know and appreciate what happened there. The same is true of historic houses, which take on the character of the people who lived there. This splendid narrative and photographic tour of homes inhabited by obscure as well as important figures in the Civil War era offers enlightenment as well as entertainment." "James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era""" "This book is a gem. Author Howard and photographer Straus provide an unusual perspective on the Civil War era by focusing on houses associated with some two dozen actors and actresses in that great drama. The famous - Lincoln, Davis, Grant, and Lee - are here, as are John Brown and Frederick Douglass, but also the little-known, like Rowland Robinson and Mary Moore. The writer and photographer weave houses and personal histories into a fascinating story of Americans caught up in a mighty conflict." "William J. Cooper, Boyd Professor at Louisiana State University and author of "Jefferson Davis, American""" "The Civil War proved Lincoln's warning that a 'house divided against itself cannot stand.' However, many of the actual houses of that roiling period withstood not only the war, but the test of time since-and it is a revelation to see them as they look today, and learn about the families who then and since have dwelled in and preserved them. This book literally opens a window into nineteenth-century domestic and cultural history, and brings us a giant step closer to the life and times of the families who survived and endured." "Harold Holzer, author of "Lincoln and the Power of the Press" and Chariman of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation""

Timed to coincide with the 150th anniversay of the Civil War and a fitting sequel to Houses of the Presidents, HOUSES OF CIVIL WAR AMERICA takes readers into the daily lives of the most important historical figures in the nation-defining conflict. From modest abolitionist homes to the plantations of the antebellum south. Howard and Straus bring the most intimate moments of the war to life. With insightful narrative and gorgeous photography, HOUSES OF CIVIL WAR AMERICA demonstrates - through these landmark homes - the nation we were and the nation we became.