Voices From The House Divided: The American Civil War As Personal Experience

by Glenn M. Linden

This text is an excellent supplement for Civil War or U.S. History survey course. Using diaries, letters, and other contemporary sources, this follows 20 individuals--Northerners and Southerners--from the outbreak of hostilities at Fort Sumter to the Confederate surrender of Appomattox four years later. The sources have been edited to a manageable length and include chapter introductions and headnotes. Students get a sense of the social dimension of the war, often neglected in textbooks.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

Paperback

Published October 1, 1994

Reviews

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the overall concept of the book. It's way more interesting to read the details of people's lives, as told by them directly, than dry recitations of troop movements and whatnot.
In practice, it was not completely successful. Some sections were quite lengthy and dull, including long tracts about farm activities, which aren't exactly riveting.
I furthermore question the wisdom of transcribing people's journal entries and letters directly, including all spelling errors. Some of them (looking at you, John Cotton) had no paragraphing whatsoever and, between the walls of text and first grade-level misspellings, were downright painful to get through.
Overall it was a fascinating look into the Civil War's realities for the people who lived through it. It actually helped to stir some compassion in me for even some of the asshole slave owners, who may have very much been assholes but were still humans capable of experiencing fear and privation. I do appreciate a book that can yank me out of my usual thought patterns.

[Joel Pinckney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voices From The House Divided is a fascinating collection of letters, journal entries, speeches, etc. delivered during the civil war. The collection pulls from an impressively representative group--freed blacks in the North, wealthy whites in the South in Jefferson's inner circle, wealthy whites in the North strongly opposed to Lincoln, poor whites in the South, etc.--including around 20 different individuals. The collection follows the timeline of the war, intending to show what the personal experience of these individuals was like as the war progressed.

One of the most interesting elements was the manner in which most from both sides believed God endorsed their cause. This comes across throughout the collection, even as the South is nearing complete defeat, with a couple of the confederate authors comparing their plight to that of Job, remarking that only in his book do they now find comfort.

The book's organization is a bit clunky and awkward, but the quality of the material makes up for it. 3.5/5.