A Nation Unraveled - (Civil War America) by Sarah Jones Weicksel (Paperback)

About the Book

"During the American Civil War, clothing became central to the ways people waged war and experienced its cost. Through the clothes they made, wore, mended, lost, and stole, Americans expressed their allegiances, showed their love, confronted their social and economic challenges, subverted expectations, and, ultimately, preserved their history. As collections left behind make clear, Civil War Americans believed clothing was not merely a reflection of one's class, gender, race, military rank, political ideology, or taste. Instead, from the weave of a fabric to the style and make of a coat, Northerners and Southerners alike understood that clothing had the power to affect people's way of living through the war's tumult. In this compelling and well-illustrated history, Sarah Jones Weicksel reveals as never before the meanings of clothing to Civil War Americans. Contributing to the growing body of scholarship on the material culture of the Civil War, Weicksel invites readers to understand the depth of how war penetrated daily life by focusing on the intimate, visceral, material experiences that shaped how people moved through the world"--

Book Synopsis

During the American Civil War, clothing became central to the ways people waged war and experienced its cost. Through the clothes they made, wore, mended, lost, and stole, Americans expressed their allegiances, showed their love, confronted their social and economic challenges, subverted expectations, and, ultimately, preserved their history. As the collections they left behind make clear, Civil War Americans believed clothing was not merely a reflection of one's class, gender, race, military rank, political ideology, or taste. Instead, Northerners and Southerners alike understood that clothing--from the weave of a fabric to the style and make of a coat--had the power to affect people's way of living through the war's tumult.

In this compelling and well-illustrated history, Sarah Jones Weicksel reveals the meanings clothing had for Civil War Americans. Contributing to the growing body of scholarship on the material culture of the Civil War, Weicksel invites readers to understand how the war penetrated daily life by focusing on the intimate, visceral, material experiences that shaped how people moved through the world.

Review Quotes

"A convincingly argued work of stunning originality and imagination, rooted in enormously creative research. This book will alter the vision and sensibility of Civil War historians by revealing how everyone fighting the war saw, felt, and remembered the conflict through clothing. There is nothing like this on anyone's shelf."--David W. Blight, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom

"A Nation Unraveled is, quite simply, one of the most compelling histories of the American Civil War around. Sarah Jones Weicksel's thoughtful analysis is full of surprises and vivid evidence. Readers will be convinced that material culture, textiles in particular, are fundamental to understanding the history of war in early America."--Zara Anishanslin, author of Portrait of a Woman in Silk: Hidden Histories of the British Atlantic World

About the Author

Sarah Jones Weicksel is executive director of the American Historical Association.