In the Presence of Mine Enemies: The Civil War in the Heart of America, 1859-1864

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, Civil War Period (1850-1877)
Cover of the book In the Presence of Mine Enemies: The Civil War in the Heart of America, 1859-1864 by Edward L. Ayers, W. W. Norton & Company
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Edward L. Ayers ISBN: 9780393247435
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Publication: September 17, 2004
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company Language: English
Author: Edward L. Ayers
ISBN: 9780393247435
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication: September 17, 2004
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English

Winner of the Bancroft Prize: Through a gripping narrative based on massive new research, a leading historian reshapes our understanding of the Civil War.

Our standard Civil War histories tell a reassuring story of the triumph, in an inevitable conflict, of the dynamic, free-labor North over the traditional, slave-based South, vindicating the freedom principles built into the nation's foundations.

But at the time, on the borderlands of Pennsylvania and Virginia, no one expected war, and no one knew how it would turn out. The one certainty was that any war between the states would be fought in their fields and streets.

Edward L. Ayers gives us a different Civil War, built on an intimate scale. He charts the descent into war in the Great Valley spanning Pennsylvania and Virginia. Connected by strong ties of every kind, including the tendrils of slavery, the people of this borderland sought alternatives to secession and war. When none remained, they took up war with startling intensity. As this book relays with a vivid immediacy, it came to their doorsteps in hunger, disease, and measureless death. Ayers's Civil War emerges from the lives of everyday people as well as those who helped shape history—John Brown and Frederick Douglass, Lincoln, Jackson, and Lee. His story ends with the valley ravaged, Lincoln's support fragmenting, and Confederate forces massing for a battle at Gettysburg.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Winner of the Bancroft Prize: Through a gripping narrative based on massive new research, a leading historian reshapes our understanding of the Civil War.

Our standard Civil War histories tell a reassuring story of the triumph, in an inevitable conflict, of the dynamic, free-labor North over the traditional, slave-based South, vindicating the freedom principles built into the nation's foundations.

But at the time, on the borderlands of Pennsylvania and Virginia, no one expected war, and no one knew how it would turn out. The one certainty was that any war between the states would be fought in their fields and streets.

Edward L. Ayers gives us a different Civil War, built on an intimate scale. He charts the descent into war in the Great Valley spanning Pennsylvania and Virginia. Connected by strong ties of every kind, including the tendrils of slavery, the people of this borderland sought alternatives to secession and war. When none remained, they took up war with startling intensity. As this book relays with a vivid immediacy, it came to their doorsteps in hunger, disease, and measureless death. Ayers's Civil War emerges from the lives of everyday people as well as those who helped shape history—John Brown and Frederick Douglass, Lincoln, Jackson, and Lee. His story ends with the valley ravaged, Lincoln's support fragmenting, and Confederate forces massing for a battle at Gettysburg.

More books from W. W. Norton & Company

Cover of the book Listen to Me: Writing Life into Meaning by Edward L. Ayers
Cover of the book Hypnosis and Suggestion in the Treatment of Pain: A Clinical Guide by Edward L. Ayers
Cover of the book The Undressing: Poems by Edward L. Ayers
Cover of the book Yellow: Stories by Edward L. Ayers
Cover of the book Small g: A Summer Idyll by Edward L. Ayers
Cover of the book Ambivalence: Adventures in Israel and Palestine by Edward L. Ayers
Cover of the book Paid For: My Journey Through Prostitution by Edward L. Ayers
Cover of the book The Uses of Disorder: Personal Identity and City Life by Edward L. Ayers
Cover of the book Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny (Issues of Our Time) by Edward L. Ayers
Cover of the book Outrage: The Five Reasons Why O. J. Simpson Got Away with Murder by Edward L. Ayers
Cover of the book Happiness Is a Chemical in the Brain: Stories by Edward L. Ayers
Cover of the book Building Your Ideal Private Practice: A Guide for Therapists and Other Healing Professionals by Edward L. Ayers
Cover of the book The Scribe: A Novel by Edward L. Ayers
Cover of the book Curses! Broiled Again! by Edward L. Ayers
Cover of the book Soul Machine: The Invention of the Modern Mind by Edward L. Ayers
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy