Description: The private and public writings in this volume reveal the early relationship between renowned Civil War diarist Sarah Morgan (1842-1909) and her future husband, Francis Warrington Dawson (1840-1889). Morgan's commentary gives us a candid portrayal of the way one southern woman viewed her postwar world--even as she struggled to find her place in it.
Brief description: GISELLE ROBERTS is a research associate in the department of history at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. She is the author of The Confederate Belle.
Review Quotes:
This compelling volume follows two very extraordinary people as they tried to remake their lives and themselves in the tumultuous years of the post-Civil War South. Roberts is the perfect historical guide: her expert editing, which interweaves published work with private correspondence, elegantly frames the material and draws out its significance, all while allowing her protagonists to tell their own stories. The surprising twists and turns remind us that the unique circumstances of individual lives can provide the most valuable insights into larger patterns of historical change.
--Laura F. Edwards "author of Scarlett Doesn't Live Here Anymore"