A revealing compilation of essays documenting the effects of the Civil War and its aftermath on Americans-young and old, black and white, northern and southern. * 26 essays on varied topics such as the impact of the war on children, as seen in Oliver Optic’s Civil War: Northern Children and the Literary War for the Union, and the aftermath of the war, chronicled in The Devil’s War: The Stories of Ambrose Bierce * A wide range of primary source documents including book excerpts, diaries, personal letters, newspaper articles, and magazine articles * Drawings, etchings, and photographs depicting battles, soldiers, and the families left behind * A selected bibliography and general works offering information and analysis about the Confederate and Union home fronts during the Civil War