Class Year
2021
Document Type
Blog Post
Publication Date
10-26-2018
Department 1
Civil War Institute
Abstract
This collection of essays illustrates that a material culture approach to the past can help us better understand some of the deeper complexities of the Civil War era, such as the expansion of consumer culture, the common soldier’s experience, and behavioral history, as well as issues of race, bondage, and emancipation. Cashin argues that it is important to study the objects featured within the book to understand their multi-valenced roles in the daily lives of 19th-century Americans, as well as the cultural and emotional significance they held for those who utilized them. From Robert Hicks’s essay on vaccinating the Confederate armies, to Sarah Jones Weicksel’s examination of shelter in refugee camps, these pieces explore a wide assortment of artifacts. The authors reveal that these artifacts enabled historical actors to shape events in specific ways and give meaning to their surrounding world. [excerpt]
Copyright Note
This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
Sauers, Cameron T., "Hot off the Press: War Matters Review" (2018). The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History. 336.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/compiler/336
Comments
This blog post originally appeared in The Gettysburg Compiler and was created by students at Gettysburg College.