The Last Battleground
The Civil War Comes to North Carolina
Published on 18. March 2019
Book
Hardback
336 pages
978-1-4696-4956-6 (ISBN)
Description
To understand the long march of events in North Carolina from secession to surrender is to understand the entire Civil War-a personal war waged by Confederates and Unionists, free blacks and the enslaved, farm women and plantation belles, Cherokee braves and mountaineers, conscripts and volunteers, gentleman officers and poor-bocker privates. In the state's complex loyalties, its sprawling and diverse geography, and its dual role as a home front and a battlefield, North Carolina embodies the essence of the whole epic struggle in all its terrible glory.
Philip Gerard presents this dramatic convergence of events through the stories of the individuals who endured them-reporting the war as if it were happening in the present rather than with settled hindsight-to capture the dreadful suspense of lives caught up in a conflict whose ending had not yet been written. As Gerard reveals, whatever the grand political causes for war, whatever great battles decided its outcome, and however abstract it might seem to readers a century and a half later, the war was always personal.
Philip Gerard presents this dramatic convergence of events through the stories of the individuals who endured them-reporting the war as if it were happening in the present rather than with settled hindsight-to capture the dreadful suspense of lives caught up in a conflict whose ending had not yet been written. As Gerard reveals, whatever the grand political causes for war, whatever great battles decided its outcome, and however abstract it might seem to readers a century and a half later, the war was always personal.
Reviews / Votes
Leave[s] an indelible impression. . . . There is sufficient depth to make for an ideal read." - Civil War News"Philip Gerard has written a most entertaining group of studies about North Carolina in the Civil War and brought them together in a single volume." - North Carolina Historical Review
"For scholars, Gerard's narrative provides intimate details of the war, key personalities and events, and everyday circumstances that generate opportunities for further research. For general readers, this work adds depth and another dimension to existing works by scholars, popular historians, journalists, and other writers by bringing a human face to the impact of war, not only through battles and their aftermath but also through the telling of personal tales of triumph and tragedy." - On Point
"Covers a wide range of topics from the most obscure private soldier's story and the plight of women, children, and minorities, to the great battles fought on North Carolina soil . . . . a lively and enjoyable read." - H-Net Reviews
"As Gerard reveals, whatever the grand political causes for war, whatever great battles decided its outcome, and however abstract it might seem to readers a century and a half later, the war was always personal." - McCormick Messenger
"Philip Gerard has done a first-class job of relating North Carolina's rich Civil War history, not only in accurate reporting of events but also in marvelous story-telling. No reader will come away from a perusal of this book without being impressed by its lively style and its immediacy." - The Journal of America's Military Past
"A refreshing look at the people and places impacted by the war in North Carolina. . . . Gerard's account of North Carolina's role in the war is deeply personalized." - Choice Reviews
"Gerard's scholarship is remarkably sound. . . . His modus operandi is to bring events to the reader through the eyes of the participants. This narrative strategy allows Gerard to give a sense of personal immediacy to events that otherwise might be lost in a litany of names, numbers, dates, and places." - Civil War Times
"[Gerard's] smooth, novelistic style should open this material to many readers who thought they didn't like history." - Wilmington Star News
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chapel Hill
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Illustrations
27 halftones
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 155 mm
Weight
687 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4696-4956-6 (9781469649566)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Philip Gerard is professor of creative writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. His previous books include Down the Wild Cape Fear.