The thin light of freedom : the Civil War and emancipation in the heart of America

Winner of the Lincoln Prize A landmark Civil War history told from a fresh, deeply researched ground-level perspective. At the crux of America’s history stand two astounding events: the immediate and complete destruction of the most powerful system of slavery in the modern world, followed by a political reconstruction in which new constitutions established the fundamental rights of citizens for formerly enslaved people. Few people living in 1860 would have dared imagine either event, and yet, in retrospect, both seem to have been inevitable. In a beautifully crafted narrative, Edward L. Ayers restores the drama of the unexpected to the history of the Civil War. From the same vantage point occupied by his unforgettable characters, Ayers captures the strategic savvy of Lee and his local lieutenants, and the clear vision of equal rights animating black troops from Pennsylvania. We see the war itself become a scourge to the Valley, its pitched battles punctuating a cycle of vicious attack and reprisal in which armies burned whole towns for retribution. In the weeks and months after emancipation, from the streets of Staunton, Virginia, we see black and white residents testing the limits of freedom as political leaders negotiate the terms of readmission to the Union. With analysis as powerful as its narrative, here is a landmark history of the Civil War. "Amid the devastation of war rise the first stirrings of freedom in this absorbing, ground-level narrative by an acclaimed historian. Virginia's Great Valley, prosperous in peace with a rich soil and an enslaved workforce, invited destruction in war. Voracious Union and Confederate armies ground up the valley, consuming crops, livestock, fences, and human life. Pitched battles at Gettysburg, Lynchburg, and Cedar Creek punctuated a cycle of vicious attacks and reprisals in which armies burned whole towns for retribution. North of the Mason-Dixon line, in the Pennsylvania portion of the valley, free black families sent husbands and sons to fight with the U.S. Colored Troops. In letters home, even as Lincoln commemorated the dead at Gettysburg, they spoke movingly of a war for emancipation. As defeat and the end of slavery descended on Virginia, with the political drama of Reconstruction unfolding in Washington, the crowded classrooms of the Freedmen's Bureau schools spoke of a new society struggling to emerge. Here is history at its best: powerful, insightful, grounded in human detail."--Provided by publisher Drawn From Personal Correspondence Of People Located In The Great Valley Counties Of Augusta, Virginia, And Franklin, Pennsylvania, A Ground Level Perspective Of How The War And Emancipation Affected Those Living There. Part One: The Scourge Of War: July 1863 Through November 1864 -- The Great Invasion: May Through July 1863 -- A Gigantic Forlorn Hope: July 1863 -- The Great Task Remaining Before Us: July 1863 Through May 1864 -- The Earth Will Tremble: April Through June 1864 -- To Burn Something In The Enemy's Country: June Through October 1864 -- A Campaign Of Terrible Moment: September Through November 1864 -- Part Two: The Harvest Of War: December 1864 Through 1902 -- The Colossal Suicide Of World History: December 1864 Through March 1865 -- The Perils Of Peace: March Through October 1865 -- Rebelism: January Through December 1866 -- We Must Be One People: January 1867 Through July 1869 -- The Past Is Not Dead: 1868 Through 1902 -- Epilogue. Edward L. Ayers. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 507-552) And Index. Part one: the scourge of war: July 1863 through November 1864 -- The great invasion: May through July 1863 -- A gigantic forlorn hope: July 1863 -- The great task remaining before us: July 1863 through May 1864 -- The Earth will tremble: April through June 1864 -- To burn something in the enemy's country: June through October 1864 -- A campaign of terrible moment: September through November 1864 -- Part two: The harvest of war: December 1864 through 1902 -- The colossal suicide of world history: December 1864 through March 1865 -- The perils of peace: March through October 1865 -- Rebelism: January through December 1866 -- We must be one people: January 1867 through July 1869 -- The past is not dead: 1868 through 1902 -- Epilogue.;Drawn from personal correspondence of people located in the Great Valley Counties of Augusta, Virginia, and Franklin, Pennsylvania, a ground level perspective of how the war and emancipation affected those living there.