Civil War Love Stories

By Gill Paul

2013

First Published

3.43

Average Rating

192

Number of Pages

5H51M

Audio Length

In December 1860, South Carolina became the first Southern state to secede from the United States. There followed over four years of continuous fighting between the Union North and Confederate South, in what remains one of the cruelest conflicts in history. The Civil War tore families apart, pitted friends against one another, and left an estimated 200,000 women widowed. Some three percent of the total population of America perished. Civil War Love Stories tells the stories of 14 of the couples behind these statistics. Lovers’ heart-wrenching correspondence is recounted here, offering unforgettably poignant glimpses into the relationships that held fast despite the huge strains imposed by the war. The love stories include: Confederate general Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, a brilliant military tactician, who longed to win the war so he could return home to his loving wife, Mary Anna, and their new baby daughter, Julia Laura. David Demus, who swiftly joined the Union cause after the formation of the first African American regiment, but relived the perils of fighting for their freedom in somber letters to his wife, Mary. Malinda Blalock, who couldn’t bear to be parted from her husband, Keith, and so joined the Confederate army disguised as his brother, “Sam.” Down-and-out Charles Tenney, who enlisted with the Union cause to earn the good favor of his family, but instead earned the love of his close friend’s sister, Adelaide Case.

Avg Rating

3.43

Number of Ratings

5 STARS

13%

4 STARS

39%

3 STARS

28%

2 STARS

19%

1 STARS

goodreads

Author

Gill Paul

Author · 24 books

Gill Paul is the international bestselling author of twelve historical novels, many of them about real women from the past whom she thinks have been marginalized or misjudged by historians. Her novels have reached the top of the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Toronto Globe & Mail charts, and have been translated into twenty-two languages. Her latest novel, A BEAUTIFUL RIVAL (2023), is about the infamous feud between beauty tycoons Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein. JACKIE AND MARIA (2020) was longlisted for the Historical Writers’ Association Gold Crown. THE COLLECTOR'S DAUGHTER (2021) was named a Times ‘historical novel of the month’ and THE MANHATTAN GIRLS (2022), was reviewed in The Sun as a “sweeping, evocative tale” and in The Book List as “Witty, emotional and intelligent”. Gill also writes historical non-fiction, including A History of Medicine in 50 Objects and a series of Love Stories. Published around the world, this series includes Royal Love Stories, World War I Love Stories and Titanic Love Stories. Gill lives in London where she swims daily in a wild pond, and speaks at libraries and literary festivals on topics ranging from Tutankhamun to the Romanovs.