Reconstructing Appalachia: The Civil War's Aftermath Paperback - 2014

Families, communities, and the nation itself were irretrievably altered by the Civil War and the subsequent societal transformations of the nineteenth century. The repercussions of the war incited a broad range of unique problems in the mountains, including treacherous political dynamics, racial prejudices, and a struggling regional economy. Andrew L. Slap's Reconstructing Appalachia examines life in Appalachia after the ravages of the Civil War, an unexplored area that represents a void in historical literature.

Addressing a gap in the chronicles of our nation, this vital anthology explores little-known aspects of history with a particular emphasis on the Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction periods. Acclaimed scholars John C. Inscoe and Ken Fones-Wolf are joined by up-and-comers like Mary Ella Engel, Anne E. Marshall, and Kyle Osborn in a unique collection of essays investigating postwar Appalachia with clarity and precision.

Featuring a broad geographic focus, these compelling essays cover postwar events in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. This approach yields an intimate portrait of Appalachia as a diverse collection of communities where the values of place and family are of crucial importance.

Highlighting a wide array of topics including racial reconciliation, tension between former Unionists and Confederates, the evolution of post--Civil War memory, and altered perceptions of race, gender, and economic status, Reconstructing Appalachia illuminates the depth and breadth of the far-reaching problems in Appalachia. Mountain dwellers endured the terrible effects of the war regardless of their loyalties to North or South; both armies destroyed railroads and trade routes throughout the region, mountain communities lost hundreds of able-bodied men, and farms were stripped of produce by passing regiments, causing widespread food shortages throughout Appalachia. The combined effects of these losses caused the collapse of an economic and social infrastructure that took decades to repair. Exploring the voices voices of a forgotten region, Reconstructing Appalachia unearths the history of a proud people coming to grips with the aftermath of war.