Civil War Boston

the long version

Thomas H. O'Connor examines the dramatic ways in which the Civil War affected Bostonians on the home front, and discusses how they in turn contributed to the Union cause. The narrative focuses on four distinctive and significant groups of people who formed antebellum Boston - businessmen, Irish Catholic immigrants, African Americans, and women. O'Connor follows the experiences of these people through the turbulent war years to illuminate the unique role that Boston and its inhabitants played in the Civil War, and to assess the impact of the war on the city's civilian population. Rich with colorful anecdotes about local figures, both renowned and long-forgotten, this is a fascinating account that will appeal to Civil War buffs, historians, and general readers alike.