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What would it be
like to live in the midst of war: To have your house in the
path of a moving army -- two moving armies? How do you live
day-to-day, trying to protect, feed and clothe your children?
Or, trying to earn a living while not knowing when the horrors
will end, or if they ever will? Fictional accounts like Gone
with the Wind certainly do not give us a true picture of common
life during the Civil War, so we keep searching historic accounts,
both fiction and non-fiction, hoping to catch a glimpse of life
at the home front.
John C. Waugh, former
bureau chief for the Christian Science Monitor, has given us
just such a story. This is the true story of Roger and Sara
Pryor of Virginia. Roger, an editor, lawyer, member of Congress,
and a soldier during the war, was married to the accomplished
Sara. They lived in Richmond, Washington, DC, and Petersburg
before and during the war. Being members of the southern aristocracy,
the Pryors had access to the key leaders of the Civil War era,
from Stephen A. Douglas to Robert E. Lee. Their story gives
an inside glimpse of antebellum society, surviving the holocaust
of war, and the process of reconstructing their lives afterward.
When the war began,
Roger was a member of Congress from Virginia and an orator of
some note. He had been a fiery debater on the floor of Congress.
Sara, on arriving in pre-war Washington, recorded that it was
"evident from the first hour that the atmosphere was heavily
charged. The House resolved itself into an angry debating society
. . ." The Pryors were physically present at some of the
war’s most defining moments. When the first southern state
seceded, it was Sara who, at a wedding reception in Washington,
whispered the news to President James Buchanan and ordered his
carriage. And at Fort Sumter, Roger was in the delegation that
demanded the fort's surrender.
Roger joined the
Confederate army, and we follow his assignments from general
to spy to private, including his capture and imprisonment. All
the while, he struggled to stay in contact with his distant
family, fearing for their safety. We share Sara’s experiences
as a proud mother of six, providing housing, food, clothing,
and some sort of education for her children in the midst of
chaos. Moving from city to country and back again, Sara is in
Petersburg during the siege, giving us the grim realities of
that dark time.
Waugh has done an
amazing job researching his subject, giving us not just the
Pryors' perspective, but that of others who witnessed the fall
of the Confederacy. In their own words, we hear about their
fears, their desperation, and the ways they kept up morale.
We watch them dealing with soldiers, with the many wounded men
pouring into the hospitals (which often might include their
own homes), and with slaves who remained in the South. Along
with the Pryors’ own letters and journals, Waugh recounts
the words of other survivors, giving us insight into the mood
of Southern civilians.
In focusing on Roger
and Sara Pryor, Waugh has found a most remarkable bridge from
antebellum society to post-war reconstruction. Like many citizens
who lost nearly everything after the Civil War, the Pryors start
anew. They moved to New York City, where Roger returns to journalism,
and then to the law. Living modestly, they rebuild their family
life, demonstrating their love for one another, their pride,
and their resilience. Sara will also take up writing, with two
books of memoirs. Together, they make a place for themselves
in New York society, and in this remarkable episode of American
history. Kudos to Waugh for discovering these rich sources and
bringing us their meaningful and fascinating story!
John C. Waugh has
written four previous books on the Civil War, including two
of my personal favorites, The Class of 1846, and Reelecting
Lincoln.
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