John Ayers
Dr. Riggin
History 180
10/19/15
For many people the realization of the hardships during the Civil War can be difficult to fully comprehend. Stephen Ash’s novel A Year in the South, 1865 engulfs the reader’s attention through the use of four different peoples personal accounts of the last year of the war. Ash shines a light on John Robertson a confederate soldier trying move on through indifferences and settle down. Samuel Agnew is another figure who would spend most of his day writing whatever news he could get his hands on, and inevitably able to have his voice heard through his personal accounts. Louis Hughes provides a unique perspective into the daily life of a slave and butler in the south. Ash doesn’t just feature …show more content…
Cornelia had saved some money from her husband while he was in service but it was in confederate bills which held little to no value because they were not the legal currency of the Union. The price of goods in the south climbed in price to unimaginable costs which forced Cornelia to only purchase the goods that her family really needed. Cornelia’s upbringing was from a upper class society in which she grew up with slave servants who would clean and cook and work around the house. Cornelia knew nothing about cooking and general house upkeep and she struggled to put food on the table to feed the seven mouths she and Angus brought into the world. Since the price of food and commodities was so high Cornelia no longer went to the store for new clothes but instead tried to become resourceful and make clothes for her children. Cornelia fashioned clothes out of old sheets and curtains for her children. She felt bad because she couldn’t provide new, nice clothes for her kids so she made clothes as an effort to provide proper clothing for her children. All of this new work she had to become adjusted towards. Her eldest son Harry worked a couple jobs to help make ends meet for the …show more content…
Ash describes Samuel Agnew as someone who would sit at the front window of the house writing sermons and detailing the day’s events in a diary (12). He sat at the front window with a purpose to watch the road and see if he could see people passing by. Samuel would run out to meet the individual and ask of any news in the community. Ash describes how Samuel’s family wealth and education set him apart from others (14). Samuel took pride in being able to work with his hands and do work around the house, he also tended to a garden. The area of northeastern Mississippi that he lived in was constantly busy with Union raids and seizing of goods and supplies from the people who lived in the area. Samuel tended to a crop of cotton that he was harvesting. The cotton harvesting was troublesome and full of hard manual labor for a man of his age but he kept working to try to make a sale on the
Dr. Riggin
History 180
10/19/15
For many people the realization of the hardships during the Civil War can be difficult to fully comprehend. Stephen Ash’s novel A Year in the South, 1865 engulfs the reader’s attention through the use of four different peoples personal accounts of the last year of the war. Ash shines a light on John Robertson a confederate soldier trying move on through indifferences and settle down. Samuel Agnew is another figure who would spend most of his day writing whatever news he could get his hands on, and inevitably able to have his voice heard through his personal accounts. Louis Hughes provides a unique perspective into the daily life of a slave and butler in the south. Ash doesn’t just feature …show more content…
Cornelia had saved some money from her husband while he was in service but it was in confederate bills which held little to no value because they were not the legal currency of the Union. The price of goods in the south climbed in price to unimaginable costs which forced Cornelia to only purchase the goods that her family really needed. Cornelia’s upbringing was from a upper class society in which she grew up with slave servants who would clean and cook and work around the house. Cornelia knew nothing about cooking and general house upkeep and she struggled to put food on the table to feed the seven mouths she and Angus brought into the world. Since the price of food and commodities was so high Cornelia no longer went to the store for new clothes but instead tried to become resourceful and make clothes for her children. Cornelia fashioned clothes out of old sheets and curtains for her children. She felt bad because she couldn’t provide new, nice clothes for her kids so she made clothes as an effort to provide proper clothing for her children. All of this new work she had to become adjusted towards. Her eldest son Harry worked a couple jobs to help make ends meet for the …show more content…
Ash describes Samuel Agnew as someone who would sit at the front window of the house writing sermons and detailing the day’s events in a diary (12). He sat at the front window with a purpose to watch the road and see if he could see people passing by. Samuel would run out to meet the individual and ask of any news in the community. Ash describes how Samuel’s family wealth and education set him apart from others (14). Samuel took pride in being able to work with his hands and do work around the house, he also tended to a garden. The area of northeastern Mississippi that he lived in was constantly busy with Union raids and seizing of goods and supplies from the people who lived in the area. Samuel tended to a crop of cotton that he was harvesting. The cotton harvesting was troublesome and full of hard manual labor for a man of his age but he kept working to try to make a sale on the