Plants in the Civil War - by Judith Sumner (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Slavery was at the heart of the South's agrarian economy before and during the Civil War. Agriculture provided products essential to the war effort, from dietary rations to antimalarial drugs to raw materials for military uniforms and engineering. Drawing on a range of primary sources, this history examines the botany and ethnobotany of America's defining conflict. The author describes the diverse roles of cash crops, herbal medicine, subsistence agriculture and the diet and cookery of enslaved people.

Review Quotes

"Highlights the role that plants played in the war... her knowledge of plants, their taxonomy, usage, and cultivation exceeds the complexity of her historical analysis."--Civil War Monitor

"An inherently fascinating and impressively informative read...extraordinary...unreservedly recommended"--Midwest Book Review

"On occasion, there are historical topics so obvious in their significance that they remain overlooked for far too long. Such is the case of the role of plants during the American Civil War, and, fortunately, we have a remedy in Judith Sumner's Plants in the Civil War: A Botanical History... Sumner has conducted a highly original analysis of the many ways plants touched the lives of southerners... Concise yet comprehensive... The book's omnivorous scope is positively delightful... Plants in the Civil War makes a welcome interdisciplinary addition to the growing field of Civil War era environmental history."--Civil War Book Review

About the Author

The late Judith Sumner was a botanist and author with particular interest in the historical uses of plants. She frequently lectured for audiences of all kinds and taught for many years at colleges and botanical gardens. She lived in Worcester, Massachusetts.