Reviews for While Father Is Away: The Civil War Letters of William H. Bradbury

The average rating for While Father Is Away: The Civil War Letters of William H. Bradbury based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-04-10 00:00:00 Darlene Nichols I read this as part of a research project on fatherhood in the Civil War. Bradbury's letters to his daughter Jane throughout this book were excellent. They were perfect for my research. When we take the book all together, there's much a historian can learn here. The editor did a great job of bringing in historical context to make the letters fit. There are several idiosyncracies of Bradbury that are explained. Some of the things he wrote seemed outright ridiculous, so the editor handled those well. Being a British immigrant to the US during the Civil War, Bradbury's case is certainly unique. His outspoken style in the letters gives a glimpse into the mind of a unique soldier's experience. While I wouldn't call Bradbury "typical" like other collections of common soldiers, he is definitely worth studying. Despite his low rank (never rising above Private), his intelligence and education put him in a position of influence with the Union army. I wouldn't recommend the book for a general study of the war, but folks interested in immigrants or certainly family life in the Civil War era could learn a lot from this collection.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-10-24 00:00:00 David Sharp King Library (2nd floor) | PS3537.W4786 D43 2000