Ford, Carin. Women of the Civil War Through Primary Sources.

Ford, Carin.  Women of the Civil War Through Primary Sources.     Enslow    2013 48p  $23.93  ISBN 978-0-7660-4128-8  elm/ms  series: Civil War Through Primary Sources  VG-BNS 

The roles that women played during the American Civil War are described, with examples of primary and secondary sources of information in the illustrations that are scattered through the book.  On both sides of the conflict, women worked at home to support the soldiers, making them packets called Housewives that were filled with needles and thread and other necessary supplies.  They served as nurses, spies, and in many cases, soldiers.  (They had to pretend to be men to do this.)  The writing is good, the layout is attractive, and the book includes an easy-to-follow timeline, a glossary, chapter notes, a list of books and internet addresses for further reading, and an index. The goal of the series, which is, in addition to teaching the kids some history, to teach them to discern the difference between primary and secondary sources, should have been discussed more overtly in a foreword of some sort.  Instead, the book relies on a teacher discussing this prior to looking at the book with the students.  Illustrations of primary-source materials are marked with a special designation, and those that depict secondary sources are not.  Women of the Civil War Through Primary Sources is a part of the Through Primary Sources series.  It includes books on the Gettysburg Address, African American soldiers, and an overview of the war itself.    

Civil War                                                         --Carol Kennedy