Rally 'Round the Flag

In this landmark narrative history of Chicago during the Civil War, Theodore J. Karamanski examines the people and events that formed this critical period in the citys history. Using diaries, letters, and newspapers that survived the Great Fire of 1871, he shows how Chicagoans opinions evolved from a romantic and patriotic view of the war to recognition of the conflicts brutality. Located a safe distance behind the battle lines and accessible to the armies via rail and waterways, the citys economy grew feverishly while increasing population strained Chicagos social fabric. From the great Republican convention of 1860 in the Wigwam, to the dismal life of Confederate prisoners in Camp Douglas on the South Side of Chicago, Rally Round the Flag paints a vivid picture of the Midwest city vigorously involved in the national conflict.