Mennonites, Amish, and the American Civil War

Steven M Nolt author James O Lehman author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Johns Hopkins University Press

Published:20th Nov '07

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Mennonites, Amish, and the American Civil War cover

The first serious, comprehensive study of this important and neglected subject. A well researched and carefully argued treatment that reminds us that not all churches fell into lockstep support for either the Union or the Confederacy. -- George C. Rable, University of Alabama, author of Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg, winner of the Lincoln Prize

Integrating the most recent Civil War scholarship with little-known primary sources and new information from Pennsylvania and Virginia to Illinois and Iowa, Lehman and Nolt provide the definitive account of the Anabaptist experience during the bloodiest war in American history.During the American Civil War, the Mennonites and Amish faced moral dilemmas that tested the very core of their faith. How could they oppose both slavery and the war to end it? How could they remain outside the conflict without entering the American mainstream to secure legal conscientious objector status? In the North, living this ethical paradox marked them as ambivalent participants to the Union cause; in the South, it marked them as clear traitors. In the first scholarly treatment of pacifism during the Civil War, two experts in Anabaptist studies explore the important role of sectarian religion in the conflict and the effects of wartime Americanization on these religious communities. James O. Lehman and Steven M. Nolt describe the various strategies used by religious groups who struggled to come to terms with the American mainstream without sacrificing religious values-some opted for greater political engagement, others chose apolitical withdrawal, and some individuals renounced their faith and entered the fight. Integrating the most recent Civil War scholarship with little-known primary sources and new information from Pennsylvania and Virginia to Illinois and Iowa, Lehman and Nolt provide the definitive account of the Anabaptist experience during the bloodiest war in American history.

I found this book fascinating. It is an easy read, with lots of arresting stories of faith under test. Its amazingly thorough research, which comes through on every page, makes the book convincing. -- Al Keim Shenandoah Mennonite Historian 2007 Mennonites, Amish, and the American Civil War is well worth exploring. -- Jack Brubaker Lancaster New Era 2007 Fascinating even to the lay reader. -- Marcia Fulmer Truth (Elkhart) 2007 A valuable book that gives Brethren a source to turn to when considering the experiences of our own spiritual ancestors. -- James L. Benedict Brethren Life and Thought 2007 Enriches our understanding of the impact of the Civil War on Mennonites and Amish, and on American religious groups in general. In addition, the authors have enhanced our knowledge of the influence that religion had on the war. -- Thomas F. Curran Journal of American History 2008 By highlighting the struggles of these religious outsiders who strived to keep the church distinct from the world, Lehman and Nolt have produced an insightful study that further elucidates the centrality of religion for a proper understanding of the Civil War. -- Sean A. Scott Ohio History 2009 Civil War scholars can learn much from this book. -- Stephen Towne Register of the Kentucky Historical Society 2009 In this well-written and researched volume, Lehman and Nolt offer a much-needed analysis of the Mennonite and Amish experience of the Civil War. -- Jennifer Graber Mennonite Quarterly Review Mennonites, Amish, and the American Civil War is solid... the research is meticulous and admirable. -- Edward J. Blum Church History 2008 Mennonites, Amish, and the American Civil War should attract the attention of both serious religious scholars and anyone else interested in gaining a better understanding of the Anabaptists' wartime experience. -- David W. Rolfs Journal of Illinois History 2008 Lehman and Nolt have produced a valuable study that reminds scholars of, and would demonstrate for students of the Civil War or religious history, the religious pluralism in the nation and, to a lesser degree, in the South. -- James H. Tuten Journal of Southern History 2009 An impressive work in every way: gracefully written, broadly researched, careful and measured in its conclusions. It is likely to become the definitive work on its subject. -- Thomas D. Hamm Indiana Magazine of History 2008 In this fascinating study, Lehman and Nolt perform a miraculous feat: they find a small unexplored backwater in the immense sea of literature on the American Civil War. -- Perry Bush Michigan Historical Review 2009 A fascinating book... wonderfully written, flows well and offers fresh information and a new perspective on the home front in the Civil War that is rarely (if ever) covered in other works. -- Scott L. Mingus York Sunday News 2009 Without question, this work by Lehman and Nolt should be on the bookshelf of anyone interested in 'peace churches,' or pacifists, regardless of the time period. -- Rev. Dr. David McDonald Federation of Genealogical Societies

ISBN: 9780801886720

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 29mm

Weight: 658g

376 pages