Army Wives on the American Frontier Living by the Bugles

Eales, an editor/writer with the National Archives and Records Administration, has written a history of what life was like for army officers’ wives on the western frontier from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of the Spanish-American War. She focuses on officers’ wives, because they wrote about their experiences in letters, journals, and memoirs. Most of the women came from middle- or upper-class families and were trained to be proper Victorian ladies. On the frontier, they had to learn to live in primitive quarters and to make do with very limited resources. Their husbands were gone for extended periods of time, leaving them solely responsible for the family’s welfare. They also had to deal with the violence of their isolated lifestyle and Indian raids. In the process, these women learned to be self-reliant and to step outside their traditional role. Eales’s compelling study is highly recommended for general readers and students interested in Western military history.?Linda L. McEwan, Elgin Community Coll., Ill.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Buy/More Info