Midnight in America
The Civil War brought upheaval to America, not only in waking hours, but also at night. Sleeplessness plagued the Union and Confederate armies, and dreams of war glided through the sleeping brains of Americans in both North and South. Sometimes the war intruded on soldiers’ and civilians’ nightly visions, vividly bringing the horrors of the conflict to life. For others, nighttime was an escape from the hard realities of life and death in wartime. In this innovative new study, Jonathan W. White explores what dreams meant to Civil War-era Americans, and what their dreams reveal about their experiences during the war. He shows how Americans grappled with their deepest fears, desires and struggles while they slept, and how their dreams helped them make sense of the confusion, despair, and loneliness that engulfed them. Midnight in America takes readers into the deepest, darkest, and most intimate places of the Civil War, connecting the emotional experiences of soldiers and civilians to the broader history of the conflict, confirming poets have known for centuries: that there are some truths that are only revealed in the world of darkness.