The Better Angels

“Many casual students of American history are aware that Harriet Tubman led scores of slaves to freedom, that Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin, that Julia Ward Howe wrote ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic,’ that Clara Barton helped save the lives of scores of wounded Union soldiers and founded the American Red Cross, and that Sara Josepha Hale persuaded Abraham Lincoln to proclaim Thanksgiving a national holiday. But all of these extraordinary women did a great deal more in the causes of freedom, women’s rights, and literary excellence, as Robert Plumb makes clear in this fine group biography of five women who truly did change the course of American history.”

James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times bestselling author

“There couldn’t be a better time for America to find its better angels, and Robert C. Plumb’s lucid and admiring portrait of five exemplary women is just the ticket.”

Louis Bayard, author of Courting Mr. Lincoln

“A clear, compelling introduction for readers not steeped in the history of the American Civil War. Robert Plumb doesn’t just chart clashes and body counts. He humanizes the conflicts that tore the country apart, focusing on the home front as well as the front lines. His story unfolds through the perspective of five women [whose] lively group portrait will inspire readers to find out more.”

M. G. Lord, author of Astro Turf

“Few realize the scope of what these remarkable women overcame and accomplished during their long, productive lives…From them readers can learn lessons of courage, determination, creativity, and resourcefulness.”

Marilyn Southard Warshawsky, author of John Franklin Goucher: Citizen of the World