The Civil War wasn’t fought in Wisconsin but the Badger State contributed many menand some womento the Union cause. The latest titles in the Badger Biographies Series for young readers, published by the Wisconsin Historical Society, focus on two prominent state residents from that era.
• Stuart Stotts’ Lucius Fairchild: Civil War Hero follows the life of a young adventurer-turned-public servant. After prospecting for gold in California, Fairchild returned to Madison, entered politics and, as a militia officer, helped put down the Southern rebellion, losing an arm at Gettysburg. Fairchild resumed his political career and became governor.
• Bob Kann’s Cordelia Harvey: Civil War Angel follows the life of a young schoolteacher who married the man who became Wisconsin’s governor as the nation plunged into war. After her husband’s death while inspecting the state’s troops, Harvey threw herself into nursing, becoming Wisconsin’s Florence Nightingale. As the war drew to a close, she petitioned Abraham Lincoln to establish the Soldiers Home for veterans, a prototype for the VA hospitals of today.
Written in easy prose, both books include many sidebars to explain the historical stage on which their subjects played.
