Plants in the Civil War: A Botanical History - Paperback

by Judith Sumner (Author)

Slavery was at the heart of the South's agrarian economy before and during the Civil War. Agriculture provided products essential to the war effort, from dietary rations to antimalarial drugs to raw materials for military uniforms and engineering. Drawing on a range of primary sources, this history examines the botany and ethnobotany of America's defining conflict. The author describes the diverse roles of cash crops, herbal medicine, subsistence agriculture and the diet and cookery of enslaved people.

Author Biography

The late Judith Sumner was a botanist and author with particular interest in the historical uses of plants. She frequently lectured for audiences of all kinds and taught for many years at colleges and botanical gardens. She lived in Worcester, Massachusetts.