Indiana Quakers confront the Civil War / Jacquelyn S. Nelson.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

When members of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, first arrived in antebellum Indiana, they could not have envisioned the struggle which would engulf the nation when the American Civil War began in 1861. Juxtaposed with its stand against slavery a second tenet of the Society's creed--adherence to peace--also challenged the unity of Friends when the dreaded conflict erupted. Indiana Quakers Confront the Civil War chronicles for the first time the military activities of Indiana Quakers during America's bloodiest war and explores the motivation behind the abandonment, at least temporarily, of their long-standing testimony against war.

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CHOICE Review

The Quakers have long evoked greater interest in the US than is warranted by their numbers. Historian Nelson published several articles on her dissertation before rewriting it for publication, resulting in a better monograph than is often true with dissertations. American fascination with conscientious objection, the Civil War, and the Quaker dilemma, given their historical commitment to nonviolence and the end of slavery, makes this work appealing to a wide audience. Although the numbers are small, it is noteworthy that Nelson discovered greater Quaker military participation than expected, many serving as volunteers. The reactions of their meetings and the eventual resolutions to the issue of military service versus pacifism are also treated. In addition, Nelson includes an account of those who refused military service. Recommended for undergraduates and general readers with interest in the Civil War, pacifists, and/or the Quakers.-N. J. Hervey, Luther College