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Don't Hurry Me Down to Hades
Don’t Hurry Me Down to Hades is the story of families enduring the whirlwind of the Civil War, told through the words of famous and ordinary citizens and ranging from the battlefield to the home front, from presidential councils to frontier revivals. The book reveals how Americans on both sides of the Mason and Dixon line withstood four years of brutal, unrelenting conflict. Of the hundreds of thousands of books published on the American Civil War, this is one of the few to approach the nation’s defining conflict from this powerful perspective.
Grounded in rare family letters and diaries, Don’t Hurry Me Down to Hades captures Americans’ wide-ranging reactions to the war and their astonishing perseverance. Some of the accounts are entirely unknown to readers, while better-known events are told from unusual perspectives. Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, for example, is shared from the viewpoint of Major Henry Rathbone and his fiancée (and stepsister) Clara Harris, while Lewis Powell’s attempt on Secretary of State William Seward’s life is seen through the terrified eyes Fanny Seward, who was seated next to her father when Powell burst into the room. Madison and Lizzie Bowler help readers understand how the war brought a Minnesota couple together in marriage and then nearly drove them apart when Madison insisted that his first duty was to his nation while Lizzie believed it was to her and their newborn daughter. A thousand miles to the south, two Texas families also suffered through their soldiers’ absence and tried to explain to their young children why father had “gone to war” with “Santaclause.” And to the north in Kentucky, a runaway slave won freedom for himself and his family by joining the Union Army only to face prejudice as brutal and destructive as the life he’d left behind.
Readers are carried alongside these families, sharing their dreams that the fighting might end this year and suffering with them when the Reaper comes calling. Through these and other stories, Don’t Hurry Me Down to Hades invites readers to set aside previous assumptions to learn about the divisions and range of opinions on both sides from ordinary and famous men and women, black and white, slave and free. Esteemed Civil War historian Susannah J. Ural brings fresh insight into the war by delving into historical archives and private family papers to peal back the passage of time. Her consummate narrative weaves together a textured, powerful portrait of a nation at war with itself.
Grounded in rare family letters and diaries, Don’t Hurry Me Down to Hades captures Americans’ wide-ranging reactions to the war and their astonishing perseverance. Some of the accounts are entirely unknown to readers, while better-known events are told from unusual perspectives. Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, for example, is shared from the viewpoint of Major Henry Rathbone and his fiancée (and stepsister) Clara Harris, while Lewis Powell’s attempt on Secretary of State William Seward’s life is seen through the terrified eyes Fanny Seward, who was seated next to her father when Powell burst into the room. Madison and Lizzie Bowler help readers understand how the war brought a Minnesota couple together in marriage and then nearly drove them apart when Madison insisted that his first duty was to his nation while Lizzie believed it was to her and their newborn daughter. A thousand miles to the south, two Texas families also suffered through their soldiers’ absence and tried to explain to their young children why father had “gone to war” with “Santaclause.” And to the north in Kentucky, a runaway slave won freedom for himself and his family by joining the Union Army only to face prejudice as brutal and destructive as the life he’d left behind.
Readers are carried alongside these families, sharing their dreams that the fighting might end this year and suffering with them when the Reaper comes calling. Through these and other stories, Don’t Hurry Me Down to Hades invites readers to set aside previous assumptions to learn about the divisions and range of opinions on both sides from ordinary and famous men and women, black and white, slave and free. Esteemed Civil War historian Susannah J. Ural brings fresh insight into the war by delving into historical archives and private family papers to peal back the passage of time. Her consummate narrative weaves together a textured, powerful portrait of a nation at war with itself.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published November 20, 2012
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125 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 4, 2013
An Intimate Glimpse of Families Wrenched by the Civil War
From the Lincolns and the Grants to the Loughridges and Erskines, families suffered during the civil war through the loss of family members, property, and jobs. Ural tells the story of the Civil War chronologically, but intersperses the descriptions of political maneuverings and battles with the letters and stories of real people. Soldiers wrote letters home and wives and families responded sometimes bravely, sometimes with complaints and a plea to come home.
The book is filled with human interest. The Loughridge girls sending kisses to their father and begging him to come home on a furlough. The search for a nameless soldier who died clutching the picture of his three children. He turned out to be Amos Humiston. But perhaps the most devastating chapters are at the end where Ural describes the murderous attack on Seward and the death of Lincoln.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the Civil War. I've read several books about the War Between the States, but this is the first book to let me clearly see the families and the struggles on the home front. Some of the stories of the slaves who ran away to join the Union Army are also troubling. The family of one soldier was turned out of their quarters in the bitter cold of November. All of them died.
I highly recommend this book for the excellent historical research, but also for the human feelings. It is definitely a book worth reading and the illustrations are excellent. I was particularly pleased that in the conclusion, Ural told the stories of what happened to the families after the war. There were some marvelous success stories again showing the resilience of humans.
I reviewed this book for Net Galley.
From the Lincolns and the Grants to the Loughridges and Erskines, families suffered during the civil war through the loss of family members, property, and jobs. Ural tells the story of the Civil War chronologically, but intersperses the descriptions of political maneuverings and battles with the letters and stories of real people. Soldiers wrote letters home and wives and families responded sometimes bravely, sometimes with complaints and a plea to come home.
The book is filled with human interest. The Loughridge girls sending kisses to their father and begging him to come home on a furlough. The search for a nameless soldier who died clutching the picture of his three children. He turned out to be Amos Humiston. But perhaps the most devastating chapters are at the end where Ural describes the murderous attack on Seward and the death of Lincoln.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the Civil War. I've read several books about the War Between the States, but this is the first book to let me clearly see the families and the struggles on the home front. Some of the stories of the slaves who ran away to join the Union Army are also troubling. The family of one soldier was turned out of their quarters in the bitter cold of November. All of them died.
I highly recommend this book for the excellent historical research, but also for the human feelings. It is definitely a book worth reading and the illustrations are excellent. I was particularly pleased that in the conclusion, Ural told the stories of what happened to the families after the war. There were some marvelous success stories again showing the resilience of humans.
I reviewed this book for Net Galley.
May 4, 2014
This book tells many stories from the Civil War. It provides a detailed chronology of the battles and of the changing leaders within the military. This is the book that should be read in high school or college because it provides a raw, accurate account of our country's war against itself.
As students, we're told that this was a war of brother-against-brother, but are given nothing to further our understanding of that concept. In this book, through letters and other records, we're shown these brothers and neighbors, who are fighting against each other. We learn their names, meet their families, and understand their loves and fears.
The sad, gruesome reality of war is contained in the pages of this book. Fathers failed to return home. Those who did return came back to their families with injured hearts and minds, as well as physical injuries. They had watched in horror as fellow soldiers died beside them, their bodies blown apart because of a war whose reason was as much about money as it was about slavery. The women struggled at home. There were no men to work the farms. Food was scarce. News from the battlefields was slow and sporadic. These are the stories that paint a true picture for us.
The book is written perfectly. It's obvious that a great deal of research went into the making of this book. What makes this book really special however, is not only that the author has an understanding of the subject, but that she is also passionate about it. It shows in her writing and is what makes this book so unique.
As students, we're told that this was a war of brother-against-brother, but are given nothing to further our understanding of that concept. In this book, through letters and other records, we're shown these brothers and neighbors, who are fighting against each other. We learn their names, meet their families, and understand their loves and fears.
The sad, gruesome reality of war is contained in the pages of this book. Fathers failed to return home. Those who did return came back to their families with injured hearts and minds, as well as physical injuries. They had watched in horror as fellow soldiers died beside them, their bodies blown apart because of a war whose reason was as much about money as it was about slavery. The women struggled at home. There were no men to work the farms. Food was scarce. News from the battlefields was slow and sporadic. These are the stories that paint a true picture for us.
The book is written perfectly. It's obvious that a great deal of research went into the making of this book. What makes this book really special however, is not only that the author has an understanding of the subject, but that she is also passionate about it. It shows in her writing and is what makes this book so unique.
October 16, 2025
Think I’ll get into the Civil War
October 30, 2013
Susannah J. Ural is the credited author of DON’T HURRY ME DOWN TO HADES but there’s more to it than that. She’s Dr. Susannah J. York, Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies at The University of Southern Mississippi with special interest in the socio-military experiences of Civil War soldiers and their families. Her book is a compilation of the experiences of the lesser known, as well as famous soldiers, political figures, and families as the Civil War defines their lives and feelings through their stories and writings. The list of chapter notes and bibliographical sources at the end of the book is comprehensive and authoritative, indicating a scholarly knowledge of her material. Her expertise is the backbone of a great historical accounting of lesser known events in the Civil War era..
This accounting is different from the numerous books I’ve read about the Civil War. The material is personal and timely to the period being reviewed and there is a realism that makes each incident almost tactile to the reader. Dr. Ural has great talent for articulating the poignancy found in correspondence between family and soldiers. Wives are desperate for their husbands to return home and resume their former life. Hunger, threat of bankruptcy, lost crops, and loneliness are a few of the conditions that prompt the pleas. The husbands are severely impacted by the pitiful cries for help but are duty bound and unwilling to give up their pledge to fight for their cause. There is great strain on both parties.
Dr. Ural conveys the horrors of the battlefield with realism and clarity. She is also able to relate the many political twists to decisions made that affect the outcome of the battles. Her historical accounts far outpace the usual prosaic voice used by scholars as she injects humanity and intimate details that reflect the depth of her research and ability to find personal stories, adding insight to the book.
I recommend this book to Civil War enthusiasts who are looking for something different in their reading. I was able to glean a lot of information that I was not aware of from Dr. Ural’s writing. Readers who appreciate great writing, impeccable research, and a humanistic slant on warfare will also appreciate the book. Don’t miss it.
This accounting is different from the numerous books I’ve read about the Civil War. The material is personal and timely to the period being reviewed and there is a realism that makes each incident almost tactile to the reader. Dr. Ural has great talent for articulating the poignancy found in correspondence between family and soldiers. Wives are desperate for their husbands to return home and resume their former life. Hunger, threat of bankruptcy, lost crops, and loneliness are a few of the conditions that prompt the pleas. The husbands are severely impacted by the pitiful cries for help but are duty bound and unwilling to give up their pledge to fight for their cause. There is great strain on both parties.
Dr. Ural conveys the horrors of the battlefield with realism and clarity. She is also able to relate the many political twists to decisions made that affect the outcome of the battles. Her historical accounts far outpace the usual prosaic voice used by scholars as she injects humanity and intimate details that reflect the depth of her research and ability to find personal stories, adding insight to the book.
I recommend this book to Civil War enthusiasts who are looking for something different in their reading. I was able to glean a lot of information that I was not aware of from Dr. Ural’s writing. Readers who appreciate great writing, impeccable research, and a humanistic slant on warfare will also appreciate the book. Don’t miss it.
January 31, 2014
This was part of my reading as a judge on the committee for the Guggenheim Lehrman Military History Prize and a favorite. A wonderful introduction to the American civil war, but also a pleasure to read for those who know the period well.
November 3, 2025
A neither fish nor fowl history of the Civil War, I found this book disappointing. The subhead led me to believe this would be a sourcebook-style work, filled with letters and newspaper clippings, and while there were perhaps more of those than might show up in your regular history of the Civil War, it was pretty much just a standard narrative history. Unfortunately, the book works poorly there too. It tells a bizarre and disjoint version of the War, skipping in strange places to pick up again in others. The lead up to Gettysburg is told, for instance, but the text, briefly following a single Texan, zooms in in a way that would mystify a reader who could not identify the Little Round Top as part of Gettysburg. Vicksburg, meanwhile, is almost completely skipped over, despite its fall providing a mountain of material for this sort of book. A reader new to the Civil War will find this book confusing, and will not get a coherent overview of the war, while a long time buff will find it adds little to their understanding.
October 25, 2025
interesting for Civil War buffs
November 10, 2014
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.25 of 5
I am not an expert on the Civil War (or any sort of history), but I have a slightly better than average knowledge of the Civil War thanks to some research for various projects I've worked on. Fortunately, for those interested in the Civil War, there is a treasure-trove of material out there, some still waiting to be mined, as evidenced by Ural's noting of the discovery of a chest full of letters from the time. It is such finds that keeps me interested and reading books like this.
Given the subtitle, "The Civil War in the Words of Those Who Lived It," I really was expecting something a little different from what Ural presents. I expected to read entire letters and correspondence between soldiers and those still at home. I thought we'd get photographs of letters, and perhaps memorabilia or good-luck charms that may have been sent to soldiers. But what we get are snippets of correspondence and Ural's well-researched explanations of what was happening in and around the areas that the writers write about.
There is some information which was new to me, or at least presented in a new way that struck me, but for the most part I never really felt that I was getting that unique story, the one that you can only get from the person who was in the middle of it. There are other books about the Civil War that have actually given me a better impression of what it was like.
If I were researching for information about the Civil War, I would certainly include this book, but I wouldn't say that this was the best book, or the only book anyone should read to get a feeling of what it was like for the men and women who lived (and died) in America's Civil War.
Looking for a good book? Don't Hurry Me Down to Hades is a good start for anyone interested in learning more about the Civil War.
I am not an expert on the Civil War (or any sort of history), but I have a slightly better than average knowledge of the Civil War thanks to some research for various projects I've worked on. Fortunately, for those interested in the Civil War, there is a treasure-trove of material out there, some still waiting to be mined, as evidenced by Ural's noting of the discovery of a chest full of letters from the time. It is such finds that keeps me interested and reading books like this.
Given the subtitle, "The Civil War in the Words of Those Who Lived It," I really was expecting something a little different from what Ural presents. I expected to read entire letters and correspondence between soldiers and those still at home. I thought we'd get photographs of letters, and perhaps memorabilia or good-luck charms that may have been sent to soldiers. But what we get are snippets of correspondence and Ural's well-researched explanations of what was happening in and around the areas that the writers write about.
There is some information which was new to me, or at least presented in a new way that struck me, but for the most part I never really felt that I was getting that unique story, the one that you can only get from the person who was in the middle of it. There are other books about the Civil War that have actually given me a better impression of what it was like.
If I were researching for information about the Civil War, I would certainly include this book, but I wouldn't say that this was the best book, or the only book anyone should read to get a feeling of what it was like for the men and women who lived (and died) in America's Civil War.
Looking for a good book? Don't Hurry Me Down to Hades is a good start for anyone interested in learning more about the Civil War.
February 4, 2014
This is a well-written account of soldiers and their families in the Civil War. Ural presents a carefully researched story of the common soldiers from both the Union and Confederate Armies. This book uses letters, diaries, newspapers, and other accounts to reveal the thoughts, feelings and actions of the soldiers who participated in some of the bloodiest battles of the war.
Ural captures the horrors of war and the hope of the soldiers and their families. The role of slavery is discussed as a cause for the war as well as the need to preserve the union. Throughout the reader is struck by the determination of both sides, the bravery and courage of all the soldiers, and mostly the devastation to everyone involved. Ural discusses the mental and emotional anguish felt by survivors.
This book is recommended for anyone interested in Civil War history.
Ural captures the horrors of war and the hope of the soldiers and their families. The role of slavery is discussed as a cause for the war as well as the need to preserve the union. Throughout the reader is struck by the determination of both sides, the bravery and courage of all the soldiers, and mostly the devastation to everyone involved. Ural discusses the mental and emotional anguish felt by survivors.
This book is recommended for anyone interested in Civil War history.
November 21, 2016
By using accounts of the people who actually experienced the US Civil War, the author allows us to have a better understanding of the hardships, and difficult feelings of those times. We really get a sense of the anguish created by this conflict that literally divided, not just the country, but neighbors and families. I also loved the way the author finished by showing what happened, after the war, to the individuals in the book, both famous and ordinary people. I learned many interesting things and now have a deeper understanding of this terrible yet integral part of our history.
I received my copy free from Netgalley.
I received my copy free from Netgalley.
December 8, 2013
Don't Hurry Me Down to Hades is a great and insightful read. It isn't what I thought it was going to be but I'm not complaining! I loved how the author incorporated the letters of different people to write this book. I love reading about the American Civil War and have for 10-15 years. I still read things in this book I did not know about. Susannah Ural even gives you what happened to certain people after the war.
When I find myself talking at the dinner table about this book, then I know it is definitely a must read! I'm going to be checking more books by this author. I would definitely give this one 5 stars!
When I find myself talking at the dinner table about this book, then I know it is definitely a must read! I'm going to be checking more books by this author. I would definitely give this one 5 stars!
June 10, 2014
This book relates the war as seen through the experiences of various people- politicians, soldiers at the front, and the women and family who were left at home. I thought this greatly broke down the Civil War and mentioned all the important battles and aspects of the war. Also, it was an easy read and not boring, like I sometimes find books about the Civil War.
August 13, 2015
Great Civil War Recounting
Although I am not one for reading depictions of battles, this book held my interest. I did have a little trouble following the battle descriptions (a personal failing), but the personalization of the war through letters more than made up for this. It reminds me a bit of the PBS series on the civil war. Quite a good read!
Although I am not one for reading depictions of battles, this book held my interest. I did have a little trouble following the battle descriptions (a personal failing), but the personalization of the war through letters more than made up for this. It reminds me a bit of the PBS series on the civil war. Quite a good read!
October 31, 2013
I enjoyed the individual experiences of the soldiers and wives. Gives a more clear idea of how the war was not a black and white situation but more grey.
April 21, 2014
fascinating and intimate look at the thoughts of those who fought the civil war and those who were left at home.
January 28, 2015
Too much space devoted to explaining the war and not enough to actual words of those who lived it.
August 9, 2018
I loved it. I’m a bit biased because she was my favorite professor for my undergrad.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews