These Men She Gave

Book excerpt: These Men She Gave tells the story of Athens, Georgia, during the turbulent years of the Civil War. John F. Stegeman details the many changes Athens and Clarke County underwent during the war. The community was highly involved with the seccession movement and the formation of the Confederacy. Stegeman tells how the town was able to escape destruction on an August day in 1864 when the Civil War came to the area and how the town would eventually lose many men to the war. The book includes appendices that include information such as a list of the members of the Ladies Aid Society in 1961, a roster of Clarke County companies in the army of Northern Virginia, and mortality lists of Clarke County troops in major battles.