Bloody Terrain: Freedwomen, Sexuality, and Violence during Reconstruction

Abstract

continue to unravel layers of evidence surrounding the cataclysmic episode in our past known as Reconstruction. It appears that after Appomattox the conquered Confederacy did not so much surrender, as it refought old, familiar battles on the homefront. Conflict reconfigurated: from the South's streets to its statehouses, in kitchens and courtrooms, terrain remained contested. Although Reconstruction has spawned a vital and prize-winning historical literature, many aspects of the era remain unexplored. And the AfricanAmerican women of this and other generations remain buried beneath historians' disclaimers about sources and neglect, but buried nonetheless. *