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Fighting in the Shadows
Fighting in the Shadows: The Untold Story of Deaf People in the Civil War | Harry G. Lang
4 posts | 1 read | 6 to read
This visually rich volume presents, for the first time, stories of deaf soldiers and civilians who lived during the Civil War.
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ValerieAndBooks
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As a Deaf person myself, I appreciated this intensive history of how Deaf people were involved in the Civil War. Both sides are represented; and those involved range from civilians to soldiers (many who put themselves in extra danger due to their deafness) to authors discussing and/or reporting the war. It occasionally bogs down in details, but does not detract. Recommend for both deaf and hearing readers!

Authentic tintype photo of my family 👇

ValerieAndBooks Taken in Gettysburg ten years ago. My youngest two had to wear neck braces due to the long exposure time. The photographer took this authentic experience very seriously. Hubby and I had to take off our glasses (too modern looking) and all were told to look somber. It was a good experience. 7y
CrowCAH Love the photo within a photo; so authentic! 7y
batsy That photograph is so cool! 7y
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DivineDiana That is an amazing experience! Never heard of this being done in modern times! 7y
Suet624 I lived in Gettysburg years ago and spent a lot of time in the deep woods of the battlefield. Spent nights there too. Talk about eerie. The vultures are not native to the state and despite finding their nests we never once saw a baby or adolescent vulture. That was eerie too. I always thought of them as spirits. And I didn‘t know you were deaf! 7y
ValerieAndBooks @CrowCAH thanks! Definitely a classic 😊 7y
ValerieAndBooks @batsy it looks like it is of our ancestors 😊. 7y
ValerieAndBooks @DivineDiana I think the studio may still be there. Would like to go back and do it again. While the touristy photos you see of the “Wild West” and the like are fun, this was like going back in time. My younger kids did not like the neck braces — it was akin to being handed a kids menu when they felt old enough not to need it anymore 😊 7y
ValerieAndBooks @Suet624 I didn‘t know vultures were not native to PA. How did they get here 😱? I live near Revolutionary War battlefields and homes near there see a lot more vultures. Maybe there‘s something to that!! Yes, I‘ve mentioned my deafness here and there (not often) so maybe you‘ve missed those. The next series of new emojis will include disabilities and when they do I‘m considering posting the “deaf emoji“ in my profile 😊. 7y
Suet624 It‘s the particular vultures that are in Gettysburg that aren‘t native to the region. It‘s unimaginable how many people died there and folks said the birds just stayed afterwards. Bring on the emojis!! 7y
Suet624 And you changed your photo! How long ago did you do that? I‘m missing everything. 😭😳 7y
ValerieAndBooks So interesting about the vultures!! And it wasn‘t too long ago that I changed my profile picture— a week, maybe? @Suet624 7y
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ValerieAndBooks
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During the Civil War, Deaf students at some schools for the Deaf were used as child labor to make bullets and cartridges, aka “messengers of death.” 😳

TrishB 😔😔 7y
Eyelit 😡 7y
LeahBergen 😮 7y
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DivineDiana Amazing information. 😕 7y
AmandaL 😟 7y
Reggie Yikes. 7y
ValerieAndBooks @TrishB @Eyelit @LeahBergen @DivineDiana @AmandaL @Reggie another story that boggles my mind was how Deaf students would help school staff bury dead soldiers. I know it was a different time and children weren‘t sheltered as they are today but it hits the gut 😢. 7y
Suet624 Oh my gosh. This statement 👆 7y
70 likes8 comments
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ValerieAndBooks
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I splurged and added this for myself to the cart when son was spending an Amazon gift card he got for his birthday 😁. I‘m glad I did. Larger in size than expected (and seems in this pic - it‘s covering my lap) ; it‘s about the various parts several Deaf people took into the American Civil War. This page spread covers a Deaf nurse and a Deaf artist/cartoonist.

LeahBergen Nice! And lots of illustrations. 👍🏻 7y
ValerieAndBooks @LeahBergen yes, I was pleasantly surprised at how many illustrations this has, in spite of having done the amazon look-inside. Definitely works as a sick-day read for me! 7y
Melissa_J This sounds really interesting! 7y
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Reggie This is awesome. I hope your still on the mend. 7y
ValerieAndBooks @Melissa_J it definitely is. Pretty sure this is the first time that this aspect of the civil war has been covered extensively! 7y
ValerieAndBooks @Reggie thanks Reggie. Still dragging a bit, but a lot better 😊 7y
DivineDiana What an interesting book! 7y
73 likes1 stack add7 comments
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ValerieAndBooks
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I wish I could attend this tonight! Must get this book somehow— a part of Deaf history I wasn‘t aware of. Dropping this here for history and/or Civil War buffs. It looks interesting.

CherryPie Yes! Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. 7y
ValerieAndBooks @CherryPie you‘re welcome 😊. Soon enough my last one will be off to college and I‘ll finally have time for these author events!! 7y
ValerieAndBooks @Betty is this book/author on your radar? 7y
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Betty @ValerieAndBooks that is new information for me! Stacking. The school where I worked (Tenn School for the Deaf) was closed during the Civil War and buildings became a hospital for soldiers. 7y
ValerieAndBooks @Betty that‘s very interesting! I wonder if information like this is mentioned in this book. 7y
Betty @ValerieAndBooks I looked him up on Facebook. There's a photo of him with a very young Stephen Hawking. 7y
57 likes2 stack adds6 comments