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"The value of these writings lies in the broad range of themes and locales they cover. Clarke traveled to Cuba, New York, and Chicago; spent five arduous years on the frontier in San Antonio; and in 1861, against her husband's wishes, returned to North Carolina, where she lived for the rest of her life." "Clarke's reaction to the Civil War and its aftermath makes for particularly interesting reading. During the war Clarke wrote in support of the Southern cause and sold poetry and newspaper articles to augment the family income. After Appomattox she published scathing indictments of Radical Reconstruction. When Clarke's husband joined the Republican Party in 1868, her family, and probably Clarke herself, was shocked. Letters from family members reveal the depth of their anger, and Clarke's own words illustrate the difficulties of living as the spouse of a scalawag in the Reconstruction South."--BOOK JACKET.