At War with King Alcohol

“A useful reference for historians of nineteenth-century temperance and prohibition, as well as for military historians who examine ordinary soldiers' lives. . . . Bever’s rich description of drinking practices and commercial networks will undoubtedly make [researching alcohol debates’ history] easier for a future historian.”—Journal of American History

“In At War with King Alcohol, historian Megan L . Bever provides a long overdue study of alcohol’s contested, yet essential role during the American Civil War. . . . a holistic yet finely detailed account of alcohol’s contentious place in American society and culture during the Civil War era.”—North Carolina Historical Review

“A well-researched and well-written study that succeeds in demonstrating how Union and Confederate soldiers’ drinking represented a consequential and contested element of military life that came under the scrutiny of numerous 'stakeholders.' It is a fascinating read and should be included on reading lists for courses on the Civil War, reform movements, and military history, to name a few.”—H-Nationalism

“An indispensable portrait of the Civil War. . . . The intricacies of this story are wonderfully detailed in this accessibly argued book. Bever presents an excellent example of how historians cans, and should, examine the fungible roots of identity and the power of identity politics.”—Journal of the Civil War Era

“A carefully written and thoroughly researched study. Its varied subject matters will find broad appeal among students of nineteenth-century America, while its nuanced arguments about officers and soldiers will appeal to scholars of the Civil War era.”—Journal of the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War Era

“Recommended . . . this well-researched, well-written monograph . . . is both a contribution to the story of drink and temperance in the 19th-century US and a rare historical study of drinking in the American military."—CHOICE

“At War with King Alcohol offers a well-researched and well-written study on the complexities of alcohol use during the Civil War. Bever’s research is valuable to those interested in the histories of the Civil War, temperance reform, and masculinity and manliness.”—H-CivWar

“American Civil War scholars would do well to get their hands on At War with King Alcohol. . . . Besides offering valuable insight into discussions about drinking and masculinity, it also reveals new dimensions to seemingly separate historiographic debates: the power struggle between state and national authorities, the role of a national government in mid-nineteenth-century life, and intriguing forays by those national governments into matters of morality and humanitarianism. . . . A staple for historians of gender during the Civil War, as well as any scholar of military history who seeks insight into the transformative effects of alcohol on armies and societies.”—H-War

“Readers will find [Bever’s work] an engaging and important look at the drinking culture of Civil War armies.”—Reviews in American History

“A carefully written and readable text that will teach something to the most seasoned Civil War scholar.”—New Mexico Historical Review