Won the Douglas Southall Freeman Award in 2011.
"My Old Confederate Home is a good story well told."Gaines M. Foster, author of Ghosts of the Confederacy: Defeat, the Lost Cause, and the Emergence of the New South, 1865-1913
"Williams's book is a welcomed addition to the growing literature on the care of disabled Civil War veterans and the Confederate soldiers' home movement. He narrates a compelling, true story, cleverly conceived, ably crafted and eloquently written."—R. B. Rosenburg, author of Living Monuments: Confederate Soldiers' Homes in the New South
"Teems with humanity. Williams has a storyteller's gist for making historical characters come alive. This well-researched account of the establishment of a Confederate veterans' home in a state, Kentucky, that did not even support the Confederacy is a dramatic story of a diverse range of people who responded to the needs of Civil War veterans. It offers a new angle on the South's Lost Cause."—Charles Reagan Wilson, author of Baptized in Blood: The Religion of the Lost Cause, 1865-1920
"[My Old Confederate Home tells] of the nuances and "byway" stories involving the war – the personal stories, the oddities, the forgotten.... about a forgotten and overlooked aspect of the War Between the States."Old Virginia Blog
"This well-written book is highly recommended to Civil War enthusiasts." -Daily Oklahoman
"Based on the Kentucky Confederate Home's operational documents, contemporary accounts, unpublished letters, family stories, and other valuable resources, My Old Confederate Home reveals an unwritten chapter of Kentucky's Civil War history." —Joseph-Beth Newsletter
"Williams provides the history of this home and what happened during its existence. This well-written book is highly recommended to Civil War enthusiasts." —Benet Exton, The Oklahoman
"Rusty Williams' definitive account of the Kentucky Confederate Home was written from extant original sources and documents... and is intended for both general readers and scholars." —Marion B. Lucas, Bowling Green Daily News
"Williams rekindles the significance of respecting veterans and honoring their contribution to history. He also emphasizes the importance of average Americans supporting veterans despite the political tensions and economic hardships that follow war. As the story of the Kentucky Confederate Home shows, caring for veterans is the first step to repairing an injured nation." —civilwar.com
"Rusty Williams' My Old Confederate Home demonstrates how the Kentucky Confederate Home in Pewee Valley was forged and maintained through a mutually beneficial partnership between government and private organizations. By profiling a shining example of how societies can and should honor and care for veterans in need, it highlights important lessons for present and future generations." —cwba.com
"Freelance writer Rusty Williams has written the first history of the Kentucky Confederate Home, which operated in Pewee Valley, near Jefferson County, for thirty-two years during the early 1900s....This book will provide some very worthwhile insight on the experiences the Confederate veteran might have had while living there." —Kentucky Ancestors
"Williams tells how Kentucky tried to provide some support for its needy Confederate veterans long after the cannons were quiet but while many of the older Rebel soldiers were still alive during the emotional "Lost Cause" era. This entertaining narrative utilizes the individual stories of many of the home's benefactors, managers and residents." —Berkeley Scott, Kentucky Monthly
"Provide readers with an excellent account of efforts made by ex-Confederate who were business and political leaders in the state to provide a place for their comrades who had fallen on hard times." —Post and Courier
"This book is a real jewel for your Confederate Library, just as the Confederate home in Kentucky was the jewel of all the places that were set up across the southern veterans." —Lone Star Book Review
"Williams provides an excellent summarization about Confederate veterans' organizations in Kentucky after the war." —Bits and Pieces
"This book is a real jewel for your Confederate library, just as the Confederate home in Kentucky was the jewel of all places that were set up across the south for southern veterans." —The Lone Star Book Review
"This interesting tale of late-19th-century Kentucky politics, the workings of Civil War veterans' organizations, and the careers of institutionalized Civil War veterans is sure to hold your attention." —Civil War News
"William's book teems with human interest stories that undergird an institutional history. My Old Confederate Home will find broad appeal among scholarly and popular audiences who have an interest in thepost-Civil War lives of Kentucky's Confederate veterans, social welfare, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and the mythology of the Lost Cause...Williams makes great strides in unraveling the Lost Cause mythology that encased the Kentucky Confederate Home, it's inhabitants, and its supporters...Williams story and its lively characters illuminate Kentucky's responses to its needy veterans and how these efforts ensured a proper place for the states' citizen-soldiers." —H-Net Reviews
"...a fascinating read.... No library on Kentucky Civil War history will be complete without this book."—The Journal of America's Military Past
"Using detailed records of the home, Mr. Williams is able to cover the entire period of operation from inception to the death of the final Veteran.... an interesting and moving read." —DCV Today
"All readers...will appreciate Williams's descriptive writing and colorful storytelling which brings his many subjects, and the time period in which they lived, to life."—Register of the Kentucky Historical Society
"Williams reveals the final, untold chapter of Kentucky's Civil War history."—Appalachian News-Express
"Williams should be commended for his energetic and very readable history of one of the South's most successful postwar efforts to provide solace and assistance to Confederate veterans as they ambled toward the grave."—Journal of Southern History
"A useful introduction into the grassroots formation, organization, and management of Confederate homes. Throug his meticulous research and a cast of lively characters, Williams has indeed created a respectable place for Civil War veterans."—West Virginia History
This work is a captivating narrative and a fine addition to several burgeoning sub-fields in southern history, including the Lost Cause, social welfare, women's history, and progressive reform.
~Louisiana History
