Daydreams and Nightmares

The story of secession—the prelude to perhaps the most dramatic chapter in American history—has typically been told on a grand scale. In Daydreams and Nightmares, historian Brent Tarter uses a smaller, more intimate lens, sharing the story of one Virginia family who found themselves in the middle of the secession debate and saw their world torn apart as the states chose sides and went to war.

George Berlin was elected to serve as a delegate to the Virginia Convention of 1861 as an opponent of secession, but he ultimately changed his vote, later defending his decision in a speech in his hometown of Buckhannon, Upshur County, and had to flee for his safety when Union soldiers arrived. Berlin and his wife, Susan Holt Berlin, were separated for extended periods—both during the convention and, later, during the early years of the Civil War. The letters they exchanged tell a harrowing story of uncertainty, bringing to life for the modern reader an extended family that encompassed both Confederate and Union sympathizers.

This is in part a love story. It is also a story about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events. Although unique in its vividly evoked details, the Berlins’ story is representative of the drama endured by millions of Americans. Composed during the nightmare of civil war, the Berlins’ remarkably articulate letters express the dreams of reunion and a secure future felt throughout the entire, severed nation. In this intimate, evocative, and often heartbreaking family story, we see up close the personal costs of our larger national history.