Having been born and reared in the same area of West Virginia as the subjects and author of this book; interrelated to the Hudnall family through several marriages between members of their family and mine; myself a Civil War buff and sympathizer of the Confederate cause; and having a personal knowledge of the years of arduous effort that went into the documentation of the historical facts set forth in this work, I naturally looked forward to its publication with almost as much anxiety and anticipation as its author. The wait was worth it. Mr. Hudnall has superbly chronicled in an easy to read style, the trials endured by certain of his family members as they followed the course of their personal convictions throughout one of the most tumultuous periods of this nation's history.... convictions which happened to be contrary to the tide of public opinion of those amid whom they not only were related by blood but by close personal acquaintance. Three Confederates From Kanawha County, West Virginia should, hopefully, soon find a well-deserved place in the private and public libraries of not only historians and government institutions, but in those of anyone having an interest in, and appreciation for, the individual sacrifices which were required in making America become the superpower nation of the world she ultimately became.

I thourougly enjoyed this book. The content is certainly not compromised by its small size. I am a college student and a history minor and this book is very accurate. It begins with a short history of colonial women and then delves into Ann Bailey's life. Lewis keeps the book interesting by including personal accounts and interviews with people who knew Ann Bailey. He also includes poems that were written about her. There are even maps in the back of the book. This book was written over a hundred years ago and that could have made it drab or dry, but this book was lively and full of great detail. Lewis is fantastic about using lots of vivid imagery and beautiful language to keep the reader drawn in. I highly recommend this book for reports or for anyone who is interested in learning more about Ann Bailey, or what life was like for colonial women.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book... more from the aspect that this was written by an author who interviewed acquaintences of Ms. Bailey. As a parent I find it surprising just what her mother took her to witness at the age of five; I get shivers thinking about putting my children through that. And yet, times are very different socially, even from the time the book was written. (It was very amusing reading the author's perspective on the fact that Ann Bailey liked to knock one back once in a while.) I had searched and searched for information about Ann Bailey and was very happy to find this book. I was especially happy that the publisher actually packaged two books into one. A delightful book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes to read about strong-willed women, to anyone who likes to read antique books and smile at the social perspective of the author, and to anyone who is a fan of early pioneer history in the Ohio Valley.

I recommend this book to those who are interested in the life of the early settlers of the Elk and Kanawha Valley area. As one of MANY Young descendants, I found it fascinating and very informative. The writer makes this a very enjoyable read.

I'm buying another copy of this book, to keep. I've loaned my first copy to many people and I don't know where it went. I just hope it is being passed on to others. Being a native West Virginian I find the story very entertaining. Many ideas seem would seem ordinary to me except that my twenty years in the Air Force gives me a larger prespective. It seems to me that the power of common sense is getting to be an uncommon virtue. tfs