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In the wake of America's Civil War, hundreds of thousands of men who fought for the Confederacy trudged back to their homes in the Southland. Some-due to lingering effects from war wounds, other disabilities, or the horrors of combat-were unable to care for themselves. Homeless, disabled, and destitute veterans began appearing on the sidewalks of southern cities and towns.

In 1902 Kentucky's Confederate veterans organized and built the Kentucky Confederate Home, a luxurious refuge in Pewee Valley for their unfortunate comrades. Until it closed in 1934, the Home was a respectable-if not always idyllic-place where disabled and impoverished veterans could spend their last days in comfort and free from want.

In My Old Confederate Home: A Respectable Place for Civil War Veterans, Rusty Williams frames the lively history of the Kentucky Confederate Home with the stories of those who built, supported, and managed it: a daring cavalryman-turned-bank-robber, a senile ship captain, a prosperous former madam, and a small-town clergyman whose concern for the veterans cost him his pastorate. Each chapter is peppered with the poignant stories of men who spent their final years as voluntary wards of an institution that required residents to live in a manner which reinforced the mythology of a noble Johnny Reb and a tragic Lost Cause.

Based on thorough research utilizing a range of valuable resources, including the Kentucky Confederate Home's operational documents, contemporary accounts, unpublished letters, and family stories, My Old Confederate Home reveals the final, untold chapter of Kentucky's Civil War history.

Rusty Williams, a freelance writer and historian, has written for the Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, San Antonio Express-News and the Associated Press.

Reviews:

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"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

"Teems with humanity. Williams has a storyteller's gift 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

"His goal was not just to write about the home and its history, but to bring life to the stories of the men who lived there."-Courier-Journal

"[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 Homes operational documents, contemporary accounts, unpublished letters, family stories, and other valuable resources, My Old Confederate Home reveals an unwritten chapter of Kentuckys 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