Quiltmakers in the mid-nineteenth century made quilts for many of the reasons we make quilts today: to celebrate a wedding, a new child, or a special event for a loved one. They also made quilts to represent and support the events, struggles, and ideals of their lifetimes, especially in turbulent times-- and no time in our history was more turbulent than the Civil War. Members of the American Quilt Study Group accepted the challenge to study a quilt from the Civil War era, 1850-1865, and create a modern quilt of their own that in some way reflects or reproduces the original. This book showcases the fifty study quilts created for the Civil War challenge, along with images of the antique quilts that gave each quilter their inspiration. (back cover)