author
Amelia Stratton Comfield
A little-known 19th-century novelist, best remembered for Alida, a work that blends fiction, poetry, and scenes drawn from the late American War. Her surviving record is thin, which gives her writing an added sense of discovery for modern readers.
1 Audiobook
Alida; or, Miscellaneous Sketches of Incidents During the Late American War. Founded on Fact
by Amelia Stratton Comfield
About the author
Amelia Stratton Comfield is a little-documented author from the 19th century whose name is chiefly linked to Alida; or, Miscellaneous Sketches of Incidents During the Late American War. Founded on Fact. With Poems. Catalog records and library listings show that the book appeared in multiple editions, including editions from 1841 and 1849, suggesting that it found enough readers to remain in circulation.
Alida mixes storytelling with verse and presents dramatic episodes set against the backdrop of war. The title itself promises sketches "founded on fact," hinting at Comfield's interest in blending remembered events, moral reflection, and literary feeling in a way that was familiar to many readers of her time.
Very little biographical information about Comfield is easy to confirm today. One later portrait record identifies her as "Mrs. John F. Comfield" and describes her occupation as a writer or novelist, but beyond that, the public record appears sparse. For many readers, that makes her work itself the best introduction: a window into an author whose voice has outlasted the details of her life.