Cuban Confederate Colonel tells the story of a revolutionary who figured prominently in both his native country's struggle against Spain and the Confederacy's fight for secession. Immortalized as the first Cuban to shed blood in the effort to oust the Spanish; Ambrosio José Gonzales (1818-1893) placed himself in the center of hostilities in both his homeland and in the United States. In this biography Antonio Rafael de la Cova examines the Cuban filibuster movement of the 1840s and 1850s; the American Civil War; and Southern Reconstruction from Gonzales's unusual perspective as both a Cuban and Confederate rebel. In doing so; de la Cova sheds new light on the connections between Southern and Cuban society; the workings of coastal defenses during the Civil War; and the vicissitudes of Reconstruction for a Cuban expatriate. With the failure of the 1854 filibuster attempts; Gonzales settled in the United States and married into South Carolina's prominent Elliott family. The author traces Gonzales's significant role in Confederate coastal defenses; his costly feud with Jefferson Davis; and his finest hour as a Confederate-as artillery commander at the battle of Honey Hill. Following the war; the colonel pursued a variety of vocations; all of which were marginally successful; but like many others he never provided the security he sought for his extended family. De la Cova points out that while Gonzales's connections to Cuba's economy may have made his postwar entrepreneurial endeavors distinctive; his efforts were similar to those of other formerly wealthy Southerners who sought to recover their estates and social status.
#2479345 in Books 2000-08-18Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 .86 x 5.54 x 8.26l; #File Name: 1568581718320 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The Final ChapterBy Ronda DahlenVillain or Hero; one can not help feeling sympathy for the final chapter of Napoleon's life on St Helena. Mr Kauffman's own experience has no doubt enabled him to portray Napoleon's lonely existance on the island with a deep understanding and his use of the first hand accounts of daily life by Napoleon's staff and companions; made it hard to put the book down. I have enjoyed reading of Napoleon's exploits since high school and this book completed his story for me. At times I felt sad and even I suppose a little depressed to read a virtual day to day account of his final decline and demise.The long chapter headings were unnusual and were used in Betsy Balcombe's story as well.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. LyricalBy AtheenThis may well seem to be a confusing review. I did not particularly enjoy the book; but that was because of the person that I am; and not because the book wasn't good. In fact; I consider it to be well written. The Black Room at Longwood is a lyrical work written by an author with a strong sense of environment and the "presence" of historical events. However it is also more of an introspective; personal experience; a mental voyage back into time than a work of history. Since I tend to prefer the cold; dry facts without emotional garnish; I found it a less captivating work than a person who finds ungarnished fact a little dull might well find it. The prose is almost poetry; although how much of this is due to it's translator's talent and how much to the author's I would be unable to say. The psychological character of the environment of St. Helena and of the house of Longwood; that housed Napoleon and his fellow exiles during the last years of his life; is vividly recreated for the reader. One doesn't just learn of the personality and facts of the exile; one lives the experience through the author's words. Basing his description on extensive research into the subject; Kauffmann visits the site and describes it and the events that took place there in such a way that the reader actually travels with him back into the early 19th Century to watch and experience. A vividly written work.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Gloom and doom and a sense of isolationBy hrladyshipBefore beginning to read this book; I thought it would be interesting. I believed it would be history and perhaps analyze the death of Napoleon on the lonely and distant island of St. Helena. I had no idea what the island is like now; or what it was like when Napoleon arrived there to live the rest of his life in exile.There is much of the history of that arrival; however; I found the narrative depressing. I can only believe that arriving there; Napoleon must have felt even more depressed by his future. The author brings no joy or analysis; only his only feelings of gloom and depression about the atmosphere of the island as a whole and Longwood; the house in which Napoleon live out his last days and months. In short; this is a depressing and gloomy book and I was unable to get further than page 75. I simply gave up and went to warmer and more exciting narratives.If Kauffman's aim was to relate the gloom of St. Helena and its reluctant residents; he succeeded. I have read enough history to know that the end of Napoleon's life was not a happy one. But there must be a better way to depict the place of exile. Of course; that is oxymoron.
