In early 1864; as the Confederate Army of Tennessee licked its wounds after being routed at the Battle of Chattanooga; Major-General Patrick Cleburne (the "Stonewall of the West") proposed that "the most courageous of our slaves" be trained as soldiers and that "every slave in the South who shall remain true to the Confederacy in this war" be freed. In Confederate Emancipation; Bruce Levine looks closely at such Confederate plans to arm and free slaves. He shows that within a year of Cleburne's proposal; which was initially rejected out of hand; Jefferson Davis; Judah P. Benjamin; and Robert E. Lee had all reached the same conclusions. At that point; the idea was debated widely in newspapers and drawing rooms across the South; as more and more slaves fled to Union lines and fought in the ranks of the Union army. Eventually; the soldiers of Lee's army voted on the proposal; and the Confederate government actually enacted a version of it in March. The Army issued the necessary orders just two weeks before Appomattox; too late to affect the course of the war. Throughout the book; Levine captures the voices of blacks and whites; wealthy planters and poor farmers; soldiers and officers; and newspaper editors and politicians from all across the South. In the process; he sheds light on such hot-button topics as what the Confederacy was fighting for; whether black southerners were willing to fight in large numbers in defense of the South; and what this episode foretold about life and politics in the post-war South. Confederate Emancipation offers an engaging and illuminating account of a fascinating and politically charged idea; setting it firmly and vividly in the context of the Civil War and the part played in it by the issue of slavery and the actions of the slaves themselves.
#45366 in Books Oxford University Press 2011-11-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.40 x 1.30 x 9.50l; .55 #File Name: 0195297709637 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. You need this book as part of your "go to" bookshelf!By NeverawrongturnSo far so good in my reading. You don't read this is in a week; but more as a reference book. What is of great interest are 100 short essays on various topics re Judaeo-Christian aspects as to how Jewish scholars understand Judaism and how they hope that Christian scholars will be more knowledgable or sympathetic to their journey. Christian theologates; seminaries etc.; need this perspective to have a more nuanced understanding of Judaism and its effects on the Biblical NT writers. Great annotations!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great Introductory Text to Jewish Influence on the New TestamentBy Randall C. Mcgrady-beachSo far has been a good edition to the Complete Jewish Bible and other Jewish input on the New Testament. A good overall view of some of the concerns about 1st century Judaism. This is definitely something I will be using as I explore the Jewish Background of the New Testament. Already dove tails nicely with an on-line class I am taking from eteacher and other books I am reading like The Jewish Gospels and Jewish Interpretation of the Bible: Ancient and Contemporary.I heartily recommend it.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. A good study guideBy Robert RottenbergThe introductory essays on each New Testament section are alone worth the price; and the extensive notes attached to specific verses all help to give readers a Jewish perspective on this book. There is much to be learned about Judaism in the 1st Century CE -- and about the various factions within Judaism that were struggling to understand the impact of the Roman occupation -- from reading these essays.
