Despite the advances of the civil rights movement; many white southerners cling to the faded glory of a romanticized Confederate past. In The Making of a Confederate; William L. Barney focuses on the life of one man; Walter Lenoir of North Carolina; to examine the origins of southern white identity alongside its myriad ambiguities and complexities. Born into a wealthy slaveholding family; Lenoir abhorred the institution; opposed secession; and planned to leave his family to move to Minnesota; in the free North. But when the war erupted in 1860; Lenoir found another escape route--he joined the Confederate army; an experience that would radically transform his ideals. After the war; Lenoir; like many others; embraced the cult of the Lost Cause; refashioning his memory and beliefs in an attempt to make sense of the war; its causes; and its consequences. While some Southerners sank into depression; aligned with the victors; or fiercely opposed the new order; Lenoir withdrew to his acreage in the North Carolina mountains. There; he pursued his own vision of the South's future; one that called for greater self-sufficiency and a more efficient use of the land.For Lenoir and many fellow Confederates; the war never really ended. As he tells this compelling story; Barney offers new insights into the ways that (selective) memory informs history; through Lenoir's life; readers learn how individual choices can transform abstract historical processes into concrete actions.
#1325489 in Books 2004-12-02Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.80 x 1.50 x 13.60l; 5.91 #File Name: 0195221311400 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. helps Explain Official MapsBy Daniel R. DurrettGood summaries of battles and movements. Excellent supplement to official maps. words words words words words words words words words7 of 14 people found the following review helpful. Digging in DepthBy Jack M. BeckerThis book is super in so many ways - but the best is its use ofmaps and other statistical displays of wealth; development; strengths and capabilities. Had this information been available to Jeff Davis and Bobby Lee - both may have deferred the southern break-away.12 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Useful resourceBy Steven PetersonAs other reviewers have noted; there are some annoying errors in the text. However; it provides an accessible introduction to Civil War battles and maneuvers; and--as such--has some value. That said; the maps and text do not always elucidate matters so well.For instance; the battle of Logan's Crossroads (or Mill Springs). This was nasty early battle; in which Confederate generalship was inept and Union General George Thomas began to separate himself from Union mediocrities among general officers. The map on page 98 details the larger theater; but is not illuminating; given the lack of text. The map of the battle of Logan's Crossroads itself is useful; because the text accompanying it provides enough detail to make sense of things.On occasion; some errors creep in. The discussion of Chancellorsville speaks of Howard's 6th Corps being outflanked and "rolled up." It was; of course; the 11th Corps that was so roughly handled; with Sedgwick's 6th Corps still at Fredericksburg.At the same time; the volume does provide context. The first section focuses on "The Coming of War;" and provides intelligible background; from issues of slavery to economics to demographics. All these trends began to create tensions between north and south. Graphics helpfully portray some of these sectional differences. On pages 56-57; we see how manufacturing differed dramatically by region (in terms of number of employees in manufacturing concerns) over decades.Each section thereafter looks at a particular year during the conflict; exploring the combat; the campaigning; the state of each government and its people; economic productivity; and so on.The volume concludes with the aftereffects of war; including presidential elections; Reconstruction; and so on.The book is pretty well written. Steven Woodworth is a well known and reputable Civil War historian. Kenneth Winkle; the co-author; is also a well known historian. The format is such that only a handful of pages are devoted to a particular campaign or battle; and that means that detailed treatments of major engagements does not occur. Still; as a wide-ranging; graphically rich publication; this has a useful place in the library for those who want to get a broad introduction to the Civil War.
