On the day Fort Sumter surrendered to Confederate authorities; General Braxton Bragg reacted to a newspaper report that might have revealed the position of gun emplacements by placing the correspondent; a Southern loyalist; under arrest. Thus the Confederate army's first detention of a citizen occurred before President Lincoln had even called out troops to suppress the rebellion. During the civil war that followed; not a day would pass when Confederate military prisons did not contain political prisoners.Based on the discovery of records of over four thousand of these prisoners; Mark E. Neely Jr.'s new book undermines the common understanding that Jefferson Davis and the Confederates were scrupulous in their respect for constitutional rights while Lincoln and the Unionists regularly violated the rights of dissenters. Neely reveals for the first time the extent of repression of Unionists and other civilians in the Confederacy; and uncovers and marshals convincing evidence that Southerners were as ready as their Northern counterparts to give up civil liberties in response to the real or imagined threats of wartime.From the onset of hostilities; the exploits of drunken recruits prompted communities from Selma to Lynchburg to beg the Richmond government to impose martial law. Southern citizens resigned themselves to a passport system for domestic travel similar to the system of passes imposed on enslaved and free blacks before the war. These restrictive measures made commerce difficult and constrained religious activity. As one Virginian complained; "This struggle was begun in defence of Constitutional Liberty which we could not get in the United States." The Davis administration countered that the passport system was essential to prevent desertion from the army; and most Southerners accepted the passports as a necessary inconvenience; ignoring the irony that the necessities of national mobilization had changed their government from a states'-rights confederacy to a powerful; centralized authority.After the war the records of men imprisoned by this authority were lost through a combination of happenstance and deliberate obfuscation. Their discovery and subtle interpretation by a Pulitzer Prizeemdash;winning historian explodes one of the remaining myths of Lost Cause historiography; revealing Jefferson Davis as a calculated manipulator of the symbols of liberty.
#1500144 in Books Rutgers University Press 2007-10-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.28 x .93 x 6.20l; 1.13 #File Name: 0813541786256 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Utopia and New JerseyBy Mary Lois TimbesI found this fascinating little book on the shelves of the Hoboken library; and reading it exposed me to a part of New Jersey history I knew little about--the explosion of utopian communities throughout the state around the turn of the 20th century. Having grown up in a fading utopian community in southern Alabama; I became interested in the names of people common to many of these places--Upton Sinclair; Bolton Hall; Alexis Ferm. Reading Utopia; New Jersey; caused me to rethink my own book on Fairhope; Alabama; to put it in the context of similar communities of its vintage.Buchan tells us about Bernarr MacFadden's physical culture utopia; one established in Union City to rehabilitate alcoholics; a single tax colony in Free Acres; another for Jewish refugees; and more. She reveals a facet of an exciting time in American history; when reform was in the air; and heaven on earth seemed a real possibility; in New Jersey and in other enclaves. It's a good read about an important moment in time.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A little of Utopia in all of usBy Roland MacholdI greatly enjoyed Perdita Buchan's book on New Jersey utopian communities. I think that we all have a little yearning for a utopian community. Why New Jersey? It easily accomodated the overflow of dissident and anarchical communities in New York City; often with charismatic leaders and oftern from immigrant groups who brought their old country politics with them. It is very instructive to see why some communities succeeded and others failed; and how they all ultimately were assimilated into the American mixing pot. Ms. Buchan is very fastidious in collecting her facts and unearthing their legacies.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Delightful and VariousBy stephen e. teichgraeberMs. Buchan has chosen some of the most delightful if quirky searches for "Eden" ranging from the bucolic to the political; from Seer-prophets to Charles Atlas. It is a collection of superbly drafted sketches and essays sure to delight the casual as well as the discriminating reader.
