Steven Woodworth's previous book; the critically acclaimed Jefferson Davis and His Generals; won the prestigious Fletcher Pratt Award and was a main selection of the History Book Club. In that book he showed how the failures of Davis and his military leaders in the west paved the way for Confederate defeat. In Davis and Lee at War; he concludes his study of Davis as rebel commander-in-chief and shows how the lack of a unified purpose and strategy in the east sealed the Confederacy's fate.Woodworth argues that Davis and Robert E. Lee; the South's greatest military leader; had sharply conflicting views over the proper conduct of the war. Davis was convinced that the South should fight a defensive war; to simply outlast the North's political and popular support for the war. By contrast; Lee and the other eastern generals-notably P.G.T. Beauregard; Gustavus Smith; and Stonewall Jackson-were eager for the offensive. They were convinced that only quick and decisive battlefield victories would prevent the North from eventually defeating them with its overwhelming advantage in men and materials.Davis and Lee; Woodworth shows; shared a mutual respect for each other for most of the war. But it was respect mixed with a stubborn resistance to the other's influence. The result of this tense tug-of-war was Davis's misguided pursuit of a middle ground that gave neither strategy its best chance for success. The war finally ground to a bloody conclusion with Davis as indecisive as ever and virtually blind to how little confidence his generals had in his leadership.Drawing extensively upon the papers of Jefferson Davis and the works of leading Civil War historians; Woodworth places the eastern military campaigns in an entirely new light and expands our understanding of Davis as leader of the Confederacy.
#1248388 in Books Ingramcontent 2015-10-29Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .56 x 6.00l; .72 #File Name: 0692567429220 pagesWest Virginia The Illegal State
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The Unwanted TruthsBy French L MaynardGreat information that seems to be left out of most WV history lessons. It reminds us some things never change; just the names and faces.The book tends to jump around a bit but overall a good read.16 of 20 people found the following review helpful. Author couldn't control his own bias to subject matterBy jpenebakerWhile hoping to be accepted as a legitimate historical study of the peculiar and unconstitutional manner in which the state of West Virginia was formed out of the state of Virginia in the early days the American Civil War; this book squandered the opportunity of presenting a scholarly study of the events. The author was unable to hold his own bias in check in his writing and the result is a very one sided presentation of information that the reader is just suppose to accept as fact; even though much of the supporting documentation used to back the author's claims are newspaper editorial (which would be comparable today to using Internet blogs to back ones claim). An example of the one-sidedness of the argument would be the use of the general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson as the standout example of someone from the area that became West Virginia but who fought for the Confederacy while never mentioning the fact the Jackson family itself was very split by the turbulent events of the time. The format of the book is also distracting; the text is broken up to small; many times unrelated; snippets like one would find in a magazine article but not a book attempting to be a serious historical study.1 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Another Mountaineer's OpinionBy bugloverJust like Jeremy Farley; I was born in West Virginia and was taught the usual about how the state was formed. Now for the record; my people settled this part of the state; so my roots run deep. However; there were things wrong that I couldn't put my fingers on. Why was it that I had to struggle so hard to make a living in the state? The years that I was away in the Marine Corps and later on when I moved to Ohio to work; it was much easier to prosper. I studied and researched the history of West Virginia and how it was formed. I came to the conclusion that there was something seriously wrong with the way that the state was formed. It was formed militarily and politically and not according to the will of the people. In other words; the formation of West Virginia did not have to take place. This small group of people who set in motion the Wheeling convention did not have the best interests of the people foremost in their minds. They were out for themselves. On and on it went; one illegal thing after another. All under the sheltering wing of the occupation army. Even after the war; the ruling powers missed a golden opportunity to make things right in 1866. Virginia wanted to reunite the state; but that was refused. Corrupt administration after corrupt administration permitted West Virginia's vast natural resources to sold to out of state businessmen who raped the state. Having Richmond governing the state may well have prevented this crime. Look at the legacy of the state; just one step above the bottom. All because a corrupt group of men couldn't abide with the succession ordinance passed by the state legislature and by the will of the people. Where does West Virginia go from here? How can the curse be broken? It is too late to reconcile to Virginia; although; even at this late date; I think that wouldn't be a bad idea. Even though I was born in West Virginia; I feel that I belong to the mother state deep in my heart and feel sad that the two will probably will never be reunited. To the end; I shall remain a Mountaineer and a Southerner. DEO VINDICE
