For nearly a quarter of a century; Pulitzer Prize nominee William C. Davis has been one of our best writers on the Civil War. His books—including Breckinridge: Statesman; Soldier; Symbol; Jefferson Davis: The Man and His Hour; and "A Government of Our Own": The Making of the Confederacy—have garnered numerous awards and enlightened and entertained an avid readership. The Cause Lost extends that tradition of excellence with provocative new insights into the myths and realities of an endlessly fascinating subject.In these pages; Davis brings into sharp focus the facts and fictions of the South's victories and defeats; its tenacious struggle to legitimize its cause and defeat an overpowering enemy; and its ultimate loss of will. He debunks long-standing legends; offers irrefutable evidence explaining Confederate actions; and contemplates the idealism; naiveté; folly; and courage of the military leadership and would-be founding fathers.Among the most misunderstood; Davis contends; was Jefferson Davis. Often branded as enigmatic and incompetent; the Confederate president was simply a decent and committed leader whose mistakes were magnified by the war's extraordinary demands. Davis scrutinizes Jefferson Davis' relationship with his generals-most of whom were unproved talents or cronies with proven deficiencies-and reveals why only Robert E. Lee succeeded in winning Davis' confidence through flattery; persuasion; and a sense of responsibility. He also examines the myths and memories of the nearly deified Stonewall Jackson and John C. Breckinridge; the only effective Confederate secretary of war.Davis also illustrates why the cause of the war—a subject of long-standing controversy—boils down to the single issue of slavery; why Southerners; ninety percent of whom didn't own slaves; were willing to join in the battle to defend their homeland; how the personalities; tactics; and styles of the armies in the turbulent West differed greatly from those in the East; what real or perceived turning points influenced Southern decision making; and how mythology and misinterpretations have been perpetuated through biography; history; literature; and film.Revealing the Confederacy's myths for what they really are; Davis nevertheless illustrates how much those myths inform our understanding of the Civil War and its place in Southern and American culture.
#196208 in Books University Press of Kansas 1995-01-27Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.54 x 2.06 x 6.52l; 2.53 #File Name: 0700606416712 pages
Review
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful. Complete in its research; somewhat jaded; but wonderful bookBy Sean ClaycampMy nearly 10-year journey to read a biography of every President is almost over! And; no it hasn't taken me this long to read that many books because I haven't been able to read Presidential bios exclusively.So now that I'm in the short rows as they say; I'm stuck with reading bios of Presidents like Rutherford B Hayes. I didn't know a thing about him nor did I know a whole lot about what happened during his Presidency... other than it was post Civil War; pre-1900s America. With all that in mind; I must commend the author on writing an interesting and readable bio of a President who it appears is underrated as a person and as a leader.The book was very thorough and spent a lot of time dealing with key; non-political; issues such as Hayes' tremendous military career and his strong relationship with wife Lucy. It also did a great job of detailing his influence over the Republican party prior to and after his Presidency. I agree with the author who suggested that Hayes' biggest mistake was sticking to his one-term pledge. He would probably be recognized as one of our better Presidents would he have served two terms. His pledge to minimize patronage and reform the civil service was stunted by his successor; James Garfield; who was actually assassinated by a jilted patronage seeker. A lot of what he did was then "undone" by Chet Arthur and the Roscoe Conkling syndicate. Hayes doesn't get a lot of credit because the things he accomplished or put the country on the road to accomplishing weren't "sexy." The author does a great job of detailing his accomplishments and then tells you why they were important.You could make the case that the author's view of Hayes is slanted toward the positive. I wouldn't argue with that. However; Hayes appears to be a good person who tried to be honest and do what was right in nearly every case. He was a huge proponent of civil rights; suffrage; Indian rights; and other causes that could be deemed as liberal by today's views. The author labels him as one of the first progressives - are you listening Glenn Beck - but to me he seems the first civil libertarian perhaps. He was a person who looked at the merits of each issue and tried to apply the Golden Rule to politics; which was something that was needed after the lackluster Presidency of U.S. Grant and the somewhat criminal Presidency of Andrew Johnson.Not sure how a President such as Hayes would survive in today's toxic political climate; but the author certainly does a thorough job in painting him as the kind of guy you hope your sister would marry. And; the kind of guy that as an American did his best for all Americans.I would recommend this biography as THE bio you should read of Hayes. It is long; so be ready for some in depth reading; but for the advanced history buff I think this is an enjoyable and fair read.8 of 9 people found the following review helpful. A pro-Hayes workBy O. PflugOne of my favorite biographies; Ari Hoogenboom's "Hayes" is a positive and incisive look at the 19th president. Hayes is the prototypical Midwesterner; successful; yet humble; proper and reform minded; but not priggish or censorious. Hayes had a genuine concern for humanity and America. Though limited in the lengths he would travel to enact social changes we would today deem necessary (or that he himself would wish for); Hayes should be better-remembered. Hoogenboom's work is quite thorough; covering both Hayes's political and personal life. Hayes has been criticized for giving up on Reconstruction and thus dooming blacks to a century of repression; but Hayes had genuine concern for blacks. However; by 1877 Hayes was quite limited in what he could do politically to maintain Reconstruction. Hayes was traditionally criticized for doing little to address the growing inequalities of the American economy. But; although he did help put down nation-wide strikes; Hayes was more sympathetic to labor than any other late 19th century president. I was also surprised to read about the extensive post-presidency work of Hayes; comparable to Jimmy Carter.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A complete and great reading bookBy Frederick A. DiasA complete and great reading book. I bet not many know that Hayes was the champion of reform in the workforce.
