From the author of the celebrated A People's History of the Civil War; a new account of the Confederacy's collapse from within.The American Confederacy; historian David Williams reveals; was in fact fighting two civil wars—an external one that we hear so much about and an internal one about which there is scant literature and virtually no public awareness.From the Confederacy's very beginnings; Williams shows; white southerners were as likely to have opposed secession as supported it; and they undermined the Confederate war effort at nearly every turn. The draft law was nearly impossible to enforce; women defied Confederate authorities by staging food riots; and most of the time two-thirds of the Confederate army was absent with or without leave. In just one of many telling examples in this rich and eye-opening narrative history; Williams shows that; if the nearly half-million southerners who served in the Union military had been with the Confederates; the opposing forces would have been evenly matched.Shattering the myth of wartime southern unity; this riveting new analysis takes on the enduring power of the Confederacy's image and reveals it to be; like the Confederacy itself; a hollow shell.
#1640896 in Books 2016-05-25Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.10 x .90 x 5.80l; .0 #File Name: 1594162484230 pages
Review
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Good procuctBy Kenneth R. KitchensItem was delivered quickly and function as described.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Concise and focused look at the Confederacy's best chance at gaining foreign recognition and independenceBy Andersonh1This book covers the time period of June to December 1862; the period of the Civil War which author Phil Leigh identifies as the Confederate States' "flood tide" (drawing inspiration from the "high tide" phrase used in reference to the CSA and Gettysburg); the flood tide being the time period in which the Confederacy had the greatest chance of silmultaneous military success in all the various theaters of the war and came the closest to foreign recognition in their quest for independence. Leigh covers military events in the eastern and western theaters; and political events in Washington DC and in Europe to draw a pattern of action and reaction by the armies and governments interested in the outcome of the war; as well as fulfilled and missed opportunities.The book seems aimed at the casual student of Civil War history; and covers a lot of ground in a short time; as well as pointing out how one event affected another in the larger scheme. Battles are described efficiently without getting too bogged down in every minor detail; and so are the various political maneuverings of the US; British and French governments. From a design standpoint; one touch which I particularly appreciated was the way in which photographs of many of the major historical figures covered in the book appeared in the upper right corner of many pages where the figure is introduced instead of being all in their own section in the middle of the book. That made putting names and faces together much easier; which is perhaps a minor consideration; but still much appreciated.In short; this is a focused book that shows the Confederate States at their most widely successful period; when they could have won enough military successes to gain the recognition of England and then France; making it much more likely that they could establish their independence. But they fell short; and Lincoln changed the calculus with the Emancipation Proclamation; and from then on chances for the Confederacy to win became more and more remote; even though the war lasted almost another two and a half years.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Highly recommended!By Elizabeth W.Mr. Leigh's book reflects his thorough research on multiple aspects of the Civil War in 1862; from tactics to geopolitics; including economics; where his Wall Street experience provides a unique fluency. Not bending to revisionist history; he goes to lengths to portray the various events and personalities accurately. As a prime example; the Emancipation Proclamation and motivations leading up to this figure heavily throughout the book. His exposition yields some surprises; especially given current conventional wisdom. By the end; you realize that military tactics certainly have changed over the last 150 years; but U.S. politics have not. While some types of battles are fought much differently today; others are not.
