"The Confederate War" is a significant and thought-provoking
addition to the current body of Civil War literature. Gallagher has
returned the focus of the war to the theater in which it was
decided--military operations. In doing do, he demonstrates the
enormous human, financial and material investment that white
Southerners put into the struggle for independence. Solidly
researched and sharply argued, "The Confederate War" cannot easily
be dismissed by the 'internal causes' historians. Consequently, it
is likely to rekindle debate among both academics and popularizers,
which is all to the good, particularly in the current stifling
climate of political. -- Richard F. Welch "America's Civil War"
"The Confederate War" is an impressive volume. The arguments which
Gallagher employs to support his central thesis are well
constructed and quite persuasive. Gallagher also relies on a wide
array of Confederate voices from the past to substantiate his case
and this makes for an interesting study. Moreover, Gallagher's
extensive review of the literature is incisive and most
informative. "The Confederate War" should provide good reading for
all students of Confederate nationalism and will generate lively
debate among historians of the American Civil War for years to
come. -- Bruce Cauthen "Nation and Nationalism"
ÝGallagher's¨ perceptive and engaging new book maintains that
historians have got off track in recent years by attributing
Confederate defeat to weakness on the home front rather than to
performance on the battlefield. War-weariness, lack of will and
ambivalence toward the cause of independence, they say, doomed the
South...Gallagher addresses the right issues, asks probing
questions and suggests intriguing alternatives. -- Daniel E.
Sutherland "New York Times Book Review"
An important book..."The Confederate War" is certain to cause
controversy. For Gallagher dares to suggest that, despite, "moral
disapprobation" prevalent in many histories about the conflict over
the past half-century, the stark fact remains that "a majority of
white southerners steadfastly supported their nascent republic, and
that Confederate arms more than once almost persuaded the North
that the price of subduing the rebellious states would be too
high..."Using published evidence from Confederate diarists,
soldiers, statesmen, and newspapers--evidence which by omission or
intent seldom seems to find its way into recent Civil War
histories--Gallagher makes a compelling case for Confederate unity.
The Confederacy did not fall to pieces after Gettysburg; a "mass of
testimony" suggests that Southerners thought the war winnable until
virtually the end...Thorough reassessments of the Confederacy and
of the interpretations of it have long been overdue, and Gary W.
Gallagher succeeds in his initial attempt to rebalance historical
portrayals of the Civil War South. -- B. Anthony Gannon "Register
of the Kentucky Historical Society"
Everyone involved in the continuing debate over the factors behind
the South's defeat must read Gallagher's book, and anyone wanting a
helpful introduction to it should as well. -- Gaines M. Foster
"Louisiana History"
Gallagher's book challenges the non-military historians to come out
from behind the barricades once again. -- Russell Duncan "American
Studies in Europe"
Gallagher's effort will have serious students rejoicing in its
persuasive argumentation for believing that battles and armies who
indeed have some bearing on the outcomes of war.
One of the most attractive and ennobling portrayals of the white
Confederacy in recent memory. The lavish illustrations (numbering a
full forty) and coffee-table "feel" assures that this beautifully
produced and competitively priced volume will have a wide
readership outside of the historical profession. Gallagher's own
swift prose, clear argument, and richly documented account of white
southerners at war can only bolster sales further...It is also safe
to say that it will have a major impact on how historians will
hereafter frame research on the slaveholding South's suicidal
effort to establish its independence...In a growing corpus of work
on the wartime South, Gallagher has explored the interactions of
war and society and given new legitimacy to a field of military
history that will always need to be a part of any general
understanding of the 1860s. This work has achieved a substantial
measure of authority. -- Robert E. Bonner "Reviews in American
History"
The author makes a fine case for a new look at an old argument.
Ask a Question About this Product More... |