Seven Myths of the Civil War

by Wesley Moody (Editor), Alfred J. Andrea (Editor), Andrew Holt (Editor)

Overview

"Readers of this book who thought they knew a lot about the U.S. Civil War will discover that much of what they 'knew' is wrong. For readers whose previous knowledge is sketchy but whose desire to learn is strong, the separation of myth from reality is an important step toward mastering the subject. The essays will generate lively discussion and new insights."
—James M. McPherson, Professor Emeritus, Princeton University

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781624666377
Publisher:	Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Publication date:	09/01/2017
Series:	Myths of History: A Hackett Series
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

Wesley Moody is Professor of History, Florida State College at Jacksonville.

Table of Contents

Contents:

Series Editors' Foreword
Editor's Preface
Introduction

1. Confederate States' Rights: A Contradiction in Terms
2. Was Abraham Lincoln a Racist?
3. African Americans in Confederate Military Service: Myth and Reality
4. The Myth of the "Great" Conventional Battlefield War
5. Civil War Prisons: The Legacy of Responsibility
6. The Lost Causers' Favorite Target: Grant the Butcher
7. Marching through Georgia: The Myth of Sherman's Total War

Epilogue
Suggested Readings

Editorial Reviews

"I never imagined that my Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest, first published in 2003, would prove to be so enduring a format for helping students of all kinds to rethink key moments in human history.  It is therefore a great honor to see that the book has now inspired Hackett Publishing Company's "Myths of History" series, expertly and effectively edited by Alfred J. Andrea and Andrew Holt.”
—Matthew Restall, Pennsylvania State University


"Wesley Moody's clear, engaging book tackles enduring Civil War myths with grace, candor, and persuasive evidence. By exploring a wide range of subjects including the war's causes, soldiers, leaders, prisons, and battlefields, this volume's group of talented historians accomplishes more than myth busting. Each scholar reveals deeper, more satisfying stories hidden beneath Civil War fallacies and falsehoods. As a result, Civil War students and enthusiasts will find more than facts in this compelling book; they’ll encounter the complexities of real war, the long shadows of memory, and the hard work that historians conduct to illuminate the past."
—Jason Phillips, Eberly Professor of Civil War History, West Virginia University


"Seven Myths of the Civil War is well-written, engaging, accessible, and of very sound scholarship. In this volume some of the premier scholars in the field of Civil War history weigh in and root out the causes, courses, and continuing consequences of these persistent mythologies in ways that are at once both easily accessible and necessarily nuanced.  I plan to use this collection of essays as a centerpiece of my next Civil War-themed course. I’ll use it to introduce the prevailing myths regarding the Civil War Era, then point up the ways in which the historical record can be seen to utterly debunk those myths."
—James Hill Welborn III, Georgia College & State University

From the Publisher