Synopses & Reviews
From the dean of Civil War historians and Pulitzer Prizewinning author of Battle Cry of Freedom
, a powerful new reckoning with Jefferson Davis as military commander of the Confederacy History has not been kind to Jefferson Davis. His cause went down in disastrous defeat and left the South impoverished for generations. If that cause had succeeded, it would have torn the United States in two and preserved the institution of slavery. Many Americans in Daviss own time and in later generations considered him an incompetent leader, if not a traitor. Not so, argues James M. McPherson. In Embattled Rebel, McPherson shows us that Davis might have been on the wrong side of history, but it is too easy to diminish him because of his causes failure. In order to understand the Civil War and its outcome, it is essential to give Davis his due as a military leader and as the president of an aspiring Confederate nation.
Davis did not make it easy on himself. His subordinates and enemies alike considered him difficult, egotistical, and cold. He was gravely ill throughout much of the war, often working from home and even from his sickbed. Nonetheless, McPherson argues, Davis shaped and articulated the principal policy of the Confederacy with clarity and force: the quest for independent nationhood. Although he had not been a fire-breathing secessionist, once he committed himself to a Confederate nation he never deviated from this goal. In a sense, Davis was the last Confederate left standing in 1865.
As president of the Confederacy, Davis devoted most of his waking hours to military strategy and operations, along with Commander Robert E. Lee, and delegated the economic and diplomatic functions of strategy to his subordinates. Davis was present on several battlefields with Lee and even took part in some tactical planning; indeed, their close relationship stands as one of the great military-civilian partnerships in history.
Most critical appraisals of Davis emphasize his choices in and management of generals rather than his strategies, but no other chief executive in American history exercised such tenacious handson influence in the shaping of military strategy. And while he was imprisoned for two years after the Confederacys surrender awaiting a trial for treason that never came, and lived for another twenty-four years, he never once recanted the cause for which he had fought and lost. McPherson gives us Jefferson Davis as the commander in chief he really was, showing persuasively that while Davis did not win the war for the South, he was scarcely responsible for losing it.
Review
North Southand#160;Magazine: and#8220;Superb... McPherson succeeds admirably in recreating the world of 1861-1865 as seen through the eyes of a Southern nationalist and ardent defender of the established social order, and provides readers with a more balanced view of Davis than that handed down by many of his contemporaries."
History Book Club:
and#8220;The first work to discretely consider Davis as head of his armies and navy... Crisply written, thoughtfully considered, and ultimately persuasive,and#160;Embattled Rebeland#160;is McPherson and biography at their best.and#8221;
Review
Steven Hahn,and#160;The New York Times Book Review:and#160; and#8220;The best concise book we have on the subjectand#8230; McPherson isand#8230; our most distinguished scholar of the Civil War era.and#8221;
The Wall Street Journal:
and#8220;Mr. McPhersonand#8230;mounts a defense of Davis is provocative; the book in which he argues it is quietly persuasiveand#8230;. Mr. McPherson covers a great deal of ground. And there is an economical grace to his prose that makes the book a lightning-quick but lingering read that will appeal not only to Civil War buffs but also to those curious about the Southern presidency and government.and#8221;
The Washington Post:
and#8220;[A] fine study of Davisand#8217;s military leadershipand#8230;.To this day it is difficult for many Americans to view Davis with dispassion, but McPherson has made a noble attempt to do soand#8230;.Davis himself does not make that easy.and#8221;
Christian Science Monitor:
and#8220;Open minds are in short supply today, so it is refreshing that Civil War scholar and Pulitzer-winning author James M. McPherson has taken a fresh look at a subject with which is he eminently familiar: the life and times of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. With more than a dozen books about Americaand#8217;s greatest crucible to his credit, the 78-year-old author is still challenging past postulations.and#8221;
North Southand#160;Magazine:
and#8220;Superb... McPherson succeeds admirably in recreating the world of 1861-1865 as seen through the eyes of a Southern nationalist and ardent defender of the established social order, and provides readers with a more balanced view of Davis than that handed down by many of his contemporaries."
History Book Club:
and#8220;The first work to discretely consider Davis as head of his armies and navy... Crisply written, thoughtfully considered, and ultimately persuasive,and#160;Embattled Rebeland#160;is McPherson and biography at their best.and#8221;
Synopsis
From the Pulitzer Prize winningauthor of Battle Cry of Freedom, a powerful new reckoning withJefferson Davis as military commander of the Confederacy
History has not been kind to Jefferson Davis. Hiscause went down in disastrous defeat and left theSouth impoverished for generations. If that causehad succeeded, it would have torn the UnitedStates in two and preserved the institution ofslavery. Many Americans in Davis s own time and inlater generations considered him an incompetentleader, if not a traitor. Not so, argues James M.McPherson. In Embattled Rebel, McPherson shows usthat Davis might have been on the wrong side ofhistory, but it is too easy to diminish him because ofhis cause s failure. In order to understand the CivilWar and its outcome, it is essential to give Davis hisdue as a military leader and as the president of anaspiring Confederate nation.
Davis did not make it easy on himself. Hissubordinates and enemies alike considered himdifficult, egotistical, and cold. He was gravely illthroughout much of the war, often working fromhome and even from his sickbed. Nonetheless, McPherson argues, Davis shaped and articulatedthe principal policy of the Confederacy with clarityand force: the quest for independent nationhood.Although he had not been a fire-breathingsecessionist, once he committed himself to aConfederate nation he never deviated from thisgoal. In a sense, Davis was the last Confederate leftstanding in 1865.
As president of the Confederacy, Davis devotedmost of his waking hours to military strategy andoperations, along with Commander Robert E.Lee, and delegated the economic and diplomaticfunctions of strategy to his subordinates. Daviswas present on several battlefields with Lee andeven took part in some tactical planning; indeed, their close relationship stands as one of the greatmilitary-civilian partnerships in history.
Most critical appraisals of Davis emphasizehis choices in and management of generals ratherthan his strategies, but no other chief executive inAmerican history exercised such tenacious hands-oninfluence in the shaping of military strategy.And while he was imprisoned for two years afterthe Confederacy s surrender awaiting a trial fortreason that never came, and lived for anothertwenty-four years, he never once recanted thecause for which he had fought and lost. McPhersongives us Jefferson Davis as the commander in chiefhe really was, showing persuasively that whileDavis did not win the war for the South, he wasscarcely responsible for losing it."
Synopsis
From the Pulitzer Prizeand#150;winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom, a powerful new reckoning with Jefferson Davis as military commander of the Confederacy and#160;
History has not been kind to Jefferson Davis. Many Americans of his own time and in later generations considered him an incompetent leader, not to mention a traitor. Not so, argues James M. McPherson. In Embattled Rebel, McPherson shows us that Davis might have been on the wrong side of history, but that it is too easy to diminish him because of his causeand#8217;s failure. Gravely ill throughout much of the Civil War, Davis nevertheless shaped and articulated the principal policy of the Confederacyand#151;the quest for independent nationhoodand#151;with clarity and force. He exercised a tenacious hands-on influence in the shaping of military strategy, and his close relationship with Robert E. Lee was one of the most effective military-civilian partnerships in history.
Lucid and concise, Embattled Rebel presents a fresh perspective on the Civil War as seen from the desk of the Southand#8217;s commander-in-chief.
About the Author
James M. McPherson is the George Henry Davis '86 Professor of History Emeritus at Princeton University. He is the bestselling author of numerous books on the Civil War, including Battle Cry of Freedom, which won the Pulitzer Prize, Tried by War, and For Cause and Comrades, both of which won the Lincoln Prize.