Synopses & Reviews
Advance praise for
Surviving the Confederacy"Magnificent -- a greater work of history than Gone With the Wind is a novel. By far the fullest account I have ever read of a man and his wife and their family during the Civil War." --Grady McWhiney, Professor Emeritus of History, Texas Christian University
And for John C. Waugh's previous books:
REELECTING LINCOLN:
"Waugh...recounts the 1864 election with great narrative skill. The story sweeps along, with brilliant vignettes of all the players in the drana and one vivid scene after another." --The New York Times Book Review
"It is, as Waugh well knows--and well tells it--a terrific story." --Jonathan Yardley , Washington Post
"An inherently dramatic story... [Waugh] brings to his task the keen eye for detail and scene-setting." --The Wall Street Journal
"Waugh draws out a memorable cast of characters... Waugh's book is a colorfully wrought reminder of how difficult and important the political battles of 1864 were." --The New York Times
The Class of 1846
A "compelling narrative that follows the fate of [the West Point class of 1846] from plebe days to Appomattox and beyond." --David Murray, The New York Times
"John C. Waugh must be given highpoints for originality. His penetrating analysis of that achievement [of a fair, just peace] brings his fine book to an appropriate conclusion." --Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post
A "first-rate and moving account.... Waugh has vividly reconstructed a stirring and often tragic story." --Guy Halverson, The Christian Science Monitor
Review
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR
SURVIVING THE CONFEDERACY"Magnificent--a greater work of history than Gone With the Wind is a novel. By far the fullest account I have ever read of a man and his wife and their family during the Civil War."--Grady McWhiney, Professor Emeritus of History, Texas Christian University
Synopsis
War is hell--and not only on the battlefield, as John Waugh eloquently demonstrates in this fascinating and poignant portrait of one of the South's most well-known and admired couples, Roger and Sara Pryor, their friends, and their society.
Pryor was an ardent and fiery newspaper editor, secessionist leader, and soldier; she a graceful and compassionate companion, mother, and survivor. They were present at many of the crucial moments before and during the Civil War, from the first shot at Sumter to the fall of Richmond. Living examples of the South's pride and success before the war, they were also victims of the ensuing privation and destruction.
If the Pryors are the principal actors in the drama of Surviving the Confederacy, the people they knew and the people who suffered along with them form a resonant chorus that describes the life of the South during the war and the devastation that followed it. Surviving the Confederacy dramatizes that transformation with a story that is uniquely compelling and alive.
About the Author
John C. Waugh is the award-winning author of four other books about the Civil War, two of which--Reelecting Lincoln and The Class of 1846--were Main Selections of the History Book Club. A former bureau chief of the Christian Science Monitor, his writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and the Civil War Times Illustrated. He lives in Pantego, Texas.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Roger
Sara
Harry Hotspur and the
Washington Belle
The Fire-Eater
Coming Untied
Strike a Blow!
Cradle Days of the Confederacy
Sewing for the Rebellion
A Message from the Guns
Seeing the Elephant
Somebody's Darling
Marching with Lee
Alone in the Blackwater
A Bizarre Resignation
War at the Door
In the Cannon's Mouth
The Riderless Horse
The Tightening Noose
The Northern Bastille
Death Knell
Shattered Lives
Into the Arms of the Enemy
Epilogue
The Sweetheart of My Life
A Word of Thanks
Endnotes
Bibliography
Index