Jefferson Davis's Final Campaign

Jefferson Davis's Final Campaign
Author: Philip D. Dillard
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2017
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780881466058

Jefferson Davis faced the greatest crisis of his Confederate presidency in the fall of 1864. Stunning Union victories and thinning army ranks forced Davis to decide whether independence or slavery was most important. In November, Davis called on Congress to reconsider the role of the slave in the Southern war effort. His goal was not simply to find more men for Lee's army but rather to create a new Confederate identity based in the experience of war rather than in the shadows of the Old South. Exploring the debate as it unfolded in Virginia, Georgia, and Texas, differences between the Upper South, Deep South, and Trans-Mississippi South emerge. Davis waged his final campaign in newspapers as he challenged the Southern people to define a new role for the slave. Discussion of black men in gray uniforms brought forth long-hidden divisions between planters, yeoman, and poor whites. By looking for common Southerners who held neither high government office nor military position, this work paints a more complex picture of the importance of slavery within the Civil War South. By the spring of 1865, the conservative revolution of 1861 had in fact become a true revolution. The vast majority of Virginians, Georgians, and even some Texans discovered that slavery could be sacrificed more easily than Southern independence. Jefferson Davis won his final campaign by convincing many Southerners that the Confederate nation was more important than the institution of slavery. Book jacket.

The Last Campaign

The Last Campaign
Author: Zachary Karabell
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2007-12-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 0307428869

In The Last Campaign, Zachary Karabell rescues the 1948 presidential campaign from the annals of political folklore ("Dewey Defeats Truman," the Chicago Tribune memorably and erroneously heralded), to give us a fresh look at perhaps the last time the American people could truly distinguish what the candidates stood for. In 1948, Harry Truman, the feisty working-class Democratic incumbent was one of the most unpopular presidents the country had ever known. His Republican rival, the aloof Thomas Dewey, was widely thought to be a shoe-in. These two major party candidates were flanked on the far left by the Progressive Henry Wallace, and on the far right by white supremacist Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond. The Last Campaign exposes the fascinating story behind Truman’s legendary victory and turns a probing eye toward a by-gone era of political earnestness, when, for “the last time in this century, an entire spectrum of ideologies was represented,” a time before television fundamentally altered the political landscape.

With Sheridan in the Final Campaign against Lee, by Lt. Col. Frederick C. Newhall, Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry

With Sheridan in the Final Campaign against Lee, by Lt. Col. Frederick C. Newhall, Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry
Author: Eric J. Wittenberg
Publisher: LSU Press
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2002-07-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780807127568

After enlisting in the elite Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment of the Army of the Potomac, Frederick Newhall (1840--1898) quickly rose to company commander and eventually to provost marshal and assistant adjutant general at Cavalry Corps headquarters. There, riding alongside Major General Philip H. Sheridan -- the dynamic, inspirational bantam who led the Union cavalry to glory in 1864 and 1865 -- Newhall witnessed the inner workings of Union cavalry operations and many of the important events that spurred the end of the Civil War. A highly intelligent observer, he published the details of his experiences in 1866, before time could dull his memory. This new edition of Newhall's memoir, carefully edited by Eric J. Wittenberg, makes his revealing eyewitness account widely available once again. Newhall had both Sheridan's ear and confidence during the campaign from Petersburg to Appomattox in April 1865. He was sent by the general to convey information directly to Ulysses S. Grant and George Meade, and he was present with Sheridan during Lee's surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House. Loyal to the last, Newhall vigorously defended Sheridan's controversial relief of Major General G. K. Warren from command of the Fifth Corps after the Battle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865. Wittenberg has carefully transcribed and annotated Newhall's original text, adding maps, photographs, a preface, a biographical sketch of Newhall, an order of battle, and a selected bibliography. He also includes the text of a pamphlet that Warren printed defending himself and criticizing Sheridan, and Newhall's response to it. An enlightening insider's view of Union leadership during the Civil War's denouement, Wittenberg's excellent edition of Newhall's lively and descriptive commentary rescues an important and informative perspective from the vault of history.

The Final Battles of the Petersburg Campaign

The Final Battles of the Petersburg Campaign
Author: A. Wilson Greene
Publisher: Univ. of Tennessee Press
Total Pages: 594
Release: 2008
Genre: Petersburg (Va.)
ISBN: 1572336102

The Petersburg Campaign was what finally did it. After months of relentless conflict throughout 1864, the Confederate army led by General Robert E. Lee holed up in the Virginia city of Petersburg as Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's vastly superior forces lurked nearby. The brutal fighting that took place around the city during 1864 and into 1865 decimated both armies as Grant used his manpower advantage to repeatedly smash the Confederate lines, a tactic that eventually resulted in the decisive breakthrough that ultimately doomed the Confederacy. The breakthrough and the events that led up to it are the subject of A. Wilson Greene's groundbreaking book The Final Battles of the Petersburg Campaign, a significant revision of a much-praised work first published in 2000. Surprisingly, despite Petersburg's decisive importance to the war's outcome, the campaign has received scant attention from historians. Greene's book, with its incisive analysis and compelling narrative, changes this, offering readers a rich account of the personalities and strategies that shaped the final phase of the fighting. Greene's ultimate focus on the climatic engagements of April 2, 1865, the day that Confederate control of Richmond and Petersburg was effectively ended. The book tells this story from the perspectives of the two army groups that clashed on that day: the Union Sixth Corps and the Confederate Third Corps. But Greene does more than just recount the military tactics at Petersburg; he also connects the reader intimately with how the war affected society and spotlights the soldiers, both officers and enlisted men, whose experiences defined the outcome. Thanks to his extensive research and consultation of rare source materials, Greene gives readers a vibrant perspective on the campaign that broke the Confederate spirit once and for all. A. Wilson Greene is president of Pamplin Historical Park & The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier near Petersburg, Virginia. He also has taught at Mary Washington College and worked for sixteen years with the National Park Service.

The Life and Work of Jefferson Davis

The Life and Work of Jefferson Davis
Author: Jefferson Davis
Publisher: Good Press
Total Pages: 3025
Release: 2024-01-17
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

The anthology 'The Life and Work of Jefferson Davis' presents an intricate exploration of one of the most polarizing figures in American history, through a blend of literary styles ranging from biographical sketches to analytical essays. The collection captures the multifaceted persona of Davis, not only as the President of the Confederacy but also as a man of letters, a politician, and a soldier, offering readers a comprehensive view of his life, ideology, and legacy. The diversity within the pages of this anthology underscores the complexity of Southern identity, the nuances of American Civil War history, and the enduring debate over Davis's place in American historiography, making it a significant contribution to the field. The contributors, Jefferson Davis himself and his biographer Frank H. Alfriend, bring together a powerful combination of firsthand insights and scholarly analysis. Davis provides a unique introspective into his own life, complemented by Alfriend's external perspective shaped by his historical and cultural insights, positioning this anthology at the convergence of personal memoir and scholarly biography. Together, they illuminate the societal and political undercurrents of the 19th century American South, adding depth to the discourse on Confederate legacy and American history. For scholars, students, and enthusiasts of American history, 'The Life and Work of Jefferson Davis' offers a nuanced and detailed examination of a contentious figure. The anthology encourages readers to engage with the complexities of historical narratives, providing a valuable resource for understanding the myriad ways in which individual lives can reflect broader cultural and political landscapes. Its a must-read for those seeking to unravel the intricate tapestry of America's past, offering a rare blend of personal reflection and academic analysis.

Lee's Last Campaign

Lee's Last Campaign
Author: Clifford Dowdey
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing Inc.
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2011-09-13
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1616084111

By May 1864, General Robert E. Lee had been transformed from a young soldier into a gray-haired patriarch of the Confederate cause. As Lee struggled to keep his ragged soldiers alive, he faced pressure from two fronts. Grant’s Union Army not only had superior numbers, but a steadfast infra-structure or railroads and industrialized supply routes. Lee’s Last Campaign is a triumph of historic research and elegant writing. In this essential analysis of General Lee’s military strategy, Dowdey follows the triumphs and tragedies of the Army of Northern Virginia as it breathed its last gasps at the end of the Civil War.

The Papers of Jefferson Davis

The Papers of Jefferson Davis
Author: Jefferson Davis
Publisher: LSU Press
Total Pages: 808
Release: 1999-12-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0807158895

Kenneth H. Williams, Associate Editor Peggy L. Dillard, Editorial Associate The autumn of 1863 was a trying time for Jefferson Davis. Even as he expressed unwavering confidence about the eventual success of the Confederate movement, he had to realize that mounting economic problems, low morale, and rotating army leadership were threatening the welfare of the new nation. Less than a year after the October 1863 Confederate victory at Chickamauga, the South relinquished Atlanta to Sherman. During the tumultuous eleven months chronicled in Volume 10, Davis retained his fervor for southern nationalism as he struggled furiously to command a war and maintain a government. As the letters contained here illustrate, he soldiered bravely on.

Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Davis
Author: William C. Davis
Publisher: LSU Press
Total Pages: 820
Release: 1991
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780807120798

A biography of Jefferson Davis: statesman, Mexican war hero, and President of the Confederate States of America.

Civil War

Civil War
Author: Gary Gallagher
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2014-02-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1472807790

This edition from Osprey Publishing presents the full story of the American Civil War. The four long years of Civil War saw fighting across America on an unprecedented scale, incurring losses to both sides to an extent never previously imagined. As the battles raged from east to west, from the First Battle of Bull run to Sherman's march to the Sea, no part of America remained untouched by the war, with families finding themselves torn and fighting on opposing sides. More than 150 years on, the war continues to fascinate us, and the key commanders, both presidents, and battle sites are forever enshrined in America's history. With a foreword by James McPherson, this volume brings together the work of four leading US historians to provide a thoroughly comprehensive and insightful study of the war, packed with first-hand accounts from soldiers and civilians alike. Superbly illustrated with more than 150 contemporary black-and white and color images, and with 40 specially commissioned full-color maps, this edition provides an analysis of the causes, events, and effects of the Civil War.