In his masterpiece, Jefferson Davis, American, William J.
Cooper, Jr., crafted a sweeping, definitive biography and
established himself as the foremost scholar on the intriguing
Confederate president. Cooper narrows his focus considerably in
Jefferson Davis and the Civil War Era, training his expert eye
specifically on Davis's participation in and influence on events
central to the American Civil War. Nine self-contained essays
address how Davis reacted to and dealt with a variety of issues
that were key to the coming of the war, the war itself, or in
memorializing the war, sharply illuminating Davis's role during
those turbulent years.
Cooper opens with an analysis of Davis as an antebellum
politician, challenging the standard view of Davis as either a
dogmatic priest of principle or an inept bureaucrat. Next, he looks
closely at Davis's complex association with secession, which
included, surprisingly, a profound devotion to the Union. Six
studies explore Davis and the Confederate experience, with topics
including states' rights, the politics of command and strategic
decisions, Davis in the role of war leader, the war in the West,
and the meaning of the war. The final essay compares and contrasts
Davis's first inauguration in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1861 with a
little-known dedication of a monument to Confederate soldiers in
the same city twenty-five years later. In 1886, Davis -- an old man
of seventy-eight and in poor health -- had himself become a living
monument, Cooper explains, and was an essential element in the
formation of the Lost Cause ideology.
Cooper's succinct interpretations provide straightforward,
compact, and deceptively deep new approaches to understanding Davis
during the most critical time in his life. Certain to stimulate
further thought and spark debate, Jefferson Davis and the Civil War
Era offers rare insight into one of American history's most
complicated and provocative figures.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!