Levin traces the history of the black Confederate myth that winds down a Lost Cause path to the late-19th century and the faithful slave narrative. Monuments to faithful “servants” (a popular euphemism for slave) and black Confederate “mascots” in Rebel gray at reunions populate the early story - and Levin deftly explains their presence and usefulness to the postwar construction of the Lost Cause myth.
Read MoreJeffry Wert’s Isoroku Yamamoto-esque “sleeping giant” metaphor certainly works, but only because he couples it with a review of the individuals who had the determination and the foresight to use what they had before them.
Read MoreHolzer’s analysis illustrates Lincoln’s political cunning, intentional obfuscation, and deliberate planting of information in order to finesse the notion of emancipation for an uneasy citizenry. Emancipating Lincoln offers some surprising conclusions, suggesting that Lincoln’s image as emancipator was longer coming than we might have previously imagined.
Read MoreReaders interested in the war narrative as understood through the mind of a young man behind the lines will find Janet Elizabeth Croon’s editing accomplishments worthy of celebration. Her exhaustive work helps the reader negotiate the many obstacles that emerge from Gresham’s pen as fact, rumor, and pure misinformation.
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