The Long Shadow of the Civil War: Southern Dissent and Its Legacies

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments I can never adequately acknowledge all those who have assisted or encouraged me in the writing of this book, particularly since some of its research was conducted twenty-five years ago. More than I ever imagined it would, The Long Shadow of the Civil War has evolved into a sampler of the major historical events and issues that have fascinated me since I first discovered the joys of archival research as a college undergraduate. Along the way, I have met and exchanged ideas with an amazing number of people. The first person to thank is Gregg Andrews, my husband and colleague, who has shared my journeys into the past like no one else. Gregg’s own fascination with Newt Knight and the Free State of Jones inspired him to write and perform (as Dr. G and the Mudcats) “Jones County Jubilee,” the signature song for my website, Renegade South. Our partnership is truly the best part of being a historian! Several independent writers have shared ideas and resources with me, none more so than historian Ed Payne of Jackson, Mississippi, and I thank him for his generosity, friendship, and moral support over the years. Likewise , novelist Jonathan Odell of Minneapolis, Minnesota, has inspired me with essays and drafts of his own works-in-progress, while supporting my own efforts to understand Mississippi’s turbulent past. Many individuals, including Sondra Yvonne Bivins, Florence Knight Blaylock, B. T. Collins Jr., Donnis and Keith Lyon, Wynona Green Frost, Dorothy Lyon Thomas, Dianne Walkup, and Kenneth Welch, shared their research files with me, providing materials as crucial to this volume as any held in archives and libraries. Photographs, documents, family stories, and Acknowledgments 208 simple encouragement were likewise provided by Rhonda Benoit, Vicki Betts, Danny Coats, Dwayne Coats, Allen Green, Frances Jackson, Ralph Kirkland, Eldon Knight, Dorothy Ladoceour, James McNabb, Martha Miller, Catherine and Harlen McKnight, Ralph Poore, Elaine Reynolds, Betty Zimmerman, and many more. The enthusiasm and helpfulness of my internet correspondents added enormously to the pleasure of writing this book. My ability to communicate far and wide on the blogosphere was facilitated by Robin Keen of Desert Star Media, who designed and created my website, Renegade South. Likewise, Brigitte London of Outlaw Magazine. com nudged me into the world of blogging. Besides introducing me to the thoughtful comments of folks who revere the craft of history, various internet blogsites have brought cyberspace debates about race, the Civil War, and the Myth of the Lost Cause right to my desktop. Wading into discussions on Frank Sweet and A. G. Powell’s “Study of Racialism” or Kevin M. Levin’s “Civil War Memory” is not for the faint of heart but always stimulating! My thanks to Robert Moore of “Cenantua” for inviting me to post on his special blogsite “Southern Unionist Chronicles.” Serious bloggers , I have learned, are among the hardest-working and most intellectually astute members of the history profession. Other of my history colleagues supported the development of this book by including me on conference panels or inviting me to contribute essays to anthologies. LeeAnn Whites has done both, and I especially value her support, encouragement, and friendship. Thanks also to Charles Bolton, Brad Bond, Ann Elwood, John Inscoe, Marjoleine Kars, Daniel Letwin, Alecia Long, Elizabeth Payne, Brooks Simpson, Aaron Sheehan-Dean, Jonathan Sarris, Marjorie Spruill, Martha Swain, Sarah Wilkerson-Freeman, David Williams, David Woodbury, Gerald Prokopowicz, and Karen Zipf for the interest they have shown in my scholarship over the years. I am grateful to the Texas State Historical Association for awarding me the Lawrence T. Jones III Research Fellowship in 2003, which enabled me to conduct statewide research in Texas records. I appreciate as well those Texas State University administrators, notably Dean Ann Marie Ellis and Associate Provost Gene Bourgeois, who have made the research needs of faculty a high priority. I would be remiss not to mention that dean assistant Pam Lemoine has also made life at the university infinitely more fun. My history department colleagues recognize all too well the difficulty of producing scholarship while meeting a demanding teaching schedule. Department chair Frank de la Teja came to my technological rescue many Acknowledgments 209 times, unlocking the mysteries of the latest computer program or cheerfully correcting my word processing mistakes. Mary Brennan, Denny Dunn, Paul Hart, Bill Liddle, Ken Margerison, Liz Makowski, Rebecca Montgomery, Angie Murphy, Ana Romo, Dwight Watson, and Tug Wilson good-naturedly...