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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS No academic work is ever the sole creation of the author. That may sound cliché but it is true nevertheless; it is certainly the case with this one. I cannot thank Ronald Chrisman, the Director of University of North Texas Press, enough for his help and support in getting this project from raw manuscript to finished book. Many thanks also to Karen DeVinney, the Press’s managing editor, for all the work she did to improve the readability of the manuscript. The book is much better for her input. From start to finish my experience with the Press has been nothing but positive. While doing research for the book many people and institutions provided critical assistance. No one, though, was more helpful and supportive than John Coski, Historian and Director of Library and Research at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond. John is one of those rare individuals for whom the term “gentleman scholar” actually fits. On more than one occasion I went to Richmond to do research and discovered that John had found items I had either overlooked or did not know existed and made them available for me. I also want to thank Teresa Roane, Library Manager, and the rest of the staff at the Museum of the Confederacy for all their help during my trips to Richmond. The staff of the Southern Collection at the University of North Carolina was also a tremendous help to me as were those at Carrier Library (James Madison University), J. D. Williams Library (University of Mississippi), the Library of Congress, the State Library of Virginia, Alderman Library (University of Virginia), and Perkins Library (Duke University). Lastly, but certainly not least, I need to thank my family. My wife Julie had to endure my obsession with this topic for a number of years. There were also many times when our daughter Lauren was a toddler that Julie made sure I had the time and space I needed to work on the manuscript. It is to Julie, really, that I owe the most. And as for Lauren, thank you for understanding when Daddy had to get some work done. Roseboro, North Carolina July 2008 vii ...

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