Book Notes

BOOK NOTES Nancy HanL·: Mother of Lincoln. By Charles Ludwig. (Grand Rapids , Mich.: Baker Book House, 1965. Pp. 88. $1.95.) Only those on the below-teenage level wiU derive any knowledge or interest from this book. While the dustjacket proclaims that "boys and girls, men and women wiU be thriUed by this story of faith and perseverance . . .," adult readers wiU find it only one step from hilarious. The author has relied almost entirely on secondary sources. He has created drama, manufactured color, and so padded the work with undocumented conversation that the truthfulness of the whole narrative is suspect . For the serious student of history, one thing alone can be said of this volume; its thirteen iUustrations are enüghtening. The Strange Career of Jim Crow. By C. Vann Woodward. (2nd rev. ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1966. Pp. xiii, 205. $4.50.) C. Vann Woodward's The Strange Career of Jim Crow first appeared in 1955, and the high volume of discussion it provoked has yet to subside. Indeed, if anything, this analysis of southern race relations has enjoyed greater popularity in recent years than ever before. The original edition of Woodward's work traced the development of segregation in the South from the 1876 withdrawal of Federal troops from a "reconstructed" Dixie through the Supreme Court's monumental 1954 decision. This second edition , revised and enlarged, brings the segregation story up to date. Woodward has used the perspective of the past ten years to re-evaluate his theses; he has digested the major scholarship done on the race issue since 1955; and he has included here discussions of the principal events that have transpired in the preceding, tumultuous decade. "The intervening years of social upheaval and pohtical travail since 1955," he states, "have stirred deeper emotions, aroused larger expectations, and provoked quicker tempers and shorter tolerance for divergent views than prevailed in discussions of the subject a decade ago." The Confederate Horsemen. By David Knapp, Jr. (New York: Vantage Press, 1966. Pp. 302. $4.50.) Had The Confederate Horseman appeared during the literary flood that accompanied the first year of the Civil War Centennial, it would 286 have enjoyed a greater reception than it is likely now to experience. Mr. Knapp is to be commended for his interest in, and love of, Confederate history. But labors of love do not naturally result in works of solid value. This, unfortunately, is the case here. The book contains short—sometimes superficial—sketches of forty-three Confederate cavalry leaders. "Jeb" Stuart dominates the whole; Bedford Forrest and John Mosby foUow closely behind; and such lesser figures as Heros von Borcke, W. W. Adams, Turner Ashby, Basil Duke, et al. comprise the pack. Knapp rarely reveals anything new on any of the subjects (with the possible exception of death dates). His erratic documentation will foster more confusion than enlightenment . The book has some potential as bedtime reading; it wiU be out of place in the library containing basic and useful sources. Rebel Lawyer: Letters of Theodorick W. Montfort, 1861-1862. Edited by Spencer B. King, Jr. (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1965. Pp. 84. $3.00.) In 1861 an Oglethorpe, Georgia, attorney and farmer named Theodorick Montfort joined a local militia unit that soon became Company K of the 25th Georgia Infantry. Montfort gained quick promotion to lieutenant and saw action in western Virginia before returning to coastal defense duty in his native state. He was captured in April, 1862, when Federals successfully assaulted Fort Pulasld. For Montfort, seventeen months of prison life followed. He died only weeks after receiving his parole. Montfort's letters, skillfuUy edited by Professor Spencer King of Mercer University, contain no startling revelations on either battles or leaders. The contents treat for the most part of camp life, duU duty, and prison tribulations. The letters are, in short, the unpretentious expressions of an unassuming and forgotten Confederate soldier. Therein lies their greatest value. Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address Illustrated. By Jack E. Levin. (Philadelphia: Chilton Company, 1965. Pp. 41. $2.95.) There is nothing new or original in this slim volume. PracticaUy every school child in America can recite the Gettysburg Address; and, thanks in...