A History of Mississippi (review)

BOOK REVIEWS51 A History of Mississippi. Vol. I: To 1890. Vol. II: 1890 to present. Edited by Richard Aubrey McLemore. (Hattiesburg: University & College Press of Mississippi, 1973. Pp. xiii, 703; xi, 651. $25.00.) In his preface to Volume I, Richard McLemore, editor of this important study, states that A History of Mississippi "is designed to present a comprehensive coverage of the past." With clear-cut goals in mind and forty-four of the finest available Mississippi scholars committed to contributing significant parts to the undertaking, he launched a project that has resulted in a monumental study of America's most misunderstood and maligned state. The result is truly impressive. Editing the scholarly writing of historians, university presidents, newspapermen , and politicians, among other strong-willed persons, was, I suspect, no small feat for McLemore to accomplish. Not only did he succeed at the task, but he enhanced the narrative by organizing the chapters logically into a meaningful whole with the necessary dimensions for real understanding. Naturally, the History is not without flaws. As is inevitable in any cooperative undertaking of such dimensions, some chapters are better organized and more readable than others; some scholars relied more heavily on secondary sources than did others; and some writers tended to exaggerate the importance of particular events or persons. Nevertheless, the end result is a state history second to none. In Volume I, six different scholars developed chapters relating to the coming of the Civil War, the conflict itself, and the early years of Reconstruction. All were eminently qualified for the assignments they undertook; each previously produced volumes or articles that received critical acclaim from peers. The six authors of Civil War related material were John Edmond Gonzales, William K. Scarborough, Glover Moore, Edwin C. Bearss, John K. Bettersworth, and William C. Harris. Without a doubt, theirs are among the best chapters in the book both in style and organization. Gonzales and Moore accurately developed major political and economic events leading to disillusionment and eventual succession; Scarborough discussed carefully and brilliantly the development of Mississippi agriculture, particularly emphasizing the growth of slavery, plantation expansion, and individual efforts at agricultural diversification; Bearss and Bettersworth were concerned solely with the Civil War—Bearss discussed state military activities and Bettersworth the home front; and Harris portrayed clearly and accurately the effects of early Reconstruction on the state. All used the best secondary materials available and delved generously into rich primary sources. Some of the chapters, especially "The Armed Conflict, 1861-1865" by Bearss, should have included maps to illuminate the narrative. In fact, the general absence of maps throughout the History is a major weakness that could have and should have been avoided. A History of Mississippi is enhanced by the generous use of excellent pictures, a truly superb bibliography of Mississippi materials, and a 52CIVIL WAR HISTORY usable index. Also, the University & College Press of Mississippi deserves much credit for producing a handsome and quality product at a reasonable cost. In sum, the volumes present the history of a state with an exciting and turbulent past standing on the threshold of a rich future. The new Mississippi history should stand for years as a yardstick by which the quality of similar efforts by scholars in other states will be measured. Arthur H. DeRosier, Jr. East Tennessee State University Hog Meat and Hoecake: Food Supply in the Old South 1840-1860. By Sam Bowers Hilliard. (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1972. Pp. 296. $10.00.) Historians of Southern agriculture have usually placed emphasis on the high degree of crop specialization that existed in the antebellum South. The traditional view is that the preoccupation of Southern farmers , especially the planters, with commercial crops—cotton, rice, sugarresulted in food shortages that had to be made up by the importation of considerable amounts of foodstuffs from the West. Not so, claims the author of this book. The South was largely feeding itself either with locally grown produce or foodstuffs supplied by an intraregional trade network. Although he freely uses manuscript materials and travel accounts, the author's major conclusions on Southern self-sufficiency are arrived at by comparing the data found in the published census records with the estimated...