The Confederate Carpetbaggers (review)

BOOK REVIEWS83 have colored the history of Civil War blockade running. Stories, rumors, and tall tales painted flashy pictures of small, fast, ghostly vessels slicing through the Union blockade of the Southern coasts during the war, vessels crewed by derring-doers, ruffians, and heroes who kept the Rebel foreign lifeline open to feed, clothe, arm, and encourage a beleaguered people. Most of the tales were too tall, the facts too scant, and the books too thin to do justice to a fabulous story. Shortly after the war a few participants told part of their history and some Union naval officers filled in more of the picture. A few serious scholars tested the waters, but sources remained vague and the task daunting. How many blockade runners ran through, how many were captured; who manned them, who were the famous captains? It was not until the publication of Frank L. Owsley's magisterial King Cotton Diplomacy (1931) that the scope and strength of Confederate efforts to run the blockade were glimpsed. Owsley confessed he had only scratched the surface, looking for others to extend his work. Others did follow and gaps in history narrowed, but the big, complete work on blockade running eluded capture. Stephen R. Wise's Lifeline of the Confederacy: Blockade Running During the Civil War is the closest yet to a definitive study. Superior research, careful analysis, and sound writing sustain his work, a book marred only by irritating printing errors. Especially impressive are Wise's appendixes listing ships, ports, and captures. He understands the importance of Confederate efforts to organize foreign supplies within and without the Confederacy, does a good job in telling the story of Southern purchasing in England and Europe, puts the Erlanger loan in perspective and gives proper praise to Mason, Slidell, Caleb Huse, Colin McRae, Josiah Gorgas, Thomas L. Bayne and many others who kept the war going. From his sharp assessment of the blockade problem for the U.S. Navy to his conservative judgment on the success of Confederate efforts in the breach, Wise is informed and persuasive. His book will take a commanding place on the shelves of important Civil War books, making much simpler the crafting of the epic that awaits in shadow and in substance. Frank E. Vandiver Texas A&M University The Confederate Carpetbaggers. By Daniel E. Sutherland. (Baton Rouge and London: Louisiana State University Press, 1988. Pp. xviii, 360. $40.00.) From before the Revolution, Southerners have sojourned in the North; since the Civil War, large numbers have settled there. Perhaps ironically, former Confederates pioneered in the latter migration, precisely when 84CTVTL WAR HISTORY their better known Yankee counterparts were heading South. Daniel Sutherland's valuable book spotlights these "Confederate carpetbaggers." Of the estimated 20,000 Confederates who moved North, Sutherland positively identified more than 1,000; of these, he accumulated significant biographical information on a "core group" of nearly 600. Most of the migrants were young and unmarried. They hailed disproportionately from the Upper South. Few were the children of either wealthy planters or impoverished yeomen. Most settled in New York and Illinois. Confederate carpetbaggers typically left the South to pursue business or professional careers in what they perceived as the land of opportunity. Despite this similarity with Yankee carpetbaggers, the Confederates rarely sought advancement through politics. The political context of the two sections of course helps account for this. Although the Southern emigrants eschewed public office, they were not apolitical. Most were staunch Democrats; even the least partisan strongly advocated sectional reconciliation . Burton Norvell Harrison, an aide of Jefferson Davis who became a prominent New York attorney, and his wife Constance Cary Harrison, a popular author, offer good examples. Both figure prominently in Sutherland's narrative. The early chapters are the strongest. In examining who the Confederate carpetbaggers were, why they moved North, and what they experienced when they got there, Sutherland showcases his considerable research skills. He doggedly pursued biographical information and mastered a wide range of specialized secondary literature to resurrect the Confederate carpetbaggers. At its best, the work provides a model of interdisciplinary historical investigation. The more topical subsequent chapters are not as satisfying. Although informative, they are somewhat repetitive. They also contain some factual...