Embattled Confederates: An Illustrated History of Southerners at War (review)

BOOK REVIEWS213 those of his subject. Furthermore, except in the matter of enlisting Negro troops, there is little to indicate that Gurowski ever really accomplished anything. The problem of bis influence is largely unexplored. Lincoln's Gadfly, an admirable book in many respects, thus contributes only modestly to our understanding of the Civil War, but as a view of that war from the hmatic fringe, it would be hard to match. Don E. Fehrenbacher Stanford University Embattled Confederates: An Illustrated History of Southerners at War. By Bell Irvin Wiley and Hirst D. Milhollen. (New York: Harper and Row, 1964. Pp. x, 290. $10.00.) Unlike many profusely illustrated volumes, Embattled Confederates is not short on history. Bell Irvin Wiley, the author, and Hirst Milhollen, compiler of the illustrations, explains that the book "is not—nor is it intended to be—a complete history of the Confederacy." Yet there is a great amount of factual information in this well-written, smooth-flowing account of the Confederate people at war. Although no new information or interpretations are offered, it is a masterly synthesis reflecting Professor Wiley's understanding of Confederate history. Only a person thoroughly familiar with the primary and secondary materials could attain the balance he has in Embattled Confederates. This is primarily a book about people," writes Professor Wiley; and it is exactly that. From the first chapter, The Parting of Ways," to the last, The Collapse of the Confederacy," the southern people from all walks of life are the center of attention. The only group which does not receive its share of space is the unionist element in the South. Approximately one-half of the text is devoted to political, military, and naval matters, with emphasis always on the individuals who formulated, administered , and followed the programs and policies, rather than on the issues, strategy, and battles. Adequate space is given to economic problems and conditions. Entire chapters are assigned to the armament and munition industries and to transportation and commerce, but also discussed are wages, inflation, speculation, hoarding, handicrafts, agriculture, shortages, and financial matters. The problems, contributions, and wartime activities of women, the conflict's effect on the Negroes, and the educational, cultural , intellectual, moral, and religious aspects of the struggle are astutely handled. Not only does the reader gain insight to the lives of southerners in camp and on the home front, but he also feels as though the writer has walked with his subjects and caught the spirit of the time. The appendices afford a valuable source of reference. Included are listings of Confederate cabinet members, congressmen and their committee appointments, governors, generals, and the roster of a representative infantry company. As is customary in works of this land there are no footnotes or bibliography, but there is an excellent index. Professor Wiley has 214CIVIL war history been generous in citing within the text the writers whom he has quoted, and while he has relied heavily on published works, anyone who has researched in manuscripts of the period will recognize that the author also has drawn from these sources. The illustrations are magnificent! Some are familiar, especially the portraits of high-ranking political and military leaders and well-known women, but most of the etchings, drawings, and photographs have not appeared in other volumes. Of special interest are the photographs of Negroes and the street scenes in southern towns. So realistic are the latter taken at close range that one can almost smell the dust and feel the mud of the dirt thoroughfares. To see new faces throughout the book, even though all cannot be positively identified, is indeed refreshing. Mr. Milhollen is to be congratulated on his selection of illustrations. Embattled Confederates is an accurate but not a pedantic account interesting but not superficial. It is beautifully written and illustrated and should be enjoyed by anyone who has an interest in Confederate history. Mary Elizabeth Massey Winthrop College The WUd Life of the Army: Civil War Letters of James A. Garfield. Edited by Frederick D. Williams. (East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1964. Pp. xx, 325. $8.50.) The military record of James A. Garfield had much to do with winning him a congressional nomination...