Lone Star Unionism, Dissent, and Resistance: Other Sides of Civil War Texas ed. by Jesús F. De La Teja (review)

Texas experienced the American Civil War in distinct ways that differed from how other Confederate states did. Geography played a role in how Texas endured the war, but it was also the diverse political, racial, and ethnic groups that populated the state that created such a unique Civil War era experience. Jesús F. de la Teja organized a symposium to present many of these aspects to the public. After the event's positive reception, de la Teja created an edited volume of the papers prominent historians in the field presented at the symposium. The resulting book represents an important contribution to the historiography because of its multifaceted discussions on unionism, dissent, and resistance in Texas during the Civil War.

The book includes ten essays on a range of topics that deal with the different types of dissent in Texas during the war and how that shaped Texas's experience. Laura McLemore addresses the important issue of how collective memory of Confederate Texas has changed over time, particularly an understanding of the role of women who shaped the culture and appreciation for the state's history rather than following the Lost Cause mythology. Andrew Torget dispels the myth of a happy slave by looking at slave flight and resistance. Along the same lines, W. Caleb McDaniel discusses "refugeed slaves" brought to Texas by their masters, with a focus on why many slaves came to Texas despite opportunities to run during the trip. Victoria Bynum looks at Warren Collins in East Texas as an example of unionist resistance. Walter Kamphoefner and Omar Valerio-Jiménez address dissent by Germans and Tejanos and how these ethnic groups reacted to the Confederate Texas government. Backlash against anti-Confederate sentiment is the focus of Richard McCaslin's essay on violence in North Texas. Rebecca Czuchry discusses African American women and the role of the Freedman's Bureau in their lives during reconstruction. Elizabeth Turner continues this theme by looking at Juneteenth and the meaning of citizenship in Texas. Finally, Carl Moneyhon addresses Edmund J. Davis and his progression to become a radical unionist over the course of the war.

Despite the natural limitations of an anthology, de la Teja's introduction ties the diverse topics from these essays together and creates a framework through which to interpret Texas during this era. Furthermore, unlike most anthologies, the diverse topics covered by each author represent the different experiences occurring simultaneously in Texas. Structurally, this book parallels the unique experience of Texans during the war and demonstrates how any single narrative or viewpoint is particularly limited when trying to understand Texas's Civil War experience. This volume also stands as a comprehensive work of many of the major areas of dissent in Texas during the war, particularly among minorities and the disenfranchised. Germans, Tejanos, blacks, and women all have an active, and too often forgotten, role in shaping the state's history in this era. By presenting all of these narratives together in this book, readers, much like the audience members at the original symposium, are able to see how diverse the state was and that there was no monolithic social or cultural movement that dominated it.

This book is an essential read for layperson and historian alike who are interested in Texas or Civil War history. It greatly expands the field and lays a solid foundation for future research. Civil War historiography tends to bow to the military aspects of the war, but this book illustrates how the civil and military components are perpetually intertwined. The war served as a catalyst for the dissent and resistance these authors discuss, beginning an era of upheaval and change, even if the social changes stagnated under the burden of reconstruction. Finally, this collection brings together major names in the field to present the diverse...