John Letcher of Virginia: The Story of Virginia's Civil War Governor (review)

BOOK REVIEWS67 Unfortunately, before die cruisers were quite complete and before die Dolphin had had her trials, die Cleveland administration entered office. The new Secretary of die Navy, W. C. Whitney, was a reformer who had to find dragons of corruption to slay, real or imaginary. Influenced by die virulent press campaign against Roach, he repudiated die Navy's contract, refused to accept die Dolphin, and widiheld the payments due on die vessels. Roach, widi his working capital exhausted, hounded by Whitney and die press, and failing in healUi, in July, 1885, put his industrial empire into receivership. Eighteen mondis later he was dead. Historians have tended to accept at face value die vicious newspaper allegations concerning Roach. This exhaustively researched and carefully documented work by Mr. Swann is Roach's vindication. Winston B. Lewis U.S. Naval Academy John Letcher of Virginia: The Story of Virginia's Civil War Governor. By F. N. Boney. (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1967. Pp. 319. $6.95.) All told, thirty men served as Confederate state governors during die turbulent years 1861-1865. These men varied greatly in character, ability and political philosophy. Some, including Joseph E. Brown of Georgia and Zebulon B. Vance of North Carolina, were so provincial in dieir outlook diat diey often put die interests of dieir states above diose of die Confederacy. Others, including John Milton of Florida and John Letcher of Virginia, while very sensitive to state prerogative, realized diat die conduct of die war was primarily a national effort and hence were inclined to make substantial concessions to Confederate authority. John Letcher, as portrayed by F. N. Boney, was less colorful and less shrewd than Brown, Vance and some of die otiier Confederate governors. He came from middle-class background and his formal education terminated with one year in college. As a young man he became deeply interested in the politics of die Lexington community in which he was reared. To get ahead in politics, he entered die legal profession where he won die respect of his fellows and achieved considerable success. Lexington was a Whig stronghold, but the larger region of which it was a part was Democratic. By upbringing and by inclination John Letcher was a member of die Jeffersonian -Jacksonian school of politics, and it was as a Democrat diat he rose successively to die positions of congressman and governor. Letcher was not outstanding either in appearance or ability. He was a considerate husband, a fond fadier and an agreeable companion. His favorite diversion was to sit around die fire in his comfortable home, smoke, sip bourbon and talk politics widi a few middle-class friends. He succeeded bodi as a lawyer and as a politician largely because of his honesty, application and congeniality. As war governor of an invaded border state he had one of die most 68CIVIL WAR HISTORY difficult jobs in die Confederacy. He had to raise and equip troops botii for Confederate and state use, and tiiere was never enough of manpower or equipment to meet die ever pressing needs. He had to obtain for his people scare commodities such as salt, meat, bread and clothing. His difficulties were enormously complicated by inflation, and by die stresses and strains incident to invasion. He also had to try to preserve harmony between state and confederate officials, and this was a task tiiat chronically tried his patience and consumed his energies. Professor Boney faults Letcher for lack of imagination, boldness and brilliance and for concentration on details to die neglect of larger matters of state. But he commends die governor for his sincerity, integrity, moderation, flexibility and devotion to duty. He admits tiiat by today's standards Letcher's administration leaves much to be desired but concludes tiiat "by comparison to all but a very few rebel governors, Letcher was a model of cooperativeness, a pillar of strengtii for die Confederacy." This judgment is sustained by abundant research, logical reasoning and common sense. Bell I. Wiley Emory University Robert Toombs of Georgia. By William Y. Thompson. ( Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1966. Pp. xiii, 281. $7.50.) It is perhaps symbolic of die vanity and frustration which marked die life...