The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 83, July 1979 - April, 1980 Page: 93
464 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Book Reviews
simply to overwhelming Union industrial, financial, and military su-
periority. Others, following the lead of Charles W. Ramsdell, have
blamed the defeat upon the southern obsession with a state rights phi-
losophy which prevented the central government from taking the steps
necessary for victory. Still others, most notably the late David Potter
and Bell Wiley, have focused attention upon the inadequate leadership
of President Jefferson Davis.
The author of the present volume, Paul D. Escott of the University
of North Carolina at Charlotte, while slightly more charitable to Davis
than Potter and Wiley, believes that the Confederate president deserves
much of the blame for the southern defeat. While giving the chief
executive high marks for his dedication to the cause of southern nation-
alism, Escott argues that Davis made serious errors in his failure "to
create the internal unity and spirit essential for the growth of Confed-
erate nationalism" (p. 272). He is particularly critical of Davis's inability
to respond to the needs of the common people of the Confederacy. Re-
cruiting and conscription laws, impressment, destruction of private
property by troops, increased shortages, and rising commodity prices
placed heavy burdens upon the plain folk while in many instances the
aristocracy continued to attend dinner parties and dances as usual. "The
upper class sacrificed luxuries," writes Escott, "while poorer Confeder-
ates faced a grim struggle for existence" (p. 114). The sacrifices required
of the common people led to declining morale and growing dissatisfac-
tion that called for "bold, decisive action in the form of concrete, practi-
cal steps to relieve the suffering of the people" (p. 134). The author be-
lieves that the failure of the Administration to react satisfactorily was
caued in part by Davis's class perspective, in part by his absorption in
military matters and details of administration, and in part by his re-
luctance to provoke the hostility of those who believed the Confederate
government was already too powerful. Ironically, Davis held back from
aiding the plain folk without satisfying the critics who opposed in-
creased centralization.
After Secession is a well written and carefully researched volume.
Much ofthe ground the author covers has been fought over before, but
Escott does focus more attention upon the failure of the Administration
to respond to the needs of the common people than previous writers.
The book does lack somewhat in sharpness and clarity as the author
frequently wanders into a general survey of the difficulties of the Davis
Administration rather than concentrating upon his central theme. Too,
Texas readers will wish the author had devoted a bit more attention to
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 83, July 1979 - April, 1980, periodical, 1979/1980; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101207/m1/113/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.