NF Rebels in the Making: The Secession Crisis and the Birth of the Confederacy

Non-Fiction

Joshism

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Rebels in the Making: The Secession Crisis and the Birth of the Confederacy
by William L. Barney (Oxford University Press, June 2020)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0190076089/&tag=civilwartalkc-20

First I've heard of this book was over at CWBA. I don't recall ever hearing of Barney before. The summary on Amazon is interesting (emphasis added)...

"Regardless of whether they owned slaves, Southern whites lived in a world defined by slavery. As shown by their blaming British and Northern slave traders for saddling them with slavery, most were uncomfortable with the institution. While many wanted it ended, most were content to leave that up to God. All that changed with the election of Abraham Lincoln."
"Rebels in the Making is a narrative-driven history of how and why secession occurred. In this work, senior Civil War historian William L. Barney narrates the explosion of the sectional conflict into secession and civil war. Carefully examining the events in all fifteen slave states and distinguishing the political circumstances in each, he argues that this was not a mass democratic movement but one led from above."
 
Rebels in the Making: The Secession Crisis and the Birth of the Confederacy
by William L. Barney (Oxford University Press, June 2020)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0190076089/&tag=civilwartalkc-20

First I've heard of this book was over at CWBA. I don't recall ever hearing of Barney before. The summary on Amazon is interesting (emphasis added)...

"Regardless of whether they owned slaves, Southern whites lived in a world defined by slavery. As shown by their blaming British and Northern slave traders for saddling them with slavery, most were uncomfortable with the institution. While many wanted it ended, most were content to leave that up to God. All that changed with the election of Abraham Lincoln."
"Rebels in the Making is a narrative-driven history of how and why secession occurred. In this work, senior Civil War historian William L. Barney narrates the explosion of the sectional conflict into secession and civil war. Carefully examining the events in all fifteen slave states and distinguishing the political circumstances in each, he argues that this was not a mass democratic movement but one led from above."
I haven't read the book plus I just bought a bunch of book an WWII armoured warfare but two things to keep in mind.
1. Not all slave owners supported the Confederacy.
1a . At least three Union Generals owned slaves and vigouresly fought the Confederacy; Major General George Thomas , Lt.General William Sherman and Brigader General Oden Guitar of the Missouri State Militia which despite the name was a full time federally funded military force that mostly fought guerrillas but did fight conventional battles as we and per the US Congress were eligible for federal pensions post war.
2. Most Southern whites did support Secession at least early in the war. Yes a sizable minority certainly did not i.e. the 104k Unionist soldiers plus Unionist guerrillas and Home Guards.
Yes many did change their minds as the war worsened for the Confederacy. Post ACW there was no political movement for secession.
Leftyhunter
 
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