Embattled Rebel

Jefferson Davis and the Confederate Civil War

De: James M. McPherson

Narrado por: Robert Fass

From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom, a powerful new reckoning with Jefferson Davis as military commander of the Confederacy

“The best concise book we have on the subject… McPherson is… our most distinguished scholar of the Civil War era.” —The New York Times Book Review

History has not been kind to Jefferson Davis. Many Americans of his own time and in later generations considered him an incompetent leader, not to mention a traitor. Not so, argues James M. McPherson. In Embattled Rebel, McPherson shows us that Davis might have been on the wrong side of history, but that it is too easy to diminish him because of his cause’s failure. Gravely ill throughout much of the Civil War, Davis nevertheless shaped and articulated the principal policy of the Confederacy—the quest for independent nationhood—with clarity and force. He exercised a tenacious hands-on influence in the shaping of military strategy, and his close relationship with Robert E. Lee was one of the most effective military-civilian partnerships in history.

Lucid and concise, Embattled Rebel presents a fresh perspective on the Civil War as seen from the desk of the South’s commander in chief.

Reseñas de la Crítica

Steven Hahn, The New York Times Book Review:
“The best concise book we have on the subject… McPherson is… our most distinguished scholar of the Civil War era.”

The Wall Street Journal:
“Mr. McPherson…mounts a defense of Davis is provocative; the book in which he argues it is quietly persuasive…. Mr. McPherson covers a great deal of ground. And there is an economical grace to his prose that makes the book a lightning-quick but lingering read that will appeal not only to Civil War buffs but also to those curious about the Southern presidency and government.”

The Washington Post:
“[A] fine study of Davis’s military leadership….To this day it is difficult for many Americans to view Davis with dispassion, but McPherson has made a noble attempt to do so….Davis himself does not make that easy.”

Christian Science Monitor:
“Open minds are in short supply today, so it is refreshing that Civil War scholar and Pulitzer-winning author James M. McPherson has taken a fresh look at a subject with which is he eminently familiar: the life and times of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. With more than a dozen books about America’s greatest crucible to his credit, the 78-year-old author is still challenging past postulations.”

North South Magazine:
“Superb... McPherson succeeds admirably in recreating the world of 1861-1865 as seen through the eyes of a Southern nationalist and ardent defender of the established social order, and provides readers with a more balanced view of Davis than that handed down by many of his contemporaries."

History Book Club:
“The first work to discretely consider Davis as head of his armies and navy... Crisply written, thoughtfully considered, and ultimately persuasive, Embattled Rebel is McPherson and biography at their best.”

Jefferson Davis remains unknown

Jefferson Davis is a captivating figure. I have often wondered how I would feel about him if the South had won the war. I bought this book because I wanted to get a feel for Davis like I have for Lincoln; to see his personality and his relationships. I was a little disappointed in this book precisely because it largely ignores those aspects of his life. I need to curb my disappointment a little however, because it is clear that this was not the intention of the author. This book only covers Jefferson Davis as commander in chief, there is no biography about his life before or after the war. Neither does it delve into pressures outside of his office during the war; the death of his five year old son only gets a sentence and his wife is rarely mentioned. I didn't feel like there was a lot in this book that wasn't in battle cry of freedom, or other more general books about the civil war.

That said, I still enjoyed the book, and I would recommend it to anyone who knows little about the civil war, and is looking for a view of it from the South's perspective.

Not enough about Davis

The reviews relating to the book's focus on wartime strategies and less about Davis' personal life during the war have it right. For that reason its short lengthy make it worthwhile but a close call for individuals that want to learn something about Davis. For instance, the author spends two lines discussing the death of one of the Davis children during the war. Upon completing the book you would know nothing more about this child or the other Davis children.

First rate bio of an American traitor

First rate bio of an American traitor. 650000 dead. Why wasnt Jeff Davis hanged?
This book indicts but omits any explanation why he was set free.

Short but very insightful

Does not provide much details of the battles but does an excellent job introducing the commitment and struggles of Davis. As a student of history for over 30 years I was surprised of the things that I did not know about Davis and his government that this book presented. Excellent Narration.

Brief and Enjoyable

The author doesn’t break any new ground here, but he does do a great job of framing the well-established chronology of the Civil War in terms of the performance of the much-maligned commander-in-chief of the CSA. I found the resulting assessment to be fair and honest. NOTE: The reader should ideally have a solid knowledge of the progression of the Civil War prior to delving into this particular volume.