Civil War Myths

Was the Confederacy doomed from the start in its struggle against the superior might of the Union? Did its forces fight heroically against all odds for the cause of states’ rights? In reality, these suggestions are an elaborate and intentional effort on the part of Southerners to rationalize the secession and the war itself. Unfortunately, skillful propagandists have been so successful in promoting this romanticized view that the Lost Cause has assumed a life of its own.

The former Confederate states have continually mythologized the South's defeat to the North, depicting the Civil War as unnecessary, or as a fight over states' Constitutional rights, or as a David v. Goliath struggle in which the North waged "total war" over an underdog South. In The Myth of the Lost Cause, historian Edward Bonekemper deconstructs this multi-faceted myth, revealing the truth about the war that nearly tore the nation apart 150 years ago.

In this richly diverse volume, Joseph M. Beilein Jr., and Matthew C. Hulbert assemble a team of both rising and eminent scholars to examine guerrilla warfare in the South during the Civil War. Together, they discuss irregular combat as practiced by various communities in multiple contexts, including how it was used by Native Americans, the factors that motivated raiders in the border states, and the women who participated as messengers, informants, collaborators, and combatants.

For more than 150 years, Americans have been told a simple story about the Civil War: that the South rose as one to defend its land, its people, and its way of life. That story is a myth. The Dissenting South: Southern Opposition to the Confederacy Before and During the Civil War reveals a very different reality—a South divided against itself. In every Confederate state, men and women refused to go along with secession. They denounced rebellion, defied local authorities, and in many cases fought shoulder to shoulder with Union forces. Their courage was remarkable, their suffering immense,...

It was early afternoon on October 26, 1881. In the mining town of Tombstone, Arizona, the well-armed lawmen Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan Earp, along with their friend Doc Holliday, wore long, dark coats as they strode to an alley near the O.K. Corral. Here, the four of them found five cattle rustlers who had threatened them repeatedly. The unarmed Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne were allowed to leave. The remaining three, Billy Clanton, and Frank and Tom McLaury, were shot dead while Virgil, Morgan, and Doc Holliday were all injured. In the following months, the feud continued. Virgil was ...

Most Americans consider Abraham Lincoln to be the greatest president in history. His legend as the Great Emancipator has grown to mythic proportions as hundreds of books, a national holiday, and a monument in Washington, D.C., extol his heroism and martyrdom. But what if most everything you knew about Lincoln were false? What if, instead of an American hero who sought to free the slaves, Lincoln were in fact a calculating politician who waged the bloodiest war in American history in order to build an empire that rivaled Great Britain's?

En Historia de la Guerra Civil sin mitos ni tópicos, Manuel P. Villatoro e Israel Viana repasan los años treinta del siglo XX para entender el enfrentamiento capital de nuestra historia reciente, la cruenta guerra civil que antecedió a uno de los períodos más convulsos del siglo XX en España y Europa.

More than 150 years after the end of the Civil War, scores of websites, articles, and organizations repeat claims that anywhere between 500 and 100,000 free and enslaved African Americans fought willingly as soldiers in the Confederate army. But as Kevin M. Levin argues in this carefully researched book, such claims would have shocked anyone who served in the army during the war itself. Levin explains that imprecise contemporary accounts, poorly understood primary-source material, and other misrepresentations helped fuel the rise of the black Confederate myth.

The third book in award‑winning author Claire North's Songs of Penelope Trilogy, a "powerful, fresh, and unflinching" (Jennifer Saint) reimagining that breathes life into ancient myth and gives voice to the women who stand defiant in a world ruled by ruthless men. Many years ago, Odysseus...

The myth of Confederate military superiority dies hard—but it should have died at Fort Donelson. In February 1862, 13,000 Confederate soldiers surrendered in what became the largest capitulation in American military history to that point. But this wasn't a noble defeat against impossible odds. It was an "unconditional failure" of Confederate leadership so complete it bordered on the criminal. Two generals fled in the night, abandoning their troops to save their own skins. One escaped by steamboat with his personal regiments while leaving others behind. Another paddled across an icy river ...

Selected as one of the Best Books of 2016 by Bill Gates All too frequently, leadership is reduced to a simple dichotomy: the strong versus the weak. Yet, there are myriad ways to exercise effective political leadership-as well as different ways to fail. We blame our leaders for economic...

At the time of his death, Ulysses S. Grant was the most famous person in America, considered by most citizens to be equal in stature to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Yet today his monuments are rarely visited, his military reputation is overshadowed by that of Robert E. Lee, and his presidency is permanently mired at the bottom of historical rankings.

In this multifaceted portrait, acclaimed Lincoln biographer Stephen B. Oates, “the most popular historical interpreter of Lincoln” (Gabor S. Boritt, New York Times Book Review), exposes the human side of the great and tragic president - including his depression, his difficulties with love, and his troubled and troubling attitudes about slavery - while also confronting the many legends that have arisen around “Honest Abe”. Oates throughout raises timely questions about what the Lincoln mythos reveals about the American people.

Alien invaders take one of America’s most contentious issues, Gun Control, and use it for their interest.

Andersonvilles of the North, by James M. Gillispie, represents the first broad study to argue that the image of Union prison officials as negligent and cruel to Confederate prisoners is severely flawed. This study is not an attempt to "whitewash" Union prison policies or make light of Confederate prisoner mortality.

In the 1950s, westerns were the most popular form of television drama. Saturday mornings were filled with black and white images of Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, The Lone Ranger, and The Cisco Kid. In the evening you had the more adult westerns like Have Gun - Will Travel, Rawhide, and Wanted Dead or Alive. Sprinkled amongst these shows were programs purporting to be about real historic characters, people like Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, Annie Oakley, and Wild Bill Hickok.

Follow Christoph Swift and his diverse band of companions as they navigate the treacherous waters of the Traders World. In a realm where minosium—a gem of extraordinary power—fuels both progress and conflict, every wave conceals a potential ally or enemy. But in this world where ambition and magic intertwine, every alliance harbors a hidden agenda. As Christoph and his unlikely crew sail from sun-drenched archipelagos to mist-shrouded islands, each discovery brings them closer to the mythical Labyrinth—and to danger. Facing ruthless factions and ancient mysteries, they must master ...

Drogo and friends fled Harpers Faery Village to seek refuge in the wilderness, but were pursued and attacked by royal soldiers seeking to kill or enslave them. This story begins with Drogo resting in a river temple, healing from a near death experience; when he receives a mysterious letter from his mother regarding the sale of their family house. Drogo is forced to cut his recovery short, as Sevel War battles rage on for may years, bringing terror to many faery lands. This second book in the saga focuses on Sevel War battles, primarily from a fae historical perspective.

Noted historian Edward Steers, Jr., sets the record straight in this engaging and authoritative book, analyzing the facts and clarifying some of the most prominent misconceptions about the 16th president's life. He investigates claims that have found a foothold in mainstream lore, ranging from the contention that Lincoln had a troubled and perhaps scandalous early adulthood in Springfield, to more serious attacks on his character, such as the accusation that he was reluctant to emancipate enslaved people and held racist beliefs.