Look Away!: A History of the Confederate States of America

Countless books, articles, and scholarly papers have been written on Civil War military history; however, comparatively little has been published on the political history of the Confederacy. This work helps correct this deficiency. In the Preface, the author, William Davis, states "And most of all, the conflict was a political and social battle from beginning to end, at first to establish the Confederacy, but then for the next four years to define what sort of democracy that Confederacy was or ought to be." The text gives an interesting account of secession and the struggle to form a Confederate Democracy. Beginning in 1862, some deserters became a problem as they joined local ruffians to loot and defy authority. Also, "Confederates went from protesting love and paternal affection for their slaves to finding themselves almost hysterically terrified of them." In many areas law and order vanished as local government often were unable to enforce order as police and civil servants were taken into the army. The author notes "....the legal system of the Confederacy is one marked by an inability to protect its citizens from lawlessness." Davis writes "As in so many areas, in theory the Confederacy seemed to be working, but in practice its collapse commenced almost from the day of its birth." Military campaign demands produced severe food shortages while speculators hoarded food and goods for profit. The government's cotton policy was a miserable failure as a world surplus of cotton did not force foreign governments to recognize the Confederacy. In limited circumstances the government allowed some cotton to be sold through the lines to Federal forces. In addition, the planters were under pressure to plant corn for food instead of cotton which depended on blockade runners for sale overseas. The question of individual state's sovereignty in the Confederacy is excellently covered in Chapter 11. For "....the Confederacy was destined from the outset to fight an internal contest between the principles it presented to the world and the imperatives of self-preservation." Davis's notes "....as a result of turmoil and upheaval, political reforms were accomplished of necessity if not for their own merit alone." Some measurers ran from the oppressive to the socialistic. The text gives an interesting narrative of the opposition to the Davis government. Some Confederate generals (Joseph Johnston for one) surreptitiously supported the opposition. As defeat became inevitable, several politicians and citizens worked to secure an honorable defeat. Davis gives an excellent account of Secretary of War's, General John Breckinridge,efforts to secure a honorable peace. In President Davis's mind the Confederacy did not end with Lee's surrender. Breckinridge accompanied Davis and his party as they fled south from Richmond until President Davis was captured in Georgia. There is a good/ brief account of the Confederacy's final hours. For a more detailed account, William D

In my opinion, this book deserves much praise for presenting an important, but almost completely ignored perspective on the Civil War. The military history is used only as a backdrop in this book. The focus instead is on the political history of the Confederacy. The book opens with the whirlwind in which the southern states seceded from the union and tells the story of the Confederate constitutional convention and of how Jefferson Davis became the Confederate President. The remainder focuses on the politics of the Confederate government. Among the many ironies is how a government that started focusing on "states rights" after suffering through much paralysis, saw the states cede more and more power to the Confederate government as the war went on. The title of this book may lead some to believe that this is some sort of apology for the South. In reality, it is quite critical of the Confederate cause. Those who hold the view that the Civil War was not about slavery but rather about states rights, will have that view challenged. The book is well written and is a must read for anyone interested in the Civil War.

Folks like to say that this book is "good" but it's "not Davis's best." I would say that it IS his best, and certainly deserving of some attention from the various prize committees. The author's treatment of the creation of the Provisional Government and drafting of the Permanent Constitution are a real joy, if you like political history. That's an important point: This book is essentially a political history, with some special treatment of critical social issues such as slavery and commerce. It is not a military history of the Civil War. Those readers expecting that will be disappointed. What Philadelphia was to the United States, Montgomery (Alabama) was to the Confederate States and Davis handles this episode with authority. The chapters about the various forms of apology and propaganda in support of slavery are mind bending. As grave as many of these topics are, Davis animates them with beautiful narrative prose and scholarly rigor. His topics are terribly unfashionable which, unfortunately, hinders his chances for a (well deserved) major prize. Books like this should be read by a general audience, as they illuminate much about pre-Civil War American politics as much as they do about Southern history.

Those of us with Southern ancestral links to the Civil War tend to think of the war in romanticized terms of the virtue of States rights and property rights, the battlefield genius of Lee and Jackson, the heroism of the hard-fighting and under-equipped CSA troops, political oppression by the North and their tariffs, the viciousness of Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, et al. The Lost Cause frame of mind will not survive Look Away! intact. Professor Davis provides a meticulously documented account of the launching and failured nurturing of the Confederacy. His books shows that those men needed time that they didn't have to get through the pettiness and incompetency before going to war. The saddest parts of the book deal with how the CSA Founding Fathers mismanaged and mistreated the civilian population (the women, children, the aged, and the slaves) left behind by the men who went to fight for the Southern cause.

This book is a rebuke to all those who erroneously believe that the Civil War occurred only the battlefield. Davis goes into the history of the government of the Confederate States; a daring plot for an historian best known for moving accounts of battlefield valor. He does a commendable job in the arena of political history, which is never as clear-cut as out and out military history. Other reviewers have criticized his dwelling on the issue of slavery. I wonder what on earth they think he should have dwelt on while writing a history of the Confederate States? I don't believe his aim was to badmouth the Southern states (as has been accused), but to give insight on how the Confederates (and ruling elite Southerners in general) imagined the "perfect government". This is not meant to be just some rabble-rousing, flag-waving tribute to the Confederacy. Rather, it's an intriguing look at Victorian Era political science.