The Confederate Nation, 1861-1865

Semantics can sometimes be quite important to framing an issue or a debate, especially on a topic such as the Civil War. With "The Confederate Nation" Emory Thomas frames his thesis in the belief Southern secession was not a rebellion so much as a revolution and during the course of the war the character of Southern government changed profoundly as the exigencies of war necessitated a sharp break with its Anti-Federalist Republican past. Although the political leadership advocating secession wrapped themselves in rhetoric of the Spirit of 1776, it was the demands of fighting a war that proved truly revolutionary, transforming a decentralized agrarian economy into the antithesis of Jeffersonian democracy. Thomas references correspondence between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson "...that their revolution of 1776 had been complete `in the minds of the people...before a drop of blood was shed at Lexington.' The same was true of the Confederate revolution." The plausibility of that is left for Thomas to expound upon, but the thought of the South being divided into thirds as the Colonists were, one third supporting Revolution, one third Loyalist, and one third disinterested, does seem a plausible summary as the Confederacy first raised the Stars and Bars. Thomas's desire to tell the Confederate experience in a single volume is an ambitious objective. To do so compromises have to be made and as a result the book could not possibly take into full account the breadth and depth of the entirety of the Confederacy. The question is whether the intent is to produce a survey history or a more substantial scholastic work, and here Thomas elects for the latter. What results is meaningful addition to the canon of Civil War history, but one that is certainly not comprehensive or entirely free of shortcomings. One could certainly question the need for yet another title on the Civil War or to question what Thomas could add that has not already been said of a saga that lasted not quite five years. And yet the events of the Civil War reverberate still today; it remains the defining event in American History and to understand America you must understand the forces that set the Civil War in motion, what the Civil War entailed, and what it means to America today.

Although Thomas' book was published in 1979, it is still the best work we have on the Confederacy as a nation. The book is definitely scholarly and academic, but is also highly readable and enjoyable. Although I've read dozens of books about the Civil War, I definitely know more about the Confederacy as a whole now. Thomas does not delve too deep into discussing battles or even many of the generals (they are discussed of course, but not at great length). He spends most of his time discussing southern nationalism, the overall military fortunes, the attempts at getting recognition from England and France, and how all things Confederate intertwined. He also argues, very well, that the ideals that led to secession and the founding of the Confederacy were almost all lost during the War. He also points out that although radicals had a large hand in founding the Confederacy and Southern states seceding, moderates actually held all the power in the Confederacy. As stated earlier, the book was written in 1979 so some of the research is dated, but this is still the best effort we have on the Confederacy as a whole. Others have attempted, but Thomas' is still the best. Highly recommended for any Civil War buffs or those interested in Southern history.

I can hardly believe that this book has been almost ignored on this site. I have read thousands of Civil War books over decades, and this is one of the top dozen in the list. It is anoutstanding account of the Confederacy, well-written and scholarly. As a bonus, it contain the text of the ConfederateConstitution in an appendix! Buy and read this book!

First of all, I am surprised no one has bothered to review this book! I used it in a seminar on the American Civil War at the Japanese university where I teach English and history. It was excellent as an introduction to the subject matter it describes. The chapters were not dauntingly long and Thomas's gift for language presented an abundance of ideas and episodes with a striking economy of words. My students, who are not native speakers of English, were very satisfied with the book and had a sense of accomplishment once they got through it. A Japanese language version of Ken Burns's celebrated documentary on the Civil War was helpful in making much of the book understood; but even without that useful aid, Emory Thomas's book offered a gripping narrative of the Confederacy's short and turbulent history. Having read Confederate Nation my students have a firm and intelligent grasp of the single most tumultuous episode of the American experience.