I’ve always loved learning about history. In undergrad, I majored in History with a concentration in African American studies and I continue to devour books pertaining to the American South. I recently ran across a book by Gary Gallagher called The Confederate War. Now, I won’t lie and say that I wasn’t weary about the title and what this book could be about, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well researched and compelling the book actually was. So here are my thoughts.
Historians of the Civil War continue to search for the answer of why and how the Confederates lost the war to the Union. Many believe that it was due to internal weakness such as a lack of will, never developing a sense of nationalism, and a flawed military strategy. However, according to Gary Gallagher in The Confederate War, the historians came to this conclusion by working backwards from the surrender at Appomattox in the Spring of 1865. It was through this lens of defeat that historians have tried to answer the question. Gallagher instead argues that “Confederates believed they had been beaten on the battlefield rather than undone by internal divisions” (Gallagher, 12). He proves his argument by showing the popular and continued will of the Confederates and the southern home front that culminated in a strong sense of nationhood and nationalism. He further explained the importance of Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia and its triumphs for the Confederates in terms of nationalism and a strong military strategy. Gallagher concludes by arguing that in spite of all of these strengths, the Confederates lost because “northern armies had demonstrated their ability to crush organized southern military resistance” (Gallagher, 157). I believe that Gallagher’s work has added to our understanding of the Confederate side of the Civil War and his use of compelling evidence shows the strong Confederate spirit that did not break, or wane, throughout the war and even well after its conclusion.
Gallagher used a plethora of primary sources including letters, diaries, and newspapers to prove and cement his argument about the continual will and strong nationalism amongst Confederates. Letters between Confederate soldiers and their loved ones, showed the will to continue fighting against the Union not only at the beginning of the war but even up until the surrender at Appomattox. Gallagher states, “strong feelings of national identity helped spawn the impressive will Confederates exhibited during their war for independence” (Gallagher, 63). He rebuffs the idea stated by previous scholars that “political dissension, class strife pitting the yeomanry against planters, doubts about the morality of slavery, fears that God favored the North, the absence of a shared sense of purpose, and other factors explain why the Confederate experiment in rebellion failed” (Gallagher, 17).
One of the most important aspects of Gallagher’s argument is the importance of Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia on Confederate confidence and their continual fighting spirit. While most historians do not acknowledge Lee’s influence on Confederates, or do not agree with the level of his importance, Gallagher argues “Robert E. Lee and his soldiers functioned as the principal focus of Confederate nationalism for much of the war, and young slaveholding officers who had matured during the 1850s stood out as perhaps the most highly nationalistic component of the Army of Northern Virginia” (Gallagher, 63). Gallagher also argues that Lee’s military strategy, despite the tremendous loss of life and manpower for the south, was also a cause for southern morale and nationalism. He argues, “battles such as Chancellorsville promulgated a faith in Lee and his soldiers that sustained civilian morale during later difficult times, helping Confederates cope with the blockade, a devalued currency, and Union victories outside Virginia because they retained hope for independence and an end to their travails” (Gallagher, 139).
Gary Gallagher’s The Confederate War instilled a compelling argument against previous scholars conclusions that the Confederates lost the war because of internal divisions and instead argued that decisive defeats in battle and not internal strife was the cause of an overall Union victory. Gallagher succeeded in proving that Confederate will remained strong throughout the war and a strong sense of nationhood and nationalism prevailed. This was proven through a series of letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles that showed the strength of will from both the soldiers and the civilians. Through his examination of Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia, Gallagher continued to show the morale boasting military strategy that continued to foster ideals of nationalism amongst young Confederates. All of this evidence demonstrates that internal strife could not be the answer to why and how they lost the war. In doing so, Gallagher dismantles previous scholars beliefs of the Confederate’s cause of defeat and defends his belief that the war was lost due lack of Confederate manpower and to decisive Union victories.
If you are interested in more books about the Civil War, check out the library’s Civil War Collection, housed at our Palatka Library!
The Confederate War by