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The Bloody Shirt: Terror After Appomattox
An intimate and gripping look at terrorist violence during the Reconstruction era
Between 1867, when the defeated South was forced to establish new state governments that fully represented both black and white citizens, and 1877, when the last of these governments was overthrown, more than three thousand African Americans and their white allies were killed by terrorist violence. That violence was spread by roving vigilantes connected only by ideology, and by the hateful invective printed in widely read newspapers and pamphlets. Amid all the chaos, however, some men and women struggled to establish a “New South” in which former slaves would have new rights and a new prosperity would be shared by all. In his vivid, fast-paced narrative of the era now known as Reconstruction, Stephen Budiansky illuminates the lives of five remarkable men—two Union officers, a Confederate general, a Northern entrepreneur, and a former slave—whose idealism in the face of overwhelming hatred would not be matched for nearly a century. The Bloody Shirt is a story of violence, racism, division, and heroism that sheds new light on a crucial time in America’s history.
Between 1867, when the defeated South was forced to establish new state governments that fully represented both black and white citizens, and 1877, when the last of these governments was overthrown, more than three thousand African Americans and their white allies were killed by terrorist violence. That violence was spread by roving vigilantes connected only by ideology, and by the hateful invective printed in widely read newspapers and pamphlets. Amid all the chaos, however, some men and women struggled to establish a “New South” in which former slaves would have new rights and a new prosperity would be shared by all. In his vivid, fast-paced narrative of the era now known as Reconstruction, Stephen Budiansky illuminates the lives of five remarkable men—two Union officers, a Confederate general, a Northern entrepreneur, and a former slave—whose idealism in the face of overwhelming hatred would not be matched for nearly a century. The Bloody Shirt is a story of violence, racism, division, and heroism that sheds new light on a crucial time in America’s history.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 24, 2008
40 people are currently reading
630 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Budiansky
25 books113 followersHistorian and journalist Stephen Budiansky is the author of twelve books about military history, science, and nature.
His latest book is The Bloody Shirt: Terror After Appomattox, which chronicles the struggles of five courageous men in the post-Civil War South as they battled a rising tide of terrorist violence aimed at usurping the newly won rights of the freedmen.
His latest book is The Bloody Shirt: Terror After Appomattox, which chronicles the struggles of five courageous men in the post-Civil War South as they battled a rising tide of terrorist violence aimed at usurping the newly won rights of the freedmen.
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February 17, 2016It pains me not to finish a book by Stephen Budiansky, but I just couldn't. Not because it is bad. It's just a very difficult read, theme and style. Most of the evidence for what happened after the American Civil Wars comes from stories, mostly by less educated people. Reading one badly spelled letter after another, one sad tale after another is simply soul-eroding. Exhausting. There's a lot of emotion in the book, maybe even too much. Unlike most other topics, this one is still very much relevant in the American society, and you cannot escape the ghosts of present intruding on the ghosts of past. Contemporary is sometimes too sad and too charged to handle in the fashion of history.
Off to read another book of Stephen's - The Spymaster.
Igor
Off to read another book of Stephen's - The Spymaster.
Igor
May 16, 2009
I, as a school teacher, believe that this book and it's subject should be required reading for all high school students. It is about the terrorism that the blacks and their supports faced in the South after the Civil War.
This book covers the history that is not taught in our schools in the United States. It deals with the fact that the South did not go quietly compliant after the Civil War and accept defeat. This is the ugly side of our history that our country wants to ignore and to forget, the so called 'elephant sitting in the middle of the room'.
I highly recommend this book. It opened my eyes to many things that I did not know.
This book covers the history that is not taught in our schools in the United States. It deals with the fact that the South did not go quietly compliant after the Civil War and accept defeat. This is the ugly side of our history that our country wants to ignore and to forget, the so called 'elephant sitting in the middle of the room'.
I highly recommend this book. It opened my eyes to many things that I did not know.
March 11, 2009
My hat goes off to Mr. Budiansky for writing a sad and harrowing tale of terrorism on America's home front immediately following the Civil War.
This book holds your attention throughout, retelling the stories of a few of the people, black and white, who tried to create a new society in the old Confederacy. To say they were tilting at windmills is to put it mildly.
Those of you who have read Eric Foner's dry tome about Reconstruction will find this book a perfect supplement. Unfortunately, Professor Foner I feel failed to get across to the reader the absolute violence and terror of the times. This book sadly remedies that oversight.
Mr. Budiansky is correct in saying this era of US history is one of the few left where so little has been written. I urge all graduate students in US history to make Reconstruction their concentration. The voices of tens of thousands of freedmen, as well as Republican carpetbaggers are crying to be heard.
This book holds your attention throughout, retelling the stories of a few of the people, black and white, who tried to create a new society in the old Confederacy. To say they were tilting at windmills is to put it mildly.
Those of you who have read Eric Foner's dry tome about Reconstruction will find this book a perfect supplement. Unfortunately, Professor Foner I feel failed to get across to the reader the absolute violence and terror of the times. This book sadly remedies that oversight.
Mr. Budiansky is correct in saying this era of US history is one of the few left where so little has been written. I urge all graduate students in US history to make Reconstruction their concentration. The voices of tens of thousands of freedmen, as well as Republican carpetbaggers are crying to be heard.
December 8, 2012
Much has been written about the military aspect of the Civil War but little of the war ideology. After you read Stephen Budiansky's book "The Bloody Shirt: Terror after Appomattox" the causes and reasons for the horrific destruction make more sense. The authors written snapshots of the atrocities, hatred and brutality of the Dixie’s best citizens are presented in a way that lays the foundation of the bigotry of the South for a hundred years followong the war between the States. Focusing on three areas of the South, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina a micro-cosim of history is unveiled of why such a destructive war was fought.
Using period correspondence, including area newspapers, along with personal letters and documents of the military and civil authorities a picture is drawn of the deprevation that the blacks had to endure. Through the documents of John Richard Dennett, correspondant for the new publication "The Nation", Adelbert Ames Union, hero and Medal of Honor winner of Bull Run, Northern business man Albert T. Morgan, Major Lewis Merrill an officer who fought the Ku Klux and White Leaguers and Confederate hero James Longstreet a sad picture of American History is presented. In fact it presents a masterpiece of why the South was not willing to concede defeat after Appomattox.
In American history the time known as "Reconstruction" was not just a time of the physical rebuilding of the South but of the transformation of the Southern state Negro population to an existence of freemen and equal citizentry. Why use the outdated term Negro? Well because when you read Mr. Budiansky's book be prepared to be subjegated to era period language. Mr. Budiansky in no way tames the verbiage from what was used during these tumultuous times and the reader should be prepared to read of the vitriol words and conduct of the Southern people during the years after the war.
All of the previously mentioned men describe in their words and the words of their atangonist through correspondance and court documents how after the war the situation in the South worstened. In fact the centerpiece of racism after the war is described in the Massacre of blacks in the town of Hamburg South Carolina. This small town across from the white controlled Augusta was removed geographically and historically and the charismatic leader of black oppression a man by the name of Prince Rivers, a slave Union soldier and legislature were removed from history.
The book "The Bloody Shirt" by Stephen Budiansky should be on every bookshelf and on every school reading list. In fact for all of the current people who believe that the Democratic political party is a party of equality and savour of the oppressed and always have been the party fighting racism give this book a read.
Using period correspondence, including area newspapers, along with personal letters and documents of the military and civil authorities a picture is drawn of the deprevation that the blacks had to endure. Through the documents of John Richard Dennett, correspondant for the new publication "The Nation", Adelbert Ames Union, hero and Medal of Honor winner of Bull Run, Northern business man Albert T. Morgan, Major Lewis Merrill an officer who fought the Ku Klux and White Leaguers and Confederate hero James Longstreet a sad picture of American History is presented. In fact it presents a masterpiece of why the South was not willing to concede defeat after Appomattox.
In American history the time known as "Reconstruction" was not just a time of the physical rebuilding of the South but of the transformation of the Southern state Negro population to an existence of freemen and equal citizentry. Why use the outdated term Negro? Well because when you read Mr. Budiansky's book be prepared to be subjegated to era period language. Mr. Budiansky in no way tames the verbiage from what was used during these tumultuous times and the reader should be prepared to read of the vitriol words and conduct of the Southern people during the years after the war.
All of the previously mentioned men describe in their words and the words of their atangonist through correspondance and court documents how after the war the situation in the South worstened. In fact the centerpiece of racism after the war is described in the Massacre of blacks in the town of Hamburg South Carolina. This small town across from the white controlled Augusta was removed geographically and historically and the charismatic leader of black oppression a man by the name of Prince Rivers, a slave Union soldier and legislature were removed from history.
The book "The Bloody Shirt" by Stephen Budiansky should be on every bookshelf and on every school reading list. In fact for all of the current people who believe that the Democratic political party is a party of equality and savour of the oppressed and always have been the party fighting racism give this book a read.
March 8, 2008
I must say that while I do agree, for the most part, with his politics on Reconstruction; betrayals and downright Southern nastiness, this guy doesn't let the reader get a break from superfluous spiteful commentary after using great quotes and examples that more than prove his point. He clearly hates the South for their feelings of entitlement to be slave masters (which I too can hate) but his anger is behind every word of his narrative and I just got tired of reading. It became more of a rant than a history, a history that can effortlessly vilify the South if that's your objective. It felt like he either didn't trust himself or his readers to get his point, and that's not so fun to read. For an incredible Reconstruction history, read Eric Foner's "Reconstruction" or the abridged version called, "A Short History of Reconstruction"
November 17, 2017
Just incredibly well-written and devastating to read. The perfect introduction to just how brutal and nakedly treasonous Reconstruction was, should be required school reading.
August 10, 2008
I'm not entirely sure if the overly dramatic and emotional way in which this book was presented is more due to the narrator or the author and the selections chosen by the author. Either way I was disappointed with this book.
It addresses an interesting and important topic and while I generally have no objections to narrative histories which make extensive use of contemporary sources to help tell the story, the effect here was counter productive. In the case of the worst chapters, it seems the author completely gave up any attempt at analysis or explanation, threw up hands in despair and gave the reader a long string of inflammatory articles from newspapers of the time designed to spark the appropriate feelings of disgust.
The universal discrimination, violent acts of terror, and reprehensible views held by many of the Southern protagonists all deserve mention and quotation, but the assemblage of characters and their portrayal came across in such a polarizing and unbalanced way this book cannot but anger and disgust anyone who might have some sympathies for the predicament of defeated southerners in the aftermath of the civil war. The result may unfortunately lead to the opposite of the desired effect: many people for whom a book of this topic would be an ideal read will be completely put off not only this work but the whole topic.
Another frustrating aspect of this book was that less than half of the book focuses on the terror itself. We get long, rambling, and often completely irrelevant looks at the lives and loves of the "heroes" of the story, using valuable space in the book that might have been better dedicated to understanding the character of southern society, economy, and the origins and rise of a culture of discrimination and violence.
It addresses an interesting and important topic and while I generally have no objections to narrative histories which make extensive use of contemporary sources to help tell the story, the effect here was counter productive. In the case of the worst chapters, it seems the author completely gave up any attempt at analysis or explanation, threw up hands in despair and gave the reader a long string of inflammatory articles from newspapers of the time designed to spark the appropriate feelings of disgust.
The universal discrimination, violent acts of terror, and reprehensible views held by many of the Southern protagonists all deserve mention and quotation, but the assemblage of characters and their portrayal came across in such a polarizing and unbalanced way this book cannot but anger and disgust anyone who might have some sympathies for the predicament of defeated southerners in the aftermath of the civil war. The result may unfortunately lead to the opposite of the desired effect: many people for whom a book of this topic would be an ideal read will be completely put off not only this work but the whole topic.
Another frustrating aspect of this book was that less than half of the book focuses on the terror itself. We get long, rambling, and often completely irrelevant looks at the lives and loves of the "heroes" of the story, using valuable space in the book that might have been better dedicated to understanding the character of southern society, economy, and the origins and rise of a culture of discrimination and violence.
August 22, 2016
This book was good, but good for what it was, not what could've and probably should've been. It begins with a concise, if somewhat foreboding, synopsis of the causes, effects, and outright horror of the post-Civil War reconstruction period in the southern states. It then begins a litany of those horrors visited upon ex-slaves, "carpet baggers", and Republican radicals wheresoever they might be hunted down. These terrifying events are related in scrupulously researched, stomach turning detail -- enough to shock anyone (certainly any American) into a more sober understanding of what reconstruction really meant to the people who lived and survived it (or not) than any of the cursory references found in most history textbooks. These accounts are nothing short of astonishing not just for the gruesome acts chronicled, but for the stunning temerity with which they were committed. In this respect, the book soars. What is lacking, however, is any substantive exploration of the causes and effects referred to in the book's prologue. What, for example, was the political environment in the north that allowed for such ambivalence to the terror underway in places like Mississippi and South Carolina? How were congressional Democrats (southern or otherwise) able to manipulate both federal response and public opinion? What were the short and long term impacts to world view and American foreign policy? No doubt the answers to such questions could fill volumes, but to eschew them altogether just leaves a sense of incompleteness. So all in all, a shocking and stunning account of the comprehensive massacre brought about by southern white retribution, but to understand the broader topic of the reconstruction era, better sources can no doubt be found.
May 13, 2010
If asked about "racial cleansing", most people today might think about the Serbs in Kosovo or the Tutsis in Rwanda, or the Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq. This book, "The Bloody Shirt", brings elements of those conflicts closer to home, and describes in vivid detail the terror imposed upon the freed slaves in the South after the War Between the States / Civil War here in the United States. Gripping descriptions of terror and fear of life for the freed blacks at the time, and for years after. A worthwhile read to understand the Jim Crow laws and segregation in this Country.
July 7, 2010
An enlightening discussion that documents how the South was able to send itself back into the stone ages because of their inability to accept freedmen as citizens during the turbulent post-Civil War "reconstruction" era.
The same Southerners who started the Civil War were able (by insighting racial fears among its citizenry) to eventually become the govenors, senators and mayors of the South. As a result, the "freedmen" were forced back into a life that was tantamount to slavery.
The same Southerners who started the Civil War were able (by insighting racial fears among its citizenry) to eventually become the govenors, senators and mayors of the South. As a result, the "freedmen" were forced back into a life that was tantamount to slavery.
March 19, 2011
Just finished this last night - as a kid growing up in Tennessee and Delaware in the 1980's, somehow the reality of Reconstruction never got taught, beyond the carpetbaggers and "40 acres and a mule." This book opened my eyes to what really happened and I am grateful. Budiansky has a gift for clear writing that show the historical figures through their writing and the details of their lives, can't wait to read more by him.
May 9, 2011
I always knew Reconstruction was difficult -- especially for freed slaves. But this book really gives you a better sense of just how bad it was and why the federal government essentially gave up trying to reform the South by 1877. The book focuses more on white, Northern Republicans ("carbetbaggers") than African-Americans, which I feel is not the book's strength, but in spite of that, it was an excellent overview of the challenges of the time period.
April 4, 2013
If you've ever had qualms about visiting the American deep south, then this book will not ease your fears. But, the north doesn't come off too well either. Well researched and carefully constructed this carefully and well-written documentary about the unfortunately labelled "Reconstruction" period of American history shows how well-meaning men and women can so easily give in to the reactionary and downright evil forces around them. A lesson that certainly is not amiss today.
February 17, 2014
Should be required reading for all South Carolina High School Graduates, Members of The South Carolina General Assembly, Judiciary and Constitutional Officers!
January 19, 2013
This book gives a detailed story on the ways things were after the Civil War.
February 8, 2018
I wonder if your high school history classes were like mine, with Reconstruction given a brief mention after the exhaustion of teaching the Civil War.
I came away with sympathy for the South. "Carpetbaggers." "Scalawags." "Northern Occupiers."
And my high school was in Pennsylvania, not Mississippi.
Last night I finished THE BLOODY SHIRT, about the ten years in the South after the end of the Civil War. It's not an exhaustive, academic history of that period. Instead, the author relates the stories of five men in Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina. He uses diaries, newspaper articles and letters to weave a fascinating (it will keep you reading long past your bedtime) tale of life in those years at those places.
This morning, as it happens, I was enjoying a Leon Redbone CD with the Sunday paper. One of the songs was "Crazy Over Dixie", a pleasant song I'd enjoyed often in the past. Today I couldn't listen to it. The image I now have of the old South -- of murderers, rapists, racists, sadists -- needs to fade away first.
You can't have any idea what I'm talking about until you read the book.
I also wonder if there aren't some parallels to what's happened in Afghanistan the past ten years. The Taliban was defeated, as was the Confederacy, but like the Confederacy have denied defeat on the battlefield to revive their cause through the use of terror. It was many decades until we took down the KKK in America -- some would say we still haven't, but at least 40,000 of them are not marching in our nation's capital anymore -- and I hope it will not take nearly as long to make the Taliban also a footnote in history.
I came away with sympathy for the South. "Carpetbaggers." "Scalawags." "Northern Occupiers."
And my high school was in Pennsylvania, not Mississippi.
Last night I finished THE BLOODY SHIRT, about the ten years in the South after the end of the Civil War. It's not an exhaustive, academic history of that period. Instead, the author relates the stories of five men in Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina. He uses diaries, newspaper articles and letters to weave a fascinating (it will keep you reading long past your bedtime) tale of life in those years at those places.
This morning, as it happens, I was enjoying a Leon Redbone CD with the Sunday paper. One of the songs was "Crazy Over Dixie", a pleasant song I'd enjoyed often in the past. Today I couldn't listen to it. The image I now have of the old South -- of murderers, rapists, racists, sadists -- needs to fade away first.
You can't have any idea what I'm talking about until you read the book.
I also wonder if there aren't some parallels to what's happened in Afghanistan the past ten years. The Taliban was defeated, as was the Confederacy, but like the Confederacy have denied defeat on the battlefield to revive their cause through the use of terror. It was many decades until we took down the KKK in America -- some would say we still haven't, but at least 40,000 of them are not marching in our nation's capital anymore -- and I hope it will not take nearly as long to make the Taliban also a footnote in history.
October 29, 2019
Eye-opening... This disturbing chapter of American history is poorly understood and often passed over, which is especially troubling because of how relevant much of it still is today. As a teenager in Pennsylvania in the 2000s, I went to school with people who absolutely insisted that the Civil War was only about "states' rights," and nothing else. It's chilling to read predictions from the late 1800s that the acts of terrorism and violence perpetrated against African Americans and their white defenders in the South would erode African American political engagement for "a century", and to know in retrospect that those predictions were largely born out.
Also, I almost didn't read it after looking through some of the reviews on GoodReads, but I'm so glad I did. Although the subject matter is horrifying, it's an engaging read--I got sucked in and finished it within a few days. And as unsettled as I felt reading this as a white American in 2019, obviously that experience is nothing compared to what these historical figures actually went through. I wouldn't want to close my eyes to these facts just because they're upsetting.
Finally, I'll just note that although Budiansky does adopt a rather minimal style at times, presenting the material with little or no commentary, I found that approach to be quite effective in bringing this history to life. Very much recommend for anyone who cares about American history.
Also, I almost didn't read it after looking through some of the reviews on GoodReads, but I'm so glad I did. Although the subject matter is horrifying, it's an engaging read--I got sucked in and finished it within a few days. And as unsettled as I felt reading this as a white American in 2019, obviously that experience is nothing compared to what these historical figures actually went through. I wouldn't want to close my eyes to these facts just because they're upsetting.
Finally, I'll just note that although Budiansky does adopt a rather minimal style at times, presenting the material with little or no commentary, I found that approach to be quite effective in bringing this history to life. Very much recommend for anyone who cares about American history.
June 9, 2017
Budiansky has pieced together a number of stories of brutality towards blacks and their white supporters during the period from 1865-1876. The tales are horrific. He quotes letters and articles in newspapers so that you can see what people thought in their own words. It is breathtakingly ugly. I found each section compelling. After a while I began to feel that I had gotten the point and didn't need to run into more nasty people. By covering these stories and not the larger political story, Budiansky fills in something of the tone of life in that period that I knew little of. By using primary sources he makes this very vivid. I only give it 3 stars because I found the structure of the book made it difficult for me to read it to the end. I hope others won't be put off by this.
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May 11, 2021read upon recommendation from a friend! wish I was able to integrate it into a history class/discussion as there was lots of coming up for me around how this historian/writer works to illuminate pieces of how Southern (white) resistance to Reconstruction looked and happened that I wanted to be in conversation about. i appreciated the narrative-driven style of writing. the story of white terrorism after the Confederacy was defeated - and federal deference and inability to address it - should obviously be covered in any u.s. history course but typically sucks. wish there was a bit less of an emphasis on the well-intentioned white political leaders or at least a critical eye to some of their more selfish ambitions.
December 17, 2025
This was both an interesting and a terrible listen. The terrible has nothing to do with the narrator or the writing. It has to do with the history itself. It should be more widely discussed in schools. The Civil War gets coverage. Some modicum of information on the Klan and Reconstruction gets covered. But the detail of the continuing war after the war is laregly omitted.
The worst part of the story for me is learning that there were 'Professional Negro Hunters'. Professional. Paid, legitimate jobs hunting former slaves. What the literal .... well you get the picture now on how terrible this was and how the losing confederate Democrats continued to fight their own war long after Lee's surrender at Appomatox.
The worst part of the story for me is learning that there were 'Professional Negro Hunters'. Professional. Paid, legitimate jobs hunting former slaves. What the literal .... well you get the picture now on how terrible this was and how the losing confederate Democrats continued to fight their own war long after Lee's surrender at Appomatox.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2020
I typically find it very difficult to get through historical work of any kind, be it fiction or not. This book was an incredible read, and I found myself flying through it more quickly than any other book of its kind. War and political hardship are not two of my favorite topics. But I read this to gain a different perspective on the Civil War than I was taught in school, and the book succeeded in this effort. Truly gripping reading, and I highly encourage anyone interested in the Civil War to read this. Problems that continually plague America are laid bare.
May 20, 2022
Masterwork. This book should be the companion piece to Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880. It fills in the often omitted gaps that scholastic American history ignores. A must read for all Freedman and their descendants, or anyone interested in American Freedman history.
September 30, 2025
I started to give this book two stars but since it did have some information that I was not aware of I reluctantly boosted it to three. It may have been a bad transfer from printed copy to Kindle format but it was poorly edited. I found complete chapters repeated verbatim and at other times much of the profiles and information seemed to be redundant. This all detracted from what could have a much better book. I wonder if any other Kindle readers shared this complaint?
September 25, 2021
This is a hard-hitting book that pulls no punches in grappling with the ex-Confederate obstruction and use of terrorism to essentially overturn the results of the Civil War. It's a tough read because of the content, but the violence aimed at Black Americans and their allies in this period of our history is something that every American needs to know about.
June 13, 2017
A little slow at times but it is a must read. Reconstruction has all but been wiped out of the public consciousness and this book gets to the heart of the racism and lust for blood that fueled it. It is all first hand sources so any accusation of an agenda on Budiansky's behalf are unfounded.
December 17, 2017
Solid read about white terror post-civil war. The reader can't but help draw connections between the impunity of that time seeding white supremacist impunity today.
Does a great service for a period of history often glossed over and told from the side of the loser (racist southerners).
Does a great service for a period of history often glossed over and told from the side of the loser (racist southerners).
December 22, 2019
I read this based on a suggestion from one of my professors. Budiansky makes the point my that the Union lost a counterinsurgency during reconstruction. As a nation we missed an incredible opportunity to heal.
February 24, 2019
Powerful, brutal, and painfully relevant
October 20, 2019
Gut wrenching read.
January 7, 2022
Informative, though pretty academic, this book explores the theatres of conflict after the Civil War very well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews