The Confederate Reader

by Richard B. Harwell

Battle reports, general orders, sermons, songs, humorous sketches, excerpts from novels, prison narratives, and travel observations illuminate the story of the Confederacy and the War between the States as experienced by Southern soldiers and civilians

Genres: History, Civil War, Nonfiction, American History, American Civil War, American, 19th Century

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mention ‘The War’ in the South without any context, and most anyone will understand which one you’re referring to – the only War that has lasting import to the South, giving it a distinct story from the rest of the country. The Confederate Reader collects a wide variety of Southern primary source selections sourced from the War into one relatively small volume. The collection begins with an excerpt from the original bill of secession that South Carolina adopted in reaction to the election of Lincoln, and then rapidly expands to include everything from official military reports to letter & diary excerpts, with more miscellaneous items like comedic pieces also included. Theaters outside the main, like naval encounters and the victories of the CSA’s Cherokee general, Stand Watie, are incorporated here as well. The pieces are organized by year, and include introductions when appropriate from Harwell. Although he’s a southern editor & author, Harwell’s commentary is non-partisan, regarding the breakup of the Union and the war that followed an unnecessary tragedy. (He’s also edited and released a Union Reader which presumably mirrors this collection for Yankeedom.)

Though I’m no stranger to Civil War primary sources, having read excerpts from letters and diaries before, this collection’s variety of items offered a bounty of interest. I saw here sources often used in social histories of the war, including the recently-read Our Man in Charleston. Although this collection has a lot of informative value for someone who has only read military histories and the like, giving some sense of what it was like to experience the war across class lines, there’s also entertainment value – not just in the humor pieces, but through the joy of mid-19th century prose. One reads picks up a newspaper today and finds, for the most part, prose of the most pedestrian nature – but the battle reports and obituaries collected here have such grace and drama in them they’re practically literature, making them a pleasure to read even when they concern something tragic, like an unexpected death or the ruin of a great city. The collection offers surprise after surprise: the Battle of Gettysburg, for instance, was not regarded at the time as a mortal wound that made the surrender at Appomattox Courthouse inevitable, but merely a frustratingly incomplete victory: Lee had pushed the Yanks back for two days, but was forced to withdraw ‘in good order’ with many prisoners after realizing further reinforcements were making progress impossible. Whether this is a case of the public receiving problematic military reports, or simply a case of the scope of the defeat not being evident until after its repercussions had time to bear fruit, I can’t say. Some places were relatively untouched by the war, like Mobile – hosting Mardi Gras fêtes even under siege. There’s little included for 1865, in part because most publishing had ceased at that point, resources being unavailable.

The Confederate Reader should be of great interest to any ACW student, offering a non-politicized bounty of primary source examples to deliver a sense of how the war progressed from exultant rebellion to ruin.

Related:
A People’s History of the Civil War , David C. Williams. A bleak but thoroughly eye-opening exposure that examines the frailties and motives of those on all sides. No one emerges with an intact halo.

[Anup Sinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book, which successfully aimed to provide a confederate angle to the war as it progressed. Mr. Harwell did brilliant research and a nice job leading into each chapter. It was enlightening, as if I was in the time. There were some chapters I was less interested in and skimmed through but many others I found fascinating, like whenever historical figures were discussed or how they managed to justify slavery. I was particularly shocked how confederates described their situation before secession as one of enslavement, oblivious to what they were doing to an entire race!

An added bonus for me is that I am a huge baseball fan who grew up listening to telecasts by Dick Harwell's brother, Ernie.

[William Sariego · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just glancing at the table of contents the selections seemed pretty random. But after reading it there is a method to Harwell's madness. Primary source material here could be invaluable to a historian of the era.

[Arianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read for a history buff or anyone remotely interested in the American Civil War. The Confederate Reader is a collection of contemporary sources from people in the South during the war. The sentiment, civilian life, and military strategy of the Confederates and their sympathizers are captured in the breadth and depth of Harwell's curation of diary entries, army documents, posters, newspaper articles, etc. Often, the victors of war not only get to tell their side of the story but that of their enemies, too. This official narrative is forever and widely disseminated to the masses. However, assuming you want an understanding beyond a fourth-grade level, you need to learn the motivations and strategies of all sides of a conflict. This book will help you with that.

[Geoff Sebesta · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is grimly hilarious how often the South says they are fighting for "human rights" and "freedom from slavery."

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories on the Civil War from the Confederate perspective. The letters and diary quotes were the best.