The Fruits of Victory

by Michael Benedict

'When you judge decisions, you have to judge them in light of what there was available to do,' noted Secretary of State George C. Marshall to the Senate in 1951. In this spirit, this volume addresses and succeeds in outlining the mammoth task that Northern Americans faced after the Civil War in restoring the Union. Originally published in 1975 by the J.B. Lippincott Company.

172 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've never read anything else out of the "American Alternatives Series," but the concept is very interesting. In short, the object of the book is to examine the "alternative" paths suggested by various political forces in regards to Reconstruction. Unfortunately, the Civil War is such a well-known and studied topic that there is not much here that the average amateur historian would not know, although I think there is enough examination of the conflict between radical and conservative Republicans to question the existence of a "Radical" Reconstruction at all—the Congressional Reconstruction that actualized was not the one hoped for by the radicals, and they begrudgingly supported it. By the time of Grant's Presidency, perhaps the heyday of the traditional understanding of "Reconstruction," even Grant was constantly compromising with Southern conservatives to end Reconstruction quickly. I am interested in Hayes' apparent reluctance to enter into the criminal compromise that won him the presidency, and the fact that he was apparently more concerned about the welfare of Southern blacks than I previously figured.