J. Keith Jones

The Capitals of the Confederacy, a History
By Michael C. Hardy
Reviewed by J. Keith Jones

Funny how no one until now had thought to write a consolidated history of the various capitals of the Confederate States of America. Maybe one reason is that it sounds like a dry subject, but in Michael Hardy’s hands it is anything but dry. Hardy’s usual flair for making what may seem to be a mundane subject into good storytelling is on full display in this book.

Many people, unfortunately, are so woefully deficient in their history knowledge that they are unaware that there ever was any other capital for the CSA during the four years it fought for survival. The truth is that Richmond was not the first nor the last. Prior to Virginia’s departure from the Union, the capital was established in Montgomery, Alabama. Feeling that this was too far from the seat of war, this was moved to Richmond, which was perhaps too close. Nonetheless, the Confederate army managed to keep the mightiest army the world had ever seen from breaching its gates for four long years.

During the final month of the war, several cities laid claim to that title. A few more with a more tenuous claim have tried to use that title through the years. Michael Hardy discusses all this in the appropriate level of detail. He keeps the story moving and lively without getting bogged down in the painfully routine minutiae. The Capitals of the Confederacy is an informative and entertaining read. Two thumbs up.

The Last Days of the Confederacy in Northeast Georgia
By Ray Chandler
Reviewed by J. Keith Jones

Ray Chandler has been a writer in many forms for a number of years, but this is his first book. “The Last Days of the Confederacy in Northeast Georgia” is a book I read with great interest. As a fellow native of Northeast Georgia, let me first clear up a misconception I frequently deal with in people from other states. Northeast Georgia is a separate and distinct region from North Georgia. North Georgia contains the mountain counties bordering North Carolina and Tennessee. Northeast Georgia constitutes the counties in the sprawling Piedmont region below the mountains meandering along the Savannah River down to around Augusta.

Naturally I grew up on many of these stories, but as history often is, they were of the often told oral history variety which contains pieces and parts of fact and myth and are often told out of order. This is the first coherent narrative of these stories backed up by source documents giving the true facts of these scattered histories in their full context. Chandler has done an excellent job of presenting these facts and telling them in as interesting a fashion as any of the many story tellers I have heard the pieces and parts from over the decades.

As is often the case, the people of Northeast Georgia have little idea of just how rich their history really is, as the histories of the so-called American Civil War tends to focus almost entirely on Virginia. Virginia, of course, played a central role in the life of the Confederate States of America, but few people realize just how many pivotal characters in this great drama of our nation’s past were from this seemingly insignificant agrarian region. Northeast Georgia remains largely rural and agrarian, but the contributions it made in both people and experiences should not be overlooked. Ray Chandler does a wonderful job of presenting this story for all to read. I highly recommend this book to any who want to broaden their knowledge of Civil War history and maintain that it is now a must read for anyone who has ever called this area home.

States Rights Gist: A South Carolina General of the Civil War
By Walter Brian Cisco
Pelican Publishers

Reviewed by Keith Jones

Many people are surprised and somewhat amused to learn that there was a Confederate general whose first two names were “States Rights.” With States Rights Gist, that is exactly the case. The fact that a South Carolina family would provide “States Rights” as given names in 1831 illustrates how long there had been concern about federal encroachment upon the affairs of the sovereign states in the South.

In this book, Mr. Cisco provides a full spotlight on one of the South’s finest generals. Most people know little about Gist other than the fact that his interesting name often makes him a convenient trivia question, but he was one of the most respected figures in his state and later in the western theater of the war. His untimely death certainly deprived S. C. of what would have probably been one of its shining lights in the latter half of the 19th century.

It is sad that Gist’s stellar military record is largely forgotten, but it is gratifying to see that Cisco has recreated this life from primary sources so well. Written in 1991, “States Rights Gist” is a biography that stands the test of time.

A Blaze of Glory
By Jeff Shaara
Ballantine Books

Reviewed by Keith Jones

In his usual excellent fashion, Jeff Shaara brings the Battle of Shiloh to life in “A Blaze of Glory.” This book presents the personal side of the battle from the perspective of soldiers both famous – Gen. Albet Sidney Johnston, Gen. William T. Sherman, Gen. Ulyses S. Grant, then Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest and Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard – and with those not well known; men like Confederate cavalryman Lt. James Seeley and Union Private Fritz Bauer.

Beginning just days before the battle, it takes you behind the scenes with Gen. A. S. Johnston and his aide and close personal friend Tennessee Governor Isham Harris. You are privy to the machinations of the planning of the battle and the political maneuverings between Beauregard and Johnston. Of course these were trivial compared to the political problems faced by Grant and the Federal army where Gen. Henry Halleck – the power in the western theater – was doing everything in his power to put his people in position and hang on to the glory. It progresses quickly and does Shaara does best, present the facts of the battle in an entertaining format.

I enjoyed “Blaze of Glory” as I have all of Jeff Shaara’s works. Highly recommended.