Sister States, Enemy States:
No state played a more significant role in the Civil War than did Kentucky and few more than did Tennessee. The editors of this collection have brought together 16 essays covering different facets of the Civil War era — especially the “political, economic, and social conditions” — in those two key states. Subjects covered range widely from Unionists, to guerrillas, to refugees, to slave, to women, to Reconstruction. As always in such collections, the quality of the separate essays varies, but students of the war will find much in these pages that will give them food for thought and greatly enhance their understanding of the 1860s and 1870s. I thought Gary Matthews’ and Thomas Mackey’s pieces on Kentucky’s part in the 1860-61 crisis especially valuable. So, too, was Derek Frisby’s essay on how secession came about in Tennessee. Other topics include John Knowles on the war in East Tennessee, Kenneth Noe on the 9th Kentucky (U.S.) Infantry Regiment and Brian McKnight on the guerrilla Champ Ferguson. Several of the essays cover the erosion of slavery in Kentucky and postwar politics in both states. B. Franklin Cooling’s “After the Horror: Kentucky in Reconstruction” ought to be required reading for all American politicians — especially those who feel an overpowering urge to save people from themselves. Civil War News readers should be aware that while the book can help them understand many of the larger issues of the 1860s and 1870s, it does not contain any of the detailed military narratives so beloved by many Civil War buffs. Reviewer: Richard M. McMurry’s latest book (edited) is An Uncompromising Secessionist: The Civil War of George Knox Miller, 8th (Wade’s) Confederate Cavalry.
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Illustrated, map, not4es, index, 401 pp., 2009. The University of Kentucky Press, 663 South Limestone St., Lexington, KY 40508-4008, $40 plus shipping.