Judah P. Benjamin: The Jewish Confederate [Hardcover]

Eli N. Evans (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: M G M/U a Home Video (December 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 079280029X
• ISBN-13: 978-0792800293
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,238,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable paradigm shift in hisorical conventional wisdom, January 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Judah P. Benjamin: The Jewish Confederate (Paperback)

Without question, Benjamin was a man of keen intellect and an imposing presence on Jefferson Davis and confederate foreign policy. Very little has ever been written about him, and even less about his Jewish heritage, The common thread has been to note that he exhibited no external trappings of his religious roots, and therefore must have done what he could to divorce himself from his ancestry. The author takes a completely different turn by suggesting that his life, personality, and accomplishments were a result of his acceptance of who he was as a Jew, and that that acceptance strongly influenced his course in life. I for one, have been fascinated by Benjamin for years and was thrilled to find a well documented and researched book on this most intriguing character. And even more thrilling was having a new insight as the author presents his own dynamic as a Jewish attorney studying the life of a predecessor; A Jewish attorney who lived in an alien environment, isolated yet surviving, prospering yet an outcast. The author finally gives us a glimpse of his personal life and helps us see not just an historical figure, but a man with desires, frustrations, happiness and sadness. We are given a whole man to view. I for one believe it is one of the finest biographies I have ever read. Steve Reutter ([e-mail]), Carlisle, Pa

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Benjamin goes to Richmond., February 22, 2004

By 

Dennis Phillips "The Book Friar" (Bulls Gap, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Judah P. Benjamin: The Jewish Confederate (Paperback)

Most every student of the Civil War has heard of Judah P. Benjamin but very few people know anything about him except that he served in three positions in the Confederate Cabinet. Most of these same people are also aware that Benjamin was Jewish and from Louisiana, but that is about it. This lack of knowledge about Benjamin may come from the fact that its generals often overshadow the Confederate government or it may come from Benjamin's own desire to sink into anonymity following the war. This desire on Benjamin's part has in great part made a study of him very difficult for he destroyed almost every document with his name on it, including personal correspondence. Eli Evans has taken on the difficult task though, and has turned out a fantastic biography of the elusive Benjamin.

Benjamin's early life is dealt with in some detail, especially after he arrives in New Orleans looking for a fresh start. Through skill and hard work Judah became one of the most successful lawyers in New Orleans. He married into the Creole ruling class and gained in stature but also gained a wife who would be an embarrassment to him for the rest of his life. During this time he built a plantation and became an agricultural innovator and was remembered by his former slaves long after the war for his kindness. Benjamin was very much a progressive and this would show up later in his plans for a Confederate Emancipation Proclamation.

Benjamin moved into politics and was in his second term in the U.S. Senate when Louisiana left the Union. He and Jefferson Davis had not gotten along very well in the Senate and Benjamin had once come to the point of challenging his Mississippi colleague to a duel. As the new Confederate President looked for a Cabinet however he wanted someone from each Confederate State and Benjamin was the obvious choice for Louisiana. From that point on a friendship blossomed that would end up making Benjamin Davis' closest advisor and confidant. This is the story Evans tells so well.

Benjamin, for his country and his President was willing to serve as a scapegoat on several occasions for unpopular decisions Davis had to make. He also took the blame a few times for not sending needed supplies to certain points rather than hurt Confederate moral by admitting that they simply didn't have the supplies in question. Evans does a superb job of relating Benjamin's hard work and also the never-ending venom that was directed at him, especially by opponents of President Davis.

The weak points of the book come when Evans leaves his subject and starts to write about things that he knows little about. He very quickly dispenses with battles but still often makes errors and naturally repeats the old fable about shoes at Gettysburg. He also has problems accepting that Tennessee did in fact leave the Union and while there were Tennessee men in the Union army there were many, many more in Confederate service. Tennessee was left out of Lincoln's proclamation simply because most of the state was under occupation and Andrew Johnson intervened for the rest of the state. Still, if one just sort of ignores some of his statements that do not involve Benjamin, Evans has written an excellent book.

The final chapters trace Benjamin as he escapes to England and rebuilds his life to become one of the top lawyers in London. He remains deeply concerned about his imprisoned President but is also afraid that if the anti-Semitic Andrew Johnson can catch him he will again be the scapegoat and face a rope. Fortunately, cooler heads finally prevail and Benjamin is left alone to wow the English legal world.

Benjamin obviously deserves more credit than he gets from Confederate historians but his destruction of most of his papers have made studying him a difficult task. Eli Evans has taken on this task and has done a masterful job. This book is an even more spectacular achievement when one considers that Benjamin took deliberate steps to avoid having his biography written. Any student of the Confederacy needs a copy of this book in their library. Also, anyone interested in Jewish-American history will find this book a must read despite Benjamin's tendency to not practice his religion by among other things, having a smokehouse full of delicious hams.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why was Benjamin excluded from the PBS Civil War program ?, November 9, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Judah P. Benjamin: The Jewish Confederate (Paperback)

Gripping biography of the Confederate Secretary of State, Judah P.Benjamin, whose Judiasm may have been the reason for his exclusion from the PBS Civil War documentary. This key Confederate not only was a brilliant strategist, but, after fleeing the Confederate States of America, left for England, where he wrote "Benjamin on Contracts"...the CURRENT text on Contract Law taught in every law school today ! The importance of this book is that Mr. Benjamin was extremely thorough to destroy every Confederate document which bore his name and position as Secretary of State of the Confederacy.