The Lost Colony of the Confederacy [Paperback]

Eugene C. Harter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1988

The Lost Colony of the Confederacy is the story of a grim, quixotic journey of twenty thousand Confederates to Brazil at the end of the American Civil War. Although it is not known how many Confederates migrated to South America-estimates range from eight thousand to forty thousand-their departure was fueled by bitterness over a lost cause and a distaste for an oppressive victor. Encouraged by Emperor Dom Pedro, most of these exiles settled in Brazil. Although at the time of the Civil War the exodus was widely known and discussed as an indicator of the resentment against the Northern invaders and strict governmental measures, The Lost Colony of the Confederacy is the first book to focus on this mass migration. Eugene Harter vividly describes the lives of these last Confederates who founded their own city and were called Os Confederados. They retained much of their Southernness and lent an American flavor to Brazilian culture. First published in 1985, this work details the background of the exodus and describes the life of the twentiethcentury descendants, who have a strong link both to Southern history and to modern Brazil. The fires have cooled, but it is useful to understand the intense feelings that sparked the migration to Brazil. Southern ways have melded into Brazilian, and both are linked by the unbreakable bonds of history, as shown in this revealing account. The late EUGENE C. HARTER retired from the U.S. Senior Foreign Service and lived in Chestertown, Maryland, until his death in 2010. He was the grandson and greatgrandson of Confederates who left Texas and Mississippi as a part of the great Confederate migration in the late 1860s. Harter is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The late EUGENE C. HARTER retired from the U.S. Senior Foreign Service and lived in Chestertown, Maryland, until his death in 2010.  He was the grandson and great grandson of Confederates who left Texas and Mississippi as a part of the great Confederate migration in the late 1860s.  Harter is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 142 pages
• Publisher: Univ Pr of Mississippi (Trd) (September 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878053778
• ISBN-13: 978-0878053773
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,509,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Old Dixie-Brazilian Style!, August 27, 2000

By 

Luis Hernandez (New York, New York, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lost Colony of the Confederacy (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series) (Paperback)

Based on actual events, the "Lost Colony of the Confederacy" is an interesting book that chronicles the massive immigration of Southerners who fled the former states of the Confederacy and resettled in Brazil. At the invitation of Brazil's ruler at the time, Emperor Dom Pedro II, many Confederates immigrated to Brazil to take advantage of that nation's rich natural resources and most importantly, African slaves in one of the few countries in the Americas who had not abolished slavery yet.

These settlers, known as the Confederados, resettled in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, and founded a town they named "Americana" where many of their descendants still reside. With Anglo-Saxon last names such as Stonewall, Jackson, and Butler, many of their present-day ancestors still reside in the Southern-inspired town and continue to live the way of life their ancestors once lived. Pecan pies, debutante balls, and Southern hymns are all still alive, although many of them have intermarried with Brazil's population and speak Portuguese as well as English (with a Brazilian-Southerner accent).

The author did great research when writing this book, and the photographs provide the reader with visuals that help us visualize Americana. Originally published by the University of Mississippi press, this updated book provides new updated information on Americana and her inhabitants

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the U.S. Civil War, Brazil, or Latin American culture/history. The story of the Confederados is a forgotten chapter in the history of the Civil War that should be rediscovered by all.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to read and follow with Important insight into the issue, March 16, 2010

By 

Ron Jefferson - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lost Colony of the Confederacy (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series) (Paperback)

Let me start off by saying that I'm a history major and read about 12 history books per semester. I found this book by far the easiest to read and follow so far. Quite a few subject based history books are nothing more than repackaged doctoral dissertations that are terribly difficult to follow. That or the author feels the need to wow their audience with unnecessary vernacular that is often more complex then need be.

That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The author has a free flowing writing style that doesn't get to caught up in minute details that one wouldn't remember anyway. This book offers very rare insight to those southerners trapped in a destroyed and military occupied land with little to no hope for survival. Make no mistake, this is definitely a story told from their point of view (the author is a descendant of the Confederates that emigrated to Brazil) but it serves as a good counter-balance since there was little to no objective insight to this subject before this book.

All in all 5 stars for the easy read and for the incredibly interesting peek into little known history.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Old Dixie-Brazilian Style!, August 27, 2000

By 

Luis Hernandez (New York, New York, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The lost colony of the Confederacy (Hardcover)

Based on actual events, the "Lost Colony of the Confederacy" is an interesting book that chronicles the massive immigration of Southerners who fled the former states of the Confederacy and resettled in Brazil. At the invitation of Brazil's ruler at the time, Emperor Dom Pedro II, many Confederates immigrated to Brazil to take advantage of that nation's rich natural resources and most importantly, African slaves in one of the few countries in the Americas who had not abolished slavery yet.

These settlers, known as the Confederados, resettled in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, and founded a town they named "Americana" where many of their descendants still reside. With Anglo-Saxon last names such as Stonewall, Jackson, and Butler, many of their present-day ancestors still reside in the Southern-inspired town and continue to live the way of life their ancestors once lived. Pecan pies, debutante balls, and Southern hymns are all still alive, although many of them have intermarried with Brazil's population and speak Portuguese as well as English (with a Brazilian-Southerner accent).

The author did great research when writing this book, and the photographs provide the reader with visuals that help us visualize Americana. An updated edition of this book was recently published by Texas A&M University press, provides new updated information on Americana and her inhabitants

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the U.S. Civil War, Brazil, or Latin American culture/history. The story of the Confederados is a forgotten chapter in the history of the Civil War that should be rediscovered by all.