Plain Folk's Fight: The Civil War and Reconstruction in Piney Woods Georgia (Civil War America) [Hardcover]

Mark V. Wetherington (Author)

Book Description

Series: Civil War America | Publication Date: February 26, 2009

In an examination of the effects of the Civil War on the rural Southern home front, Mark V. Wetherington looks closely at the experiences of white "plain folk"--mostly yeoman farmers and craftspeople--in the wiregrass region of southern Georgia before, during, and after the war. Although previous scholars have argued that common people in the South fought the battles of the region's elites, Wetherington contends that the plain folk in this Georgia region fought for their own self-interest.

Plain folk, whose communities were outside areas in which slaves were the majority of the population, feared black emancipation would allow former slaves to move from cotton plantations to subsistence areas like their piney woods communities. Thus, they favored secession, defended their way of life by fighting in the Confederate army, and kept the antebellum patriarchy intact in their home communities. Unable by late 1864 to sustain a two-front war in Virginia and at home, surviving veterans took their fight to the local political arena, where they used paramilitary tactics and ritual violence to defeat freedpeople and their white Republican allies, preserving a white patriarchy that relied on ex-Confederate officers for a new generation of leadership.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Impressive research supports Wetherington's refreshing reconsideration of common southerners' perceptions of the war and Reconstruction. His book is certain to attract attention from Civil War scholars and will prove entertaining for the interested public. . . . Highly Recommended."

— Choice

From the Inside Flap

Wetherington examines the local effects of the Civil War on a section of southern Georgia, in part of the region known as Wiregrass Country. The author looks closely at the experiences of white "plain folk"--mostly yeoman farmers and craftspeople--who feared that emancipation would encourage freed slaves to move from cotton plantations into the piney woods communities they had claimed for themselves.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (February 26, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807829633
• ISBN-13: 978-0807829639
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,237,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An in-depth examination of the efforts to the Civil War on the rural South, December 7, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Plain Folk's Fight: The Civil War and Reconstruction in Piney Woods Georgia (Civil War America) (Hardcover)

The Civil War's reconstruction process in Piney Woods Georgia is the narrowed focus of Plain Folk's Fight, an in-depth examination of the efforts to the Civil War on the rural South. Race consciousness was at the forefront of a fight by rural whites to defend their way of life in their neighborhood. These rural folk helped tip Georgia toward secession in 1861, supplied troops during the war, and found themselves divided in loyalty to the Confederate nation and their neighbors. Chapters focus on volunteer units, family organization, stories of hardship and independence, and black/white relationships affected by terrorism. Not for the casual Civil War student, but a 'most' for any serious discussion or collection.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Detailed look at the Civil War on the Wiregrass home front, August 22, 2006

By 

R. Womack "Wiregrass teacher" (Deepest South Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Plain Folk's Fight: The Civil War and Reconstruction in Piney Woods Georgia (Civil War America) (Hardcover)

Insightful look at how average or "Plain" folks of the Wiregrass/ Ocmulgee Big Bend area of Georgia lived and survivied the Civil War and Reconstruction. Tons of new information here that often made me think, but it wasn't a page turner. However, if you are looking for a book on the Civil War in Coffee, Irwin, Telfair, Pulaski, and Wilcox counties or a good Georgia Home Front history... this is for you.