Reconstructing Appalachia: The Civil War's Aftermath (New Directions in Southern History) [Hardcover]

Andrew L. Slap (Editor), Gordon McKinney (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2010 | Series: New Directions in Southern History

Families, communities, and the nation itself were irretrievably altered by the Civil War and the subsequent societal transformations of the nineteenth century. The repercussions of the war incited a broad range of unique problems in Appalachia, including political dynamics, racial prejudices, and the regional economy. Andrew L. Slap's anthology Reconstructing Appalachia reveals life in Appalachia after the ravages of the Civil War, an unexplored area that has left a void in historical literature. Addressing a gap in the chronicles of our nation, this vital anthology explores little-known aspects of history with a particular focus on the Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction periods. Acclaimed scholars John C. Inscoe, Gordon B. McKinney, and Ken Fones-Wolf are joined by up-and-comers like Mary Ella Engel, Anne E. Marshall, and Kyle Osborn in a unique collection of essays investigating postwar Appalachia with clarity and precision. Featuring a broad geographic focus, these compelling essays cover postwar events in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. This approach provides an intimate portrait of Appalachia as a diverse collection of communities where the values of place and family are of crucial importance.Highlighting a wide array of topics including racial reconciliation, tension between former Unionists and Confederates, the evolution of post--Civil War memory, and altered perceptions of race, gender, and economic status, Reconstructing Appalachia is a timely and essential study of a region rich in heritage and tradition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

""A major contribution to the continuing re-evaluation of the mountain region's history. This volume marks an extension of that rich scholarship, providing a vital bridge between the agrarian/sectional and industrial/national eras."--Martin Crawford, author of Ashe County's Civil War: Community and Society in the Appalachian South" --

""The mountain people and small farmers didn't own many slaves or care too much about states' rights.... But they bore a great amount of the war's destruction. It left them embittered, resentful of any government authority and suspicious of outsiders."--Louisville Courier-Journal" --

""This impressive new study will pave the way for additional scholarship. Excellent, readable, and absorbing history, it gives us a better understanding of this compelling aspect of the Civil War. Highly recommended for both general readers and specialists"--Library Journal" --

""Reconstructing Appalachia is the story of a region coming to grips with the aftermath of a devastating homegrown war."--kydirect.net" --

""In a collection of essays, several Southern historians examine life in Appalachia after the War Between the States ravaged the region."--Lexington Herald-Leader" --

""The end of the Civil War was only the beginning."--Knoxville News-Sentinel" --

""The American Civil War left a lasting mark on the lands and people of Appalachia, where there are diverse collection of communities where the values of place and family are crucial importance."--Lone Star" --

""Reconstructing Appalachia is outstanding."--North Caroline Historical Review" --

""Reconstructing Appalachia addresses a gap in the nation's chronicles, as it explores little-known aspects of history with a particular focus on the Reconstruction and even the post-Reconstruction periods of the late 1800s."--Bristol Herald Courier" --

""This much needed and very useful collection highlights the Appalachian region's diverse responses to the Civil War and complicates, while it illuminates, several long-standing historical debates."--Civil War Book Review" --

""Many of the essays reveal how outsiders shaped the long-lasting hillbilly steretype. An important book. Highly recommended."--Choice" --

""It invites reinterpretation and helps to redefine a region characterized by a multitude of stereotypes."--Maryland Historical Magazine" --

""The collection provides a well-constructed and much needed historiographical connection between the Civil War era and the industrialization of Appalachia." --West Virginia History" --

""This collection of essays is a sign that the era of missed opportunities is coming to an end, and it contains a range of thought-provoking essays.... [It] has the potential to be an important influence on Reconstruction historiography."--American Historical Review" --

""This is an essential work for Appalachian Studies scholars whether historians or not."--H-Net Reviews" --

""All of [the chapters] are of high quality and well worth the read."--The Journal of American History" --

""[Slap] has collected 13 essays.... examining a wide array of topics related to the tough, often halting, healing process in our region."--Goldenseal" --

""Slap and twelve other historians... offer important revisionist insights into Reconstruction-era Appalachia's cultural, economic, political, and social history." -- Florida Historical Quarterly" --

From the Inside Flap

Families, communities, and the nation itself were irretrievably altered by the Civil War and the subsequent societal transformations of the nineteenth century. The repercussions of the war incited a broad range of unique problems in the mountains, including treacherous political dynamics, racial prejudices, and a struggling regional economy. Andrew L. Slap's Reconstructing Appalachia examines life in Appalachia after the ravages of the Civil War, an unexplored area that represents a void in historical literature.

Addressing a gap in the chronicles of our nation, this vital anthology explores little-known aspects of history with a particular emphasis on the Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction periods. Acclaimed scholars John C. Inscoe and Ken Fones-Wolf are joined by up-and-comers like Mary Ella Engel, Anne E. Marshall, and Kyle Osborn in a unique collection of essays investigating postwar Appalachia with clarity and precision.

Featuring a broad geographic focus, these compelling essays cover postwar events in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. This approach yields an intimate portrait of Appalachia as a diverse collection of communities where the values of place and family are of crucial importance.

Highlighting a wide array of topics including racial reconciliation, tension between former Unionists and Confederates, the evolution of post--Civil War memory, and altered perceptions of race, gender, and economic status, Reconstructing Appalachia illuminates the depth and breadth of the far-reaching problems in Appalachia. Mountain dwellers endured the terrible effects of the war regardless of their loyalties to North or South; both armies destroyed railroads and trade routes throughout the region, mountain communities lost hundreds of able-bodied men,and farms were stripped of produce by passing regiments, causing widespread food shortages throughout Appalachia. The combined effects of these losses caused the collapse of an economic and social infrastructure that took decades to repair. Exploring the voices voices of a forgotten region, Reconstructing Appalachia unearths the history of a proud people coming to grips with the aftermath of war.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 390 pages
• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky (May 4, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813125812
• ISBN-13: 978-0813125817
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #353,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A unique view of Reconstruction, January 31, 2011

By 

James W. Durney (Tampa Bay area) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Reconstructing Appalachia: The Civil War's Aftermath (New Directions in Southern History) (Hardcover)

Reconstruction is one of the most contentious areas in American history, depending on who is talking:

Reconstruction is the process by which Freemen and loyal Unionist will form a new southern society.

Reconstruction is the process by which Radical Republicans try to punish and enslave white southerners.

Reconstruction fails due to Klan violence and the Federal withdrawal of support for loyal governments.

Reconstruction is a production of Northern fears, paranoia and the desire to exploit a defeated South.

We seldom think of Reconstruction in the Mountains of Kentucky, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia or West Virginia. We think of Reconstruction in the plantation areas or cites with large numbers of Freemen. Appalachia, with a largely white population, few slaves, hardscrabble family farms and a large group loyal Unionist is not involved. Kentucky remained in the Union and was never part of Reconstruction. Lincoln pushed and pleaded for a campaign to occupy loyal eastern Tennessee during the war. The western Carolinas were refuge to large numbers of Confederate deserters and Union guerrilla bands. West Virginia left the Confederacy to join the Union. What can we say about Reconstruction in Appalachia?

For this group of young historians, the answer is a lot! The 13 well-written essays, covering from the end of the war to 1921, introduce a new world to many readers. Reconstruction becomes a political contest for control of an area. Much of this occurs at the county level and is very personal. Reconstruction is less about Freemen's rights than about who wins and who loses. The bands of Confederate deserters and Union guerrillas did not disarm and go home after the war. Returning soldiers did not find victory parades, as fighting for either side became unpopular. The result is often bad guys vs. worse guys. The individual essays are uniformly good. All are informative, readable and well documented. That they do not all agree captures the problems in the area and the different possible views. The book's organization is not geographic or chronological; this helps us understand the diversity of problems as we see the different reconstructions. Violence is common and a part of political life, the war and Reconstruction just add reasons and bring better arms into the fray.

While this is not a book for everyone, it is necessary reading for those interested in Reconstruction, Appalachia or America after the war.