Posted on 11/23/2016 6:01:04 PM PST by Loud Mime
I am studying our Civil War; anybody have any recommendations for reading?
Ping
Center of manufacturing and distribution.
Jack Hinson: One man war
Link to the first article in the series is here.
“I am studying our Civil War; anybody have any recommendations for reading?”
Yes. Start with the Declaration of Independence.
That will keep you busy for a while. I have several encylopedias of the Civil War too, excellent for quick reference or a good overview.
Good calls on your part as well, both Foote and Catton books are on my reading list for next summer.
Response Of Abraham Lincoln... “I can’t let them go. Who would pay for the government?”
It is worse than just paying for the government. The South created the vast majority of the Trade with Europe, so it wasn't just the revenue to the government that the Union would lose, it was the bulk of all European trade that would disappear.
The economic consequences to the North of an Independent South would be horrible and devastating. According to what I have read from the various books, New York/New England was skimming off about 40% of every dollar earned by those Southern exports to Europe. Their shipping, banking, warehousing, insurance and other industries were heavily dependent upon those Southern exports going to Europe with the return trade coming back through New York (mostly.)
It wasn't just the loss of ~64 million in Tariffs to pay the cost of running the Federal government, it was more like 300 million in lost revenue to the Northern industrial interests.
These numbers also do not take into account the consequences of boosting the capitalization of Southern industries by that 40% that was previously going to New York. With all that extra money, the South would have built their own factories and industries which would thereafter compete directly with the Northern industries.
The power barons of the existing Northern Industries were looking into their open grave, and they realized that at all costs, the South must be stopped from establishing direct trade with Europe.
Hence, one of the first things the Union did was to throw up a blockade around the South to prevent trade with Europe, because if the Europeans started to realize greater profits from direct trade with the South, it would have been impossible to put that genie back in the bottle.
I had Robertson for a year of Civil War history at VaTech!
It was great!
It was written before the war. Hard to be propaganda for a war that had not yet started, doncha think?
I’d love to have been in that class. My father wrote to Dr. Robertson after my son was born (he read an article about the book) and got an autographed book in response.
To get the best understanding, start not with books about the Civil War, but read the books about the aprox 10 years prior to from about 1850 to 1860. Then you will have a better understanding how.
The nitty gritty details of the war itself are well documented. But the decade before will give you more insight into the why. There are things pro and con regarding secession, slavery and a variety of other issues that folk on both sides found to be an egregious violation of their...insert appropriate here (religion, rights, morality, etc.)
Once I had a better understanding of the whys on both sides, the mechanics of how came into a much clearer focus. Many of the Civil War books try to address why, but that is just the author’s opinion. Read the history about the before, and form your own opinion on it and re-read what is out there about the war. It is most illuminating.
Thomas Wood “The Real Lincoln”. Just got done with that one.
Catton also did a wonderful biographical series on Grant!
Commager’s Blue and Grey. Must read.
The Official Record of the War of the Rebellion.
Grant’s Memiors
Completed by Grant just before he passed away with throat cancer.
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