Southern History of the War: 2 Vols. in One

by Edward A. Pollard

Large Hard Back Book. First published in 1866. The author was the Editor of the Richmond Examiner (Newspaper) during the United States Civil War.

Genres: Civil War, History, American History, Civil War Confederacy, American Civil War

598 pages, Hardcover

First published May 23, 1990

About the author

Edward Alfred Pollard (1832–1872) was an American author, journalist, and Confederate sympathizer during the American Civil War who wrote several books on the causes and events of the war, notably The Lost Cause: A New Southern History of the War of the Confederates (1866) and The Lost Cause Regained (1868), wherein Pollard originated the long-standing pseudo-historical ideology of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy.

During the American Civil War, he was one of the principal editors of the pro-Confederate but critical of Jefferson Davis newspaper Richmond Examiner.

In 1864, he sailed for England, but the vessel on which he sailed was captured as a blockade runner, and he was confined in Boston Harbor from 29 May until 12 August, when he was paroled.

NB Do not confuse with the Rev. Edward Bagby Pollard (1864-1927)

Reviews

[Christine Ingles · Rating 3 out of 5]

the WAR from the Southern perspective. First published in 1866, different and lengthy written by a newspaper editor who also wrote a book called LOST CAUSE. I recommend it only if the subject is of interest to you.

[Ted Greiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating contemporary story ofvthe Civil War written by the editor of the Richmond Examiner newspaper. He has not returned to edit this edition after the war, and thus his writings until the very end of the war were full of bragging about how the South would win in the end. He gives detailed descriptions of numerous minor battles. For each battle, one should be careful in accepting what he reports as to the outcome, especially casualties. He sometimes comes close to what are now the accepted numbers for the South, but invariably greatly exaggerates the numbers for the North.

He is of course both a very good writer and very knowledgeable about the perspectives of the South, so is a good read regarding their points of view on slavery and other political and social issues of the day. While totally biased toward the South's points of view, his criticisms of the southern government. He ends the book like this: "The quick succession of these surrenders--the suddenness and completeness of the catastrophe--show plainly enough that there was a widely spread rottenness in the affairs of the Confederacy, and its cause went down in a general demoralization of the army and people." He went on to write books praising the "Lost Cause."

[Jared Estes · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unashamed southerner's perspective on the war. Goes beyond southerners = bad because slavery. There is more to the story and Pollard provides a revolutionary aspect to the Southerners cause.