Steven Harbin’s Reviews > This Mighty Scourge: Perspectives on the Civil War > Status Update

I will have to get that, but Im so disgusted with McPherson, Foner, Catton. Could they not suck more on Jeff Davis wanger?

While Foner, Catton and McP eventually give Lincoln some praise, those three are responsible for essentially first giving Jeff Davis version -- factual version -- of events, and his narrative.

I used to believe "historians" like McP, Foner, Catton -- why would I not? But I wrote a screenplay about "Slave Dogs" and developed a daily habit of reading Southern newspapers, Southern speeches, Southern documents. I kept reading these and going "WTF?" Things they bragged about -- in their own speeches, their own documents, their own books -- McP and the rest did not even mention- - or mentioned in a watered down way.

Like SOuthern War Ultimatums. None of those three ever mentioned Southern War Ultimatums, not once. Yet, Souther newspapers bragged in 1861 about their Five War ultimatums -- all five about the forced spread of slavery.

Kind of a big deal.

NOr did any of these guys ever make clear what everyone knew at the time -- the guy who got Kansas Act passed, David Rice Atchison -- then went to Kansas and started killing and terrorizng to spread slavery. Even more amazing, he BOASTED about it. And he worked for, officially, Jeff Davis. He reported to Jeff Davis. Jeff Davis supported him, $ wise and said everything he did was Constitutionally required.

What did Atchison DO? He was killing, torturing, and terrorizing, he made it illegal to speak publically and write newspapers against slavery.

This was no secret -- at all. Atchison BOASTED about it. Charles Sumner was speaking about this specifically, he was speaking for hours about David Rice Atchison and his killings and tortures and oppression in KS after he passed Kansas Act. That "Crimes Against Kansas SPeech" is amazing -- though some sites inexplicably remove his long lists of killings and crimes. That speech is ABOUT this,

And it was not just Sumners speech.

Do you think McPherson does not know Sumners speech?

There is much more these guys miss, apparently becasue they do not want to trash Southern leaders. That's the only thing I can think of.

I have tried to read some of McPs stuff, but when he starts bullshitting or glossing over this stuff (I just put some examples above) I get too pissed to read on.

By the way, we dont need "historians" like McPherson spewing bullshit. You can get so much now, yourself.

Southern newspapers from that period -- many are online. True, we would need a video camera at Lee's slave auctions, and watch him laugh, if he did, at the slave girl he just bought, but there are plenty of records we DO have.

These "historians" like McP are bullshitters. Get the original documents -- all of them y ou can -- and study them yourself. Then use your own brain. McP and others have left so much out, their narrative is bullshit