The Long Shadow of the Civil War

“The bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth has come and gone, and with it a flood of books about the sixteenth president. But the sesquicentennial of the Civil War now looms on the horizon, promising its own deluge of books of every size, shape and description. We will be fortunate indeed if in sheer originality and insight they measure up to . . . The Long Shadow of the Civil War, [a] new work by . . . Victoria Bynum . . . on the Confederate experience.” — Eric Foner, The Nation

“Bynum highlights the 'solid South' as a construction and even more successfully presents the importance of 'kinship, community, and place' in sustaining resistance to oppression.” — Publishers Weekly

“Bynum has plunged deeply into the primary sources on these interesting individuals, family groups, and local communities. . . . Valuable . . . because it proves that dissent was not rare and insignificant.” — H-Civil War

“Those who enjoy the study of Reconstruction social and political battles as much or more than the military conflicts of the Civil War will find a wealth of material here for further study. . . . [Bynum’s] engaging writing style will no doubt interest many readers of her book as well.” — TOCWOC

“Bynum maps a road that few took, but the evocative stories of these families demand notice.” — Virginia Quarterly Review

“Supported by impressive research and crafted to enlighten rather than celebrate or condemn, this book offers a penetrating portrait of the dissenters and their world. A strong addition to upper-level Civil War collections, it will also serve as a lively read for the general public. . . . Highly recommended.” — CHOICE

“A masterful community study. . . . Based on exhaustive and innovative research. . . . [That] brilliantly demonstrates that common men and women, yeoman farmers, poor whites, slaves, and freedpeople left their stories behind for historians to excavate.” — Arkansas Historical Quarterly

“Offers vivid examples of the different Souths that fought, endured, and remembered the war.” — North Carolina Historical Review

“Historians wishing to pursue such comparisons and questions will find great value in Bynum’s careful research.” — Journal of the Civil War Era

“Fascinating. . . . Bynum demonstrates an impressive, intricate knowledge of the case. . . . The book is an interesting read and opens up avenues for scholars who wish to trace kinship migrations throughout the South and the cultural linkages those migrations may have established.” — The Review of Politics