With Malice toward Some

“With Malice Toward Some succeeds on multiple levels: it provides new insights about aspects of the Civil War that we thought were well known; it introduces readers to events, characters, and documents that had previously attracted little or no attention; and it offers a fresh new perspective on what shaped the behavior of Americans during the Civil War era.”—Journal of American History

“Lays the foundation for future studies of treason and disloyalty in the Civil War era and beyond.”—American Historical Review

“In this wide-ranging book. . . one of Blair’s great accomplishments [is] that he can effectively consider the issue [of treason] on so many levels, making this both a sophisticated and fascinating study of the effort to define and stamp out disloyalty in the Civil War era.”—America’s Civil War

“For anyone with an interest in how northerners—including all three branches of government, military officers, clergy, the press, and average citizens—constructed notions of treason, this important book should not be missed.”—Civil War Monitor

“Markedly improve[s] our understanding of the politics and policing of treason. . . . [This] wise and timely book offers fresh ways to think about persistently relevant questions.”—North Carolina Historical Review

“This book is not only a great reference for any Civil War Historian to have on their shelf, but it is a great explanation for those who have been confused about the legal status of treason and the ways in which it was combated during the Civil War.”—Gettysburg Chronicle

“An important book that will surely and deservedly attract great attention from students of the Civil War era for many years to come.”—Civil War Book Review

“A carefully constructed narrative. . . . Blair’s book deserves a wide audience of scholars and general readers of history.”—Explorations

“Blair has richly illustrated how free speech and Union cohesiveness butted heads during the Civil War. . . . Highly recommended for those with an interest in Union politics or the Northern home front.”—Civil War News

“William Blair’s With Malice toward Some represents a remarkably fresh contribution toward historians' understanding of treason and loyalty during the Civil War era. Highly original and deeply researched in heretofore neglected sources, Blair offers a elegantly written reinterpretation that operates at many levels, with many different actors, and with profound implications for the American constitutional system during wartime. A must read for nineteenth-century American historians.”—William A. Link, author of Atlanta, Cradle of the New South: Race and Remembering in the Civil War’s Aftermath