An Honorable Defeat Arc - Hardcover

Davis, William C.

3.96

209 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0151007020 ISBN 13: 9780151007028

Publisher: Harcourt, 2001

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By February 1865, the end was clearly in sight for the Confederate government. Lee's defeat at Gettysburg had dashed the hopes of its army, and Grant's victory at Vicksburg had cut the South in two. An Honorable Defeat is the story of the four months that saw the surrender of the South and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by Southern partisans. It is also the story of two men, antagonists yet political partners, who struggled to achieve their own differing visions: Jefferson Davis, autocratic president of the Confederate States, who vowed never to surrender whatever the cost, and his secretary of war, General John C. Breckinridge, who hoped pragmatism would save the shattered remnants of the land he so loved.
William C. Davis traces the astounding journey of these men, and the entire Confederate cabinet, as they fled Richmond by train, then by mule, then on foot. Using original research, he narrates, with dramatic style and clear historical accuracy, the futile quarrels of the two men as they continued their flight from their eventual fate.

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Review:

PRAISE FOR "AN HONORABLE DEFEAT""This is popular history at its very best."--"Seattle Post Intelligencer""A marvelous supporting cast of politicians and soldiers helps him to fashion a story . . . rich in pathos and humor."--"The New York Times Book Review""A harrowing adventure . . . deftly told."--"Booklist"

About the Author:

William C. Davis is Director of Programs at the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies.

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