Embattled Rebel: Jefferson Davis and the Confederate Civil War

Written by James M. McPherson

Narrated by Robert Fass

From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom, a powerful new reckoning with Jefferson Davis as military commander of the Confederacy

“The best concise book we have on the subject… McPherson is… our most distinguished scholar of the Civil War era.” —The New York Times Book Review
 
History has not been kind to Jefferson Davis. Many Americans of his own time and in later generations considered him an incompetent leader, not to mention a traitor. Not so, argues James M. McPherson. In Embattled Rebel, McPherson shows us that Davis might have been on the wrong side of history, but that it is too easy to diminish him because of his cause’s failure. Gravely ill throughout much of the Civil War, Davis nevertheless shaped and articulated the principal policy of the Confederacy—the quest for independent nationhood—with clarity and force. He exercised a tenacious hands-on influence in the shaping of military strategy, and his close relationship with Robert E. Lee was one of the most effective military-civilian partnerships in history.

Lucid and concise, Embattled Rebel presents a fresh perspective on the Civil War as seen from the desk of the South’s commander in chief.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Audio
• Release date: Oct 7, 2014
• ISBN: 9780698179622

James M. McPherson

James M. McPherson taught U.S. history at Princeton University for forty-two years and is author of more than a dozen books on the era of the Civil War. His books have won a Pulitzer Prize and two Lincoln Prizes.

Reviews for Embattled Rebel

[jbd1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An attempt, the author says, at an honest appraisal of Davis' abilities as commander in chief. But this is far too sympathetic to Davis overall, and doesn't get into much depth on most topics.

[tuckerresearch · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

McPherson is a good author, and one of the deans of Civil War history. His take on Jefferson Davis is needed, because he is often consciously, and unconsciously, compared to Lincoln. Any such comparison is to Davis's detriment. Partially because Lincoln is so good and the Confederacy lost. McPherson makes a conscious effort to NOT compare Davis with Lincoln, and the effect is a good overview of Confederate strategy and Confederate war aims. It captures what Davis tried to do, what he did, what he was up against, and gives brief sketches of the people he dealt with and the battles of the Civil War. It is, I think, a necessary title for any Civil War bookshelf.

[buffalogr · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Pretty fair book about the civil war with a few perspectives of Jefferson Davis thrown in. A s with the book on Lincoln, McPherson organizes the book around five functions performed or overseen by Davis in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief: the formulation of policy, national strategy, military strategy, operations, and tactics. Some comparisons are made with Lincoln, but just a few. Most of the content was repeat of other civil war stories, and yes, I know the background must be told. But,more on Davis himself wold have been nice. The book is ALL about Davis' actions during the Civil war...only a sentence is devoted to post war time and maybe a paragraph on the pre war period of his life. Nothing is said about family. Sickly as he was, mentioned many times.

[big_bang_gorilla · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Being an analysis of President Davis of the CSA's performance as commander-in chief. This book is a pleasure to read; it is clearly written, jargon-free, and objective. The main pitfall threatening books which treat of strategy or grand strategy in this or any other war is to deteriorate into short histories of the war, and McPherson admittedly drives the tractor a little close to this ditch at times, especially early in the book. However, his analysis tightens as the book proceeds, and he includes a great deal of information which is difficult to find elsewhere; I was particularly impressed with his treatment of logistics and diplomacy. At the outset, the author states that he feels that Davis' military reputation needs to be upgraded, but had I not read the statement I would not have noticed an agenda: his comments seemed always to be judicious and equanimous. He is critical at times and certainly gives over a great deal of space to the colorful vitriol produced by Davis' critics in politics and the press. This is a worthwhile book.

[wagner5sarah35 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A good, very readable look at Jefferson Davis's role as a Confederate military leader. Prior to reading this, I had not realized how involved Davis was in Confederate military affairs - he not only selected the generals, but also visited and consulted with many in-person, sometimes countered their orders, and faced censure for his choices and strategy. This book also provides an excellent overview of the Southern war effort, discussing supply problems, the issue of black soldiers, and various diplomatic efforts to conclude the war.

[vgaharris · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As always, a quality effort by McPherson. Davis was and is one of the most misunderstood figures in the Civil War and always suffers in comparison to Lincoln; as anyone would. This is a somewhat more charitable view of the Confederate president as it addresses the overwhelming tasks he faced in dealing with the daunting administrative problems confronting the Confederacy and the personality conflicts among politicians and generals. McPherson also quite properly notes that Davis made matters worse by being a micro-manager with a very thin skin who easily took affront to minor slights. He also suffered from chronic health problems that affected his already difficult disposition.
Must-read for Civil War aficionados.

[queencersei · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Embattled Rebel is a shallow look at the Confederate president, Jeff Davis. Davis’ early years in Mississippi, his time at West Point, marriages and service in Congress are not covered. Also almost entirely skipped over is Davis’ incarceration after the war and how he spent the last twenty four years of his life. Instead the focus of the book is entirely on Davis’ actions during the civil war. The major battles are covered as are his relationships with his most famous generals and staff. However, because so much of Davis’ personal history is entirely omitted the reader never gets a real feel for who he was as a person and what his motivations were. While not exactly a bad book, Embattled Rebel his hardly more informative on its subject then a Wikipedia entry.