Rating: 
Summary: Dealing with Losing
Review: William Davis has written many books about the Civil War and particularly the Confederate side of it. An Honorable Defeat is a great addition to his selections and is recommended for anyone interested in the Civil War or war in general. "How you lose is just as important as how you win," is a quote often used to teach children how to be good sports and it also can apply to leaders in times of war. Davis tells the story of the last days of the President and Cabinet of Confederate States of America and how these men dealt with losing the Civil War. The two protagonists in this story are President Jefferson Davis and Secretary of War John Breckenridge. These two men differed on how the Confederate states should face the losing cause and come to terms with the Union. Davis quickly introduces and provides biographies for the two protagonists and this allows the reader to better understand each man and his actions. Both of these men were leaders in their own way and it is interesting how each deal with how they feel they are responsible for those they lead. The bulk of the book is how the Davis cabinet fled Richmond, the Confederate capital, and tried to elude the Union as the Confederacy fell and how Davis clung to the fool's hope of the Confederacy rising again, even while weary Confederate soldiers deserted to return to their homes. The story and the internal politics of the Cabinet during it's last days is very interesting and reconstructed by Davis from letters, journals, and memoirs from the principal participants. Davis tells how the Cabinet slowly convinced Jefferson Davis the futility of continuing the war, which he clinged to despite overwelming evidence of a losing cause till shortly before his capture. The level of detail that Davis provides is entertaining, not burdensome, and gives the reader a good perspective on the cabinet members. The book, while well written and researched, has one disappointment. Davis focuses almost exclusively on the activities of the Davis Cabinet and excludes other confederate leaders to the point that they are only mentioned as an aside. It would have added to the book to expand on how the Confederate state governments were settling and making peace with the Union even while the Confederate President Davis still dreamed of a guerilla war with the Union. Davis adds a good book to the library of work about the U.S. Civil War and this book should be a welcome read to any who are interested in learning more about the Confederate civilian leadership.
Rating:
Summary: Dealing with Losing
Review: William Davis has written many books about the Civil War and particularly the Confederate side of it. An Honorable Defeat is a great addition to his selections and is recommended for anyone interested in the Civil War or war in general. "How you lose is just as important as how you win," is a quote often used to teach children how to be good sports and it also can apply to leaders in times of war. Davis tells the story of the last days of the President and Cabinet of Confederate States of America and how these men dealt with losing the Civil War. The two protagonists in this story are President Jefferson Davis and Secretary of War John Breckenridge. These two men differed on how the Confederate states should face the losing cause and come to terms with the Union. Davis quickly introduces and provides biographies for the two protagonists and this allows the reader to better understand each man and his actions. Both of these men were leaders in their own way and it is interesting how each deal with how they feel they are responsible for those they lead. The bulk of the book is how the Davis cabinet fled Richmond, the Confederate capital, and tried to elude the Union as the Confederacy fell and how Davis clung to the fool's hope of the Confederacy rising again, even while weary Confederate soldiers deserted to return to their homes. The story and the internal politics of the Cabinet during it's last days is very interesting and reconstructed by Davis from letters, journals, and memoirs from the principal participants. Davis tells how the Cabinet slowly convinced Jefferson Davis the futility of continuing the war, which he clinged to despite overwelming evidence of a losing cause till shortly before his capture. The level of detail that Davis provides is entertaining, not burdensome, and gives the reader a good perspective on the cabinet members. The book, while well written and researched, has one disappointment. Davis focuses almost exclusively on the activities of the Davis Cabinet and excludes other confederate leaders to the point that they are only mentioned as an aside. It would have added to the book to expand on how the Confederate state governments were settling and making peace with the Union even while the Confederate President Davis still dreamed of a guerilla war with the Union. Davis adds a good book to the library of work about the U.S. Civil War and this book should be a welcome read to any who are interested in learning more about the Confederate civilian leadership.
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