Rating: 
Summary: objective treatment of the "lost cause" myth
Review: this most recent civil war anthology edited by gary gallagher is on a par with the high quality of the previous ones. however, this book differs from the others in that it does not focus on a battle or campaign but on a more philosophical topic, i.e., the myth of the lost cause. the overall tone of the book is skeptical of the claims of the lost cause, but this does not detract from its scholarly worth. the nine essays are generally readable and informative, although some are somewhat dry and academic. the best essay, in my view, was from alan nolan, who pulls no punches in his disdain for the claims of the lost cause. nolan had dealt with this theme at greater length elsewhere, but his essay is a nice synopsis of his view that the lost cause is one of the great fabrications of history and was obviously motivated by the need to downplay the significance of slavery in provokong secession and the war and to assuage the wounded pride of the south at the devastating magnitude of its defeat by creating a pseudo-history of god-like leaders (lee, jackson and davis), and incredibly heroic soldiers fighting against hopeless odds in every battle against a brutish and craven invader. nolan does a great job, in my view, of analyzing the true nature of the lost cause myth and refuting its claims. this book is a worthy addition to the shelf of any civil war buff or anyone interested in american history.
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