Ghosts of the Confederacy: Defeat, the Lost Cause, and the Emergence of the New South, 1865-1913

317 Pages·1987·18.558 MB·English

by  Gaines M. Foster

Ghosts of the Confederacy
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GHOSTS
OF THE
CONFEDERACY
DEFEAT, THE LOST CAUSE, AND THE
EMERGENCE OF THE NEW SOUTH
1865 TO 1913
Gaines M. Foster
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York Oxford
Oxford University Press
Oxford New York Toronto
Delhi Bombay Calcutta Madras Karachi
Petaling Jaya Singapore Hong Kong Tokyo
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and associated companies in
Berlin Ibadan
Copyright © 1987 by Gaines M. Foster
First published in 1985 by Oxford University Press, Inc.,
198 Madison Avenue New York, New York 10016
First issued as an Oxford University Press paperback, 1988
Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of Oxford University Press, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Foster, Gaines M.
Chosts of the confederacy.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Southern States—History—1865-1950.
I. Title.
F215.F694 1987 975'.041 86-11420
ISBN-B 978-0-19-504213-9; 978-0-19-505420-0 (PBK)
ISBN 0-19-504213-1; 0-19-505420-2 (PBK)
Printed in the United States of America
FOR
My Mother and Father
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Acknowledgments
In writing this book, I have had assistance from many institutions and
individuals, and I here gratefully acknowledge their contribution.
In working with manuscripts and gathering the illustrations, all of which date
from the years covered by this study, the staffs of the following institutions
provided much assistance: Alabama Department of Archives and History;
Manuscript Department, University of Alabama Library; the Atlanta Historical
Society; Manuscript Department, Perkins Library, Duke Univeristy; Historic
New Orleans Collection; Special Collections, University of Georgia Library;
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress; Manuscript Department, Joint
Universities Library, Vanderbilt University; Manuscript Department, Hill Me-
morial Library, Louisiana State University; Mississippi Department of Archives
and History; The Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond, Virginia; North
Carolina Department of Archives and History; South Carolina Historical
Society; South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina; Southern
Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Tennessee
State Library; Archives Collection, University of Texas; Special Collections,
Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, Tulane University; Union Theological Sem-
inary Library; United States Army Military Research Institute; The Valentine
Museum, Richmond, Virginia; Manuscripts Department, University of Virginia
Library; Virginia Historical Society, and the Virginia State Library. A few
individuals at these institutions deserve special mention. Allen Stokes of the
South Caroliniana Library and Wilbur Meneray of Tulane were always
knowledgeable and helpful; Michelle Hudson Ostby of the Mississippi Archives
continued to answer research queries even after she had taken another job.
During an early research visit to LSU, Stone Miller, Margaret Dalrymple, and
Merna Whitley were unusually hospitable.
In addition to archivists, many other individuals offered assistance and advice.
Lewis P. Jones of Wofford College first introduced me to some of the questions
that shaped this study. The dissertation out of which it developed was directed by
viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Joel R. Williamson, who generously allowed me independence but still provided
abundant support. Friends and teachers in and about Chapel Hill—Ruth Doan,
Julia Hesson, John Kasson, Harry McKown, Michael Novak, Anastatia Sims,
Scott Strickland, and Eric Walker—helped at crucial times. Charles Eagles
exercised his considerable editorial skills on two early drafts. William Cooper,
Anne Loveland, Burl Noggle, and Charles Royster, colleagues at LSU, read the
manuscript and offered useful suggestions. Eleanor Canon and Martha Mikell
assisted with the proofreading, as did Mary Mikell who also helped with the
illustrations and in other ways. The book is much better for all their efforts.
J.P. Sacken and Willie Brooks typed various drafts, and a summer grant from
the Louisiana State University Council on Research made possible a final
research trip.
Baton Rouge G.M.F
July 1986
Table of Contents
Introduction 3
PART ONE: COMING TO TERMS WITH DEFEAT, 1865 TO 1885
Chapter One After Appomattox: The Trauma of Defeat 11
Chapter Two After Appomattox: The Scars of Defeat 22
Chapter Three Ceremonial Bereavement: Memorial Activities 36
Chapter Four Ghost Dance: The Failed Revitalization
Movement of the Virginians 47
Chapter Five Toward a Reunited Nation: Signs of Reconciliation 63
PART TWO: CELEBRATING THE CONFEDERACY, 1883 TO 1907
Chapter Six Toward a New South: Social Tensions 79
Chapter Seven The Confederate Tradition in Transition:
Developments in the Eighties 88
Chapter Eight The Confederate Celebration:
Its Organizational Structure 104
Chapter Nine The Confederate Celebration:
Its Interpretation of the Warr 115
Chapter Ten The Confederate Celebration: Its Ritual Activities 127
Chapter Eleven The South Vindicated: The Spanish-American
War and Its Aftermath 145