Literally thousands of volumes have been written documenting the battles fought in the American Civil War and shedding light on those who planned, led, or fought in those engagements. But relatively sparse scholarly effort has been devoted to examining the underlying social, political, and economic factors that led so many Southern States to band together in formation of a Confederacy separate from the Union.
Look Away! A History of the Confederate States of America, a new work by respected Civil War historian William C. Davis, helps to fill that void by viewing the Confederate cause through the eyes of those responsible for inspiring the birth of that new and independent nation, and those who, through their daily labors in a variety of pursuits, bore the burden of making this grand design work in the face of considerable obstacles. The book is, in essence, an eyewitness account of the Confederacy as experienced by those who first sought, then attained, and finally lost their dream of Southern independence.
Some 800 newspapers and the personal papers, letters, and diaries of more than 100 Southern leaders and ordinary citizens constituted the author's primary research materials for the 484-page volume. These documents amply demonstrate how loyalty to the fundamental principles of the Confederacy, which permeated virtually every level of the social conscience in the early stages, gradually gave way to uncertainty, and then disillusion, as realities of the cost of the endeavor, political infighting, civil strife, and dwindling resources eventually fractured the soul of the Confederacy.
From policies for educating the young to guidelines covering treatment of slaves, and from the heroic sacrifices of many Southern women to the greed and cowardice of some Southern men, the book provides an engrossing record of the Confederacy before, during, and after the struggle for sovereign status.
Look Away! presents a comprehensive, factual, and informative account of the Confederate national experience, from its philosophical underpinnings to the tremendous social turmoil and economic devastation seen at war's end. A well-rounded understanding of what transpired on the battlefields, both North and South, necessarily requires insight into personalities and events that helped shape the military decisions that were, in turn, themselves shaped by subsequent fortune or failure on the field of battle. Look Away! fills the need for a cohesive, easy-to-follow overview of the Confederate States of America as seen from the perspective of those who were responsible for inspiring, creating, and living that failed attempt at nation building.
