Confederate government unique as to its formation. The 507-525 527-532 533 535 537-544 545-553 CHAPTER I SECESSION AND ITS CAUSES A HISTORY dealing with a period in a nation's life that is marked with some great disagreement or conflict, whether national or international, must be viewed from a standpoint. of prejudice. This prejudice may be great-and usually is when the historian is either entirely or nearly contemporary with the times of which he writes or it may be slight and hardly perceptible: but no matter to what degree it exists in the work, it always exists. This volume is no exception. to the general rule, and, like all its fellow volumes upon the late War between the States, it is biased. According to its title, it is a history of the Civil War from a Southern standpoint. It is a history of the Civil War, inasmuch as it is a truthful narrative of the more important events of the War between the States. It is "from a Southern standpoint" to the extent that it is a portrayal of the sentiments of the Southern people which prevailed-and still prevailin regard to the Civil War. It is also a study of the motives that impelled the Southern States to secede from the United States, that prompted them to resist the invasion of their soil by armed men hostile to their welfare and interests, that moved them to exhaust every effort in their power to establish independently the Confederate States of America, and that, finally, brought them to surrender in good faith, abiding the issues of the War, cherishing the memory of their heroes, and demanding for themselves a true verdict |