The man who started the Civil War : James Chesnut, honor, and emotion in the American South
(eBook)
Author
Published
Columbia, South Carolina : University of South Carolina Press, [2022].
Format
eBook
ISBN
9781643363066, 1643363069
Physical Desc
1 online resource (xii, 287 pages) : illustrations
Status
Description
Loading Description...
More Details
Language
English
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Description
"In the pre-dawn hours of April 12, 1861 James Chesnut Jr. hand-delivered a message to Major Robert Anderson, the U.S. Army commander at Fort Sumter. Chesnut informed Anderson that Confederate guns would commence the bombardment of the fort within the hour. Chesnut then piloted a small skiff across the dark waters of Charleston Harbor and delivered a fateful order to the batteries stationed on James Island. They were to open fire on Fort Sumter. Chesnut had just ordered the first shots of the Civil War. In 'The Man Who Started the Civil War' historian Anna Koivusalo offers the first full-length biography of South Carolina soldier and politician James Chesnut Jr. Prior to the Civil War, Chesnut served in both the South Carolina House and Senate before being appointed as a US Senator from South Carolina in 1858. Chesnut resigned his position in the US Senate shortly after the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. During the Civil War he served on the staff of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and was later appointed brigadier general of South Carolina reserve troops. Today he is probably best remembered as the husband of memoirist Mary Boykin Chesnut, whose wildly popular book 'A Diary from Dixie' remains an important source for understanding the Civil War era. In fact, Mary Chesnut had intended to write a biography of her husband, but she died before she was able. Koivusalo not only finishes that work, but in so doing deepens and expands our understanding of antebellum southern society, the coming of the Civil War, and its aftermath. 'The Man Who Started the Civil War' is more than just a biography of Chesnut, it is an emotional history of the man and his society. It deftly weaves together the history of emotions and the study of southern honor, showing how honor served as a dynamic means of creating, refining, and expressing honorable emotions. Understanding that the emotional worlds of elite white southerners like James Chesnut is crucial to understanding the coming of the Civil War. Focusing on the role of emotion in the coming of the Civil War does not ignore the central role of slavery. Both honor culture and honorable emotional expression were predicated on the existence of slavery. Without enslavement, there could be no mastery for men like Chesnut. It was one of the things they feared most. Honor and emotion were also central to the proslavery argument and Koivusalo shows how Chesnut and others used emotional expression to justify slavery and thus preserve the wealth and privilege of the upper class. But understanding the how and when of the Civil War requires more than just acknowledging the role of slavery. Koivusalo helps readers to understand why political solutions came to be seen as untenable and why the war came in 1861 rather than earlier or later. These are questions that have long vexed historians. Because Chesnut's life spanned the antebellum and postbellum years, Koivusalo is also able to explore how the war shifted and shattered pre-war conceptions of honor and emotional expression. The latter portions of the book examine Chesnuts' attempts, largely unsuccessful, to navigate that postwar world"--,Provided by publisher.
Description
"In the predawn hours of April 12, 1861, James Chesnut Jr. piloted a small skiff across the Charleston Harbor and delivered the fateful order to open fire on Fort Sumter-the first shots of the Civil War. In The Man Who Started the Civil War, Anna Koivusalo offers the first comprehensive biography of Chesnut and through him a history of emotion and honor in elite white southern culture. Rather than static ideas, Koivusalo reveals the dynamic, and at times fragile, nature of these concepts as they were tested and transformed from the era of slavery through Reconstruction. Best remembered as the husband of Mary Boykin Chesnut, author of A Diary from Dixie, James Chesnut served in the South Carolina legislature and as a US senator before becoming a leading figure in the South's secession from the Union. Koivusalo recounts how honor and emotion shaped Chesnut's life events and the decisions that culminated in his ordering of the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. Challenging the traditional view of honor as a code, Koivusalo sheds light on honor's vital but fickle role as a source for summoning, channeling, and expressing appropriate emotions in the nineteenth-century South"--,Provided by publisher.
Local note
Added to collection customer.56279.3
Subjects
LC Subjects
Biographies.
Chesnut, James, -- 1815-1885.
Confederate States of America. -- Army -- Officers -- Biography.
Honor -- Southern States.
Soldiers -- Confederate States of America -- Biography.
South Carolina -- Biography.
Southern States -- Social life and customs -- 1775-1865.
Southern States -- Social life and customs -- 1865-
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Biography.
Chesnut, James, -- 1815-1885.
Confederate States of America. -- Army -- Officers -- Biography.
Honor -- Southern States.
Soldiers -- Confederate States of America -- Biography.
South Carolina -- Biography.
Southern States -- Social life and customs -- 1775-1865.
Southern States -- Social life and customs -- 1865-
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Biography.
OCLC Fast Subjects
Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
Koivusalo, A. (2022). The man who started the Civil War: James Chesnut, honor, and emotion in the American South . University of South Carolina Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Koivusalo, Anna. 2022. The Man Who Started the Civil War: James Chesnut, Honor, and Emotion in the American South. University of South Carolina Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Koivusalo, Anna. The Man Who Started the Civil War: James Chesnut, Honor, and Emotion in the American South University of South Carolina Press, 2022.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Koivusalo, Anna. The Man Who Started the Civil War: James Chesnut, Honor, and Emotion in the American South University of South Carolina Press, 2022.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.
Staff View
Grouped Work ID
75e5e04e-aab2-9e39-6d6a-65d644e3a04a-eng
Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | 75e5e04e-aab2-9e39-6d6a-65d644e3a04a-eng |
---|---|
Full title | man who started the civil war james chesnut honor and emotion in the american south |
Author | koivusalo anna |
Grouping Category | book |
Last Update | 2024-05-15 02:00:44AM |
Last Indexed | 2024-06-29 03:35:10AM |
Book Cover Information
Image Source | coce_google_books |
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First Loaded | Apr 17, 2024 |
Last Used | Jun 29, 2024 |
Marc Record
First Detected | Apr 08, 2024 12:23:21 PM |
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Last File Modification Time | Apr 08, 2024 12:23:21 PM |
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520 | |a "In the pre-dawn hours of April 12, 1861 James Chesnut Jr. hand-delivered a message to Major Robert Anderson, the U.S. Army commander at Fort Sumter. Chesnut informed Anderson that Confederate guns would commence the bombardment of the fort within the hour. Chesnut then piloted a small skiff across the dark waters of Charleston Harbor and delivered a fateful order to the batteries stationed on James Island. They were to open fire on Fort Sumter. Chesnut had just ordered the first shots of the Civil War. In 'The Man Who Started the Civil War' historian Anna Koivusalo offers the first full-length biography of South Carolina soldier and politician James Chesnut Jr. Prior to the Civil War, Chesnut served in both the South Carolina House and Senate before being appointed as a US Senator from South Carolina in 1858. Chesnut resigned his position in the US Senate shortly after the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. During the Civil War he served on the staff of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and was later appointed brigadier general of South Carolina reserve troops. Today he is probably best remembered as the husband of memoirist Mary Boykin Chesnut, whose wildly popular book 'A Diary from Dixie' remains an important source for understanding the Civil War era. In fact, Mary Chesnut had intended to write a biography of her husband, but she died before she was able. Koivusalo not only finishes that work, but in so doing deepens and expands our understanding of antebellum southern society, the coming of the Civil War, and its aftermath. 'The Man Who Started the Civil War' is more than just a biography of Chesnut, it is an emotional history of the man and his society. It deftly weaves together the history of emotions and the study of southern honor, showing how honor served as a dynamic means of creating, refining, and expressing honorable emotions. Understanding that the emotional worlds of elite white southerners like James Chesnut is crucial to understanding the coming of the Civil War. Focusing on the role of emotion in the coming of the Civil War does not ignore the central role of slavery. Both honor culture and honorable emotional expression were predicated on the existence of slavery. Without enslavement, there could be no mastery for men like Chesnut. It was one of the things they feared most. Honor and emotion were also central to the proslavery argument and Koivusalo shows how Chesnut and others used emotional expression to justify slavery and thus preserve the wealth and privilege of the upper class. But understanding the how and when of the Civil War requires more than just acknowledging the role of slavery. Koivusalo helps readers to understand why political solutions came to be seen as untenable and why the war came in 1861 rather than earlier or later. These are questions that have long vexed historians. Because Chesnut's life spanned the antebellum and postbellum years, Koivusalo is also able to explore how the war shifted and shattered pre-war conceptions of honor and emotional expression. The latter portions of the book examine Chesnuts' attempts, largely unsuccessful, to navigate that postwar world"--|c Provided by publisher. | ||
520 | |a "In the predawn hours of April 12, 1861, James Chesnut Jr. piloted a small skiff across the Charleston Harbor and delivered the fateful order to open fire on Fort Sumter-the first shots of the Civil War. In The Man Who Started the Civil War, Anna Koivusalo offers the first comprehensive biography of Chesnut and through him a history of emotion and honor in elite white southern culture. Rather than static ideas, Koivusalo reveals the dynamic, and at times fragile, nature of these concepts as they were tested and transformed from the era of slavery through Reconstruction. Best remembered as the husband of Mary Boykin Chesnut, author of A Diary from Dixie, James Chesnut served in the South Carolina legislature and as a US senator before becoming a leading figure in the South's secession from the Union. Koivusalo recounts how honor and emotion shaped Chesnut's life events and the decisions that culminated in his ordering of the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. Challenging the traditional view of honor as a code, Koivusalo sheds light on honor's vital but fickle role as a source for summoning, channeling, and expressing appropriate emotions in the nineteenth-century South"--|c Provided by publisher. | ||
588 | |a Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on May 27, 2022). | ||
590 | |a Added to collection customer.56279.3 | ||
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