The Myth of the Lost Cause

Why the South Fought the Civil War and Why the North Won

By: Edward H. Bonekemper III

Narrated by: C.J. McAllister

The former Confederate states have continually mythologized the South's defeat to the North, depicting the Civil War as unnecessary, or as a fight over states' Constitutional rights, or as a David v. Goliath struggle in which the North waged "total war" over an underdog South. In The Myth of the Lost Cause, historian Edward Bonekemper deconstructs this multi-faceted myth, revealing the truth about the war that nearly tore the nation apart 150 years ago.

©2015 Edward H. Bonekemper III (P)2016 Regnery Publishing

Important historical work

When I was in Gettysburg a few months ago, I saw a tee shirt in a display window featuring a Confedrate stars and bars in the center with the words, "Don't Criticize What You Don't Understand". Having visited the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond along with the Davis White House, and a number of battlefields including Antitem and New Market, and having read a good deal of literature on the subject I asked myself, "What is it I don't understand." Yet this work was a revelation as it peeled off layers of revisionist history and bluntly revealed truths about that conflict that, while I was aware of them deep down were still covered in a patina of sympathy for the unfortunate southerners who endured the brunt of the catastrophy. Fact is they brought it on themsleves and this book has the courage to illustrate that fact. A must read for anyone wishing to have an accurate understanding of the war and its place in United States history.

convincing but spoken word was problematic

The story was excellent but the audio had a lot of errors. I wish that there was better editing on the narration.

Sets the record straight

If you are looking for the true story of the Confederacy and a de-bunking of the Lost Cause mythology, this is it.

DEMYTHOLOGIZING THE CONFEDERACY AND ITS HEROES

The Myth of the Lost Cause: Why the South Fought the Civil War and Why the North Won by Edward H. Bonekemper III is one of the new histories, seen as of late, that present the facts of the U.S. Civil War and not the romanticized mythology put forth during and after Reconstruction. The author takes great pains to look at each issue and take it apart, for example the Southern States seceded because of states rights, slavery was not the cause of secession, Robert E. Lee was a great tactician and commander, and Ulysses S. Grant was a drunk and incompetent general who saw to it his men were butchered. The author carefully traces the roots of these myths about the Confederacy and shows their negative effect on Civil War historians into the 21st Century, even historians coming from a Pro-Union point of view. The narration is good, though at times mechanical, but considering the amount of material covered it is understandable. Narrator C. J. McAllister's voice is clear and he enunciates perfectly. I can highly recommend this Audible offering.

frustrating

The overall story is a good overview of why the "lost cause" claim of the South is a myth. Sadly, it is hurt by an indifferent narrator. While clear and easy to understand, the narrator puts virtually no inflection on what he reads -- so it sounds quite devoid of any meaning and rather like listening to a senior read out of a book in class. Further, there are several instances in the narration where a paragraph or sentence is repeated -- indicating that no one did any "proof listening" to this book. The book is not intended as an in depth discussion of the multiple reasons why the South "lost cause" story is wrong, but it does touch on each with enough depth and references for any student of this period to go further. As such, it's a decent introductory tome. Because there are references to visual items in the book, I would, however, recommend that those interested get it in print or via ebooks, at least until a different narrator for this book is provided and the visual references provided with the audio book.