The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government
Cover of the first edition
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| Author | Jefferson Davis |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | American Civil War |
| Genre | history |
| Published | 1881 D. Appleton & Co. |
| Pages | 1,500 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 424292[1] |
| 973.713 | |
| LC Class | E487.D263 |
| Followed by | A Short History of the Confederate States of America |
The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government (1881) is a book written by Jefferson Finis Davis, who served as President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Davis wrote the book as a straightforward history of the Confederate States of America and as an apologia for the causes that he believed led to and justified the American Civil War.
He wrote most of the book at Beauvoir, the Biloxi, Mississippi plantation where he was living as a guest of the novelist and wealthy widow, Sarah Ellis Dorsey. Ill with cancer, in 1878 she made over her will and left the plantation to him before her death in 1879. She had already assisted him in his writing, notably with organization, editing and encouragement.
Davis was also assisted by his wife, Varina, and his secretary Major W.T. Walthall. He corresponded voluminously with surviving Confederate statesmen and generals, including Judah Benjamin and Jubal Early, for fact checking and details on key issues.
The book was released in 1881 by the New York publisher D. Appleton & Co. in a two-volume edition totaling more than 1,500 pages and with many engraved illustrations.
Critical response to the book was and continues to be very mixed. The most lavish praise upon the book's release came from southern reviewers. A more unexpected enthusiast was Oscar Wilde, who pronounced it a masterpiece while admitting he only skimmed many of the military portions. Most historians and literary critics agree that the book could have benefited from editing as Davis spared little detail in describing every aspect of the Confederate Constitution and government often in more minutiae than most readers cared for. He also retold in detail numerous military campaigns for which there were already many and superior sources (many written by generals and other veterans of the campaign). Davis defended the detailed military accounts in the book by explaining that, unlike most nations, the entire history of the Confederate States of America was inseparable from the story of a war.
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