Reluctant rebels : the Confederates who joined the Army after 1861 /

This is an absorbing study of the Confederate recruits who resisted the stirring call of "the Bonnie Blue Flag" in 1861 and joined the army after the first year of the war. Although their numbers amounted to 180,000, or 22.5 percent of all rebel soldiers, they have usually been overlooked or stereotyped by Civil War historians. Noe (Auburn Univ.) sets out to redress this imbalance and uncovers some very interesting and thought-provoking material in the process. He carefully examines the motives and subsequent performance of later enlistees to determine why these Southern men stayed home initially, only to join up later and fight with determination for the "lost cause." He finds that reluctant rebels went to war primarily to protect their families and property, and were deeply angered by emancipation and the pillaging and destruction of invading Yankee forces. Noe also points out that family and neighborhood, not conscription, drove these men to the colors, and he effectively refutes the claim that Confederates enlisting later were more likely to desert or perform poorly in battle. This excellent book provides a more complete portrait of Johnny Reb. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. E. M. Thomas Gordon College