Journal Of The Proceedings Of The Convention Of The Protestant Episcopal Church In The Diocese Of Louisiana

Author : J. Matthew Ward
Publisher : LSU Press
ISBN 13 : 0807182362
Total Pages : 327 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (71 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Garden of Ruins written by J. Matthew Ward and published by LSU Press. This book was released on 2024-05-29 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: J. Matthew Ward’s Garden of Ruins serves as an insightful social and military history of Civil War–era Louisiana. Partially occupied by Union forces starting in the spring of 1862, the Confederate state experienced the initial attempts of the U.S. Army to create a comprehensive occupation structure through military actions, social regulations, the destabilization of slavery, and the formation of a complex bureaucracy. Skirmishes between Union soldiers and white civilians supportive of the Confederate cause multiplied throughout this period, eventually turning occupation into a war on local households and culture. In unoccupied regions of the state, Confederate forces and their noncombatant allies likewise sought to patrol allegiance, leading to widespread conflict with those they deemed disloyal. Ward suggests that social stability during wartime, and ultimately victory itself, emerged from the capacity of military officials to secure their territory, governing powers, and nonmilitary populations. Garden of Ruins reveals the Civil War, state-building efforts, and democracy itself as contingent processes through which Louisianans shaped the world around them. It also illustrates how military forces and civilians discovered unique ways to wield and hold power during and immediately after the conflict.