Product Description The Northern home-front during the Civil War was far from tranquil. Fierce political debates set communities on edge, spurred secret plots against the Union, and triggered widespread violence. At the heart of all this turmoil stood the anti-war Democrats, nicknamed "Copperheads." Now, Jennifer L. Weber offers the first full-length portrait of this powerful faction to appear in almost half a century. Weber reveals how the Copperheads came perilously close to defeating Lincoln and ending the war in the South's favor. Indeed, by the summer of 1864, they had grown so strong that Lincoln himself thought his defeat was "exceedingly likely." Passionate defenders of civil liberties and states' rights--and often virulent racists--the Copperheads deplored Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus, his liberal interpretation of the Constitution, and, most vehemently, his moves toward emancipation. Weber reveals how the battle over these issues grew so heated that Northerners feared their neighbors would destroy their livestock, burn their homes, even kill them. And she illuminates the role of Union soldiers, who, furious at Copperhead attacks on the war effort, moved firmly behind Lincoln. The soldiers' support for the embattled president kept him alive politically in his darkest times, and their victories on the battlefield secured his re-election. Packed with sharp observation and fresh interpretations, Copperheads is a gripping account of the fierce dissent that Lincoln called "the fire in the rear."
A Much-Needed Work On A Previously Untouched Topic December 18, 2007 Copperheads were those anti-war Democrats in the North who, throughout the war, were Lincoln's most vocal critics. Though it is generally accepted these days that no account of any war is complete without a thorough discussion of the strength of political opposition, the Copperheads have received very limited attention in the historiography of the Civil War. Though the Copperheads are usually mentioned in books concerning the Civil War, a comprehensive examination of their origins and their effect on the war effort and public life is almost always missing. Weber fills this void very nicely.
The most important thing about this book, then, is that it shows you in the first place that the void is there. That is, before reading a full account of the Copperheads it is hard to conceptualize the reality of the wartime North. Copperheads lived and worked throughout the North, and thus every Northerner who wasn't a Copperhead certainly knew some and had their life affected by them. After getting one's head around the notion that there was a visible anti-war population in the North and that this population effected life throughout the entire country (including the South), one is then able to learn exactly what the reality of Northern life during the war was like.
Weber does an excellent job of laying out for the reader exactly how Copperheads effected not only life in the North, but also the war effort in general. Without this accounting one's understanding of public life in the North during the war is incomplete. Weber shows how the Copperheads related to their neighbors, how they changed the political scene, how they hindered the war effort, and how they encouraged the Confederates. These are important themes without which our understanding of the Civil War is incomplete, and due to the lack of similar literature, Weber's book is an important addition to any Civil War historian's library.
This book is well written and the content is very accessible when considering the relative obscurity of the topic. People with only a basic knowledge of the Civil War will still take plenty away from this read, and this book would make a great part of either a high school or college history class syllabus. At just over 200 pages, Weber focuses mostly on how the Copperheads interacted with the population at large, including the Confederates, while referring to more central Civil War events such as battles only when those events help explain the changing dynamics of the Copperhead movement. Thus, this makes a great supplement to a more comprehensive Civil War book (I recommend Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era ) in which the Civil War itself is the center of attention. All said, this is a great book and I highly recommend it; it will really enhance your understanding of life in the Civil War North.
Interesting but rambling December 16, 2007 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
There is a lot of interesting nuggets here: how the western states might have broken away as well; the feelings of those doing the fighting and the dying(again and again the Cooperheads failed to understand that the soldiers wanted to fight through to completion and would never support them); and how the Cooperheads never did grasp that the Confederacy wanted not peace but independence. The most interesting chapter with the best writing , "Lincoln's Summer of Discontent" on the summer of 1864 and his belief that all might be lost and its turnaround. The first three or four chapters though have little structure , go on about what we already know, and fail to deliver much scholarship. She makes up for it in the latter half of the book.
Ripped from today's headlines September 17, 2007 Fantastic book and amazing for its relevance today. Even the exact words used by people over a hundred years ago seemed like they are ripped from today's headlines. History really does repeat itself. Sometimes verbatim.
A much needed piece of history revealed. September 17, 2007 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Lincoln could very well have been defeated in 1864. The military victories of the summer of 1864 resulted in victory not only for the Union military but also a continuation of the Lincoln Presidency. His opponents in the 1864 election were the Democrats with a large peace faction. This peace faction were called the Butternuts or Copperheads, and they basically wanted peace at any price. Lincoln faced these opponents and stood his ground. Slavery would be ended, and the Union reunited. This book is about his 1864 opponents and how their slavish devotion to peace at any price basically cost the Democratic Party fifty years of losing Presidential elections.
This is a valued addition to the history collection. The author shows how the Copperheads were both a military and political threat to the Union. Lincoln managed to out manuever this movement, and reunite the country.
An extraordinary amount of original research May 26, 2007 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Weber has done her homework. The early part of the book, in particular, shows wide ranging new sources: letters, diaries, small town newspapers. This is the most important part of the book because it brings together new information and provides a basis for further scholars.
Examples from all of the northern states (or so I think, I didn't count) show how widespread the movement was. The nature of the anecdotal material does not demonstrate how deep it was. It appears to be deep in some communities and families, but the only polling data of the time, the elections of 1862 and 1864 do not reflect that depth. Weber points out the circumstantial nature of these elections and how the Copperheads' fortunes rose and fell with success on the battlefield. I held back a star, though, because in the MANY stories of people, towns and politicians I did not find a central overview.
The later part of McClellan's nomination and the election that follows while not so rich in new material, for me, it was an excellent read. Weber documents and explains how a "War" candidate and a "Peace" candidate came to be nominated in the same convention. She goes on to explain Lincoln's landslide.
The description demise of the Copperheads is brief. Maybe this is all that is merited, but it would have been good to have some examples here, especially of the aforementioned communities where the Copperheads caused loss of life and property damage.
Weber sticks with history and does not draw parallels for today. Since it is mentioned by other reviewers, I will note Weber's observation that this peace movement was one of the conservative faction of the Democratic party. Today's peace movement has its origins in the liberal faction of today's Democratic party. It seems that the only thing Copperheads have in common with those against the operation is Iraqi is being against "a" war. Weber clearly shows how racism fueled the Copperheads. This issue is not at all present in the current peace movement.
This book is a good contribution to Civil War research. Its substance and sources will surely be used for future material.
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