The Bloody Shirt

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“Effective in showing the sheer depth and virulence of white supremacy in the South . . . This book and the story it tells should keep us vigilant at protecting our political rights, rendered sacred in the blood of Reconstruction, and beyond.”—The New York Sun

A gripping look at terrorist violence during the Reconstruction era

Between 1867, when the defeated South was forced to establish new state governments that fully represented both black and white citizens, and 1877, when the last of these governments was overthrown, more than three thousand African Americans and their white allies were killed by terrorist violence. Drawing on original letters and diaries as well as published racist diatribes of the time, acclaimed historian Stephen Budiansky concentrates his vivid, fast paced narrative on the efforts of five heroic men—two Union officers, a Confederate general, a Northern entrepreneur, and a former slave—who showed remarkable idealism and courage as they struggled to establish a New South in the face of overwhelming hatred and organized resistance. The Bloody Shirt sheds new light on the violence, racism, division, and heroism of Reconstruction, a largely forgotten but epochal chapter in American history.Praise for The Bloody Shirt:
 
“Effective in showing the sheer depth and virulence of white supremacy in the South . . . Today, no one is murdered at our voting polls. But this book and the story it tells should keep us vigilant at protecting our political rights, rendered sacred in the blood of Reconstruction, and beyond.”
—David Blight, The New York Sun
 
“Budiansky’s treatment of the period illustrates with force how the South ultimately defeated the North politically. He achieves the effect by relating the experiences of several people who served or supported Reconstruction governments and conjuring the atmosphere of intimidation against Reconstruction with quotations from Southern newspapers. . . . A passionate history of the Civil War’s aftermath.”
—Booklist
 
“This impassioned account of Southern resistance to Reconstruction [reminds us that] the war was won, but the peace, up for grabs, would be lost, done in by Southern intransigence and Northern apathy. . . . If ‘Profiles in Courage’ had not already been taken, it would have made the perfect title for this linked set of portraits honoring five men who risked everything to fight for the principles that had cost so many lives.”
—William Grimes, The New York TimesStephen Budiansky, journalist and military historian, is the author of nine books about history, science, and nature, including Air Power: The Men, Machines, and Ideas That Revolutionized War, from Kitty Hawk to Gulf War II. He publishes frequently in The New York Times and The Washington Post and currently serves as a correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly.US

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