California and the Civil War, Richard Hurley, History Press, 176 pages, profusely illustrated, end notes, bibliography. July 2017. $19.95.
California and the Civil War is a clear and concise exposition
on the Golden State’s history from The Bear Flag Republic through 1865. Hurley
presents the geography of the state as a way of discussing the political
leanings of Southern immigrants and Northern immigrants. California played a
crucial part in political challenges during the 1850s. Statehood with or without
slavery was a microcosm of national politics. Civil unrest in the state may be
compared to civil war in the Kansas territory. Confederate military strategy
included California and the author sees the state as suffering through the
turmoil in the Southwest.
Hurley offers a discussion of civic life during the war that
includes both Confederate partisans and Federal military adventures. He also
notes the presence of the Sanitary Commission, its fairs and the Californians
fighting east of the Mississippi River and even Mark Twain enters into the
picture. The author gives a thorough accounting of his sources with end notes
and a bibliography.
From The Publisher: In the long and bitter prelude to war, southern transplants dominated
California government, keeping the state aligned with Dixie. However, a
murderous duel in 1859 killed "Free Soil" U.S. Senator David C.
Broderick, and public opinion began to change. As war broke out back
east, a golden-tongued preacher named Reverend Thomas Starr King
crisscrossed the state endeavoring to save the Golden State for the
Union. Seventeen thousand California volunteers thwarted secessionist
schemes and waged brutal campaigns against native tribesmen resisting
white encroachment as far away as Idaho and New Mexico. And a determined
battalion of California cavalry journeyed to Virginia's Shenandoah
Valley to battle John Singleton Mosby, the South's deadliest partisan
ranger. Author Richard Hurley delves into homefront activities during
the nation's bloodiest war and chronicles the adventures of the brave
men who fought far from home.
