Abstract
Book Reviews101 Finally, there is hardly an aspect of the war which does not receive at least a passing nod. Lord Russell did not see how the United States "could be cobbled together again." A French poet is noted who excoriated the North because a former mistress had to flee her Southern home. Monsignor Doupanloup, Bishop of Orléans, spoke out to his clergy against slavery. Richard Cobden would "walk barefoot to the end of the earth" to end the war. Karl Marx, a correspondent for the Vienna Press during the war, assigns Lincoln a place beside Washington. After Lincoln's assassination, condolences poured into Washington. Especially touching is Queen Victoria's personally written note from one widow to another, and the poem by Henrik Ibsen. It is regrettable that an index was omitted. The greatest value of the compilation, in this reviewer's judgment, is the clear picture it leaves of the reason England in the main favored the Confederacy. In a word, it was jealousy of America's growing stature. EllaLonn St. Petersburg, Florida Canada and the United States: The Civil War Years. By Robin W. Winks. (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1960. Pp. xv, 430. $6.50.) Since World War II, historians have expressed an increasing interest in Canadian-American relations. The concept of a century of peace between the United States and Canada has had particular appeal to a society which has been forced to live in a perpetual cold war. Recently however, several works have demonstrated that the tradition of a century of peace is a myth, that during most of the nineteenth century, a cold war existed between Canada and the United States. Mr. Winks of Yale University does much to explode this myth by focusing on the relations between the United States and Canada during the Civil War years. One of his basic themes is that if real harmony had existed between British North America and the United States after 1815, there would not have been such widespread "hostility" between the two countries during the Civil War. The period of the war was one of unusual tension along the border and elsewhere, with many people on each side convinced that war was inevitable. Mr. Winks makes a major contribution to Civil War literature by stressing the importance of Canada in determining Britain's foreign policy during the war. In explaining Britain's failure to aid the Confederate states, historians have long harped on the British need for Northern wheat, Britain's concern over the Schleswig-Holstein dispute on the Continent, and the repugnance for slavery felt by the British working classes and the royal family. But Mr. Winks makes it unmistakably clear that Britain's fear of losing her Canadian provinces by force, with a resulting loss of prestige, was equally important in shaping Britain's neutral policy during the war. The author also presents much new information on the subject of Can- 102 CIVIL WAR HISTORY adían enlistments in the Northern armies, Canadian public opinion as related to the war, and the Confederacy's efforts to embroil the North in war with Britain through her Canadian provinces. Just as America's political and economic institutions owe much to the Civil War, the author demonstrates that the same is true for Canada. By pointing out the necessity for a more adequate system of defense, the Civil War promoted national unity and a period of constitution-making in Canada. With the temporary disruption of American trade, it also stimulated the economic development of Canada. This book is an example of history as it should be written. Mr. Winks writes in a lively style which illuminates all aspects of Canadian-American relations during the Civil War years. The volume reflects more research into newspapers, diaries, private letters, official correspondence, and public speeches than any other this reviewer has had the pleasure to read in quite a while. A unique aspect of the book is its versatility. Students of the Civil War, Canadian history, the British Empire, or Anglo-American relations should read it. The author should be encouraged to continue his work in both Canadian and American history, as historians can learn much about...
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have