The war after the war : a new history of Reconstruction

Summary: "The War after the War is lively military history and over view of Reconstruction. It illuminates the new war fought immediately after the American Civil War. This Southern Civil War was distinct from the American Civil War and fought between southerners for control of state governments. In the South, African American and white unionists formed a successful biracial coalition that elected state and local officials. Sadly, white supremacist insurrectionaries won the Southern Civil War and overthrew democratically elected governments. White supremacist terror, guerilla, and paramilitary groups attacked these biracial coalitions. The Ku Klux Klan was the most infamous of these groups but ex-Confederates extremists fought democratic change in the region under many guises. The biracial coalition put up a brave fight against these insurrectionary forces. The federal government, however, offered the biracial forces little help. After dozens of battles and tens of thousands of casualties between 1865 and 1877, the Southern Civil War ended in the complete triumph of extremist insurrection and white supremacy. As the United States marks the 150th anniversary of the Southern Civil War, its lessons are more vital than ever. 'Reconstruction' is a misnomer, it should be taught and remembered as the civil war it was"--