William Charles "Jack" Davis (born 1946) is an American historian who was a professor of history at Virginia Tech and the former director of programs at that school's Virginia Center for Civil War Studies. Specializing in the American Civil War, Davis has written more than 40 books on that subject and other aspects of early southern U.S. history, such as the Texas Revolution.[1] He is the only three-time winner of the Jefferson Davis Prize for Confederate history and was awarded the Jules and Frances Landry Award for Southern History.[2] His book Lone Star Rising has been called "the best one-volume history of the Texas revolution yet written".[3]
Davis served as a consultant for the creation of a United States postage stamp of Jefferson Davis and has had input into the formation of the Museum of the Civil War in Petersburg, Virginia.[1]
1990s Davis was awarded the Sonoma State University Distinguished Alumni Award in 1993.[5] In 2015, he received The Lincoln Forum's Richard Nelson Current Award of Achievement.[6] He is a past president of the National Historical Society.
In 1996, Davis authored the book The Cause Lost: Myths and Realities of the Confederacy, a critical examination of mythical claims made by neo-Confederates and Lost Cause members regarding the Confederacy and the American Civil War. Davis states that "it is impossible to point to any other local issue but slavery and say that Southerners would have seceded and fought over it."[7] However, Davis contrasted the motivations of the Confederate leadership with that of the motivations for individual men for fighting in the Confederate army, writing that "The widespread northern myth that the Confederates went to the battlefield to perpetuate slavery is just that, a myth. Their letters and diaries, in the tens of thousands, reveal again and again that they fought and died because their Southern homeland was invaded and their natural instinct was to protect home and hearth."[8]
2000s In 2000, Davis became a professor at Virginia Tech, where he served as director of programs for the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies.[1] He retired from this position in 2013.[9]
Worksedit
Original worksedit
Breckinridge: Statesman, Soldier, Symbol (1974)
Duel Between the First Ironclads: The Famous Civil War Battle at Sea Between the Union Ironclad Monitor and the Confederacy's Virginia, the Redesigned and Rebuilt U.S.S. Merrimack (1975; 2nd ed. 1994)
The Battle of New Market (1975, 2nd ed. 1993)
Battle at Bull Run: A History of the First Major Campaign of the Civil War (1977, 2nd ed. 1995)
The Orphan Brigade: The Kentucky Confederates Who Couldn’t Go Home (1980; 2nd ed. 1993)
'A Government of Our Own': The Making of the Confederacy (1994)
The American Frontier: Pioneers, Settlers, and Cowboys 1800-1899 (1995)
A Way Through the Wilderness: The Natchez Trace and the Civilization of the Southern Frontier (1995)
The Cause Lost: Myths and Realities of the Confederacy (1996)
Three Roads to the Alamo: The Lives and Fortunes of David Crockett, James Bowie, and William Barret Travis (1998)
Lincoln's Men: How President Lincoln Became Father to an Army and a Nation (1999)
The Union That Shaped the Confederacy: Robert Toombs and Alexander H. Stephens (2001)
Portraits of the Riverboats (2001)
An Honorable Defeat: The Last Days of the Confederate Government (2001)
The Civil War Reenactors' Encyclopedia (2002)
Look Away! A History of the Confederate States of America (2003)
A Taste For War: The Culinary History of the Blue and the Gray (2003)
Lone Star Rising: The Revolutionary Birth of the Texas Republic (2004)
The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf (2005)
The Rogue Republic: How Would-Be Patriots Waged the Shortest Revolution in American History (2011)
Crucible of Command: Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee—The War They Fought, the Peace They Forged (2015)
The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America (2019)
"Gabriel and Nannie Wharton", in Final Resting Places: Reflections on the Meaning of Civil War Graves, edited by Brian Matthew Jordan and Jonathan W. White (2023)
Virginia at War, 1862 (2008) with James I. Robertson, Jr.
Virginia at War, 1863 (2008) with James I. Robertson, Jr.
Virginia at War, 1864 (2009) with James I. Robertson, Jr.
Virginia at War, 1865 (2011) with James I. Robertson, Jr.
The Whartons' War: The Civil War Correspondence of General Gabriel C. Wharton & Anne Radford Wharton, 1863-1865 (2022) with Sue Heth Bell
Forewordedit
Troiani, Don and Brian Pohanka (1999), Don Troiani's Civil War
Meade, Robert Douthat (2001), Judah P. Benjamin: Confederate Statesman
Lowry, Thomas P. (1998), Tarnished Eagles
Kunstler, Mort (2007), The Civil War Paintings of Mort Kunstler, Volume 3: The Gettysburg Campaign
Lowry, Thomas P. (2003), Curmudgeons, Drunkards, and Outright Fools: The Courts-Martial of Civil War Union Colonels
McCoy, Sharolyn S (2013), Big Mountain to Washburn Prairie, The Sugar Creek Hills of Southwest M
Referencesedit
^ abcdSluss, Michael (May 10, 2000), "Civil War Historian Coming to Tech", The Roanake Times, Roanoke, VA
^Jefferson Davis (May 2015). Lynda Lasswell Crist; Suzanne Scott Gibbs (eds.). Vol 14 1880-1889 - The Papers of Jefferson Davis. introduction by William C. Davis. LSU Press. ISBN978-0-80715-909-5.
^Barra, Allen (April 4, 2004), "Books on Texas Take on State's Prickly History", St. Louis Post-Dispatch
^see, for example, Fagan, Kevin (September 4, 2005), "Surviving Katrina", San Francisco Chronicle, retrieved February 2, 2010
^"Strategic Communications at Sonoma State University". Strategic Communications at Sonoma State University.
^Davis, William C. (1996). The Cause Lost: Myths and Realities of the Confederacy. Kansas: University Press of Kansas. ISBN0-7006-0809-5. Retrieved March 9, 2016. [I]t is impossible to point to any other local issue but slavery and say that Southerners would have seceded and fought over it.
^Davis, William C. The Cause Lost: Myths and Realities of the Confederacy. Kansas: University Press of Kansas. pp. 182–183. ISBN0-7006-0809-5.
william, davis, historian, william, charles, jack, davis, born, 1946, american, historian, professor, history, virginia, tech, former, director, programs, that, school, virginia, center, civil, studies, specializing, american, civil, davis, written, more, than. William Charles Jack Davis born 1946 is an American historian who was a professor of history at Virginia Tech and the former director of programs at that school s Virginia Center for Civil War Studies Specializing in the American Civil War Davis has written more than 40 books on that subject and other aspects of early southern U S history such as the Texas Revolution 1 He is the only three time winner of the Jefferson Davis Prize for Confederate history and was awarded the Jules and Frances Landry Award for Southern History 2 His book Lone Star Rising has been called the best one volume history of the Texas revolution yet written 3 William C DavisDavis at the 2015 Gaithersburg Book Festival BornWilliam Charles Davis1946 age 77 78 Independence Missouri U S NationalityAmericanOther namesW C DavisEducationMaster of Arts in History 1969 Alma materSonoma State UniversityOccupationHistorianKnown forStudies of the American Civil WarNotable workThe Cause Lost Myths and Realities of the Confederacy 1996 Websitecivilwar vt edu Contents 1 Life and career 1 1 Early life and education 1 2 Career 2 Works 2 1 Original works 2 2 Editor or co editor 2 3 Foreword 3 References 4 External linksLife and career editEarly life and education edit Davis earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts History 1969 degrees from Sonoma State University For many years he was editor and publisher of Civil War Times Illustrated and lived in Mechanicsburg Pennsylvania nbsp Davis speaking in 2009Career edit Davis s expertise on Confederate and Southern U S history has made him a valued consultant for newspaper articles 4 as well as television productions including the Arts amp Entertainment Network History Channel series Civil War Journal 1 Davis served as a consultant for the creation of a United States postage stamp of Jefferson Davis and has had input into the formation of the Museum of the Civil War in Petersburg Virginia 1 1990s Davis was awarded the Sonoma State University Distinguished Alumni Award in 1993 5 In 2015 he received The Lincoln Forum s Richard Nelson Current Award of Achievement 6 He is a past president of the National Historical Society In 1996 Davis authored the book The Cause Lost Myths and Realities of the Confederacy a critical examination of mythical claims made by neo Confederates and Lost Cause members regarding the Confederacy and the American Civil War Davis states that it is impossible to point to any other local issue but slavery and say that Southerners would have seceded and fought over it 7 However Davis contrasted the motivations of the Confederate leadership with that of the motivations for individual men for fighting in the Confederate army writing that The widespread northern myth that the Confederates went to the battlefield to perpetuate slavery is just that a myth Their letters and diaries in the tens of thousands reveal again and again that they fought and died because their Southern homeland was invaded and their natural instinct was to protect home and hearth 8 2000s In 2000 Davis became a professor at Virginia Tech where he served as director of programs for the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies 1 He retired from this position in 2013 9 Works editOriginal works edit Breckinridge Statesman Soldier Symbol 1974 Duel Between the First Ironclads The Famous Civil War Battle at Sea Between the Union IroncladMonitorand the Confederacy s Virginia the Redesigned and RebuiltU S S Merrimack 1975 2nd ed 1994 The Battle of New Market 1975 2nd ed 1993 Battle at Bull Run A History of the First Major Campaign of the Civil War 1977 2nd ed 1995 The Orphan Brigade The Kentucky Confederates Who Couldn t Go Home 1980 2nd ed 1993 The Imperiled Union 1861 1865 2 volumes Deep Waters of the Proud 1982 Stand in the Day of Battle 1983 Brother Against Brother The War Begins 1983 Time Life Series The Civil War First Blood Fort Sumter to Bull Run 1983 Time Life Series The Civil War Death in the Trenches Grant at Petersburg 1986 Time Life Series The Civil War Rebels amp Yankees The Battlefields of the Civil War 19 with Russ A Pritchard Rebels amp Yankees The Fighting Men of the Civil War 1989 with Russ A Pritchard Rebels amp Yankees The Commanders of the Civil War 1990 with Russ A Pritchard Jefferson Davis The Man and His Hour 1991 A Government of Our Own The Making of the Confederacy 1994 The American Frontier Pioneers Settlers and Cowboys 1800 1899 1995 A Way Through the Wilderness The Natchez Trace and the Civilization of the Southern Frontier 1995 The Cause Lost Myths and Realities of the Confederacy 1996 Three Roads to the Alamo The Lives and Fortunes of David Crockett James Bowie and William Barret Travis 1998 Lincoln s Men How President Lincoln Became Father to an Army and a Nation 1999 The Union That Shaped the Confederacy Robert Toombs and Alexander H Stephens 2001 Portraits of the Riverboats 2001 An Honorable Defeat The Last Days of the Confederate Government 2001 The Civil War Reenactors Encyclopedia 2002 Look Away A History of the Confederate States of America 2003 A Taste For War The Culinary History of the Blue and the Gray 2003 Lone Star Rising The Revolutionary Birth of the Texas Republic 2004 The Pirates Laffite The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf 2005 The Rogue Republic How Would Be Patriots Waged the Shortest Revolution in American History 2011 Crucible of Command Ulysses S Grant and Robert E Lee The War They Fought the Peace They Forged 2015 The Greatest Fury The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America 2019 Gabriel and Nannie Wharton in Final Resting Places Reflections on the Meaning of Civil War Graves edited by Brian Matthew Jordan and Jonathan W White 2023 Editor or co editor edit The Image of War 1861 1865 National Historical Society Doubleday amp Company Inc Volume I Shadows of the Storm 1981 Volume II The Guns of 62 1982 Volume III The Embattled Confederacy 1982 Volume IV Fighting for Time 1983 Volume V The South Besieged 1983 Volume VI The End of an Era 1984 Touched by Fire A National Historical Society Photographic Portrait of the Civil War 1985 2 volumes Diary of a Confederate Soldier John S Jackman of the Orphan Brigade 1990 Civil War Journal The Battles 1998 with Brian C Pohanka and Don Troiani Civil War Journal The Legacies 1999 with Brian C Pohanka and Don Troiani A Fire Eater Remembers The Confederate Memoir of Robert Barnwell Rhett 2000 Civil War Journal The Leaders 2003 with Brian C Pohanka and Don Troiani Faith in the Fight Civil War Chaplains 2003 with John W Brinsfield and Benedict Maryniak Virginia at War 1861 2005 with James I Robertson Jr Virginia at War 1862 2008 with James I Robertson Jr Virginia at War 1863 2008 with James I Robertson Jr Virginia at War 1864 2009 with James I Robertson Jr Virginia at War 1865 2011 with James I Robertson Jr The Whartons War The Civil War Correspondence of General Gabriel C Wharton amp Anne Radford Wharton 1863 1865 2022 with Sue Heth BellForeword edit Troiani Don and Brian Pohanka 1999 Don Troiani s Civil War Meade Robert Douthat 2001 Judah P Benjamin Confederate Statesman Lowry Thomas P 1998 Tarnished Eagles Kunstler Mort 2007 The Civil War Paintings of Mort Kunstler Volume 3 The Gettysburg Campaign Lowry Thomas P 2003 Curmudgeons Drunkards and Outright Fools The Courts Martial of Civil War Union Colonels McCoy Sharolyn S 2013 Big Mountain to Washburn Prairie The Sugar Creek Hills of Southwest MReferences edit a b c d Sluss Michael May 10 2000 Civil War Historian Coming to Tech The Roanake Times Roanoke VA Jefferson Davis May 2015 Lynda Lasswell Crist Suzanne Scott Gibbs eds Vol 14 1880 1889 The Papers of Jefferson Davis introduction by William C Davis LSU Press ISBN 978 0 80715 909 5 Barra Allen April 4 2004 Books on Texas Take on State s Prickly History St Louis Post Dispatch see for example Fagan Kevin September 4 2005 Surviving Katrina San Francisco Chronicle retrieved February 2 2010 Strategic Communications at Sonoma State University Strategic Communications at Sonoma State University The Lincoln Forum Davis William C 1996 The Cause Lost Myths and Realities of the Confederacy Kansas University Press of Kansas ISBN 0 7006 0809 5 Retrieved March 9 2016 I t is impossible to point to any other local issue but slavery and say that Southerners would have seceded and fought over it Davis William C The Cause Lost Myths and Realities of the Confederacy Kansas University Press of Kansas pp 182 183 ISBN 0 7006 0809 5 cwea net ww38 cwea net External links edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to William C Davis historian Official website Appearances on C SPAN Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William C Davis historian amp oldid 1192196125, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
