Blog

AN INTERVIEW WITH HISTORIAN STEPHEN M. “SAM” HOOD

I enjoyed reading your well-researched book, Patriots Twice:  Former Confederates and the Building of America After the Civil War.  You offer many examples of ex-Confederates who helped the country rebuild and grow during Reconstruction.  This legion of Southerners assumed positions of authority and distinction in many fields of endeavor.   Did you have a favorite ex-Confederate?

No single Confederate, but there were a handful who really impressed me.  Scientists and educators, John Mallet and brothers John and Joseph LeConte, physician Hunter Holmes McGuire, diplomat Otis Allen Glazebrook, and Los Angeles mayor Cameron Thom were especially intriguing to me.  Also, linguist Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve. 

How did you decide to research the post-war careers of former Confederates? 

Like many people, I became distressed at the wanton destruction of Confederate monuments that seemed to start picking up momentum around 2016-2017.  I decided to look into former Confederates to see how they handled defeat and reconciliation, and what they did with their lives after the war. 

I was intrigued by L.Q.C. Lamar, a former U.S. Senator from Mississippi who returned to the Senate.  He gave an emotional eulogy for abolition stalwart Charles Sumner.  This speech caused Northern Senators to rise up and embrace their Southern brethren.  It was remarkable:  a former secessionist who championed reconciliation and unity. 

But I learned that Lamar’s speech was not entirely humanitarian.  His speech kicked off a campaign to withdraw Federal troops from Mississippi and restore White Democratic control of the state.  

Was Lamar’s pragmatic post-war strategy typical of ex-Confederates who re-entered Congress or obtained federal offices?  Or to put it another way, did you discover any ex-Confederates who supported full and free African-American participation in politics and voting?

I intentionally avoided digging into the politics or personal values of individuals as it would be impossible to read people’s minds or judge their motives or sincerity one hundred years after the fact. 

Also, as you know, social values and morals constantly change – sometimes in a matter of months rather than years.  I focused exclusively on the tangible accomplishments of the ex-Confederates and didn’t question motives, ulterior or otherwise. 

I would point out, however, that former Confederates founded or co-founded four colleges for African-Americans:  Alcorn State, Alabama State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and Prairie View A&M.  Former Confederates also founded colleges for women. 

Did you find any former slave-holding Confederates who apologized for the institution of slavery or expressed remorse for having owned slaves?

I don’t recall seeing anything along those lines, but as I stated, I wasn’t looking specifically for those sorts of records.  That subject would be a book (or books) in itself.   

Did any ex-Confederates suggest ways to help Southerners – and Northerners — forgive the deep hurts and trauma of the war?

There were many such appeals and declarations – too many to mention.  It was a common theme in public and private communications among individuals and organizations to reunite and reconcile.  That, too, could be a book in itself.   

How did you become interested in the Civil War?

My father loved history and, as a child, he took me to most of the major Civil War and Revolutionary War battlefields.  In fact, one of my favorite photos is me, as a ten-year-old, sitting on a cannon at Yorktown, Virginia, with my dad.  I attended a military academy in high school (formerly attended by Ambrose Bierce), so my interest in military history goes way back. 

How do you keep organized?  For example, my wife created an Access database, into which I transcribed and/or took notes on hundreds of primary and secondary sources.  What system do you use?

Mine is pretty archaic I suppose – at least in the computer age.  I simply scan documents and keep them organized by subject in simple folders. 

 What is the most frustrating or challenging part of being a historian and/or a writer?

Oh goodness.  Where do I begin?  I suppose the biggest frustration in Civil War history is confronting myths.  And it seems like the craziest myths are the most entrenched.  With social media, a totally unfounded myth can be spread so far and is seen by so many people that it often becomes a “fact” in the minds of most readers.  Then, when I reveal that it is totally unfounded, people think I’m a crackpot.

Also, it is highly annoying to see opinions published in the guise of fact, but probably the most frustrating thing I encounter is inaccurate or misleading paraphrasing of primary sources.  How often does a reader stop, seek out a cited primary source, and confirm that it is being presented accurately by the author?  Not often. 

I have done such research, and it is shocking how often writers have presented facts with cited sources, yet the source is nothing remotely akin to what was paraphrased by the writer.  I found this to have happened with some of the most famous and celebrated Civil War historians, and in award-winning books.  It is astounding what falsehoods are written as fact, and many publishers – especially academic presses – don’t seem to care. 

What aspect of being a historian and/or a writer gives you the most satisfaction?

Probably the “myth busting” that I just mentioned.  I wrote two books proving that many of the criticisms and condemnations of Gen. John Bell Hood were false and inaccurate.  Even my recent book on postwar Confederates reveals that many of them were not as they are often portrayed, especially in the present volatile social environment. 

In your research, what have you learned about the human condition?

In all my studies of history, I have confirmed that societal values constantly change, but individual human values have not.  From antiquity until now, individuals care most for the health and welfare of their family and friends. 

What advice would you give to up-and-coming historians?

Do not trust factual assertions in other books without personally checking the primary sources.  There is an expression, “extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence,” and it is absolutely true.  Neophyte writers should remember what our parents tell us:  if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.  Conversely, though, in history, if something sounds too bad to be true, it likely isn’t.

What intriguing questions about the Civil War remain to be answered?

I suppose it would be Lee’s lost order during the 1862 Maryland Campaign.  I’ve also always been intrigued by what caused the happenings at Fort Pillow.  Was the massacre ordered, or was it a tragic consequence of misinterpreting the movements of panicked African-American prisoners?

Do you have another book that you’re working on?

Yes, but it is a nonfiction work totally unrelated to military history.  It is a true story of rampant judicial corruption in a small, rural U.S. state. 

***

Stephen M. (“Sam”) Hood is a distant relative of Confederate General John Bell Hood. Sam is a retired industrial construction company owner, and lives in Myrtle Beach, SC.  A graduate of Kentucky Military Institute and Marshall University, he is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps Reserve.  He has written three Civil War history books.

***

Thank you for reading my blog.  Please like my Facebook page, and leave any questions or comments below.