W. Eric Emerson

A fascinating look at the experiences of a "company of gentlemen" in America's bloodiest war

6 x 9, 208 pages, 18 illus.
cloth, ISBN 1-57003-592-X, $24.95t

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sons of Privilege traces the wartime experiences of a unique Confederate cavalry company drawn together from South Carolina's most prestigious families of planters, merchants, and politicos. Founded in 1792 as a city militia unit, the Charleston Light Dragoons drew from such locally recognizable clans as the Hugers, Izards, Manigaults, Middletons, and Pringles. W. Eric Emerson examines the military exploits of this "company of gentlemen" to find that the elite status of its membership dictated the terms of their service. For much of the war, the dragoons were stationed close to home and faced little immediate danger. As the South's resources waned, however, such deference faded.

Organized much like a gentleman's social club, the dragoons differed markedly from most units in the Confederate and Union armies, which brought together men of varying social and economic backgrounds. Emerson vividly depicts the dragoons' two assignments—a relatively undemanding stint along the South Carolina coast and a subsequent few weeks of intense combat in Virginia. Recounting the unit's 1864 baptism by fire at the Battle of Haw's Shop, he suggests that the dragoons' unrealistic expectations about their military prowess led the men to fight with more bravery than discretion. Thus the unit suffered heavy losses, and by 1865 only a handful survived.

Emerson tracks the return of the survivors to ruined homes and businesses, the struggle to rebuild lost fortunes, and the resurrection of exclusive social organizations that would separate them from Charleston's more prosperous newcomers. He chronicles efforts of veterans to reestablish the unit and evaluates the influence of writings by survivors on the postwar veneration of the dragoons.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The executive director of the South Carolina Historical Society, W. Eric Emerson has served as editor of the South Carolina Historical Magazine and as editor in chief of the society's publication program. A native of Charlotte, he holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Alabama. Emerson lives on Daniel Island, South Carolina.

REVIEWS

"Sons of Privilege blends social, economic, political, and military history to paint a sophisticated portrait of a unique company whose officers and men were so concerned with notions of status, wealth, and the concept of honor that these ideals shaped both its Confederate service and the ways in which the unit chose to remember it after the war."–J. Tracy Power, author of Lee's Miserables: Life in the Army of Northern Virginia from the Wilderness to Appomattox

"W. Eric Emerson's well-paced narrative shows how the Civil War experiences of the Charleston Light Dragoons mirrored those of the South Carolina lowcountry's elite as a whole. Sheltered duty and good living during the war's early years gave way to devastating casualties that almost destroyed the unit after it went to the front in Virginia in 1864, even as the wealth of Carolina's tidewater aristocracy was also being wiped out by the war."–James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era

"Emerson has a good story, very well told. He blends diverse aspects of social and military history in a way that places him on the leading edge of scholarship in the field. This work also highlights the outstanding resources available at the South Carolina Historical Society. Here is Confederate unit history at its best."–Emory M. Thomas, author of Bold Dragoon: The Life of J. E. B. Stuart

"Emerson draws on an impressive array of sources to offer this fascinating analytical portrait of an unusual Confederate military unit. Readers interested in the long-standing debate about whether the conflict was a rich man's war and a poor man's fight will find Sons of Privilege especially useful, but all students of the Confederacy will turn to its examination of an elite group of soldiers with profit."–Gary W. Gallagher, author of The Confederate War

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