Maybe this man and his theories explain a few things...

[longshadows]

Here is an obituary from Sunday, April 30th New York Times. Grady McWhiney's theories provide plenty of "food for thought." Has anyone read any of his works?


Grady McWhiney, Historian of the "Celtic South" dies at age of 77


MP

[Southern Breeze]

I've never heard of him until now.I read the article, he did some "interesting" theories.

[macwilkin]

I've read and own both "Cracker Culture" and "Attack and Die" in my library. I've also met Donald S. Frazier and actually took him to the Springfield Airport after a Civil War in the Trans-Mississippi Theatre conference that Wilson's Creek National Battlefield sponsored back in 2001. He wrote a very good history of the Confederate attempt to conquer the American Southwest titled "Blood and Treasure".

Of the two books, I enjoyed "Cracker Culture" more than "Attack and Die". I have my doubts about Dr. McWiney's theories in the latter, especially his idea that the South was somehow more "Celtic" than the North. McWiney never mentioned the large numbers of Irish and Scottish immigrants who fought for the North, including my own Scottish ancestors who served with Iowa regiments in the Civil War. But, interesting theories nonetheless. I will agree that the Irish who fought for the Confederacy, like the large numbers of St. Louis Irish who served in the First Missouri Confederate Brigade, or the New Orleans Irish community, don't get the publicity that their Northern cousins did.

A reenactment group, the 12th Louisiana String Band, actually released an album inspired by McWhiney's works, "Songs of the Celtic South", which is quite good -- I've almost worn my copy out!

But, Dr. McWhiney did pave the way for other scholars, such as David Fischer (Albion's Seed), Celeste Ray (Highland Heritage) and David Gleeson (the Irish in the South 1815-1877).

I'll have to pass this along to my advisor tomorrow; he knew Dr. McWhiney well.

May he rest in peace.

Regards,

Todd