As a long time student of the Civil War this book proved to be an amazing  read.   It opened my eyes and gave me a better understanding of the "Lost Cause" generation.    Having grown up in the north I could never understand why those south of the Mason Dixon line could not perceive that slavery was the cause of the Civil War.  It always seemed obvious to me that if you removed that from the equation all other reasons would disappear.   The author's credentials and writing ability helped understand how this misconception could have been achieved.   His research is impeccable and his prose made this a book I could not put down..  All future students of the Civil War owe him a debt of thanks for his excellent development and reporting on a very controversial subject.