The Man Who Started the Civil War

"It is simultaneously a fine narrative of Chesnut's political journey from unionist to secessionist; a nuanced look at the cultural expectations Southern honor played in mapping that journey; and a deeply intimate study of the ways Chesnut tailored his emotions to navigate between 'raw' and 'honorable' expressions of Southern manhood. A fresh perspective long overdue."—John Mayfield, author of Counterfeit Gentlemen: Manhood and Honor in the Old South

"In this compelling study, Anna Koivusalo takes James Chesnut—South Carolina politician, secessionist, and Confederate officer—as a subject in his own right. No longer a lurker in the diary made famous by his wife Mary, James emerges as an actor whose efforts to manage his emotions by appealing to honor's dictates tells us a great deal about how mid-nineteenth century Americans experienced and understood their feelings. In so doing, The Man Who Started the Civil War offers new ways of thinking about questions that have long animated the field"—Sarah Gardner, Distinguished University Professor of History, Mercer University

"Anna Koivusalo has made a wholly original contribution to South Carolina history with the first full-length biography of James Chesnut, one of the state's most surprisingly neglected nineteenth-century luminaries. Moreover, by braiding the analysis of honor and emotion she has reinvigorated the study of southern honor and demonstrated the enduring value of emotions as a lens for historical analysis."—Michael E. Woods, Author of Arguing until Doomsday: Stephen Douglas, Jefferson Davis, and the Struggle for American Democracy

"Anna Koivusalo's book fairly bristles with exciting ideas about the intersection of honor and emotion across multiple planes in the Old South. Impressive research and innovative analysis yield a close understanding of the vexing, important South Carolina politician James Chesnut Jr. and the world that shaped him. This is a valuable, judicious biography and much more. The Man Who Started the Civil War advances the scholarly conversation on important problems with clarity and insight."—Lawrence McDonnell, Author of Performing Disunion: The Coming of the Civil War in Charleston, South Carolina

"Koivusalo brings Chesnut's lost world to life. Her work is academic in the best sense of the word: analytic, revelatory, and innovative. . . The Man Who Started the Civil War is, like its subject, a complex work that demands serious attention. Readers picking up the book with this frame of mind will be well rewarded."—Civil War Book Review

"Koivusalo's biography and analysis of James Chesnut in the context of the wider South is a valuable addition to the study of southern culture."—Journal of Southern History