Confederates in the Tropics

Charles Swett's Travelogue

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, Civil War Period (1850-1877)
Cover of the book Confederates in the Tropics by Sharon Hartman Strom, Frederick Stirton Weaver, University Press of Mississippi
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Sharon Hartman Strom, Frederick Stirton Weaver ISBN: 9781604739954
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi Publication: May 17, 2011
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi Language: English
Author: Sharon Hartman Strom, Frederick Stirton Weaver
ISBN: 9781604739954
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Publication: May 17, 2011
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi
Language: English

Charles Swett (1828-1910) was a prosperous Vicksburg merchant and small plantation owner who was reluctantly drawn into secession but then rallied behind the Confederate cause, serving with distinction in the Confederate Army. After the war some of Swett's peers from Mississippi and other southern states invited him to explore the possibility of settling in British Honduras or the Republic of Honduras.

Confederates in the Tropics uses Swett's 1868 travelogue to explore the motives of would-be Confederate migrants' fleeing defeat and Reconstruction in the United States South. The authors make a comparative analysis of Confederate communities in Latin America, and use Charles Swett's life to illustrate the travails and hopes of the period for both blacks and whites.

Swett's diary is presented here in its entirety in a clear, accessible format, edited for contemporary readers. Swett's style, except for his passionate prefatory remarks, is a remarkably unsentimental, even scientific look at Belize and Honduras, more akin to a field report than a romantic travel account. In a final section, the authors suggest why the expatriate communities of white Southerners nearly always failed, and follow up on Swett's life in Mississippi in a way that sheds light on why disgruntled Confederates decided to remain in or eventually to return to the U.S. South.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Charles Swett (1828-1910) was a prosperous Vicksburg merchant and small plantation owner who was reluctantly drawn into secession but then rallied behind the Confederate cause, serving with distinction in the Confederate Army. After the war some of Swett's peers from Mississippi and other southern states invited him to explore the possibility of settling in British Honduras or the Republic of Honduras.

Confederates in the Tropics uses Swett's 1868 travelogue to explore the motives of would-be Confederate migrants' fleeing defeat and Reconstruction in the United States South. The authors make a comparative analysis of Confederate communities in Latin America, and use Charles Swett's life to illustrate the travails and hopes of the period for both blacks and whites.

Swett's diary is presented here in its entirety in a clear, accessible format, edited for contemporary readers. Swett's style, except for his passionate prefatory remarks, is a remarkably unsentimental, even scientific look at Belize and Honduras, more akin to a field report than a romantic travel account. In a final section, the authors suggest why the expatriate communities of white Southerners nearly always failed, and follow up on Swett's life in Mississippi in a way that sheds light on why disgruntled Confederates decided to remain in or eventually to return to the U.S. South.

More books from University Press of Mississippi

Cover of the book Michael Winterbottom by Sharon Hartman Strom, Frederick Stirton Weaver
Cover of the book We End in Joy by Sharon Hartman Strom, Frederick Stirton Weaver
Cover of the book Dick Waterman by Sharon Hartman Strom, Frederick Stirton Weaver
Cover of the book No Small Thing by Sharon Hartman Strom, Frederick Stirton Weaver
Cover of the book Mario Lanza by Sharon Hartman Strom, Frederick Stirton Weaver
Cover of the book Brother to a Dragonfly by Sharon Hartman Strom, Frederick Stirton Weaver
Cover of the book Steelpan Ambassadors by Sharon Hartman Strom, Frederick Stirton Weaver
Cover of the book Changing Channels by Sharon Hartman Strom, Frederick Stirton Weaver
Cover of the book MuzikMafia by Sharon Hartman Strom, Frederick Stirton Weaver
Cover of the book Dangerous Curves by Sharon Hartman Strom, Frederick Stirton Weaver
Cover of the book Obituaries in American Culture by Sharon Hartman Strom, Frederick Stirton Weaver
Cover of the book Gloria Swanson by Sharon Hartman Strom, Frederick Stirton Weaver
Cover of the book Lost Plantations of the South by Sharon Hartman Strom, Frederick Stirton Weaver
Cover of the book Larry Hama by Sharon Hartman Strom, Frederick Stirton Weaver
Cover of the book Getting Off at Elysian Fields by Sharon Hartman Strom, Frederick Stirton Weaver
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy