Joseph Holt, James Buchanan, and the Secession Crisis

Tracking Down “The Public Man”

“…In short, he wanted to reshape historical memory. 36 Since Frank Maloy Anderson's book appeared in 1948, historians have known that the diary is suspect, but they find it hard to resist the temptation to use it. He would not celebrate the providential leadership of Lincoln and the heroism of the Grand Army of the Republic, nor would he embrace the myth of the Lost Cause and the cult of Robert E. Lee.…”

“…Heading the list are Allan Nevins, Roy Franklin Nichols, and David Potter, three giants of midtwentieth-century American historiography, each of whom had a fine command of archival materials pertaining to the secession winter. 36 Since Frank Maloy Anderson's book appeared in 1948, historians have known that the diary is suspect, but they find it hard to resist the temptation to use it. In his biography of Charles Sumner, for example, David Donald mentioned that the diary was "a semifictional production," which "ought not be regarded as a reliable source."…”