In this major new history of the Civil War, Bruce Levine tells the riveting story of how that conflict upended the economic, political, and social life of the old South, utterly destroying the Confederacy and the society it represented and defended.

The house of Dixie -- Securing the mansion : the slaveholder revolt and its origins -- Early portents : the first phases of war -- Recognizing the "logic of events" : Union war policy evolves, 1861-1863 -- "The clouds are dark over us" : the convulsions of 1863 -- Bound for "a land they knew not" : after slavery, what? -- Cracks in the walls widen -- A ray of light shines briefly through the rafters -- Feeling the timbers shudder -- And the walls gave way : Richmond, Appomattox, and after -- Conclusion : "We should rejoice".