570
THE JOURNAL OF SOUTHERN HISTORY
withoutresponsuggested,
leftthebanksfreeto moveas theeconomicsituation
thebanks
and inflation
sibilityand withoutcontrol.Thus in timesof prosperity
and
made
no
in
times
of
new
loans
and
economic
adversity
they
loanedreadily
by
In each instance,thisactionof the banks,determined
curtailedcirculation.
necessity
and not by choice,increasedthe violenceof the up or down swing,
and checkinginfluence.
insteadof actingas a moderating
to the
herselfratherstrictly
By confining
The book is writtenobjectively.
theauthorhas refusedto place herselfas a parand recorder,
taskof observer
to do.
whichmosthistorians
of thisperiodfindit difficult
tisan-something
been
too
is
the
writer
has
perhaps
book
here,
but
The materialforan excellent
fromthematerialshe has gathered.Manyof the
reluctant
to drawconclusions
of thiscontroversy
present-day
economicpoliciesand ideasare butcontinuations
partiesof that
of thecontending
of overa hundredyearsago and thearguments
and evaluated.It is possiblethatthetimewhena
periodneedto be interpreted
is gone. But thisbook
and an annotator
historian
could be merelya recorder
increasesits
and an excellentbibliography
contribution,
represents
an important
of thesubject.
usefulness
forstudents
SecondArmyHeadquarters
Memphis,Tennessee
THOMAS P. GOVAN
Plantation
in
Life in theFloridaParishesof Louisiana,1836-1846,as Reflected
the Diary of BennetH. Barrow. Editedwithan introduction
by Edwin
AdamsDavis. (New York: ColumbiaUniversity
Press,1943. Pp. xvi,457.
Illustrations,
appendices,
bibliography.
$5.00.)
The parishof West Feliciana,Louisiana,with"itssalubrity
of climate,beau-
tiful varietyof forest,its clear waters and fertilesoil . . . [was] certainlyone
of themostfavouredspotsin Louisiana."Here, as in otherpartsof the antebellumSouth,the plantation-slavery
regimebecamethe basis of economicand
creators
of the plantation-slave
sociallife.The southern
were
planters,
culture,
of thatsociety.
no less thecreatures
Typicalin manywaysof thatlocaleand society
was BennetH. Barrow,plantloverof fields,woods,and streams.
er,slaveholder,
On thefaceof things,Barrow was seeminglyan unimportant
person.True, he owned morethan two
hundredNegroes,severalhundredacresof fertileland,and accordingly
was a
Buthe held no highpoliticaloffice;he was notassociated
well-to-do
personage.
he was not even an outstanding
withanyimportant
movements;
agriculturist.
of Barrowas a personand of his diary,reIn what,then,lies thesignificance
eventsof his lifefrom1836 to 1846? His importance
cordingtheeveryday
and
thatof thisdocumentlie perhapsin thatsingleword "everyday."
For above
life in one partof the ante-bellum
all, Barrow'sstoryis thestoryof everyday
South.
BOOK REVIEWS
571
Here we see thatthesouthern
planterwas first
of all a farmer-amemberof
a ruralcommunity.
His family,
his crops,his Negroes-thesewerehis principal
interests
and to themhe devotedhis timeand talents.Likemanyanothersouthernplanter,Barrowlovedcountry
life.He was at homein thesaddle,cantering
overtheFelicianahills.A followerof the turfand ownerof manythoroughfinehorses.Frequentfishing
breds,Barrowknewhow to appreciate
tripsalong
thenear-by
bayousand lakesprovidedrelaxation
cares
and escapefromfinancial
thatnot infrequently
plaguedhim.When the briskness
of fall was in the air
and theleavescoveredthehillswithred and gold,he set out on a deerhunt,
his favorite
sport.While Barrowreadoccasionally
and boughtsomebooks,his
diarydoes not leave a pictureof a man who delightedin the joy of reading.
Rathertheinformal
visitsto and fromhis neighboring
friendsprovidedopportunityforthe southerner's
greatestlove-conversation.
Barrowwas a good masterto hisNegroes.He was notso lenientas someand
perhapshe usedthewhipmorefrequently
thanothers.Buthe knewhisNegroes
well and dealtwiththemjustly.Those who performed
theirtaskswell could
expectrewardsin the formof cash,holidays,barbecues,
and balls. Those who
wereremissin thefields,or ranaway,or showed"takingways"in thesmokehousewerecertainto feelthewhipor perhapsspendsomedaysin theplantationjail. All, whether
industrious
and obedientor lazyand sullen,werecertain
to be adequatelyhoused,clothed,and fed.
in his viewsof men and
Barrowwas no Pollyanna;nor was he uncertain
affairs.
He knewwherehe stoodand whathe thought,
and one cannotreadhis
thathe possessedsomefacility
diarywithout
concluding
of expression.
For some
reason,Barrowhad no love forpreachers.
Earlyin June,1841, he attendeda
"VerryLargeParty"and had "a verrysociabletime,"but"as usualhoweverthe
Preachersinterfered
as muchas possible,attempting
D
to draw numbers
fromthePartybyhavingpreaching
at night"(p. 232). Nor did he thinkmuch
of religionforthepeopleof thequarter.When a neighbor
had troublewithhis
Negroes,it was Barrow'sopinionthatit was due to "his havingthempreached
to for4 or 5 yearspast-greatestpieceof foolishness
anyone everguiltyofno trueChristianity
amongtheChurchgoingWhites-and how expectto Preach
mortality
amonga set [of] ignorantbeings-properdisciplinemay improve
themand makethembetter"(pp. 323-24).
to theBarrowDiary,skillfully
Professor
Davis, in his introduction
synthesizes
life was composed."The Exthe manyelementsof whichsouthern
plantation
pansionof a Plantation,""Highlandand High Finance,""Routineand Proof the Quarter,""Amusements
and SportingInterduction,""The Inhabitants
ests,"and "BennetH. Barrow"are all chapterswhich,despitetheirbrevity,
recreate
thelifeof a regionand itspeople.
successfully
The readermighthave hoped for morematerialon the relationsbetween
BarrowandhisNew Orleansfactors;norcan one helpbutwonderwhatBarrow
did duringhis manyvisitsto New Orleans.While thisreviewer
has everycon-
572
THE JOURNAL OF SOUTHERN HISTORY
fidencethatMr. Davis couldreadilysupplythepropercontent
forthosemissing
thediaryis, afterall, Barrow'sand onlyhe can be held accountable
entries,
for
itsomissions.
The editoris to be commended
forhis thorough
and painstaking
he has seenthatit is fromsuchdocuments
editorialwork.Rightly,
as thisthat
therealhistory
of theante-bellum
Southmustbe written.
Morethanthat,in his
delightful
introduction
he has pointedtheway to the effective
exploitation
of
valuablesourcematerial.
of NorthCarolina
University
J. CARLYLESITTERSON
The Writings of Sam Houston, 1813-1863. Volume VII, November, 1824March, 1860; Volume VIII, April, 1825-July,1863, with Index. Edited
of
by AmeliaW. Williamsand Eugene C. Barker.(Austin: University
Texas Press,1942, 1943. Pp. xvi, 567; xxiii,379. $3.25 a volume.)
of theprogram
of thesetwo volumesmarksthecompletion
The publication
inaugurated
severalyearsago bytheeditorsand carriedout duringthepastfive
yearsundertheauspicesof theBureauof Researchin theSocialSciencesat the
of Sam Houston.
of Texas,to editand publishall availablewritings
University
of twenty-nine
documents
belongingto theyearscoveredby
Withtheexception
in thesetwo volumes
the earliervolumesof thisseries,the materialpresented
fallswithinthe periodfromMarch 1, 1858, to Houston'sdeath,on July26,
1863. Thus theycoverthe lasttwelvemonthsof his serviceas a UnitedStates
termas governorof the stateduringthe
senatorfromTexas,his uncompleted
afterhavingbeen forced
and his two yearsin retirement
secessioncontroversy,
chairin March,1861.
outof thegovernor's
Slightly
morethanhalfof VolumeVII is requiredto completehis senatorial
or reextendedcontinuations
writingsand speeches,some of whichrepresent
subjectsconnectedwithhis earliercareer.Despite the
hashesof controversial
mannerand dictionas he growsolder,he is still
obvioussignsof a morerefined
invective
in his vigorousdefenseof Texas and itspeople,
themasterof forceful
of his own activities.
to anycriticism
Indeed,thelong speech
and stillsensitive
of February
28, 1859 (pp. 306-36), whichhe calledhis farewelladdressto the
as
againsthis character
Senate,was in realitya replyto old chargescirculated
of the Texas revolutionary
armyof 1836, ratherthanthe
commander-in-chief
reviewof his serviceas senatorwhichmighthave been expectedand which
wouldhavebeenmoreappropriate.
fromtheSenateunderthestingof
Withinthreemonthsafterhis retirement
a defeatwhichseemedto suggesthis repudiation
by the people of Texas, he
candidateforgovernor.
Alwas back in thepoliticalarenaas an independent
fromtwo othersseemto have
thoughonlyone completespeechand extracts
to indicatethathe had lostnone
thesearesufficient
fromthiscampaign,
survived
His electionto thegovernorship
by a substantial
of his skillas a campaigner.
oversecession,
whichwas to tax his inmajority
plungedhimintotheconflict