Johnny Cobb

Confederate Aristocrat

Johnny Cobb

Confederate Aristocrat

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First published in 1964, Horace Montgomery’s study of the life and career of Johnny Cobb, focuses on his experiences during the Civil War, his romantic relationship with fellow aristocrat Lucy Barrow, and his position after leaving the army as head of the numerous Cobb plantations. Barrow and Cobb corresponded frequently and candidly about their hopes and fears as they experienced the antebellum south’s drastic changes during and after the Civil War. Horace Montgomery uses these letters to reveal a personalized and detailed portrait of a Confederate aristocratic family, including their performances in battle, their responses to tragic news from the war, and ultimately their struggle to remain prosperous despite their eventual downfall.

Montgomery’s perceptive and well-written book helps to explain the South’s failure to achieve independence that is so confidently declared in the days when cotton was thought to be king.

American Historical Review

About the Author/Editor

HORACE MONTGOMERY (1906–2001) was a historian and professor at the University of Georgia for more than twenty years. He is noted for his firm stand supporting the desegregation of the University. Montgomery is the author of several books focused on the history of the south, including Cracker Partiesand Civilization through the Centuries.