Wade Hampton: Confederate Warrior to Southern Redeemer

One of the Souths most illustrious military leaders, Wade Hampton III was for a time the commander of all Lees cavalry and at the end of the war was the highest-ranking Confederate cavalry officer. Yet for all Hamptons military victories, he also suffered devastating losses in his family and personal life. Rod Andrews critical biography sheds light on his central role during Reconstruction as a conservative white leader, governor, U.S. senator, and Redeemer; his heroic image in the minds of white southerners; and his positions and apparent contradictions on race and the role of African Americans in the New South. Andrew also shows that Hamptons tragic past explains how he emerged in his own day as a larger-than-life symbol -- of national reconciliation as well as southern defiance.