After Appomattox

Archival Summary & Scope

Challenging the conventional view that the Civil War ended in 1865, *After Appomattox* argues that Confederate surrender marked the beginning of a violent second phase lasting until 1871. This groundbreaking history reveals a period of genuine belligerence, distinct from the project of Reconstruction, during which the U.S. Army undertook an ambitious military occupation of the defeated South. Stationing tens of thousands of troops, the army wielded its war powers to crush slavery in the face of fierce and often violent resistance. While indispensable to the uprooting of slavery and the establishment of basic civil rights, the occupation ultimately faced limitations, failing to fully remake Southern society.