The old South: a political culture in crisis -- Through a glass darkly: Secession and the future of Southern politics -- The crisis of Southern constitutionalism -- Establishing political legitimacy -- A new political universe -- Origins of political crisis -- Desperate times, desperate measures, desperate politics -- Internal stresses of war -- The two political cultures -- Spring and summer of discontent -- The elections of 1863 and political fragmentation -- Factious politics -- Principle, power, politics, and peace -- National identity, the political cultures, and war's end.