"This book examines the foundational role of deliberate misrepresentation in various elements of white supremist Lost Cause mythology, from Confederate soldiers' military prowess, loyalty, motivation, and unity, to mythical black Confederates, to the evolution of Lost Cause myths to support present-day white supremacy. It adds to the understanding of the memory and reality of the American Civil War as American society debates historical monuments and sees the mainstream rise of emboldened white supremacist political groups"-- Provided by publisher.

Introduction -- Rewriting the past in stone: monuments, North Carolina politics, and Jim Crow, 1890-1929 -- Inventing Confederates: creating heroes to maintain white supremacy, 1900-1951 -- The loyal deserters: Confederate pension fraud in Civil War memory, 1901-1940 -- Playing the faithful slave: pensions for ex-slaves and free people of color, 1905-1951 -- The soldiers who weren't: how loyal slaves became "Black Confederates," 1910-2018 -- Epilogue: Why the Lost Cause still needs to lose.