'A South Divided' is an account of Southern dissidents in the Civil War, at times labelled as traitors, Tories, deserters, or mossbacks. Downing presents a panoramic overview of Southern dissent and what emerges is a complex pattern of dissent involving every state in the Confederacy and every year of the war.

A clash of values in the antebellum South -- Crossover soldiers and their battles -- West Virginia : the state that seceded from the Confederacy -- Tennessee Tories -- Mossbacks, deserters, and guerrillas -- "The wolf has come" : the battle for Indian Territory -- Southern slaves turned Union soldiers -- The distaff side of dissent -- Conclusion, who lost the cause?.