Cobb did not live to see the end of the War Between the States, but his influence was felt at both the theoretical and pragmatic levels throughout it, and perhaps even long after. McCash, (formerly history, Middle Tennessee State U.) examines Cobb's rather brief life as a study in how one person can reflect to a remarkable degree the world view of his geographical location. Working from various periods of Cobb's life as a Georgia lawyer, reformer, defender of slavery, secessionist, and Confederate congressman and general, McCash traces the primary themes of Cobb's life, those being southern evangelism and its convoluted relationship with slavery, the southern take on national progressive issues such as temperance and Sunday school, and how the South's theoretical perception of itself as different led to the pragmatism of southern nationalism and secession. Annotation 2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
