"Syrett's used of archival and other sources allows him to give a very complete account of the political climate that surrounded the passage of the Confiscation Acts as well as military confiscation and enforcement of the acts by the courts. His discussion contains new insights into Northern thinking about winning the war, how the Union should be restored, and what course should be taken in reconstructing the South." -Civil War History "The Civil War Confiscation Acts scrutinizes the political context of these controversial laws, the debate about them, and how their ultimate failure heralded the problems and shortcomings that would afflict the Reconstruction after the war. Highly recommended..." -The Midwest Book Review