Reviews
"The Southern Mind Under Union Rule is recommended on several fronts. As an articulate account of Union occupation it is superb, and it also carefully recounts the breaking down of the old social order maintained between blacks and whites in coastal North Carolina from a Confederate point of view. The diary also provides some insight into local military operations."
--Civil War Books and Authors
"Provides a fascinating glimpse into the mind of an unrelenting Confederate patriot named James Rumley."
--Military History
"Gives an excellent view of life for coastal Southerners under Union Military occupancy."
--The Lone Star Book Review
"The diary offers both thought-provoking and very disturbing reading."
--The Journal of America's Military Past Volume XXXV, No. 3
"Each passage is articulate and fascinating. Judkin Browning has produced a remarkable volume that deepens our understanding of Southern resistance under the direst of circumstances. The painstaking research clearly evident in both the introduction and the sources notes is informative and unobtrusive. Thus, by being consistently mindful of the value of his source document, and of his role in its production, Browning has added a rich and necessary addition to the vast body of works on the American Civil War."
--H-Net Reviews
In this skillfully edited volume, Judkin Browning gives us valuable insight into the thoughts of one man who lived under and opposed, albeit passively, military rule. A small but important historical window into the thoughts of someone living under an occupying force. Browning's impressive editorial work - there is a substantial introduction and informative notes - has breathed new life into this neglected source.
--The Journal of Southern History