Published in 1978, this book tells the story of William Gannaway Brownlow, a Methodist minister, Whig politician, author of a Civil War bestseller, and anti-Confederate who documented the trials and tribulations of pro-Union mountaineers in east Tennessee. Brownlow edited and published a weekly newspaper, the
Whig, for thirty years and was among the first to treat his native Appalachia as a significant and separate area. Steve Humphrey uses extensive selections from Brownlow's distinctive writing in the
Whig, with his own writing and commentary to tell the story of this man who could be relentless with his enemies and generous with his friends.
