The South's Forgotten Fire-Eater

There were countless fervent supporters of the Confederacy in the South before, during, and after the Civil War, but perhaps none were as ardent or influential as the so-called fire-eaters, who worked in Southern communities to sway them toward secession. The South's Forgotten Fire-Eater details the life and activism of David Hubbard, an Alabama fire-eater who did much to turn northern Alabama for the Confederacy. His is a cautionary tale of radical politics, told brilliantly by historian Chris McIlwain.

Chris McIlwain is a lawyer-historian from Tuscaloosa. Born in Chattanooga in 1955 and raised in Huntsville by his rocket scientist father, McIlwain graduated in 1977 from the University of Alabama with a double major in political science and sociology. He then attended the university's law school, from which he received his Juris Doctorate in 1980. He practices law in Tuscaloosa as president of his own firm. McIlwain is the author of three books: Civil War Alabama; 1865 Alabama: From Civil War to Uncivil Peace; and The Million Dollar Man Who Helped Kill a President. McIlwain is also a frequent contributor to the Alabama Review and a lecturer on Alabama history at schools, civic groups, and the Alabama Department of Archives and History.