The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772–1832

In this well-written and engaging history, Pulitzer and Bancroft Prize winner Taylor (history, Univ. of California, Davis) zeros in on slavery in Virginia, particularly during the War of 1812, in the process revealing both the glaring hypocrisy of the Founders' views on slavery and the lengths to which they went to ensure control of the enslaved population. In engaging prose, Taylor presents the dynamic, cogent argument that for Southerners, their chattel represented a dangerous "fifth column" that, given the opportunity, would carry their "networks and nocturnal expertise" to invaders "enhancing their capacity to wage war in the Chesapeake." During the War of 1812, an alarming number of the "internal enemy" flocked to British camps, allowing the British to conduct raids deep into the Southern countryside.