Statesmen of the Lost Cause: Jefferson Davis and His Cabinet is a 1939 non-fiction book by Burton Jesse Hendrick, published by Little, Brown and Company.
The thesis of the work is that the inability to acquire and develop competent politicians, as well as an inability to form a proper federal government due to too much emphasis on states' rights, caused the collapse of the Confederate States of America.
[2] A. J. Hanna of Rollins College wrote that the work overall "is a distinguished contribution",[5] and that the "vivid treatment of" the international relations of the CSA, as well as the portraits, which Hanna described as "superb", are the "principal value of" the work.
[5] Charles W. Ramsdell of the University of Texas at Austin stated that the work "is vivid, vigorous, and enjoyable",[3] and argued that "vivid portraits of Confederate leaders and foreign diplomats" are the "best" aspect of the work.
[3] Rupert B. Vance of the University of North Carolina described the book as a "brilliant contribution", and gave praise to the portraits, stating they had "vivid, incisive strokes.