James Sanders Day. Diamonds in the Rough

In this sweeping study of the history of the Cahaba coal field in Alabama, James Sanders Day attempts to synthesize different historical approaches. As he states in the introduction, his multifaceted methodology will ensure that “engineers and scientists, entrepreneurs and miners occupy the same canvas” (p. 1). Day only partially succeeds in his quest. He argues that most studies have focused on the more productive Warrior coal fields in north central Alabama, and that treatment of the Cahaba field has taken second place in interest. To rectify this omission, Day sets out to explain how a cast of characters including prospectors, engineers, and speculators tried to harness the coal riches of the Cahaba. What Day shows are the first stuttering steps to develop the coal fields using slaves, but the focus is on the white men and women who struggled to build thriving coal operations. Interestingly, as the men and women struggled hard to gain a foothold, the Civil War dashed most of their hopes and left them ruined. Day blames the lack of financial support by the Confederate government for the operator's plight.

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