Charles B. Dew's *Apostles of Disunion: Southern Secession Commissioners and the Causes of the Civil War* provides critical insights into the motivations behind the secession of Southern states and the onset of the Civil War, focusing particularly on the role of the secession commissioners—those who were sent to persuade other states to join the Confederacy.
1. **Central Thesis**: One of Dew's key arguments is that the primary motivation for


