▁could ▁not ▁vote ▁or ▁boy c otted , ▁led ▁Pol l ard ▁to ▁believe ▁that ▁southern ▁Democr ats ▁should ▁not ▁stand ▁aside ▁from ▁politics ▁in ▁the ▁up coming ▁ 1 8 6 8 ▁election . ▁He ▁began ▁to ▁think ▁of ▁the ▁Civil ▁War ▁as ▁a ▁constitution al ▁contest ▁rather ▁than ▁an ▁ide ological ▁contest ▁of ▁oppos ing ▁social ▁systems , ▁and ▁began ▁to ▁support ▁President ▁Andrew ▁Johnson ▁as ▁a ▁def ender ▁of ▁constitution al ▁liberty . ▁In ▁similar ▁t ones , ▁Pol l ard ▁began ▁speaking ▁of ▁pre - war ▁states - right s ▁advoc ates ▁such ▁as ▁John ▁C . ▁Cal h oun ▁as ▁Union ists ▁who ▁sought ▁only ▁their ▁constitution al ▁rights ▁and ▁not ▁se cess ion . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 8 6 8 , ▁Pol l ard ▁advoc ated ▁white ▁supre m acy ▁during ▁Re const ruction ▁in ▁The ▁Lost ▁C ause ▁Reg ained , ▁which ▁was ▁written ▁as ▁a ▁Democratic ▁campaign ▁document . ▁He ▁otherwise ▁wrote ▁that ▁Johnson ' s ▁programs ▁were ▁right , ▁and ▁that ▁se cess ion ▁was ▁not ▁a ▁legal ▁act . ▁In ▁that ▁book , ▁Pol l ard ▁no ▁longer ▁supported ▁former ▁President ▁Jefferson ▁Davis , ▁instead ▁attack ing ▁him ▁for ▁being ▁in effect ive ▁and ▁ignor ant , ▁and ▁a ▁year ▁later ▁he ▁wrote ▁a ▁sc ath ing ▁bi ography ▁of ▁Davis ▁entitled ▁The ▁Life ▁of ▁Jefferson ▁Davis . ▁In ▁this ▁book ▁he ▁also ▁critic ized ▁many ▁other ▁political ▁and ▁military ▁leaders ▁of ▁the ▁Confeder acy . ▁Pol l ard ▁wrote ▁that ▁the