Tag Archives: Lost Cause

A Monumental Discussion: James Broomall

Posted on August 18, 2017 by

The current discussion about the removal of Confederate monuments has been largely framed around oppositional views. Social media has democratized a national discussion, which is a good thing, but has also filled Facebook, Twitter, and other fora with a range … Continue reading →

Posted in Memory, Monuments, Reconstruction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Paying My Respects to a “Bad, Old” Opponent

Posted on January 27, 2017 by

In Lynchburg, Virginia, for a speaking engagement, I have stopped by Jubal Early’s gravesite to pay my respects. It is grudging respect, to be sure—but I cannot deny he has been a formidable foe. Certainly, time has proven Jubal Early … Continue reading →

Posted in Emerging Civil War, Leadership--Confederate, Memory, Personalities, Slavery, Ties to the War | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Time to Lay the Lost Cause to Rest, But Let’s Not Overreact

Posted on January 20, 2016 by

Every year about this time I expect to hear about the Lee-Jackson Day events in Virginia and normally I roll my eyes, take a deep breath, and forget about it—hoping that the Lost Cause will soon draw its last breath. … Continue reading →

Posted in Emerging Civil War, Memory, Monuments, Personalities | Tagged , , , , | 40 Comments

Ed Bonekemper’s Lost Cause Fact-Check (part two)

Posted on November 24, 2015 by

Part two of two During his adventures traveling the country, talking to Civil War groups, Edward Bonekemper III kept encountering the same Lost Cause quandary. “I continued to speak to well-informed groups of people and was surprised by the great … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors, Emerging Civil War, Memory, Slavery | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Ed Bonekemper’s Lost Cause Fact-Check (part one)

Posted on November 20, 2015 by

Part one of two Historians debunked the myth of the Lost Cause decades ago, but it still defines the way many (if not most) Americans remember the narrative of the Civil War. Its influence on popular imagination holds sway over … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors, Emerging Civil War, Memory, Reconstruction, Slavery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

More ECW on C-SPAN

Posted on October 15, 2015 by

For those who’ve been following C-SPAN’s coverage of the Second Annual Emerging Civil War Symposium at Stevenson Ridge, check out the latest two installments: Phill Greenwalt talked about the formation of the Lost Cause interpretation of the war. Emmanuel Dabney … Continue reading →

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Black Confederates

Posted on May 20, 2015 by

Today we are pleased to welcome back guest author Sam Smith The Civil War was a fiery prism at the center of American society. Every life entered the prism at its own angle and was refracted in its own way. … Continue reading →

Posted in Antebellum South, Armies, Civil War Events, Common Soldier, Lincoln, Memory, Politics, USCT | Tagged , , , , | 25 Comments

Shaping Chancellorsville: Conclusion

Posted on August 26, 2014 by

The final installment in a series In 2010, the update to Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park (FSNMP) map denoted for the first time the location of the Day One battlefield even though it lies outside the park boundary. In its … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Memory, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Shaping Chancellorsville: The first reenactment and ‘The Last Meeting’

Posted on April 26, 2013 by

part five in a series In 1933, administration of the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park was turned over to the National Park Service, and shortly thereafter, the NPS invited the Civilian Conservation Corps to come in to the park … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Memory, Monuments, National Park Service, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Shaping Chancellorsville: How memories of the battle shaped the battlefield

Posted on April 22, 2013 by

part one in a series It has become the stuff of legends: Astride his horse, Traveller, Robert. E. Lee rides into the Chancellorsville clearing, the mansion in flames behind him, his men gathered ‘round with hats off, cheering wildly. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Memory, National Park Service, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment