It has been 150 years since the American Civil War and we
are still fascinated by that time period as evidenced by 3 recent books:
- New Men: Reconstructing the Image of the Veteran in
Late Nineteenth Century American Literature and Culture by John A.
Casey, Jr.
- Gettysburg Replies by Abraham Lincoln
Presidential Library Foundation
- Mourning Lincoln by Martha Hodes
In New Men,
Casey argues that the concept of being a veteran was totally new after this
war: “the mere fact of survival in a struggle where life and death seemed
impersonal and random made them view themselves and their purpose in a radically
different way…. Civil War veterans came to see their war service as a defining ‘experience’
rather than as simply an ‘event.’” Casey
explores three post-war periods of 1865-1877 (demobilization and search for
employment), 1877-1890 (a growing sense of apartness), and 1890-1900 (society
begins to see veterans as distinct), plus devotes a chapter to the unique circumstances
for African American Civil War soldiers after the war. In his epilogue, Casey quotes Tim O’Brien and
offers parallels to today. While the
entire book contains numerous references to 19th century literature and was very
well-researched (about one-fourth is an extensive bibliography of primary and
secondary sources), I especially liked the last section and comments about
contemporary literature and films (Hurt Locker, etc.) which deal with veterans’
issues. Our high school students read O’Brien’s The Things They Carried,
watch films like American Sniper and struggle to understand the impact
of war, especially its emotional cost. This Fordham University Press scholarly
work will, as Casey would wish, add to that discussion and promote better
understanding for soldiers returning home.
New Men includes numerous
photos and it is worth mentioning another new collection just announced by the Library of Congress which includes approximately 500 images, many taken by Confederate
soldiers during the war. Our US History students have a project wherein they “become”
a character at the time of the war and describe that life through letters. Gilder Lehrman also
provides numerous primary sources and recently sent us a class set of I Take Up My Pen: Letters from the Civil War.
Gettysburg Replies is a project of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential
Library Foundation. It, too, includes writing from many sources, but the
perspectives are supplied by guest essayists who are alive today. They are all
responding to the Gettysburg Address and comment on some facet such as Julian
Bond reflecting on his grandfather born into slavery and Chicago Alderman Edward
Burke commenting on the 1860 political convention and Lincoln’s
nomination. The varied sentiments made
me think of how my mother and countless others have memorized that famous
speech. See The Address Project
promoted by PBS and filmmaker Ken Burns (one of the essayists in the book) for
some recent examples. Other contributors to Gettysburg Replies include
poet Billy Collins, politicians, military members, and Lincoln scholars. In his published reply, Bill Clinton says, “Lincoln’s
genius lay in his ability to explain policy clearly and argue for it
convincingly…. He understood his fellow citizens, how they felt and thought,
hoped and feared.”
Mourning Lincoln by Martha Hodes shares the thoughts and feeling of
those mid-19th century citizens by focusing on their diverse reactions to
Lincoln’s assassination. Hodes uses
diaries and letters to explore the range of emotions … grief, sadness, fear,
ambivalence, and sometimes joy. Lincoln certainly stirred his countrymen and it
is estimated that as many as 12 million (one-third of the total US population) viewed
his funeral train during its almost two-week and 1,700 mile journey. That event will be commemorated in 2015 when a
replica train departs Washington, DC on April 21st and follows the same route,
arriving in Chicago on May 1st. More
details are available here.
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