Reflections of a High School History Teacher & Civil War Historian






Welcome to Civil War Memory. I blog about issues at the intersection of historical memory, Civil War historiography, public history, and the teaching of history on the high school level. [Read More…]
My recent post on the unveiling of another large Confederate flag in Tennessee generated a number of comments. It’s an emotional issue on all sides and it is unlikely that the interested parties will ever fully agree on whether it should be displayed in public as well as its meaning. But that’s the way it
75 Comments — 13816 Views — June 11, 2009
The following guest post by Michael Schaffner examines the wartime evidence for the Kirkland story. It is a thoroughly researched essay and is well worth your time. I should point out that Mr. Schaffner did not set out to write a piece debunking this particular story. Like many of us he was curious about the
38 Comments — 7817 Views — December 22, 2009
I‘ve been thinking quite a bit about the images of slave rebellions and miscegenation that shaped the world view of white Southerners throughout the antebellum period. In the case of Nat Turner’s Rebellion newspapers throughout Virginia and beyond offered extensive coverage and attempted to offer an explanation that would assuage the concerns of what white
17 Comments — 7363 Views — June 26, 2009
[Hat-Tip to Steve West] How would you like to attend a reenactment of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. On March 7 the Sovereign Majestic Theater in Pottsville, Pennsylvania will be transformed into Ford’s Theater. Booth will be played by Charles Sacavage, a retired Pottsville Area School District history teacher who now teaches history part-time at Alvernia
18 Comments — 6840 Views — February 25, 2009
[Hat-Tip to Lee White] Back in 2008 I commented on a graphic novel that tells the story of Patrick Cleburne’s plan to arm slaves in exchange for their freedom. I expressed a number of concerns in that post and I appreciate the author of the novel for offering his own perspective. Now it looks like that
75 Comments — 5663 Views — February 5, 2010
I had a few minutes to kill this morning and noticed the companion volume to the movie Gettysburg, which includes paintings by Mort Kunstler and text by James McPherson. The foreword is written by Martin Sheen who played R.E. Lee in the movie. Here is a brief passage from Sheen that beautifully captures popular perception
5 Comments — 75 Views — September 18, 2007
I appreciate all of the comments that have been sent in re: the new Visitor Center at Gettysburg. The major point of disagreement seems to be over the proper scope of interpretation, whether it should be confined to the battlefield or whether it should place the battle within a broader historical context. My view comes
4 Comments — 85 Views — August 19, 2008
This year I was honored to have been asked by the Class of 2010 to deliver the final chapel sermon on the day of graduation. I can’t say that this was the easiest talk I’ve had to prepare, but I am fairly pleased with the final result. The best advice I received was to write
11 Comments — 1244 Views — May 28, 2010
Most of you are no doubt aware that 2007 is the 200th anniversary of Robert E. Lee’s birth. There will be a great deal of celebration and perhaps even a little history to go along with it. A reader was kind enough to draw my attention to the Virginia Senate Joint Resolution No. 382 which
7 Comments — 131 Views — January 10, 2007
H-CivWar is cranking out another nauseating round of posts purporting to nail down the turning point of the Civil War. I don’t pay much attention to these debates, but Paul Finkelman’s contribution encapsulates why Civil War military historians must not become seduced by a narrow conception of the battlefield. I would offer a radical alternative to
0 Comments — 57 Views — February 23, 2006
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