audiobook Remembering the Civil War: Reunion and the Limits of Reconciliation (Littlefield History of the Civil War Era) by Caroline E. Janney in History

Review

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful. Examining the complex topic of how we rememberBy J. J. KwashnakWhen you look through material on the end of the Civil War; usually there will be a coda showing clasping of hands between former enemies at one of the reunions on the anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and for many people this vision of reunion is the what they know about how the nation reacted and tried to "heal" in the years following Appomattox. Many people; especially the federal government seemed to want that vision of reconciliation to dominate and endure. The truth; however; was different. Caroline Janney delves into the more complex truth of the era between the Civil War and the subsequent 50 plus years afterwards. Recent scholarship has taken a harder look at how we remember the war and how the memories were shaped; rewritten and nudged into the still fractured message we hear today. Most notable among these is David Blight's "Race and Reunion" which Janney uses as a launching point for several chapters. But she goes beyond this work; and others; to try and mine new understandings of remembrance. The subtitle is "Reunion and the Limits of Reconciliation" and this nicely summarizes her thesis - contrary to what many authors have written; the postwar era say reunion; but for many who lived through the era there was no ground for reconciliation. That the nation would; as far as they are concerned; remain two nations; grudgingly; made one again. Janney looks at various schools of thought on the war - emancipation and union; lost cause; slavery - and looks at how the message and actions of participants helped form; and belie the message of the Civil War. If the adage is that "history is written by the victors" the south tried it's best to make sure this didn't happen. One especially strong part of the book is where Janney builds upon her own prior work "Burying the Dead but Not the Past" and looks at the role women; both from the north and the south; we instrumental in shaping and controlling the postwar message and; to some extent; extend the hostilities on new non-shooting fronts. Extensively researched and footnoted; she builds upon primary sources as well as more recent scholarship to continue looking into this timely topic as the country will continue to wrestle with how we remember the war long after the current sesquicentennial is over.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Did The Country Truly Reconcile After the Civil War?By Tara A. NormanThis insightful volume contains a wealth of information; but the text nevertheless keeps moving and therefore retains a high interest level for a truly complex topic. Ms. Janney has provided a deepened understanding not only of post-civil war America; but makes it clear that true; heart-felt reconciliation was a nearly impossible task.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A GREAT AND EDUCATIONAL READBy James R. OrrI am an avid student of the Civil War and research and write papers to present to Civil War Round Tables. I have presented programs to the Civil War Round Table to which Caroline belongs in Lafayette; Indiana and she has presented a program to the Round Table to which I belong in Cambridge City; Indiana. Caroline's book is a most educational and easy read. The lengthy section of footnotes and bibliography reflects the fact that Caroline did an exhaustive job in researching this book.James (Jim) OrrConnersville; Indiana