Long after the Civil War ended; one conflict raged on: the battle to define and shape the war's legacy. Across the Bloody Chasm deftly examines Civil War veterans' commemorative efforts and the concomitant -- and sometimes conflicting -- movement for reconciliation.Though former soldiers from both sides of the war celebrated the history and values of the newly reunited America; a deep divide remained between people in the North and South as to how the country's past should be remembered and the nation's ideals honored. Union soldiers could not forget that their southern counterparts had taken up arms against them; while Confederates maintained that the principles of states' rights and freedom from tyranny aligned with the beliefs and intentions of the founding fathers. Confederate soldiers also challenged northern claims of a moral victory; insisting that slavery had not been the cause of the war; and ferociously resisting the imposition of postwar racial policies. M. Keith Har-ris argues that although veterans remained committed to reconciliation; the sectional sensibilities that influenced the memory of the war left the North and South far from a meaningful accord.Harris's masterful analysis of veteran memory assesses the ideological commitments of a generation of former soldiers; weaving their stories into the larger narrative of the process of national reunification. Through regimental histories; speeches at veterans' gatherings; monument dedications; and war narratives; Harris uncovers how veterans from both sides kept the deadliest war in American history alive in memory at a time when the nation seemed determined to move beyond conflict.
#160378 in Books Bell Irvin Wiley 2008-01-01 2008-01-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.88 x 1.00 x 6.00l; 1.45 #File Name: 0807133256480 pagesThe Life of Johnny Reb The Common Soldier of the Confederacy
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the ConfederacyBy Neil F. CarrCopywrite 1943; this is one of the most carefully researched; and credited volumes of Civil War history I've read and thoroughly appreciated. History from the viewpoint of the participants is "as good as it gets;" to me; Bell Irvin Wiley certainly provided that viewpoint in this and its sister volume; The Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union. (Available as separate volumes and as a boxed-set from sellers on .com.) I recommend that one have both at hand for the sake of comparison; on a second read-through if not the first. (Got history? Bring it on!) Civil War historian Bruce Catton; whose books also rank highly for historical accuracy and "palatability;" said; "Of all the books that have been written [on the Civil War]... the ones that will truly live are Bell Wiley's." I'll add: "I wish I'd been a student when Professor Wiley taught history at Emory."0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. He enjoyed the bookBy Jay4TeeIt was a gift for my husband who enjoys reading about the Civil War.He enjoyed the book.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great knowledge of how it may have been to be ...By wheelerGreat knowledge of how it may have been to be in the trenches of the Great American civil war to save democracy. Though there were some phrases and comparisons that I've read in other books?.
