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Summary: A Mystery Solved
Review: As an African-American born and raised in the north I have always been mystified both by the south and by this love of identifying with the losing side of a war.Mr. Horwitz's book answered many of my questions but left me wanting more. I would have liked more interviews with black southerners and tougher questioning of Shelby Foote's comments about the Klan and reconstruction. I have concluded that hardcore reenactors and others who worship the battle flag are suffering from an acute case of inferiority. Why don't white southerners take pride in the great writers from that region or music and folk art admired around the world? The first presidents were all Virginians, and half of the 13 original states were southern. Why can't southerners take pride in these things instead of living up to the stereotypes of racism and ignorance imposed on them by others? Confederates in the Attic is a great beginning for a national discussion that must take place about our history and about the many world views that Americans hold.
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Summary: Experiencing a wargasm . . .
Review: The event of national self-abuse that sundered the American republic in the 1860s was once relegated to the realm of history. Horwitz declares that the Civil War/War Between the States has been restored to the status of current events. With the majority of battles occurring in the South, this is his venue as he travels from battle site to battle site, recalling, interviewing, reflecting. Horwitz, an outstanding journalist, has given us a stimulating picture of war as it was and the South as it is. "The South is a place. North, East and West are only directions." Thus declaims a letter to a Richmond newspaper, summarising nicely Horwitz' findings during two years of touring the former Confederacy. As a descendent of Russian Jewish immigrants to America, Horwitz, as he confesses, seems an unlikely Civil War "buff." Yet as a child he possessed the ten-volume photographic record of the conflict, read widely in the many works available and awoke one morning to the sounds of battle. The battle was a modern expression of a group of "reenactors," men playing soldiers. At one point, the constraints of time led to a rapid, exhausting tour of several battle sites in but a few days - a "Civil Wargasm." Following their lead, Horwitz began a tour of former Confederate states which resulted in this excellent volume. In it he demonstrates how the War Between the States has become a foundation for the resurgence of the Southron identity. Horwitz's earlier career as a war-time journalist in Iran, Bosnia and other conflict areas provide him with a fine sense of what soldiering entails. His tours with reenactors and encounters on 1860s battlefields reveal a welcome sensitivity in his accounts. He joins the reenactors without submerging himself in their artificial existence. Yet he can sympathise with their feelings in recapturing the sense of history and dedication that many of the combatants felt. Few were conscripts, and however, ephemeral, both sides felt they were defending a Cause. But this is far more than a recapitulation of military history. The real value of this book lies in its portrayal of the modern, or "New" South. Horwitz examines why there is a renewed interest in Civil War memorabilia and how it is manifested in society, education and politics. In the Union, the Cause was maintaining the national identity. In the South, "a place," it was the protection of local customs - "states' rights." Once thought to be a dead issue, Horwitz makes clear the notion has returned with new strength. "Big government," "affirmative action," and "Black power" are the same or similar topics fought over at Shiloh, Sharpsburg, or Shelbyville. "The South" still reflects a separation of the races, which Horwitz reports as happening by mutual consent in some Southern schools. Tradition dies hard, and nowhere is the demise more lingering than in the former Confederacy. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
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Summary: A long journey across the south covering many topics:
Review: This book could have easily been constructed as a fun and interesting type of documentary film. Tony Horwitz tries to nail down the attraction to the Southern cause many years after the battle. Horwitz travels with reenactors, visits popular Civil War battlefields and sites that covers much of the south. Interesting commentary from local townsfolk, political views and Horwitz's knack for bringing in some humor to his personal narrative really set this book apart. As the reader you learn as the author learns. Follow his journies into the deep back country places few know about or to popular tourist areas such as Gettysburg. Horwitz brings to life the Confederate cause by interviewing many different people from multiple backgrounds. Such a great journey by Horwitz has really brought to life that many still feel that the South has not surrendered nor lost the war entirely. This book is well written, entertaining and enjoyable to read!
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Summary: This is one hell of a book!!
Review: When I fist read this book I had never heard of the Author Tony Horwitz and I have to say that I found him to be stunning, that is the narrative itself. The narration of this is composed of a series of trips that he took through the south in the middle 90s. This book does a wonderful job of trying to explain the differences between the regions and the shared history that drove this country apart for a brief period in the 1860s. My Impression-This book is as deep as it is humorous. Mr. Horwitz meets some very interesting people in this book Daughters of the Confederacy
Klansmen
Civil War Reinactors(both the puriest and non puriests, or FARBS and Non-FARBS as they like to call themselves.
He also travels to the state of my current residence and meets some people from his region of the country that support the Confederate Flag( I.E, Northerners) I just found that odd. So if you are from the south and read this book you will have a new appreciation for just how strange we can seem to our brothers to the north. If you are from the north and read this book by the time you are finished you will have a new understanding (or a deepening bafflement) of the question that has been asked by northerners for years. "why do southerners show such devotion(in some cases almost a divination) to a nation that was defeated almost 140 years ago," Bottom Line Mr. Horwitz does a good job of making sure that if you don't accept it you do at least UNDERSTAND the point this book is trying to make. This book is wonderful
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Summary: WoW how do you picture the civil war
Review: This book is a must read for anyone interested in the civil war or just interest in legacy of the war. Horwitz with humor and compassion gets to how people view the Civil War. You can see how a war fought 140 odd years ago is still important to so many people. I was assigned to read this book for college and am grateful I had to read this book otherwise I never would have picked it up. Enjoy it.
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Summary: Very entertaining!
Review: Tony Horwitz' "Confederates in the Attic" is a poignant, insightful and entertaining journey, which - in my case - was personalized and brought to life by the narration of the talented Michael Beck (I listened to the six-hour Audible version). For Civil War buffs, sociologists, or anyone interested in the juxtaposition of the old and new South, this is a must-read. Furthermore, I would recommend this to any Southern native who wants to get a little more understanding of what shaped the world they grew up in.
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Summary: Fantastic!
Review: I read this book in one sitting. It's extremely lively, well-written and a great deal of fun---and it makes you think! I'm actually an historian and I'll confess---very few historians write history as well as Horowitz does and very few will ever have the impact he has had. At countless academic conferences, I have heard historians mumbling jealously about this book---all of them envy it and wish they had written it. Despite being a deep-dyed-in-wool Yankee (or maybe because I am a Yankee), I thought this book did a fantastic job at explaining who we are as Americans and why we have had such a difficult time escaping from the legacy of the Civil War. While the book is very funny (I loved the stories of the Civil War re-enactors---esp. the ones who practice the "bloat" of malnutrition), it is also rather depressing. As long as Americans (both those north and south of the Mason-Dixon line) cling to this silly idea of a "grand old South" complete with Tara, gallant Confederates and so on, we will never really be able to deal with our racial problems. Horowitz's visit to a school where he discovered that the children knew nothing abt their past but clung to the old prejudices anyway was something I will never forget. It does an incredible job of illustrating how the historical myth often becomes more important than the reality. My one great hope is that the popularity of the book may cause people to re-think all of those cherished and silly myths we have about the South. Let's face it, guys, Ashley Wilkes was a slave holder. Not exactly the qualifications I look for when assigning the role of gentleman!
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Summary: Tour of CW History sites and with updated Social Commentary
Review: The author takes a roaming tour of Civil war sites and he provides an updated social view of the people and places where these sites lie. He starts with an introduction to one of the more extreme and realistic re-enactors who takes the role well over the edge. His man Rob goes beyond the legitimate necessity of clothing, materials and even the acting of the role. He stays lean for the deprived Confederate look and practices bloating to portray the dead. My best parts of the book are the history/social stops through the south that incorporate not only visits to primary Civil War sites but some as remote as prison and hospital sites with lonely graves nearby. The author notes the historical happenings of the sites quite well but he also notes it's impact on the town and the people. He also describes some of the individual people that live there today and he tells of the effects the war's legacy may have had on them and their town. Some of the these are very interesting while others reveal changes that are disappointing such as the excavation near the banks of the Mississippi at Vicksburg that are damaging veteran burial sites and impacts other Civil War sites. Horwitz writes with an objective eye and writes of things that are also unsettling such as Guthrie, Kentucky the site of a racial fallout over flags and racism resulting in a murder which became a subsequent rallying point for white supremacists. While he covers many of the historical sites well such as Shiloh most of what he captures is his personal experience with people at these sites and his situational experiences like camping in the woods at Five Forks while being pelted by rain, then heat than mosquitoes. The histories are relevant and sometimes brief but he gives you an updated look at life in the south which include humor. Some of the humorous samples include the gun shop with the sign "Shoplifters will be shot on site, survivors will be shot again", his visit with grumpy Shelby Foote who growls but still answers his own phone and grants a personal interview and his search for the Gone With The Wind plantation in Georgia. Also includes a scary encounter with an oversized redneck in a redneck bar that didn't appreciate an author in his midst. A little harsh sometimes in his descriptions, I see Petersburg as a historical jewel with original homes from the 1700's and 1800's still in use and coming back to their original historical look with a great October Festival, the Siege Museum, endless battlefields, the crater etc. However, Horwitz makes comment that other than drinking beer and looking for tourists to talk to, the residents find Petersburg a slow town. It's all a matter of perspective. This book is a mixture of Ian Frazier and Emory Thomas. Horwitz's new book, Blue Latitudes, following the travels of Cook is even better. "Latitudes" is history and a vacation at the same time along with a social view of those lands so far away.
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Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I absolutely loved this book and I recommend it to anyone mildly interested in the American civil war. It is well-written and extremely insightful. It taught me more about the south in modern times than it did the war itself. What a read!
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Summary: Sometimes we laugh at ourselves
Review: Confederates in the Attic is one man's introduction and learning about people who still fight the War Between the States. Tony Horwitz discovered reenactors and others to whom the war has a strong meaning in their lives. What he finds is both amusing and poignant, and sometimes jolts many of us out of our complacent notion that reconstruction was a success and now it's over. As he visits battlefields and meets people, Horwitz meets some of the most interesting, and sometimes bizarre, people one can imagine. These are not your ordinary reenactors and Civil War buffs. They take their history seriously, some too much so. Like those who believe it's a shame that no one actually dies when a battle is re-created (perhaps tongue in cheek?). Horwitz went looking for the hardcore and he found them. His search took him almost exclusively through the south, where most of the battles were fought. Those Civil War buffs he finds are partial to grey uniforms and the cause of the Confederacy. One does wonder what would have happened had he gone north. Yes, there are reenactment groups in those states, too. Where else would one find the boys in blue on that side of the battlefield? This is a book that could whet one's interest in the War Between the States. There is certainly a plethora of books and magazines to satisfy such an interest, from accounts of battles to memoirs of participants and biographies of individuals. It is often difficult to find authors who can give an unbiased account, but that is part of the fun.
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