Civil War Memory

Another Gettysburg Book? What Will the Buffs Say?

Kevin Levin — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:05:03 +0000

My copy of Allen Guelzo’s new book, Gettysburg: The Last Invasion will arrive later this afternoon. I will likely dive right in. I’ve read all of Guelzo’s books and have learned a great deal. Yesterday the Civil War Monitor published a review of the book by Will Greene. At first I stayed away not wanting [...]

No, That’s Not H.K. in the Background

Kevin Levin — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:51:50 +0000

I apologize for not being able to offer a more appropriate post title, but I am not sure what this is. Perhaps you can tell me.

Disunion Now Available in Stores

Kevin Levin — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:44:19 +0000

The book of essays pulled from the New York Times’s Disunion column has been out for a couple of weeks now. It’s a pretty hefty volume that includes over 100 essays on the period between 1861 and the beginning of 1863. My only complaint is that the table of contents does not list individual essays, [...]

Thomas Fleming Plays Civil War Historian

Kevin Levin — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:52:38 +0000

What happens when you bring a radio talk show host, who hasn’t thought about the Civil War since High School and a historian, who has been studying it for five years? What is truly miraculous is that in the process Thomas Fleming was able to produce “A New Understanding of Why We Fought the Civil [...]

Don Troiani’s Black Confederate Soldier

Kevin Levin — Tue, 14 May 2013 17:07:01 +0000

I do enjoy perusing the Confederate Heritage Facebook pages. The topic of black Confederates is a favorite among these folks. Many of the images and other references are new to me, but more importantly their handling of this “evidence” serves as a reminder of just how incapable some people are in applying even the most [...]

An Important Work of Civil War Memory

Kevin Levin — Tue, 14 May 2013 11:18:00 +0000

Caroline Janney’s new book, Remembering the Civil War: Reunion and the Limits of Reconciliation (University of North Carolina Press, 2013) arrived this past Saturday. You should be able to pick it up in a few weeks. I usually wait until I have four or five new books before listing them, but given the focus of [...]

In the Name of Confederate Heritage

Kevin Levin — Tue, 14 May 2013 02:06:03 +0000

Update: Susan Hathaway finally responds to this incident. Barring any major development I think it’s time to move beyond this story involving the Virginia Flaggers and their unsubstantiated account of monument vandalism. Some of you are no doubt pleased to hear this. On the face of it this story has about as much value as [...]

Susan Hathaway, Rob Walker Jr. and the Virginia Flaggers Have Some Explaining To Do

Kevin Levin — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:55:16 +0000

Brooks Simpson has learned from the Richmond Police Department that there is no report related to a supposed vandalism incident that took place on Thursday at the Jefferson Davis Monument in Richmond. According to the police: ““We can find no record of such an incident ever occurring.” According to Hathaway’s posting, Mr. Walker called the [...]

Dinosaurs, Leprechans, Gargoyles and Stonewall Jackson

Kevin Levin — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:34:28 +0000

A new fiberglass statue to Stonewall Jackson has recently been added to Lexington, Virginia’s commemorative landscape. The sculpture by local artist, Mark Cline, is situated on private property just north of Lexington on Rt. 11. Cline is best known for his fiberglass sculptures of fantasy creatures and dinosaurs that adorn parks across the country. Among [...]

Rob Walker, Susan Hathaway and the Virginia Flaggers Remain Silent

Kevin Levin — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:55:35 +0000

There are still no updates to the story of a VCU student who supposedly prevented two white males from vandalizing the Jefferson Davis monument in Richmond on Thursday evening. The Richmond-Times Dispatch has been contacted and is looking into this story as has the Richmond Police for further information. The story was made public by [...]

Virginia Flaggers Foil Vandalism of Jeff Davis Monument

Kevin Levin — Sat, 11 May 2013 16:30:55 +0000

Update: As of 05/12 inquiries have been made with the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Richmond Police. Mr. Rob Walker, who is the VCU student has also been contacted. Again, as of today nothing has appeared in the Richmond news about this incident. With the following words hanging over these unanswered questions let’s hope we can resolve [...]

Oh, For the Presence of Stonewall Jackson

Kevin Levin — Thu, 09 May 2013 19:38:48 +0000

Tomorrow is the 150th anniversary of Stonewall Jackson’s death. What follows is a short essay I originally intended for my column at the Atlantic. Unfortunately, my regular editor is out on maternity leave and there was no way to get it posted in time. No big deal. Here it is for your consideration. The commemoration [...]