On June 19, an array of top government officials gathered for the unveiling of a statue of Frederick Douglass, the 19th-century African-American man born a slave who rose to be a vice-presidential candidate. That politicians and the federal government continue to memorialize black leaders and abolitionists of that era surprises no one, but few are [...]
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About time the North won the Civil War
July 15th, 2013 
javal Winston Churchill said history is written by the victors. But in America’s Civil War, that privilege went to the losers. Having won the war, the northerners seemed to have better things to do than refight the Great Rebellion. But the sons of the South needed to explain and understand their defeat at the hands of [...]
After Gettysburg, is there a future for Civil War re-enacting?
July 11th, 2013 javal As Civil War re-enactors gathered by the thousands in Gettysburg last week for the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the battle, the focus was not only on the past. Discussions also focused on the future, and what it would hold for the re-enacting hobby. Everyone knew someone, it seemed, for whom Gettysburg would be [...]
Losing interest in the Civil War
July 8th, 2013 javal Observing the centennial anniversary of the Civil War in the early 1960s was a national fixation, but a central element of the story, slavery, and the role of blacks as soldiers was minimized in the many official observances. July 1 marked the 150th anniversary of the second day of the war’s greatest battle, at Gettysburg, [...]
Georgia and the Civil War
July 5th, 2013 javal In 1998, researchers for the Georgia Civil War Commission compiled a database of almost 400 Civil War sites in the state. Some were the scene of major battles. Others were where a few dozen men camped for a few weeks. While most people are aware Georgia played a significant role in the Civil War, the [...]
Why the Civil War Still Matters
July 3rd, 2013 javal IN his 1948 novel “Intruder in the Dust,” William Faulkner described the timeless importance of the Battle of Gettysburg in Southern memory, and in particular the moments before the disastrous Pickett’s Charge on July 3, 1863, which sealed Gen. Robert E. Lee’s defeat. “For every Southern boy fourteen years old,” he wrote, “there is the [...]
Op-ed: Smith - Civil War news coverage vastly different from today’s media
July 2nd, 2013 javal Tweeting is popular with today’s journalists eager to let readers know of their most recent work but fewer will blog about a news story. Getting the news out took a different approach 150 years ago when the North faced the South in a tumultuous Civil War. The relentless pursuit of news led journalist John McLean [...]
Movie review: ‘Copperhead’ shows war on different front
June 28th, 2013 javal Director Ron Maxwell returns to a familiar era with his Civil War drama “Copperhead” (• • ). Only this time, the man behind “Gettysburg” and “Gods and Generals” steers clear of the battlefields, turning his attention to the war’s impact on a small town in Upstate New York. The film lands in fresh territory, focusing [...]