Synopses & Reviews
More than 60,000 books have been published on the Civil War. Most Americans, though, get their ideas about the warwhy it was fought, what was won, what was lostnot from books but from movies, television, and other popular media. In an engaging and accessible survey, renowned Civil War historian Gary Gallagher guides readers through the stories told in recent film and art, showing how they have both reflected and influenced the political, social, and racial currents of their times. Too often these popular portrayals overlook many of the very ideas that motivated the generation that fought the war. The most influential perspective for the Civil War generation, says Gallagher, is almost entirely absent from the Civil War stories being told today.
Gallagher argues that popular understandings of the war have been shaped by four traditions that arose in the nineteenth century and continue to the present: the Lost Cause, in which Confederates are seen as having waged an admirable struggle against hopeless odds; the Union Cause, which frames the war as an effort to maintain a viable republic in the face of secessionist actions; the Emancipation Cause, in which the war is viewed as a struggle to liberate 4 million slaves and eliminate a cancerous influence on American society; and the Reconciliation Cause, which represents attempts by northern and southern whites to extol "American" virtues and mute the role of African Americans.
Gallagher traces an arc of cinematic interpretation from one once dominated by the Lost Cause to one now celebrating Emancipation and, to a lesser degree, Reconciliation. In contrast, the market for art among contemporary Civil War enthusiasts reflects an overwhelming Lost Cause bent. Neither film nor art provides sympathetic representations of the Union Cause, which, Gallagher argues, carried the most weight in the Civil War era.
This lively investigation into what popular entertainment teaches us and what it reflects about us will prompt readers to consider how we form opinions on current matters of debate, such as the use of the military, the freedom of dissent, and the flying of the Confederate flag.
Review
"A solidly researched and intriguing exploration of the influence of popular culture on public understanding of the war. Anyone interested in the Civil War and the impact of media on historical understanding will find Gallagher's latest book rewarding on many levels."
-- Civil War Times
Review
"Innovative in its approach, provocative in its arguments, and fundamentally interesting, but, most significantly . . . Will drive further discussion of Civil War memory through popular culture."
West Virginia History
Review
"A welcome addition to the shelf of Civil War books, offering readers a new perspective for thinking about film and art and their own views of the Civil War."
-- Minnesota History
Review
"A fascinating, informative book. . . . Highly recommended to students and enthusiasts of the Civil War and for those interested in an examination of misinformation in movies and art."
-- NewsOK.com
Review
"A fascinating, informative book. . . . Highly recommended to students and enthusiasts of the Civil War and for those interested in an examination of misinformation in movies and art."
— NewsOK.com
Review
"Written with Gallagher's customary clarity and vigor, salted with sardonic humor, and laced with expressions of concern about the darker side of Lost Cause adherents' admiration of Nathan Bedford Forrest and contempt for Abraham Lincoln."
-- Virginia Magazine
Review
"Provides insight into how the war is viewed in contemporary American culture. . . . The four interpretive frameworks Gallagher uses for his analysis are instructive for understanding the dominant trends in art and film."
Southern Historian
Review
"Highly recommended."
--Choice
Review
"A short and very readable book that should appeal to anyone with more than a passing interest in the Civil War."
--On Point
Review
"A thoughtful, well-researched, and well-illustrated study that helps readers learn how their understanding of the Civil War has been shaped."
--The Journal of America's Military Past
Review
"Innovative in its approach, provocative in its arguments, and fundamentally interesting, but, most significantly . . . Will drive further discussion of Civil War memory through popular culture."
West Virginia History
Review
"This seemingly specialized book in fact has broad appeal."
-- Centre Daily Times
Review
"In-depth, analytical, and thought-provoking. . . . An important, must read for students of the Civil War."
-- The Journal of American History
Review
"A very valuable book about the influence of Hollywood and popular art on our images of the Civil War."
Indiana Magazine of History
Review
"A highly edifying and entertaining look at how popular culture has advanced the primary interpretive traditions by which Americans have sought to ascribe meaning to the Civil War. It reveals that despite the passing of the Civil War generation so long ago, the participants who endured that bloody conflict still define, for better or worse, how we comprehend the past."
-Louisiana History "[A] highly entertaining analysis of how the Civil War has been treated in popular culture."
-Boston Globe "An intelligent, readable account of how we look at the American Civil War. . . . Five stars."
-James Durney, Independent Book Reviewer "Fuses Civil War military and cultural history in a particularly readable and entertaining manner."
-Canadian Journal of History "In-depth, analytical, and thought-provoking. . . . An important, must read for students of the Civil War."
-Journal of American History "A welcome addition to the shelf of Civil War books, offering readers a new perspective for thinking about film and art and their own views of the Civil War."
-Minnesota History "Highly recommended."
-Choice "Provides insight into how the war is viewed in contemporary American culture. . . . The four interpretive frameworks Gallagher uses for his analysis are instructive for understanding the dominant trends in art and film."
-Southern Historian "A highly informative, well-illustrated, and wonderfully entertaining book."
-Register of the Kentucky Historical Society "Innovative in its approach, provocative in its arguments, and fundamentally interesting, but, most significantly . . . Will drive further discussion of Civil War memory through popular culture."
-West Virginia History "A very valuable book about the influence of Hollywood and popular art on our images of the Civil War."
-Indiana Magazine of History "A fascinating, informative book. . . . Highly recommended to students and enthusiasts of the Civil War and for those interested in an examination of misinformation in movies and art."
-NewsOK.com "Illustrates the continued scholarly interest in the Civil War as a thematic resource for American popular culture."
-Journal of Southern History "A thoughtful, well-researched, and well-illustrated study that helps readers learn how their understanding of the Civil War has been shaped."
-Journal of America's Military Past "A short and very readable book that should appeal to anyone with more than a passing interest in the Civil War."
-On Point "Gallagher's analysis of the ways artists and Hollywood film writers have shaped the changing perceptions of the Civil War and its legacy is thought provoking."
-Courier "A solidly researched and intriguing exploration of the influence of popular culture on public understanding of the war. Anyone interested in the Civil War and the impact of media on historical understanding will find Gallagher's latest book rewarding on many levels."
-Civil War Times "This seemingly specialized book in fact has broad appeal."
-Centre Daily Times "Written with Gallagher's customary clarity and vigor, salted with sardonic humor, and laced with expressions of concern about the darker side of Lost Cause adherents' admiration of Nathan Bedford Forrest and contempt for Abraham Lincoln."
-Virginia Magazine
About the Author
Gary W. Gallagher is John L. Nau III Professor of History at the University of Virginia and author or editor of numerous books, including Lee and His Army in Confederate History and The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864.