Confederates in the Attic

Who would have thought that I would enjoy reading a book about the Civil War and the people who love it as much as I did? I sure didn't. I love travel writing, and historical travel writing at that, but I often overlook books written in and about my own country. Tony Horwitz's book Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War was a tremendous eye-opener to some of the beliefs and passions of the lower-half of this country. I had heard of Civil War reenactors and knew that people were still attached to the Confederate flag - enough to stand screaming in the streets to protest it's removal from this or that state's capitol dome. However, I really hadn't given much more thought to them than that - until this book. Living in a liberal, urban city like Chicago, it is easy to forget that at least half of the population of this country is vastly opposed to my politics.

Horwitz is a clear Civil War and history buff, and his travels throughout the South and major landmarks of the Civil War are refreshingly eager and passionate. Even when he disagrees with the people he meets, Horwitz portrays them in an even and honest light, not allowing his personal views to influence the reader's experience, and not turning the people into caricatures. This book was not only an engaging historical overview of the Civil War and major battles, it was a great insight into the mentality of those who still remember and revere the Confederate States of America and men like Jefferson Davis and Robert E Lee.

On his tours throughout Alabama, Virginia, Georgia and other southern states, Horwitz befriends a hardcore Civil War reenactor and spends many a night in filthy, stinking period piece clothing, marching towards Gettysburg with other hardcore reenactors. He visits the last living widow of a Confederate soldier and sits in on many a Sons/Daughters of the Confederacy meeting. Horwitz visits a town in Kentucky torn apart by a recent murder of a white man (by a young black man) sparked by the flying of the Confederate flag. He discovers that certain cities in the south rebuilt themselves with little to no recognition of their divided racial history, while others still revel in their rebel status.

I most appreciated the historical lesson about the Civil War that this book provided. I remember covering it in middle school but don't remember much about the war, a problem that Horwitz discusses in the book. The staggering amount of blood shed and lives lost is almost unbelievable. Horwitz also clears up many myths and misconceptions about the war (on both sides) for the reader.

Definitely a good book and a recommendation from me...if you like this sort of stuff.