Wars within a War: Controversy and Conflict over the American Civil War

by Joan Waugh (Editor), Gary W. Gallagher (Editor)

Overview

Comprised of essays from 12 leading scholars, this volume extends the discussion of Civil War controversies far past the death of the Confederacy in the spring of 1865. Contributors address, among other topics, Walt Whitman's poetry, the handling of the Union and Confederate dead, the treatment of disabled and destitute northern veterans, Ulysses S. Grant's imposing tomb, and Hollywood's long relationship with the Lost Cause narrative. The contributors are William Blair, Stephen Cushman, Drew Gilpin Faust, Gary W. Gallagher, J. Matthew Gallman, Joseph T. Glatthaar, Harold Holzer, James Marten, Stephanie McCurry, James M. McPherson, Carol Reardon, and Joan Waugh.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807898444
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	06/01/2009
Series:	Civil War America
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	312
Lexile:	1410L (what's this?)
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Gary W. Gallagher is John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War at the University of Virginia. His most recent book is Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten: How Hollywood and Popular Art Shape What We Know about the Civil War.

Joan Waugh is professor of history at the University of California, Los Angeles, and coeditor of the award-winning The Memory of the Civil War in American Culture.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

An invaluable resource for both research and teaching, this dazzling book of essays illustrates, in ways sure to provoke debate and inspire new work, how far modern scholarship has come in integrating the Civil War battlefront and homefront. And it dramatizes that in history and in memory, 'North' and 'South' were not just implacable foes, but unstable and contested political constructs.—Elizabeth R. Varon, Temple University

The contributors to this stimulating volume demonstrate again the inexhaustible potential for fresh scholarship on the American Civil War. These studies focus on the tensions that divided North against North and South against South during—and long after—the actual fighting. The result is a very good book on the Civil War that also reveals much about American history in general.—Mark A. Noll, author of The Civil War as a Theological Crisis

Provide[s] a different view of the war; one that military history ignores but can expand our horizons.— James Durney, independent Book Reviewer

Editorial Reviews

“The essays . . . are skillfully, often elegantly, composed. . . . Taken together, the pieces succeed in meeting the intent of the volume’s editors to suggest 'some of the many forms of conflict that arose among civilians, soldiers, politicians, and military leaders during the war.'” — America’s Civil War

“Provide[s] very thought-provoking insights. . . . Strongly and plausibly argued.” — Lection

“Like a brisk wind blowing away the dust from the archives and preconceived notions. . . . Remarkable.” — The Advocate

“Provide[s] a starting point for anyone interested in how Americans have argued about the prosecution, meaning, and memory of war. This is an excellent book that will leave the reader with something to ponder.” — The Lone Star

“Provides fresh interpretations. . . . Demonstrates the vitality of Civil War history because conflicts over the war’s meaning multiply, rather than diminish, with the passage of time.” — Virginia Magazine

“Detailed information and new interpretations are found in virtually every entry. . . . The reader can be assured that the research is thorough and the conclusions are balanced in this venture into a conflict that still generates dispute within and beyond the world of scholarship.” — The Journal of American History

“A sampling of recent scholarship on the Civil War and its memory from some of the most prominent scholars in the field. . . . An excellent reader for the classroom for those who wish to introduce students to the kinds of questions that scholars are entertaining about the war and to the variety of approaches that are used to answer those questions.” — Southwestern Historical Quarterly

“Excellent. . . . Points us toward new directions in the study of Civil War memory. . . . This useful collection contains many rich insights into the controversies unleashed by the Civil War.” — Journal of Southern History

“A fine addition to the growing number of Civil War studies. Wars within a War features twelve essays by some of the finest scholars of the Civil War era on a variety of topics. . . . [Will] provoke more debate and spur further research. There is something for everyone within this volume.” — Military History of the West

“This collection will inspire scholars to continue asking new and dynamic questions about the Civil War. At the same time, readers will be able to nibble off a historical buffet from the leading men and women who research, think, and write about the Civil War on a daily basis.” — Georgia Historical Quarterly

From the Publisher