Tony Horwitz : The Civil War

The name Civil War is misleading because the war was not a class struggle, but a sectional combat, having its roots in political, economic, social, and psychological elements. It has been characterized, in the words of William H. Seward, as the “irrepressible conflict.” In another judgment the Civil War was viewed as criminally stupid, an unnecessary bloodletting brought on by arrogant extremists and blundering politicians. Both views accept the fact that in 1861 there existed a situation that, rightly or wrongly, had come to be regarded as insoluble by peaceful means.

The Civil War that occurred was one of the darkest times in our history as a country. It was a time where there was a complete breakdown of social and political systems. Hundreds of thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands more were aversely affected. However, it was also a time of remembrance and significant moral progress. It is remembered as the turning point in American History and would be the foundation for the Civil Rights movement many years later.

This extreme fairy tale world is presented at the beginning of Horwitz journey, as we meet Robert Hodge and rest of his "hardcore" friends. These men live and breathe the Civil War, devoting their lives to reenacting battles and the lives of those who fought in the war. Hodge is notorious for his ability to imitate a dead, bloated Civil War corpse. He is encouraged to show everyone his "bloating," working hard to stay in character all the time. The men take pride in losing excessive amounts of weight and following the ways of Civil War soldiers to an extreme.

The American Civil war is considered to be one of the most defining moments in American history. It is the war that shaped the social, political and economic structure with a broader prospect of unifying the states and hence leading to this ideal nation of unified states as it is today. In the book “Confederates in the Attic”, the author Tony Horwitz gives an account of his year long exploration through the places where the U.S. Civil War was fought. He took his childhood interest in the Civil War to a new level by traveling around the South in search of Civil War relics, battle fields, and most importantly stories. The title “Confederates in the Attic”: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War carries two meanings in Tony Horwitz’s

This extreme fairy tale world is presented at the beginning of Horwitz journey, as we meet Robert Hodge and rest of his "hardcore" friends. These men live and breathe the Civil War, devoting their lives to reenacting battles and the lives of those who fought in the war. Hodge is notorious for his ability to imitate a dead, bloated Civil War corpse. He is encouraged to show everyone his "bloating," working hard to stay in character all the time. The men take pride in losing excessive amounts of weight and following the ways of Civil War soldiers to an extreme.

Ken Burns is an american filmmaker known for his award winning documentaries. He has created numerous documentaries including an eleven hour long documentary on the civil war, aptly named The Civil War. His extensive background in the Civil war has resulted in an interview with CBS news regarding the tragedy in Charleston, South Carolina and a Post-Racial America.

Jason Phillips, the author of Diehard Rebels: The Confederate Culture of Invincibility, delves into the heart of Confederate soldiers and searches for reasoning behind continuing a battle they believed they would win despite every obstacle in sight. Phillips focuses less on what the diehards fought for, and more on why they continued to fight. Phillips looks at letters and diaries focusing heavily on the last two years of the war, when many Confederates had already deserted or found other ways out of combat. An important question posed is, why did “diehard rebels” believe they would win the Civil War? Phillips argues that the diehards “expressed a resilient ethos or culture of invincibility.”

The Civil War began as a purely military effort with limited political objectives. The North was fighting for reunification, and the South for independence. But as the war progressed, the Civil War gradually turned into a social, economic and political revolution with unforeseen consequences.

Tony Horwitz grew up with an obsession with the Civil War and upon moving back to America after time abroad, Horwitz’s interest rekindled. He travelled to nearby battlegrounds but his full blown obsession did not come back until the reenactors showed up in front of his house filming a documentary. These reenactors, who would perform in film shoots for basically nothing, called themselves “hardcores”, referencing the fact that they sought “absolute fidelity to the 1860s: its homespun clothing, antique speech patterns, sparse diet and simple utensils,” (7). Some even went as far as to soak their buttons in their own urine to give it the proper Civil War era look. During their reenactments, the hardcores would only eat food

April 6-7, 1862 Southwestern Tennessee. Once in the ranks of military life, I discover life turned out different than what I expected a soldier’s duty would be. I did not know the hardships that came with my signature. I saw the battlefield as a great challenge upon which I will either “secure my liberty” or “save the Union.” While I acknowledge that humans will die and losses will come around, I never envisioned the daily struggles to be in military camps, never thought in my wildest dreams, that twice as many soldiers would succumb to death from disease in military camps as from bullets, shells, and bayonets in battle.

If I had a time machine, and was able to visit any moment in history, there is one place I would most certainly visit: the day that General Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate Army, surrendered Ulysses S, Grant, commander to the Union Army. This day signified the end to the Civil War, and it opened up the path to reconciliation between brothers and sisters who were separated because of these 4 years of bloodshed. The Union had won; and that has formed our country into the way it is today.

This documentary by Ken Burn “The Civil War” was made television history, shattering all viewing documentations for a PBS series. In fact, forty million people saw it, more than the inhabitants of the Union and the Confederacy integrated. Newsweek commended it as "a remarkable television documentary." This documentary is the Civil War for a generation of Americans. So far lots of professional historians criticized it harshly for disregarding the parts of minorities, indicating a lack of women and of blacks all over, a ignore for the repercussion of the war, a conventional prominence on military history rather than civil history, and bumpy reportage of the military operations

The battle between armies did not begin until 1861, however the conflict within the Country began at its founding. When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence which included “all men are created equal; and they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” he unintentionally yielded abolitionists stimulation in contradicting the institution of slavery. Despite the controversy slavery faced at the Constitutional Convention, the inclusion of the fugitive slave law, the extension of the African slave trade and the three-fifths clause were added with compromise, in anticipation of founding a Constitution and securing the Union, however it would

The aftermath of the Civil War shook the nation. A new way of life was beginning for the people of America. A way of life that was beautiful and free to some and absolutely devastating to the rest. The country had changed and nobody did a better job at documenting this change than the authors. The authors used this new world to explore new and unique stories as well as capturing what it was actually like living in the post-Civil War times. This paper will examine post-Civil War Literature and its importance to documenting this period in history.

Viktor Navorski is a Krakozhia population. Krakozhia is the Eastern European nation where don’t use English to communicate. He flied to New York for follow his father’s dream. When he flied into JFK airport. Krakozhia has suspended the right to travel and canceled all passport from the old government. Therefore the US does not accept the new regime and must cancel his visa. Krakozhia has been taken over in a coup and it had a civil war in the country. He can’t enter New York including can’t back his country. He has to stay in the airport till the war cools down. The airport officials name Dixon tried to detract Viktor to escape into New York and he always fail. Viktor met Catherine Zeta Jones, a flight attendant, who was the girl he fall in