Karen's Reviews > Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War

An excellent exposé on the continuing history of the Civil War and the attitudes that persist. More importantly it (rightly) links the use of the rebel flag with the modern civil rights movement and discounts its Civil War usage. Horwitz also exposes the racist attitudes hidden within societies such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans who try to market themselves as legitimate and historical groups. For those who have not experienced first-hand the radical attitudes of these groups (such as the SCV), some of his anecdotes may seem unrealistic. However, as someone who has seen the SCV at work, as well as other so-called heritage societies in action in my hometown (Cumberland, MD) and at my college (Gettysburg), I am in the unfortunate position to be able to verify that such attitudes still prevail. In the end, perhaps his most important achievement with this work is to demonstrate why it is dangerous for society and individual groups to fixate on a single moment in history and fail to take into account either events previously or post. The issue over the use of the "rebel flag" is such a case where when one time period is focused on, a different scrap of truth is captured. Horwitz has brilliantly shown the whole picture.

While Horwitz attempts to leave the legitimacy of these groups open to the readers' interpretation, since it is rather clear from his writing that he has formulated a negative opinion about at least some of these so-called southern heritage societies, it would seem that he could have created a stronger conclusion by actually having one. I feel that he provides fantastic evidence for an argument while somehow failing to make one.

This reading should be paired with Andrew Ferguson's "Land of Lincoln" which is also a good overview of how and why the Civil War continues to capture the American imagination. Ferguson however fails to delve into the groups' beliefs (such as the SCV) whom he discusses, and their racial biases.