Reflections on the American Civil War with Gary Gallagher (part I)
I am very pleased to welcome Dr. Gary Gallagher to The Rogue Historian. Gary is the John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War Emeritus at the University of Virginia. He is the author or editor of more than forty books on the Civil War and its memory. Today we discussed his latest, a collection of 71 essays taking on themes such as the emancipation, the Union cause, the military, memory, and historiography. The book is The Enduring Civil War: Reflections on the Great American Crisis, and you should definitely add this to your library. I’ve known Gary for nearly 20 years…we first met when I was an undergraduate at UCLA, and he served as my dissertation advisor in graduate school at UVA. So it was great chatting about all things Civil War including
Part I
Why Americans are so drawn to this conflict in particular
How we both became interested in the war…a long long time ago, and our first introductions to Civil War literature
The age-old debate: was the Eastern or Western Theater more important in the big scheme of things
Turning points and why Gettysburg serves as the so-called “high water mark” of the Confederacy
The Seven Days and the ascension of Robert E. Lee
The sesquicentennial
The Union cause - and why we really need to understand how loyal Americans understood the preservation of Union
Recent developments in Civil War history including the so-called “dark turn” and the notion of a “long war” that extends well beyond 1865
Part II (stay tuned - I’ll drop the next installment on 9/24/20)
Historiography
Where to start with the literature for those looking to get a handle on a single volume comprehensive history
Some gaps - and perhaps some ideas for grad students to jump in and fill them
Using first-hand accounts to understand the experience of war
Counterfactual history/theory…the “what ifs.“ Fun at parties but not particularly useful
Social media
How the National Park Service has done a tremendous amount of work to enhance the visitation experience
Questions from Twitter! Historians Jonathan Jones and Emily Senefeld pose questions - this is a new feature of the show that I may return to from time to time.
As you can see…we had a lot to talk about, so have a listen
Naturally, you’ll want to pick up a copy of this book…so we can continue the conversation on the usual social suspects and here in the comments. AND…don’t forget to subscribe to The Rogue Historian Podcast and leave a rating on Apple Podcasts or your favorite app so you never ever ever ever miss a show. That would be dumb.
With compliments,
Keith
And by the way…this selected reading list of Gary’s books should keep you busy. These are some of my favorites.
The American War (co-authored with Joan Waugh)
Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten
Lee and His Generals in War and Memory
The Myth of the Lost Cause and Civil War History (co-edited with Alan T. Nolan)