Confederates in the Attic

Confederates in the Attic (1998) is a work of non-fiction by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tony Horwitz. Horwitz explores his deep interest in the American Civil War and investigates the ties in the United States among citizens to a war that ended more than 130 years previously. He reports on attitudes on the Civil War and how it is discussed and taught, as well as attitudes about race.

Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War
First edition
AuthorTony Horwitz
LanguageEnglish
GenreHistorical, Non-fiction
PublisherPantheon
Publication date
March 3, 1998
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardback and Paperback)
Pages432 pp
ISBN0-679-75833-X

Among the experiences Horwitz has in the book:

When published, Confederates in the Attic became a bestseller in the United States. The New York Times described it as intellectually honest and humorous, saying Horwitz seemed uncomfortable placed between two sides, seeking peace between the factions.[2][3]

Toward the end of the chapter on Alberta Martin, Horwitz states that Martin's Confederate husband was a deserter. In response, in 1998 the Southern Legal Resource Center sued Horwitz on Martin's behalf, with encouragement from the Sons of Confederate Veterans. It noted that two other William Martins were on the rolls of the same company as Alberta's husband. In addition, the SLRC claimed that Horwitz had ridiculed her in his book.[4][5]

In 2000 the University of North Carolina's Chapel Hill campus added Confederates in the Attic to its freshman reading list.[2][6]

References

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  1. ^ "Confederates in the Attic". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  2. ^ a b Carolina Summer Reading Program 2000
  3. ^ Blount, Jr, Roy. "Trekkies of the Confederacy". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  4. ^ SLRC Update 27 June 2004 Archived 28 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Gumbel, Andrew (2004-06-02). "Confederates mourn the passing of the last of America's civil war widows". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  6. ^ SLRC Update 1 August 2000 Archived 8 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine
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