Gettysburg 1963: Civ Rights, Cold War Politics, and Historical Memory in America’s Most Famous Small Town. By Jill Ogline Titus. Gallery, notes, bibliography, index. University of North Carolina Press, https://uncpre
Gettysburg 1963 i comprehensive critique myriad events associated with the centennial celebr remembrance of the Battle of Gettysburg and its ramificatio The author, Jill Ogline Titus, provides insight into the long term after effects of the July three-day engagement when the nation’s fate hung in the bala Titus examines racial progre in America as reflected in the microcosm of the small south central Pennsylvania community
that experienced traumatic eve and embedded its name in the
minds of people worldwide. The author relates the significanc of the battle that brought prominence to this community, while emphasizing the fate of the black residents abducted b Southern troops.
The author cites Gettysburg’s geographic location a few miles above the Pennsylvania/ Maryland border, and the mindset of some local white residents th reflected the longstanding racia practices of the time. During th battle at Gettysburg, for exampl blacks who had not fled to safer environs became vulnerable. When Confederate forces gained control of sectors within the community, they rounded up all the blacks and shipped them South into slavery with the knowledge of their commander, Gen. Robert E. Lee, and his senior officers. Fast forwarding one hundred years to the battle’s anniversar Titus relates “contemporary raci politics, intertwined with and infused by Cold War principles, profoundly shaped nearly every aspect of the anniversary.” Why? Because the “Civil War of the 1960’s” found Americans divided “along lines of race” not unlike the situation as it existed in t 1860’s. The town of Gettysburg and the battle became a symbol for the American people on both sides of the conflict, and over time millions have trekked annually to this small town to dwell in t mystical atmosphere ingrained in a few square miles by those who fought and died there during July 1863. These visitations wer crowned when the “Mission 66” public works project led to constructing a building to house Paul Philippoteaux’s magnificent cyclorama painting depicting
“Pickett’s Charge” on the third day of the battle.
Titus describes the debilitati aspect of racism perpetuated
in the community despite the passing of time. A Social Action Committee formed in 1962 with the goal of improving work-related and educational opportunities for minorities. With the battle’s centennial
anniversary fast approaching, however, the community zeroed in on constructing a new Visitor Center that opened to the public in March 1962. That year, nearly two million people descended on Gettysburg. May the following year, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson came to Gettysburg and delivered a speech “in support of equal rights for Blac
Commission, however, planned on extending the remembrances
“to Confederate soldiers, their descendants, and contemporary white southerners,” while, at th same time, excluding references to blacks. Nonethele Gettysburg’s mayor did his best
to welcome visitors during the celebration, and assured both whites and blacks “their motel reservations will be honored.” The potential fallout over racia issues led President John F. Kennedy to avoid Gettysburg’s centennial celebration, because it might “offer too much politic risk for too little potential ga Official guests at the 1863 celebration included Robert E. Lee IV and George Gordon Meade III, great-grandsons of the commanding generals at Gettysburg. Concern about potential racial demonstrations led to assigning 185 Penn. State Police officers to help maintain control of the crowd. During the actual ceremonies, views expressed by speakers related the gathering and remembrance at Gettysburg to the ongoing “Cold War” between the United States and the Soviet Union, and debated “Lost Cause” issues as well as “equal justice in housin and education.” Notre Dame University’s Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh spoke at the Eternal Peace Light Memorial and challenged his listeners to condemn discrimination, and take something home with them other than photos of the battlefield. In contrast, anothe crowd at the Peace Light Memorial gave “enthusiastic applause” for George Wallace, future governor of Alabama and a staunch proponent of separatio of the races. Some 40,000 visitors gathered near the “Angle” to observe
a reenactment of “Pickett’s Charge” with about 1,500
“Confederates” marching across the field to “attack” perhaps 50
defenders in blue; —both groups included descendants of Civil War veterans. In stark contrast to the original event on July 3, 1863, the opponents lowered their weapons and shook hands prior to the U.S. Navy band
playing the National Anthem, “while all the participants assembled at attention behind the Angle to salute the flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.” Titus points out, however, that Newsweek Magazine cited “the longevity of racial inequality an battle over federal authority and states’ rights itself rendered th lofty sentiments of patriotic uni hollow for some observers.”
not to attend the November 1963 ceremony four months
later honoring the Gettysburg Address, but to go to Dallas, Texas instead, dramatically
changed “the course of American history.” Secretary of State Dean Rusk accepted an invitation to
speak at the Gettysburg Address commemoration that, in effect, became a memorial to both Lincoln and Kennedy, the latter having been assassinated on November 22 in Dallas. The author emphasize the challenge to the ongoing “Black freedom struggle” by “emboldened Confederat memory demanding additional space on the battlefield for its narratives.” The 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. drew dramatically different reactions on the Gettysburg College campus depending on the color of the students’ skin. At the same time, the “Lost Cause memory at Gettysburg” was expanding based on the claim that it “strengthene American patriotism.” In her epilogue to this study, Titus offers personal views on “the unpopular war in Southeast Asia,” and its impact, in particular on the students at Gettysburg College. She also comments on the contemporary political scene, and associates t rise of the “Black Lives Matter” with “the escalating campaign against police violence” and “heightened concern over the future of Confederate symbols, and the resurgence of white supremacy….” After going out on this political limb, Titus alleges the issues she cited were “emboldened by an openly racist president,” a reference to former
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notwithstanding, Gettysbu 1963 provides a well-researched
and in-depth account of how the Battle of Gettysburg became an integral part of the American
political, cultural, and literar landscape, with special emphasis on the fate and progress of blac members of the community. It adds a new chapter to our ongoin fascination with a small Adams County, Pennsylvania, town that received thousands of unexpected guests in early July 1863, and h the passage of a century failed dim the impression those events made on the American psyche while reminding us work remains to improve and ensure equality among the races.
Thomas J. Ryan is author of the award-winning Spies, Scouts, and Secrets in the Gettysburg Campaign: How the Critical Role of Intelligence Impacted the Outcome of Lee’s Invasion of the North, June-July 1863, and ‘Lee is Trapped and Must Be Taken’: Eleven Fateful Days afte Gettysburg, July 4-14, 1863 (the latter with co-author Richard R. Schaus). He also published Essays on Delaware during the Civil War: A Political, Military Social Perspective. His latest book pending publication is titled To bring the war to an en Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis during the Gettysburg Campaign. He formerly served as president of the Central Delaware Civil War Round Table, as special contributor to the Ci War Page of the Washington Times, and author of a weekly column titled “Civil War Profile for the Coastal Point newspaper in Ocean View, Del.
On Rising Ground: The Life and Civil War Letters of John M. Douthit, 52nd Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment by Elaine Fowler Palencia. Maps, photos, notes, index, 832 pp., 2021. Mercer University Press,
Finding a Confedera soldier’s letters had been more the exception than the rule over the years since the Civil War. Discovering these treasures has become more common in time as more Confederate letters and diaries have been making their way into institutional special collections and book publication in the recent past. John M. Douthit’s letters are no excepti Elaine Fowler Palencia’s latest work, “On Rising Ground: The Life and Civil War Letters of John M. Douthit, 52nd Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment” is an examination into the war year of a Georgia father and his fami as he struggles through the firs part of the War in the Western Theater. Palencia paints an alluring picture and tells the story of the Douthit family and Fannin County, Georgia. She also weaves a fascinating tale of how a small farmer, Douthit, joined the 52nd Georgia, known as the Fannin Rifles. Joining the army helped Douthit avoid the draft. However, this decision meant Douthit would leave behind a pregnant wife and baby daughter. The bulk of the letters used included those between John and his wife Martha, along with two letters John wrote to his sister-in-law and one letter fro a neighbor and fellow soldier to September 2022
Martha. Accounts from those in the 52nd Georgia Infantry, their brigade, the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, and some newspapers helped fill in gaps and further explain Douthit’s story. Douthit’s letters also give the reader a glimpse into the life of this small farmer-turned soldier during training camp. His regiment was brigaded with the 40th, 41st, 42nd, and 43rd Georgia; the brigade’s 6,769 men were led by Brigadier General Seth Barton and later came under the command of Brigadier General Marcellus Stova During his time in camp, Douthit mentioned voting for officers, which played a significant part in the brigade’s development. Sickness was a prevalent concern of those within the camp. Douthi managed to stay healthy for the time being, but it was not long before he mentioned being ill and lonely for news. After camp, it was on toward East Tennessee, with one bright spot during this dismal time being th birth of his daughter. However, leaving the army to see her neve materialized. Douthit’s letters concerning the movements to and around Cumberland Gap, Perryville, and Chickasaw Bayou are particularly interesting. the movement into Kentucky, Douthit described some citizens showing their support by waving handkerchiefs and Confederate flags but little else. While the is helpful information concernin what he did and saw, Douthit and the regiment were not involved i the battle at Perryville. Howeve at Chickasaw Bayou, Douthit wrote his wife Martha, “Enemy was firing at us all this time w fired two three or four rounds a them”(Palencia, 101). From this point, Douthit found himself in the siege at Vicksburg where
he mentioned camp life, food, sickness, and having remittent fever. After the capture of Vicksburg, Martha would learn of her husband’s death due to illness. While John M. Douthit’s story contains few battle details or great exploits upon the field, it does include the common soldier’s struggle to press on amid adversity. It is a story of family ripped apart by war and a community left to pick up the pieces. Sadly, no letters covere Champion Hill or Douthit’s feelings toward Vicksburg’s surrender. Palencia’s w researched examination into the death and final burial place of John Douthit is commendable. Yet, more primary sources could have proved advantageous concerning other situations and events around Douthit’s time and local while in service. Those that might find this work especially interes would include those interested in genealogy, Civil War soldier camp life, the life of the commo Confederate soldier during the early part of the war, and the effects of loss upon a family an overall community during this war.
Stewart Bennett is a Professor o History and Department Chair of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Blue Mountain College in Blue Mountain, Mississippi. His latest contribution to Civil War literature includes, “’A Ghost o Horseback’: The Many Wounds and Curious Death of General William H.T. Walker,” in Lawrenc Lee Hewitt and Thomas E. Schott, eds., Confederate Generals in the Western Theater: Vol. 4 (University of Tennessee Press. January 2018). He is continuing his research on the battle of Atlanta, fought July 22, 1864.
Lessons in Persistence & Reason Stephen A. Swails: Black Freedom Fighter in the Civil
War and Reconstruction. By Gordon C. Rhea. Images, notes, index, 200 pp., 2021. Louisiana State University Press, lsupres
To Captain Luis F. Emilio, a white officer in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, Stephen Swails, a free black from New York who enlisted in the regime during the spring of 1863, prov an inspiration. Accounts of Swails’ heroism, wounding in combat, and exemplary conduct appear throughout Emilio’s 1891 regimental history. However, th person Emilio believed possesse “many soldierly qualit epitomized “gallantry,” earned the distinction of being the fi black soldier commissioned as an officer in a combat unit, an who proved to be an important figure in South Carolina politi after the war; fell into obscur by the early twentieth century. Fortunately, Gordon Rhea’s fine biography restores Swails’ remarkable life and situates him among the pantheon of heroes in the war for union and emancipation. Rhea, best known for his outstanding scholarship on the Overland Campaign, makes it eminently clear from the outset that although he is this book’s author, this work stands on the shoulders of individuals who played a critical role over the four decades to resurrect Swail story. Particularly significant Jimmy and Edward Moore, two brothers who rescued a trunk full of Swails’ writings from a garbage dump, and William “Billy” Jenkinson, an attorney from Kingstree, South Carolina,
who gathered much material about Swails. Throughout this engagingly written and deeply researched biography Rhea masterfully trace Swails’ life from a young child Pennsylvania, his family’s move to New York, military service in the 54th Massachusetts, work with the Freedmen’s Bureau, and career in South Carolina politic The usefulness of this volume rests not only in that it revive story of an important historical figure or that it serves as an exemplar of biography, but that it utilizes Swails’ life to offe important insight into the obsta African Americans confronted during the Civil War era in both North and South. Additionally, it illustrates how persistence sometimes broke down barriers. For example, following Swails’ appointment as second lieutenant by Massachusetts governor John Andrew on March 11, 1864, Rhea intricately explores the ways in which Swails and his supporters confronted individuals, especial officials in the War Department, who opposed Swails’ commission solely on the basis of his race. Persistence on Swails’ part, coupled with determination from the regiment’s commanding officer, Colonel Edward N. Hallowell, ultimately resulted in Swails being mustered in as second lieutenant on February 8, 1865. Rhea convincingly contends that Swails and his advocates persevered only because Swails deserved the promotion based on his leadership abilities and gallant in combat, but that they were keenly aware Swails’ promotion set an important precedent for a black soldiers in blue. Rhea’s analysis of Swails’ postwar life in South Carolina provides key insights into the complexities of life for African Americans du Reconstruction. Swails’ work with the Freedmen’s Bureau, first near Charleston, and then near Kingstree, underscores the important role Bureau officials played in maintaining peace between ex-Confederates and formerly enslaved people. For example, when a contingent of African Americans threatened violence after two former plantation owners attempted to recover property occupied by formerly enslaved people as a result of General William T. Sherman’s Special Field Order No. 15, Swails intervened and
diffused the situation. Swails’ talent to reason with diverse groups propelled him
into South Carolina’s political scene, first as a delegate from Williamsburg County to the
South Carolina constitutional convention and then state senator. Rhea praises Swails, and deservedly so, not merely for his ability to reach such important political heights, but for how Swails used his platform to promote peace in a state rampant with violence. While Williamsburg County was not entirely immune from conflict, Rhea provides compelling evidence to illustrate how Swails’ desire to listen to people of all races and backgrounds and develop logical solutions to problems created a comparatively more stable environment in the county. Despite Swails’ success in maintaining peace among his constituents, he could not avoid the effects of redemption in South Carolina by the late 1870s. Although he resigned from the senate on November 27, 1877, and was threatened with death if he did not leave, Swails never wavered in his resolve to help
100 Significant Civil War Photographs: Charle in the War features newly restored images of
WAR scenes in the famed city, taken 1860–1865.
The cameramen include the better-known, such as GeorgeCharleston l War Photographs: N. Barnard in and George the War S. Cook features ne as famed enes in the somecity, lesser-known taken 1860–1865.ones: Samuel Co Charles Quinby, the partners Haas & Peale, e the better-known, such as George N. Barnard and Osborn & Durbec.
ell as some lesser-known ones: Samuel Cooley, Charles Haas & Peale, Text Osborn & Durbec.Davis and Jack Melton by Stephen accompanies eacheachfeatured ph
s and Jack Melton accompanies featured photog red scenesdescribing the surrounding and the history pictured scenes andsel them. The ety of settings: that portion surrounding them.ofThe Charleston selected known a images istrict” variety (the areaof he Charleston known of settings: the city destroyed Arsenal, as TheandBattery, the manythe by the Grea that portion churches
ll theirs “the Holy City.” Special sections of this boo area of the city destroyed by the Great Fire Blakely guns imported from England by the Confederates December 1861), the Charleston Arsenal, and nard’s views.
the many churches that allow Charlestonians t War Charleston goes back call theirs “the The Defense to Holy City.” of Charleston Special sec on, Confederate major of engineers, and to Reminiscence
book are devoted to the huge Blakely guns ltrie in 1860-’61 (1876) by Capt. Abner Doubleday, Fede ince then Charlestonians have contributed to the histor imported from England by the Confed y Robert N.close-ups Rosen andof
Barnard’s Richard views.III. The hi W. Hatcher Significant Photographs draws on these and other works.
its reliance upon the writings of actual participants, (1842–1914) and Emma Edwards Holmes (1838–1910). The history of Civil War
this literature, 100 Significant War ton in theThe WarDefense Johnson, of Charleston offers rewards Confederate ce to the serious student. Harbor (1890) for all readers, major of enginee
Reminiscences of Forts Sumter and Moultrie in 1860-’61 (1876) by Capt. Abner Doubleday, Federal second-in-command. Since then Charlestonians have contributed to the histor
of their city, notably Robert N. Rosen and Richard W. Hatcher III. The historical text
surrounding 100 Significant Photographs draws on these and other works. A unique feature is reliance upon the writings of actual particip such as Augustine T. Smythe (1842–1914) and Emma Edwards Holmes (1838–1910).
As a contribution to this literature, 100 Significant Civil War Photographs: Charleston the War offers rewards for all readers, from casual novice to the serious student.
160 pages, Over 100 Photos, Maps, Index, Bibliography, Softcover. ISBN: 978-1-61850-167-7
1876 Centennial Exhibition Contesting Commemorations: The 1876 Centenni Independence Day, And The Reconstruction-Era South. By Jack Noe. Notes, Bibliography and Index. 244 pp., 2021. Louisiana State University Pr
Between May and November 1876, a world’s fair called t
International Exhibition of A Manufacturers and Products of the Soil and Mine, also known as the Centennial Exhibition or Centennial was held in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I attracted more than ten milli visitors, one fifth of the U. population. Its purpose was t celebrate one hundred years o national existence, presentin
opportunity for whites, Afric Americans, Northerners, and Southerners to reflect and en
with ideas about their identi as Americans. It provided an
nationalism, patriotism, heal sectional wounds, or for the
provides a captiv representation of post-Civil
using white Southern reaction to and involvement with these
celebrations. Jack Noe offers a colorful discourse on the economic, social, and politic
aspects of reunification, and the difficulties behind the changes that occurred in a
post-Appomattox Ameri identity. Throughout this well written book, a comparison is made between the points of vie of white Southerners and Afric Americans utilizing the voices many. Noe spends a considerable number of pages in his six-cha study linking the recent work of historians such as Gregory Downs, Anne Sarah Rubin, and Richard Zuczek. They suggest t white guerrilla-style terroris defiant white public, and Fede military control of the South, resisted the Radical Republica measures to completely unify and rebuild the New South during Reconstruction. important argument is suggeste by historian David Blight that sectional reunion was achieved the expense of African America resulting in reconciliation by north and Southern whites and the beginning of the Jim Crow era. In The 1976 Centennial, Independence Day readers will gain an understanding of how former slaves used the memory of the Revolutionary War, and
commemoration to demand the status of full citizenship as the fifteenth amendment. Noe
asserts that a reason for the War was the emancipation of
African Americans. Additionall he further extrapolates the challenges between reunion and reconciliation in this deeply researched narrative. Little has been written on t
What has been published on the fair itself, and its desig
is very different than what is examined throughout this study
experienced and felt about the events and celebration of
people, allowing the U.S. to become a world economic giant.
women, such as Ellen Long of Florida, believed the Centenni
would unite America, and restore the South to prosperit Furthermore, he analyzed how
over time that some Southern governments and businesses realized the Centennial was
an opportunity to showcase their great states and benefit economically by participating the fair. Finally, this tapest a focus of national memory and shared identity that used ritu such as the Fourth of July, an the Reconstruction era to port our sectional identities and differences. This tome depicts nationalism fought for by the South between 1861–1865 through commemorat activities such as celebrating our nation’s founding and issues that Southern States ha with the Centennial and the Federal government during Reconstruction. During this period, many African Americans were killed or harassed in the South, which resisted any recognition of citizenship for freed people. White Southerner both shunned and engaged with the celebrations of American nationhood. Noe contends that African Americans embraced the opportunity to claim full agen and citizenship. He further postulates that commemorations and historical memory during
Reconstruction was intertwined with politics, biased newspape partisanship, and racial divis
While Southern participatio in the 1876 Centennial was limited with only Mississippi and Arkansas having any offici presence, the Southern States finally had opportunities to market themselves in future fairs in Chicago, New Orleans,
the late nineteenth century. T were linked to the idea of a N
South, progress, and patriotis The fairs included black exhib
points out that the fairs forg link between race and progress
the past thirty-five years. A long Civil War enthusiast, Dav
War Round Table Book Club. In addition to numerous reviews
presentations to Civil War Rou Tables on Joshua Chamberlain,
Ulysses S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln, the Battle of Gettysb and the Common Soldier. September 2022
