''Confederates in the Attic'' (1998) is a work of non-fiction by Pulitzer Prize-winning author

Tony Horwitz Anthony Lander Horwitz (June 9, 1958 – May 27, 2019) was an American journalist and author who won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. His books include ''One for the Road: a Hitchhiker's Outback'', ''Baghdad Without a Map'', '' ...

. Horwitz explores his deep interest in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

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. Among the experiences Horwitz has in the book: * Horwitz's first day with reenactors, led by Robert Lee Hodge, a particularly hardcore reenactor (who is featured in a photo on the cover of the book). He is a waiter. * Lee-Jackson Day in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

* Touring Charleston, South Carolina, including Fort Sumter National Monument * Studying a Union soldier on a monument celebrating Confederates in

Kingstree, South Carolina Kingstree is a city and the county seat of Williamsburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,328 at the 2010 census. History The original town was laid out as Williamsburg by the Lords Proprietors in colonial times, but ...

* The aftermath of the murder of Michael Westerman, a

Todd County, Kentucky Todd County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 12,460. Its county seat is Elkton. The county is named for Colonel John Todd, who was killed at the Battle of Blue Licks in 1782 during t ...

man murdered by a gunshot fired from a car containing black teenagers, for having a

Confederate flag The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...

on the back of his pickup truck * A reenactment of the Battle of the Wilderness in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

* A visit with the historian and novelist

Shelby Foote Shelby Dade Foote Jr. (November 17, 1916 – June 27, 2005) was an American writer, historian and journalist. Although he primarily viewed himself as a novelist, he is now best known for his authorship of '' The Civil War: A Narrative'', a three ...

, author of '' The Civil War: A Narrative'' (1958, 1963, 1974). He had become more widely known after appearing in Ken Burns's ''Civil War'' documentary * Visiting

Shiloh National Military Park Shiloh National Military Park preserves the American Civil War Shiloh and Corinth battlefields. The main section of the park is in the unincorporated town of Shiloh, about nine miles (14 km) south of Savannah, Tennessee, with an addit ...

during the anniversary of the battle. * Exploring the "truth" about ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

'' * Visiting Andersonville National Historic Site, where prisoners of war were held * Visiting

Fitzgerald, Georgia Fitzgerald is a city in and the county seat of Ben Hill County in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 9,053. It is the principal city of the Fitzgerald Micropolitan Statistical A ...

, a town founded by union veterans in Georgia which became notable for reconciliation between Union and Confederate veterans * Touring

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vi ...

* Going on Robert Hodge's "Civil Wargasm", a week-long journey to various battle sites in Virginia and Maryland, remaining in authentic uniform and sleeping on the battlefields * An off-and-on chat with

Alberta Martin At least four widows of veterans of the American Civil War (fought 1861–1865) are known to have survived into the 21st century. All were born in the 20th century and married their husbands while the women were still young and the men were in ad ...

, believed at the time to be the last surviving widow of a Confederate soldier. * Confederate heritage in Selma, Alabama When published, ''Confederates in the Attic'' became a bestseller in the United States. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' described it as intellectually honest and humorous, saying Horwitz seemed uncomfortable placed between two sides, seeking peace between the factions.Carolina Summer Reading Program 2000
/ref> Toward the end of the chapter on

, Horwitz claims that Martin's Confederate husband was a

deserter Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ...

. In response, in 1998 the Southern Legal Resource Center sued Horwitz on Martin's behalf, with encouragement from the

Sons of Confederate Veterans The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is an American neo-Confederate nonprofit organization of male descendants of Confederate soldiers that commemorates these ancestors, funds and dedicates monuments to them, and promotes the pseudohis ...

. 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. In 2000 the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

's Chapel Hill campus added ''Confederates in the Attic'' to its freshman reading list.SLRC Update 1 August 2000

References

External links

Tonyhorwitz.comPresentation by Horwitz on ''Confederates in the Attic'', October 10, 1998Presentation by Horwitz on ''Confederates in the Attic'', July 3, 1999
{{DEFAULTSORT:Confederates In The Attic 1998 non-fiction books History books about the American Civil War American history books