Confederates in the Attic
Encyclopedia
Confederates in the Attic 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 America's lingering ties to a war that ended more than 130 years previous.
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.
Toward the end of the chapter which focuses on Alberta Martin
, Horwitz claims 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
, revealing that there were two other William Martins in 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
's Chapel Hill campus added Confederates in the Attic to their freshman reading list.
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning author Tony Horwitz
Tony Horwitz
Tony Horwitz is an American journalist and writer. His works include Blue Latitudes or Into the Blue, One for the Road, Confederates In The Attic, Baghdad Without A Map, and A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World. His next book Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked...
. Horwitz explores his deep interest in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and investigates America's lingering ties to a war that ended more than 130 years previous.
Among the experiences Horwitz has in the book:
- Horwitz's first day with hardcore reenactors, led by Robert Lee Hodge, a particularly hardcore reenactor (who would also be featured on the cover of the book), who in real life was a waiterWaiterWaiting staff, wait staff, or waitstaff are those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending customers — supplying them with food and drink as requested. Traditionally, a male waiting tables is called a "waiter" and a female a "waitress" with the gender-neutral version being a "server"...
. - Lee-Jackson Day in North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
- Touring Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South CarolinaCharleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, including Fort Sumter National Monument - A Union soldier on a monument celebrating Confederates in Kingstree, South CarolinaKingstree, South CarolinaKingstree is a town in and the county seat of Williamsburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,328 at the 2010 census.-History:...
- The aftermath of the murder of Michael Westerman, a Todd County, KentuckyTodd County, KentuckyTodd County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population is 11,971. Its county seat is Elkton. The county is named after Colonel John Todd, who was killed at the Battle of Blue Licks in 1782...
man murdered by a gunshot fired from a car containing black teenagers, for having a Confederate flag on the back of his pickup truck - A reenactment of the Battle of the WildernessBattle of the WildernessThe Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
in VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there... - A visit with historian and novelist Shelby FooteShelby FooteShelby Dade Foote, Jr. was an American historian and novelist who wrote The Civil War: A Narrative, a massive, three-volume history of the war. With geographic and cultural roots in the Mississippi Delta, Foote's life and writing paralleled the radical shift from the agrarian planter system of the...
, author of The Civil War: A NarrativeThe Civil War: A NarrativeThe Civil War: A Narrative is a three volume, 2,968-page, 1.2 million-word history of the American Civil War by Shelby Foote. Although previously known as a novelist, Foote is most famous for this non-fictional narrative history. While it touches on political and social themes, the main thrust of...
(1958, 1963, 1974), who had recently been introduced to a younger generation by appearing in Ken BurnsKen BurnsKenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
's Civil War documentary - Visiting Shiloh National Military ParkShiloh National Military ParkShiloh 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 south of Savannah, Tennessee, with an additional area located in the city of Corinth, Mississippi, 23 miles ...
during the anniversary of the battle. - Exploring the "truth" about Gone with the WindGone with the WindThe slaves depicted in Gone with the Wind are primarily loyal house servants, such as Mammy, Pork and Uncle Peter, and these slaves stay on with their masters even after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 sets them free...
- Visiting Andersonville National Historic Site
- Touring Vicksburg, MississippiVicksburg, MississippiVicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
- 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 MartinAlberta MartinAlberta Martin was once believed to be the last living widow of a Confederate soldier. This has been contradicted by Maudie Hopkins, but Mrs...
, believed at the time to be the last widow of a Confederate soldier still alive. - Confederate heritage in Selma, AlabamaSelma, AlabamaSelma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States, located on the banks of the Alabama River. The population was 20,512 at the 2000 census....
When published, Confederates in the Attic became a bestseller in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The New York Times described it as intellectually honest and humorous, saying Horwitz seemed uncomfortable placed between two sides, seeking peace between the factions.
Toward the end of the chapter which focuses on Alberta Martin
Alberta Martin
Alberta Martin was once believed to be the last living widow of a Confederate soldier. This has been contradicted by Maudie Hopkins, but Mrs...
, Horwitz claims that Martin's Confederate husband was a deserter. In response, in 1998 the Southern Legal Resource Center
Southern Legal Resource Center
The Southern Legal Resource Center, Inc. is a South Carolina non-profit public law corporation which offers legal support to defend what they see as First Amendment violations, violation of civil rights, or discrimination of advocates of Southern Heritage.-History:The SLRC was founded in 1995 by a...
sued Horwitz on Martin's behalf, with encouragement from the Sons of Confederate Veterans
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Sons of Confederate Veterans is an American national heritage organization with members in all fifty states and in almost a dozen countries in Europe, Australia and South America...
, revealing that there were two other William Martins in 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
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
's Chapel Hill campus added Confederates in the Attic to their freshman reading list.