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My partner and I recently visited Gettysburg for Remembrance Day, and although I had been there countless times, this was her first visit there. Her reaction to seeing hundreds of reenactors proudly marching with the Confederate battle flag was understandably one of revulsion. I had long ago become accustomed to the toxic culture of Civil War historians, but seeing her reaction reignited my appreciation for Tony Horwitz’s “Confederates in the Attic”, which goes in depth on a culture that continues to fight the Civil War—in their own bizarre and disconcerting ways. A Civil War buff since boyhood, Horwitz documented his journey through ten states, meeting with the people keeping the flame of the Confederacy alive. Some of them are reenactors who endure crash diets to achieve the hollow-eyed, malnourished look that is “authentic”, while others are historians such as Shelby Foote, a Southern apologist who was Ken Burns’ crutch in his acclaimed but imperfect “Civil War” series, as well as an unintentional comedian. Perhaps the most poignant section covers Horwtiz’s journey to a small Kentucky town where the KKK is holding a rally calling for a race war because a white man was killed for brandishing the rebel flag. What makes “Confederates in the Attic” so captivating is Tony Horwitz’s skills as both a reporter and a writer. Blending impeccable journalism with personable humor is no easy task, yet this is a high wire that Horwitz balances masterfully. It almost feels like an Odyssey through the former Confederacy, as he presents history alongside his own anecdotes of stopping at some of the Lost Cause’s ‘holy sites’ and engaging with its devotees. Horwitz’s trademark humor serves an important role as comedic relief from the insanity he encounters. How else would you respond if a reenactor told you he wished he were under fire from real bullets to “know how his ancestors felt”? January 6th, 2021, was 1,780 days ago as of when I write this. The Confederate States of America only lasted for 1,547 days. Clearly, it isn’t the amount of time the Confederacy existed that is what keeps it alive, but what it represents to so many people—that being the high-water mark of white supremacy in America. Millions have been indoctrinated within the Lost Cause movement, and continue to fight on behalf of a nation that ceased to exist 160 years ago. Their arguments and beliefs are absurd, prejudiced, and fictitious in every way, but the popularity of this movement makes it clear that it cannot be ignored. “Confederates in the Attic” documents a culture that is as frightening as it is influential, as its chokehold on the history of the Civil War affects everyone in this country. This is required reading for my followers. No pressure.
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