Caroline E. Janney Knihy

The book explores how Civil War survivors actively shaped the memory of the conflict, recognizing early on the selective nature of historical narratives. Caroline E. Janney highlights the perspectives of both Union and Confederate veterans, along with the influential roles of women's organizations. Rather than embracing reconciliation, these groups maintained a strong attachment to their respective causes, which persisted into the twentieth century. The examination reveals the complexities of memory and identity in post-war America.

"In this masterful work, Caroline E. Janney begins with a deceptively simple question: how did the Army of Northern Virginia disband? Janney slows down the pace of the events after Appomattox to reveal it less as a decisive end and more as the commencement of a chaotic interregnum marked by profound military and political uncertainty, legal and logistical confusion, and continued outbursts of violence. Janney blends analysis of large-scale political, legal, and military considerations with intimate narratives of individual soldiers considering their options and pursuing a wide range of decisions"--

The role of white women in the South immediately after the Civil War is highlighted through the actions of Ladies' Memorial Associations, which were pivotal in relocating and reinterring over 72,000 Confederate soldiers' remains. Caroline Janney challenges the perception that these women were marginal to the Lost Cause movement until later, illustrating their early influence in creating Confederate tradition. This exploration reveals how gender significantly shaped the politics, culture, and society of the late nineteenth-century South, redefining historical narratives.