The Long Civil War

Contemporary historians and literary scholars continually expand the geographic, temporal, and thematic dimensions of the Civil War era. They analyze the war deeply and expansively, identifying subjects, themes, and topics that emerged decades before the secession crisis and lingered long after the last federal troops left the less-than-reconstructed South.

In this wide-ranging volume, eminent historians John David Smith and Raymond Arsenault assemble a distinguished group of scholars to build on the growing body of work on the "Long Civil War" and break new ground. They cover subjects including antebellum missionary activity and colonialism in Africa, the home front, the experiences of disabled veterans in the US Army Veteran Reserve Corps, and Dwight D. Eisenhower's personal struggles with the war's legacy amid the growing civil rights movement. The contributors also offer fresh interpretations and challenging analyses of topics such as ritualistic suicide among former Confederates after the war and whitewashing in Walt Disney Studios' historical Cold War--era movies.

Featuring many leading figures in the field, The Long Civil War meaningfully expands the focus of what previous generations of historians judged to be mid-nineteenth-century history. It offers important insights into a conflict that continues to reverberate in many aspects of American politics and culture and opens new avenues of inquiry.