 Source: Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-B8171-7169 DLC) Earlier this week I wrote about the "end" of the Civil War: April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Courthouse. But even as I acknowledged the general belief that the date marked the end of the Civil War, I suggested that my own books on the period will continue to talk about the war throughout the period of Reconstruction. In my current WIP, "Yankee Reconstructed," the characters find that they cannot escape the war, and that nothing appears to have been solved in 1865. In the chapter I'm working on today (which is actually just at the 50% mark in the manuscript). there occurs a three-way argument between (1) a black man who understands that freedom doesn't come by decree, (2) a well-educated Northern white teacher who naively believes that all will now be well, and (3) a wounded Confederate soldier who is still continuing to fight under his old CW general. In today's New York Times, there is an article that explains the problem of Reconstruction exceptionally well. I cannot post it here because of copyright issues, but below is the title and permalink that will allow you to read it for yourself. Enjoy. The Dangerous Myth of Appomattox
By GREGORY P. DOWNS Permalink: http://nyti.ms/1EnacYU |
