Georgia Sixth
2nd Lieutenant
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2011
- Location
- Texas
In the current thread "Shameful actions of the Union army", poster IcarusPhoenix made this comment in response to a reference to the winner writing the history of a given war:
"If ever there was proof that this particular axiom is an absolute falsehood, the American Civil War is it. Most history is initially written by through losers. The victors are far too busy to bother with such pursuits."
I've seen this idea stated frequently on this Forum (and Icarus Phoenix did a great job of expressing it both assertively and succinctly) and it is evidently accepted as fact by many here....but I'd like to challenge this assertion. What specific examples or events can be cited to demonstrate that the former Confederates wrote the nation's history of the war? Even more specific -- how did they possibly write the history of the war that was taught and/or remembered in the northern states?
It just doesn't ring true to me. A quick look at ancient history shows who wrote the memorials to wars and battles -- Egyptian inscriptions, Assyrian stieles, Julius' history of the Gallic wars, etc. -- it was the winners and conquerors who wrote the story. With the rare exception of the Hebrew histories preserved in the Bible, I'm not aware of the vanquished leaving behind a history of defeat (and they had plenty of them).
Perhaps those who hold this opinion are correct. Perhaps the former Confederates really did write the northern textbooks. They certainly wrote the ones used in southern schools...but those used other regions too? I truly and honestly would like to know how specifically the former secessionists were able to "win the war of memory".
I sincerely look forward to your thoughts. I've thought about this a lot and continue to scratch my head.
"If ever there was proof that this particular axiom is an absolute falsehood, the American Civil War is it. Most history is initially written by through losers. The victors are far too busy to bother with such pursuits."
I've seen this idea stated frequently on this Forum (and Icarus Phoenix did a great job of expressing it both assertively and succinctly) and it is evidently accepted as fact by many here....but I'd like to challenge this assertion. What specific examples or events can be cited to demonstrate that the former Confederates wrote the nation's history of the war? Even more specific -- how did they possibly write the history of the war that was taught and/or remembered in the northern states?
It just doesn't ring true to me. A quick look at ancient history shows who wrote the memorials to wars and battles -- Egyptian inscriptions, Assyrian stieles, Julius' history of the Gallic wars, etc. -- it was the winners and conquerors who wrote the story. With the rare exception of the Hebrew histories preserved in the Bible, I'm not aware of the vanquished leaving behind a history of defeat (and they had plenty of them).
Perhaps those who hold this opinion are correct. Perhaps the former Confederates really did write the northern textbooks. They certainly wrote the ones used in southern schools...but those used other regions too? I truly and honestly would like to know how specifically the former secessionists were able to "win the war of memory".
I sincerely look forward to your thoughts. I've thought about this a lot and continue to scratch my head.