Confederates In The Attic: Dispatches From The Unfinished Civil War

Tony Horwitz

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1998

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-4

Chapter 5

Chapters 6-7

Chapters 8-9

Chapter 10

Chapters 11-13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Key Figures

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Loss

The idea of loss, both literal and metaphorical, is a central motif of Confederates in the Attic. Regardless of where Horwitz finds himself in the South, the inhabitants echo this sentiment over and over again, describing how the “white South—has always had a profound sense of loss” (87). The idea that the South not only lost the Civil War, but that they lost their traditional, agrarian, family-centered way of life is imbedded in the hearts and souls of many of the white Southerners who speak with Horwitz. It is this sense of nostalgia that leads many white Southerners to cling to images and icons of the Civil War, whether it be the public displaying of the Confederate Battle Flag, monuments to Confederate soldiers, or the collection of personal items, like paintings or lithographs, that present the South in a positive manner and recall its struggle. This sense of loss is made more profound in the minds of many Southerners because they feel that, though they have been made to return to the Union, they are now viewed as equal and are still forced to bear the burden for the war and its ramifications, namely slavery, reconstruction, and America’s segregationist history. Moreover, nearly 25% of the South can trace their lineage to a soldier who fought and/or died in the Civil War, and 50% of modern-day white Southerners descend from combatants (26), thus giving them a more direct and immediate connection to their war than their Northern counterparts.

The Past/The Golden Age/Nostalgia

Nostalgia, ideas of the past, and the belief in a golden age are also prominent motifs that repeatedly occur throughout Confederates in the Attic; this is probably due to the overwhelming feeling of loss that exists among the Southerners who speak with Horwitz. Many of the white Southerners who speak with Horwitz have a strong desire to return to a simpler time, when things were clearer and life might have been harder, but at least it made sense (133). This idea of a time when men were men and women were women informs many of Horwitz’s interactions with white people from the South, who take their cues from Lost Cause Romances like Gone with the Wind and seem to use the war as a “talisman against modernity” (386).

The Confederate Battle Flag and Confederate Monuments

Known as the “Stars and Bars,” the Confederate Battle Flag is a flashpoint for any discussion regarding Southern heritage, history, and identity. For many white Southerners who have a direct family connection to the Civil War, the flag is a “combat standard, not a political symbol. It stood for law, honor, love of country,” (153). For many African-Americans it is a symbol of slavery and oppression under a nation that attempted to secede from the United States of America and, it is the belief of many that the flag does not belong in public spaces in any form, whether this means being flown on government buildings or used for schools or business establishments. Thus, the Confederate Battle Flag remains a polarizing symbol, as do many memorials to Confederate generals and soldiers, which are viewed by whites as honoring their ancestors sacrifice and heroism, and by African-Americans as reminders of their enslavement, lynching, and second-class citizen status.

Land and Belonging

The idea of belonging to a specific place and a specific area is another strong motif present within Confederates in the Attic. The notion of place is cemented in many of the Southerners Horwitz talks to. Often, they refer to themselves not as Americans but citizens of their specific states, and they can describe how long their families have lived there. For white Southerners, this foundation and connection with the land is central to their lifestyle and their understanding of themselves. Many white Southerners see this bond with the land and with the people who live there as a central element of what makes them “true Southerners” (262).

The Attic

As the book’s title suggests, the notion of the attic is a central, if subliminal, element that weaves its way through the book. The idea of the attic as a place where things are stored and hidden away acts a motif not only for the physical elements of the war—uniforms, letters, photographs—but also the symbolic storing of the war’s memory, and the personal beliefs and emotional burdened carried by many Southerners to this day. Like things placed in the attic, these beliefs are not immediately noticeable, but they can be drawn upon or taken down to reveal the true feelings.