Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten: How Hollywood and Popular Art Shape What We Know About the Civil War
By Gary W. Gallagher
(September 2008 Civil War News)
Illustrated, endnotes, index, 274 pp., 2008. University of North Carolina Press, PO Box 2288, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2288, $28 plus shipping.
Reviewer: David F. Riggs
David F. Riggs is a museum curator at Colonial National Historical Park, Yorktown. He has a BA in history from Lock Haven University and MA in history from Penn State. His publications include Embattled Shrine: Jamestown in the Civil War and Vicksburg Battlefield
Monuments.
Review:
Historians and ardent Civil War buffs form their views of the 1860s from the printed word. Gary Gallagher reminds us that, for many Americans, movies and artwork can influence opinion.
Dr. Gallagher has written yet another book that reaches beyond his University of Virginia classroom and demonstrates his perceptive analysis. Noting the resurgence of interest in the Civil War that began with its 125th anniversary, his focus is upon the subsequent 20 years. However, he provides ample discussion of all Civil War film and artwork to place everything in perspective.
He begins his study with a deft discussion of four interpretations of the war that have been used to explain its meaning. These are the “Lost Cause,” which depicts a noble Confederate fight against overwhelming odds; the “Union Cause,” which is the young nation’s determination to maintain the Founding Fathers’ dream of a united, democratic land of unprecedented opportunity;
Also, the “Emancipation Cause,” a war to end slavery and expand the nation’s freedom to include African Americans; and the “Reconciliation Cause,” in which Northern and Southern whites emphasize common beliefs and valor while ignoring the slavery issue.
In addition to Ken Burns’ 1990 PBS documentary “The Civil War,” Gallagher reviews 14 movies and places them in the context of these four major interpretations. Long influenced by the Lost Cause, as demonstrated by “Birth of a Nation” (1915) and “Gone With the Wind” (1939), there have been radical changes in Hollywood.
He concludes that the Union Cause is forgotten by movie producers, and that portrayals of Federal troops are disproportionately negative. Emancipation (beginning with “Glory,” 1989) and Reconciliation now have greater representation, and the Lost Cause, which dominated in the first half of the 20th century, has receded with the exception of “Gods and Generals” in 2003.
Art is quite different. While the Union Cause remains virtually non-existent, Emancipation and Reconciliation receive token portrayal but pale in comparison to the Lost Cause, which has proliferated.
The irony is that the Union Cause, which was predominant among Northerners during the war years, has been slighted on both film and canvas. And the Eastern Theater is far more evident than the Western Theater, influenced to a considerable extent by Lee’s popularity.
Furthermore, Union heroes Lincoln, Grant, Sherman and Sheridan, who were the main subjects of artists in the wartime and postwar years, have been replaced by Lincoln, Joshua Chamberlain and Grant, with Chamberlain’s fame attributable to filmmakers Ken Burns (“The Civil War”) and Ron Maxwell (“Gettysburg”).
Modern artists such as Don Troiani, Dale Gallon and Mort Künstler concur that Hollywood influences their art, confirming one medium’s impact upon another.
The in-depth analysis throughout the book is revealing. An example is a review of art advertisements in which Gallagher tabulates the war’s 10 most popular figures. Lee and Jackson command the lion’s share of painters’ attention, ranked one and two, respectively.
In vastly reduced numbers come Lincoln, followed by rising star Chamberlain, then Stuart, Forrest (whom Gallagher cites as a disturbing presence due to his racism), Lee and Grant paired at Appomattox and Longstreet. Finally comes Grant, who barely edges Pickett for ninth place, which “underscores the cockeyed nature of the coverage.”
Gallagher’s interpretation of popular culture is delineated in fascinating detail. In addition to his astute observations, Dr. Gallagher states that “few projects in my career as a historian have been as much fun as this one.”
Readers will share the author’s delight and find this study to be both enlightening and enjoyable. |