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And Then They Came for Ken Burns?
Sounds a bit ridiculous, right? Noted filmmaker and creator of the highly-praised documentary The Civil War. Liberal Ken Burns. Darling of PBS.
I hesitated to start this conversation because 1) I hardly ever start conversations, and 2) I’m not an expert on the documentary, although I’ve certainly seen all of it, some more than once. I remember that it was extremely well-done, and that one of the reasons that it struck a chord was that it projected humanity. We learned about the bloody, needless struggle, and we learned about slavery, but we also learned about the people on both sides of the conflict. And, while I have no recollection that Burns was “soft” on the South, I also don’t recall vitriol and outright, severe condemnation. There was even, I think, a degree of sympathy for some portrayed.
It’s been awhile, so perhaps I’m just wrong. For the record, the “25th Anniversary Edition” came out a couple of years ago. Do others share my recollection? Is there a remote chance that one day a “reassessment” may be self-imposed or demanded? And, yes, I chose the original VHS box as an image because of its portrayal of the flags, not to be inflammatory, but to show our changes.
Published in General
Poor George probably got into trouble for Chattanooga too. That was supposed to be a demonstration. Thomas demonstrated right over the center of Missionary Ridge.
Shelby Foote was the best part of Ken Burns’ “Civil War.” I can close my eyes and hear him say, “They marched up the Emmitsburg Road.”
Grudgingly granted, Little Big Horn wipes out all previous attaboys as far as I’m concerned.
Andrew Lytle wrote what is probably the most sympathtic book about Forrest with his Nathen Bedford Forrest and his Critter Company
Written in 1931 Lytle still had survivors of Forrest’s command alive to interview and equally interesting was that much of Mississippi and North Alabama was in its Civil War state: the dirt roads were still dirt roads and the farms where he camped were still farms. Lytle walked and covered the trails that Forrest and his cavalry rode on.
I read the book about 20 years ago. It was a sympathtic treatment of the man but even still you come away with the understanding that he, like Sherman, Jackson and Grant, utilized the violence of war to the extreme.
Baseball irritated the crap out of me. A good percentage of it was spent on leftist “racist America” tropes. That isn’t all I disliked about it, as a baseball fan.
Originally, Bearss was to have a larger presence in the documentary but Foote was so captivating and well-spoken that his role was expanded and Bearss’ cut back. I’ve been on battlefield tours with Bearss and walking the Cornfield at Antietam with him for three hours on a hot, humid Maryland day is like listening to a Homeric bard reciting the Illiad; an amazing experience but a style not nearly as well-suited for TV as that of Foote.
A favorite Bearss memory: walking The Crater at Petersburg with the 91 year old Bearss yelling at us (the man’s voice still cut through everything) to keep up with him and warning, “stragglers will be shot“.
Is this question from: Lost Triumph: Lee’s Real Plan at Gettysburg and Why It Failed?
No, only from my rather shallow knowledge of the battle and the fact that Custer’s actions (he was 23 at the time) in stopping Jeb Stuart prior to Pickett’s charge were critical. I’m going to look into that book though.
I think you’ll like the book a lot.
@seawriter if I asked this before please forgive me but could you comment on this book?
Haven’t read it.
Seawriter
Do you know of the claims in it? That Custer foiled JEB’s pincer move.
I have heard of them, but cannot evaluate them without reading the book. I may get a chance some time.
Seawriter
I’m not sure that’s in doubt, although I don’t know enough about the strategy to be convincing. Isn’t it pretty well established that Custer and his Wolverines turned back Stuart at a key point?
Here is a pretty good article on the action behind the Union force. Stuart was late, and by his own admission, his mounts were tired. That is not much of a surprise since he had only returned to Lee the day before.
All this what I consider unfortunate nonsense makes me love this Nation even more. Not for what it is NOW, which is like a black hole of DUMB, but for what it has gone through. The sweet innocent lives lost crushed slaughtered by its OWN hand. It’s like the peacefulness and poignancy that you get attending a Funeral. These currant inane reckless Vile Bodies are just that. On the brighter side, there ain’t one. I weep and keep it quiet.