Mystic Chords of Memory: Civil War Battlefields and Historic Sites Recaptured

Rating:
Summary: The greatest test for The Great Republic
Review: Writing on the U.S. Civil War must be a daunting task for any author. The vast coliseum of scholarship where so many have been and so many are yet to go leaves little scope for something different or new. Somehow, though, David Eicher's "Mystic Chords of Memory" is a refreshing photographic look at America's supreme hour.

The author has seemingly visited every battlefield, seen every monument, heard every story, read every text, letter and gravestone. From Harper's Ferry to Ford's Theatre, there are "then and now" photographs of many of the key places in that great conflict. The "now" photos from Eicher's own albums are splendid, evocative modern portraits of their black and white kin placed nearby. The photographs are matched by Eicher's simple and plain prose, brisk with quotes from the old generals, their soldiers and their families.

Eicher's book seems to share a similar ancestry to Ken Burns' masterful civil war television series. Both employ simple and elegant approaches to the task of conveying meaning to the conflict. Like Burns, Eicher doesn't waste time with interpretative Rubik's cubes. To Eicher, the Civil War is basic history - bloody, tragic, wasteful - but pure and simple history just the same. Get on with the pictures, stories and bonding with the old heroes; leave quarrel and contention to others.

Some might have feared that the world "will little note, nor long remember", yet David Eicher's study highlights the Civil War's enduring facility for bringing forth new and engaging reflections of that greatest test of The Great Republic. This is a beautiful book and a pleasure to read.

Rating:
Summary: The greatest test for The Great Republic
Review: Writing on the U.S. Civil War must be a daunting task for any author. The vast coliseum of scholarship where so many have been and so many are yet to go leaves little scope for something different or new. Somehow, though, David Eicher's "Mystic Chords of Memory" is a refreshing photographic look at America's supreme hour.

The author has seemingly visited every battlefield, seen every monument, heard every story, read every text, letter and gravestone. From Harper's Ferry to Ford's Theatre, there are "then and now" photographs of many of the key places in that great conflict. The "now" photos from Eicher's own albums are splendid, evocative modern portraits of their black and white kin placed nearby. The photographs are matched by Eicher's simple and plain prose, brisk with quotes from the old generals, their soldiers and their families.

Eicher's book seems to share a similar ancestry to Ken Burns' masterful civil war television series. Both employ simple and elegant approaches to the task of conveying meaning to the conflict. Like Burns, Eicher doesn't waste time with interpretative Rubik's cubes. To Eicher, the Civil War is basic history - bloody, tragic, wasteful - but pure and simple history just the same. Get on with the pictures, stories and bonding with the old heroes; leave quarrel and contention to others.

Some might have feared that the world "will little note, nor long remember", yet David Eicher's study highlights the Civil War's enduring facility for bringing forth new and engaging reflections of that greatest test of The Great Republic. This is a beautiful book and a pleasure to read.