America: Forever Racist?

The central criticism of the George Zimmerman trial is that there was one. It was simply impossible to convict him of anything beyond a reasonable doubt. The central criticism of the coverage of this trial was that there was any. How did this story merit consideration...

Re-Enacting Pickett's Charge

On July 3, 2013 in the hot sun of the early afternoon, I stood not too far from the Virginia Monument on Seminary Ridge in Gettysburg.  I’ve stood there many times before and would meditate on what would motivate men to make that long walk to the stone wall under fire...

Misunderstanding the Civil War

In early July, on the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, pilgrims will crowd Little Round Top and the High Water Mark of Pickett’s Charge. But venture beyond these famous shrines to battlefield valor and you’ll find quiet sites like...
Gettysburg and The New South

Gettysburg and The New South

RALEIGH – Next week Americans will be remembering the 150th anniversary of a defining moment in our country’s history, the Civil War battle at Gettysburg. The horrible losses there made the battlefield like a holy temple, a destination point for pilgrims. Fifty years...

The Great Civil War Lie

Civil War buffs have long speculated about how different the war might have been if only the Confederacy had won formal recognition from Britain. But few recognize how close that came to happening — and how much pro-Southern sympathy in Britain was built on a lie....