Two Examples of Long Memories

As an amateur yet serious student of the American Civil War, I am constantly amazed at the sheer volume of material, which was preserved orally for half a century and longer, surrounding the key figures in that conflict. These recollections are called “reminiscences.” The Americans involved in the war knew they were experiencing events critical for their very existence as a nation. Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee and T. J. (Stonewall) Jackson were key figures in those events. Authors of books and essays on the American Civil War have drawn on these reminiscences, which flowed from people who…