From well-known battlefields, such as Manassas, Fredericksburg, and Appomattox, to lesser-known sites, such as Sinking Spring Cemetery and Rude’s Hill, Sedore leads readers on a vivid journey through Virginia’s Confederate history. Tablets, monoliths, courthouses, cemeteries, town squares, battlefields, and more are cataloged in detail and accompanied by photographs and meticulous commentary. Each entry contains descriptions, fascinating historical information, and location, providing a complete portrait of each site. Much more than a visual tapestry or a tourist’s handbook, An Illustrated Guide to Virginia’s Confederate Monuments draws on scholarly and field research to reveal these sites as public efforts to reconcile mourning with Southern postwar ideologies. Sedore analyzes in depth the nature of these attempts to publicly explain Virginia’s sense of grief after the war, delving deep into the psychology of a traumatized area. From commemorations of famous generals to memories of unknown soldiers, the dead speak from the pages of this sweeping companion to history.

“From Vicksburg to Oxford, readers will find a rich examination of how and why Confederate and Union monuments sprang up across the state.” —Caroline E. Janney, Director, John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History, University of Virginia Soaring obelisks, graceful arches, and soldiers standing tall atop pedestals recall the memory of the Civil War in Mississippi, a former Confederate state that boasts more Civil War monuments than any other.In Mississippi Civil War Monuments: An Illustrated Field Guide, Timothy S. Sedore combs through the Mississippi landscape, exploring monuments commemorating important military figures and battles and remembering common soldiers, from rugged veterans to mournful youths. Sedore’s insightful commentary captures a character portrait of Mississippi, a state that was ensnared between Northern and Southern ideologies and that paid a high price for seceding from the Union. Sedore’s close examinations of these monuments broadens the narrative of Mississippi’s heritage and helps illuminate the impacts of the Civil War. With intriguing details and vivid descriptions, Mississippi Civil War Monuments offers a comprehensive guide to the monuments that make up Mississippi’s physical and historical landscape.

Monuments honoring leaders and victorious armies have been raised throughout history. Following the American Civil War, however, this tradition expanded, and by the early twentieth century, the Confederate dead and surviving veterans, although defeated in battle, ranked among the world's most commemorated troops. This memorialization, described in North Carolina Civil War Monuments, evolved through a challenging and contentious process accomplished over decades. Prompted by the need to rebury wartime dead, memorialization, led by women, first expressed regional grief and mourning then expanded into a vital aspect of Southern memory. In North Carolina, 109 Civil War monuments--101 honoring Confederate troops and eight commemorating Union forces--were raised prior to the Civil War centennial. Photographs showcase each memorial while committee records, legal documents, and contemporaneous accounts are used to detail the difficult process through which these monuments were erected. Their design, location, and funding reflect not only the period's sculptural and cultural milieu but also reveal one state's evolving grief and the forging of public memory.

“A superb guide to 400 statues, columns, reliefs, and other components of the state’s commemorative landscape.” —Gary W. Gallagher, author of The Union War Throughout Tennessee, Civil War monuments stand tall across the landscape, from Chattanooga to Memphis, and recall important events and figures within the Volunteer State’s military history. In Tennessee Civil War Monuments, Timothy S. Sedore reveals the state’s history-laden landscape through the lens of its many lasting monuments. War monuments have been cropping up since the beginning of the commemoration movement in 1863, and Tennessee is now home to four hundred memorials. Not only does Sedore provide commentary for every monument—its history and aesthetic panache—he also explores the relationships that Tennessee natives have with these historic landmarks. A detailed exploration of the monuments that enrich this Civil War landscape, Sedore’s Tennessee Civil War Monuments is a guide to Tennessee’s spirit and heritage.

Nine killed in Charleston church shooting. White supremacists demonstrate in Charlottesville. Monuments decommissioned in New Orleans and Chapel Hill. The headlines keep coming, and the debate rolls on. How should we contend with our troubled history as a nation? What is the best way forward? This first book in UGA Press’s History in the Headlines series offers a rich discussion between four leading scholars who have studied the history of Confederate memory and memorialization. Through this dialogue, we see how historians explore contentious topics and provide historical context for students and the broader public. Confederate Statues and Memorialization artfully engages the past and its influence on present racial and social tensions in an accessible format for students and interested general readers. Following the conversation, the book includes a “Top Ten” set of essays and articles that everyone should read to flesh out their understanding of this contentious, sometimes violent topic. The book closes with an extended list of recommended reading, offering readers specific suggestions for pursuing other voices and points of view.

This is the product of two decades of work, during which time the author has travelled throughout the state to photograph the memorials to the men and women of the Confederate States of America, to study their inscriptions, and to document information about their construction. These works of art and their eloquent inscriptions express a nation's profound grief, praise the soldiers' bravery and patriotism, and pay homage to the cause for which they fought.