Let's agree that all monuments are an attempt to shape how we think about and commemorate the past. In that sense, all monuments erase history. #CivilWarMemory

Wishful thinking. This monument was removed from Arlington National Cemetery in December 2023. #CivilWarMemory

📢NPS ABPP’s 2024 Battlefield Interpretation Grants are now open for applications! 💸These grants offer up to 50% matching funds for projects developing innovative interpretation & education at eligible battlefield sites. To learn more, head to: go.nps.gov/ABPP-BIG

The balcony at 44 Beacon Street where Colonel Robert Gould Shaw's family stood during the parade march through the streets of Boston of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment #OTD 161 years ago, May 28, 1863. #Boston #Boston History #Glory #CivilWar

I have a visceral reaction when knuckleheads like RFK can't distinguish between history and memory/commemoration. #CivilWarMemory

'I think we should celebrate who we are.'--RFK

Why can't we just acknowledge and do our best to understand this nation's legacy of slavery? Why do we have to 'celebrate' it? #CivilWarMemory washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/…

UPDATE: More on the closure of Gettysburg NMP. wgal.com/article/fire-p…

I hope everything is OK.

Thanks to historian Cecily Zander for joining me to discuss her wonderful new book, The Army Under Fire: The Politics of Antimilitarism in the Civil War Era, published by LSU Press. I can't recommend it enough. #CivilWarMemory kevinmlevin.substack.com/p/a-conversati…

Robert E. Lee is buried in Lexington, Virginia on the grounds of Washington & Lee University. However, I do know that there is a trash dump close just a few miles from Arlington. #CivilWarMemory

One of the greatest honors of my life was the privilege of serving as commander-in-chief, and with pride also came sometimes heartbreak and loss. And the sober recognition of the sacrifices that so many Americans and their families have made to preserve our freedom.

On Memorial

Let us remember all our heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice while fighting for our country. The Library of Congress is committed to preserving and sharing their courageous stories. May the spirit of Memorial Day inspire us to live with gratitude & empathy.
blogs.loc.gov/teachers/2024/…

Good Memorial Day to everyone. Every year news pieces appear about the origins of Decoration Day, based on the story I discovered and wrote in Race and Reunion. See this quite thorough treatment in AARP magazine.
aarp.org/home-family/fr…

Memorial Day is one of our nation’s two federal holidays that comes from the Reconstruction Era. Officially established as Decoration Day by the Grand Army of the Republic in 1868, to remember those who died in defense of the U.S. during the Civil War. nps.gov/media/video/vi…

Thanks to historian Cecily Zander for joining me to discuss her wonderful new book, The Army Under Fire: The Politics of Antimilitarism in the Civil War Era, published by LSU Press. I can't recommend it enough. #CivilWarMemory kevinmlevin.substack.com/p/a-conversati…

#StillnessAtAppomattox : The U.S flag flies over the parking area at the entrance of Appomattox CH NHP. The park was established in 1940 to 'commemorate the surrender of the army under General Lee to General Grant' and 'those who engaged in this tremendous conflict.' #CivilWar

Last year at CWI, I joined a great tour at Gettysburg focused on the enslaved co-led by the author of this outstanding book. Review of: Searching for Black Confederates: The Civil War’s Most Persistent Myth, Kevin M. Levin--Historian, Teacher, Public Speaker Kevin M. Levin – Regarp Book Blog regarp.com/2023/05/11/rev…

We should continue to explore the question of why Civil War soldiers fought and endured, but let's not confuse that question with what was ultimately at stake in this war. #CivilWarMemory kevinmlevin.substack.com/p/placing-the-…

This book is a must read. #sschat

The biggest threat to understanding the history of the Confederacy and the Confederate rank and file are the neo-Confederate cosplayers on social media who claim to be their defenders. #CivilWarMemory