Our conversation with Stephen Cushman, the Robert C. Taylor Professor of English at the University of Virginia and recent author of “Belligerent Muse: Five Northern Writers and How They Shaped Our Understanding of the Civil War,” published by UNC Press. In this interview Dr. Cushman discusses the five writers (Abraham Lincoln, Walt Whitman, William T. Sherman, Ambrose Bierce, and Joshua Chamberlain) and how each offers a deeper understanding and appreciation of how writing helped to define our understanding of the war. From civilians to generals, these five case studies will shed new light on these well known figures and the pivitol role of military context.
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