Southern Americans in the Great War

[Antonio83]

I'm searching some work on the Southern Americans experiences in the Great War: their thoughts, their feelings, their support of war, and so on..

First of all, I'm interesting in the Confederacy's ideological heritage that was very strong fifty years after. Woodrow Wilson himself was a southerner that spent much of his youth in the wartime Confederacy, and I think that there are many links between the two wars, from the American viewpoints (Wilson's statement about a "war for the democracy" remebered Lincoln's similar propoaganda backgorund).

Can anyone help me?

[andigger]

Welcome to the Forum Antonio! There are quite a number of Americans on this Forum who chime in about things southerm so I think you will have a great resource. Myself I am researching the men from my local area who died in the war and have found it interesting that the local memorial is segregated by race. Of course I am also proud to say that Wilson is from my home state.

The best direction to determine the attitudes of Southerners versus Yankees is to research the history of the 29th Infantry Battalion. That will give you agood comparision between the regions as it was made up of National Guard units from Northern and Southern states. There is also quite a lot written about them, so you should have plenty to get your hands on. Thier history also carries over well - from the Civil War Stonewall Jackson's Brigade was part of this unit (obviously before it was combined) and the 29th also put the first American troops ashore on D-Day.

Good luck and let us know how it comes along.

Andy

[Antonio83]

Andigger,

thanks for the hints and for your politeness and excuse me for my bad English: although I usually read many books in English and understand it perfectly, I've got some difficult in writing the Shakespeare's language. A matter of habit, I suppose

However, on the subject of the southern Americans between the Civil War and World War I, I've already read some book: of those, very useful is "Ghosts of the Confederacy: Defeat, the Lost Cause and the Emergence of the New South, 1865-1913" by Gaines M. Foster and all the works of the great C. Vann Woodward on the Reconstruction and the New South.

This is, in my opinion, a very fascinating subject and the links between the two ages (Civil War and WW1) are complicated and interesting.

It is also interesting your statement about the Local Memorial of your area: a research on the elaboration of the WW1 Memory and Mourning in the U.S. Southern States would turn out very very very intriguing.

Eventually (I'm taking advantage of your patience), I have another little question concerning Woodrow Wilson and his image in modern American society and culture. Is the President's figure depicted only as a great politician or are there some critics of him?

Thanks for your previous suggestion ;-)