American Civil War remembered at National Library
February 2015
A request for the release of a Confederate prisoner of war signed by US President Abraham Lincoln is one of the highlights of a new display at the National Library of Scotland commemorating the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War.
The war, which ended in 1865, tore apart the nation, killed and maimed more than a million Americans and remains a topic of debate and argument today. The display uses material from the Library's rich American collections to give insights into the conflict that led to the abolition of slavery in the United States.
More books have been written on the Civil War than on any other event in American history. From the South it was seen as the "War of Northern Aggression" but from the North as the rebellion of Southern states. This is reflected in the display which uses rare letters, political pamphlets, newspapers and memoirs from the era to illustrate the days of slave plantations, political discord and violent conflict.
Scots fought on both sides, including the son of the famous explorer and missionary David Livingstone. Robert Livingstone lied about his age to enlist in the Union Army in 1863. The teenager died the following year in a Confederate prison after being wounded in battle.
The display includes a letter to David Livingstone from his sister-in-law Harriette about Robert's fate before it was known he had died, as well as the remarkable claim that the Scots literary giant Sir Walter Scott was in part responsible for the war, even though he died 30 years before it began.
Sir Walter Scott's historical adventures such as Ivanhoe were very popular in America and have been seen by some as having a major influence of Southern values of birth, rank and honour. In his travelogue Life on the Mississippi, the writer Mark Twain declared: "It was Sir Walter that made every gentleman in the South a Major or a Colonel, or a General or a Judge […] Sir Walter had so large a hand in making Southern character, as it existed before the war, that he is in great measure responsible for the war."
The display also includes a rare signed first edition of the novel Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell which has been credited with doing more to shape understanding of the war than historical studies.
"150 years after its close, the American Civil War still inspires fascination and debate," said US and Commonwealth Curator Dora Petherbridge, who curated the display. "Many people encounter the conflict through novels and Hollywood films. The cultural legacy of the war is immense. I hope the original documents in the display will offer visitors perspectives on the era that they may not have encountered before."
Yankee Cries and Rebel Yells: The American Civil War runs until March 22nd. Entry is free.
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