History as Identity and Ideology

Over at Civil War Memory Kevin Levin commented on a report filed by Al Jazeera on the commemoration of the firing upon Fort Sumter, in part because it featured Walter and James Kennedy, commonly known as the Kennedy brothers and authors of a series of books that have become, er, controversial.

I always find interesting what the Kennedy brothers have to say.  Indeed, at times you can simply play all four of these interviews simultaneously, and they make about as much sense (and it’s an interesting experience to hear the same themes pop out from each section of the interview).  Try it.

However, Kevin made an allusion to something one hears a great deal, and one reads it a great deal on the internet, including the comments sections of several blogs.  The argument, simply put, is

Your Army Command: Defensive Operations

Earlier this month I asked readers to pick their ideal army command to undertake offensive operations.  Now you are tasked with picking your ideal Civil War army command for defensive operations.  You select a commanding general, three corps commanders, a chief of staff, and a cavalry commander.  The only requirement is that they must have been wearing a star or stars by war’s end (or the end for them, whichever came first).