Remembering the Civil War:
An Interview with Robert K. Sutton, PhD,
Chief Historian of the National Park Service
Robert K. Sutton, Public Domain
April 2011 marked the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War. One year into this anniversary, we sat down with Dr. Robert K. Sutton, the Chief Historian of the National Park Service, to get his thoughts on the Civil War and its meaning today.
Dr. Sutton has been the Chief Historian for the National Park Service since 2007. As the Chief Historian, he "provides guidance and direction to the national parks as well as to the American people on the importance of verifying historical events and interpreting America’s historic places."
Before becoming the Chief Historian, Dr. Sutton was Superintendent of the Manassas National Battlefield Park. Suffice it to say, this historian knows his Civil War history!
Survivors of Pickett's Charge, 1913, Public Domain
UHP: How did people commemorate the Civil War during its 25th and 50th anniversaries?
Dr. Sutton: I really haven’t found much on how the war was commemorated at the 25th anniversary. The process of reconciliation was beginning to bring soldiers from both sides together, and they were beginning to lobby Congress to set aside many of the major battlefields as sacred places.
In 1889, the movement gathered steam as the former commanders from both sides joined about 12,000 former soldiers and others at Chickamauga Battlefield for speeches and a giant barbecue, to commemorate the battle, and to push for the creation of a military park. The park was established a year later.
By the 50th anniversary, the reconciliation process was in full swing. In July of 1913, survivors of the Battle of Gettysburg were part of a crowd of 50,000 who gathered at the battlefield. In the now famous picture and moving film, survivors of Pickett’s Charge tottered up and shook hands over the stone wall that was there in 1863.
President Woodrow Wilson, the first southern President elected after the war, spoke, and touted the fact that both sides had fully reconciled, and that the war could be considered “a quarrel forgotten.”
What he didn’t mention, and what was completely lost in all of the commemorations, was that the war ended slavery, and that some 200,000 African American soldiers and sailors fought in the war. No one wanted to deal with the Jim Crow laws and practices that had reduced African Americans to second-class citizenship at the time.
Dr. Sutton: I really haven’t found much on how the war was commemorated at the 25th anniversary. The process of reconciliation was beginning to bring soldiers from both sides together, and they were beginning to lobby Congress to set aside many of the major battlefields as sacred places.
In 1889, the movement gathered steam as the former commanders from both sides joined about 12,000 former soldiers and others at Chickamauga Battlefield for speeches and a giant barbecue, to commemorate the battle, and to push for the creation of a military park. The park was established a year later.
By the 50th anniversary, the reconciliation process was in full swing. In July of 1913, survivors of the Battle of Gettysburg were part of a crowd of 50,000 who gathered at the battlefield. In the now famous picture and moving film, survivors of Pickett’s Charge tottered up and shook hands over the stone wall that was there in 1863.
President Woodrow Wilson, the first southern President elected after the war, spoke, and touted the fact that both sides had fully reconciled, and that the war could be considered “a quarrel forgotten.”
What he didn’t mention, and what was completely lost in all of the commemorations, was that the war ended slavery, and that some 200,000 African American soldiers and sailors fought in the war. No one wanted to deal with the Jim Crow laws and practices that had reduced African Americans to second-class citizenship at the time.
The centennial of the Civil War occurred during the Civil Rights era
UHP: How does the commemoration for the 150th anniversary differ from the 100th anniversary?
Dr. Sutton: The 100th anniversary was interesting. Congress created a Centennial Commission that was charged with leading the commemoration of the war. Retired General Ulysses S. Grant III was named chairman of the commission, and its purpose was to increase American patriotism during the Cold War and to encourage tourism to Civil War battlefields and commemorative events.
The commission got off to a rocky start Its first meeting was to be held in Charleston, South Carolina, but one of the commission members, an African American woman, was denied a reservation in a Charleston hotel. This ignited a furor even before the commission was able to do its business. The meeting was moved to the Charleston Naval Yard.
Many southerners viewed the centennial as an opportunity to dull the effects and impacts of the Civil Rights Movement that was gathering steam throughout the South.
Eventually, the Kennedy Administration tried to change the course of the centennial by replacing Grant, who resigned for family reasons, with noted historian Allan Nevins and a young professor from Virginia Tech, James (Bud) Robertson. Nevins and Robertson tried to shift the focus to a more thoughtful, history based, commemoration, but the centennial lost steam, especially in the South.
Interestingly, the best source on the centennial is a book written by a British historian, Robert Cook, titled Troubled Commemoration.
For various reasons, Congress did not establish a commission to commemorate the 150th anniversary, so there is no national leadership for the commemoration. Congress also has not appropriated any money for the sesquicentennial. A number of states have established commissions, and some, like Virginia, are doing an outstanding job of commemorating the war.
Dr. Sutton: The 100th anniversary was interesting. Congress created a Centennial Commission that was charged with leading the commemoration of the war. Retired General Ulysses S. Grant III was named chairman of the commission, and its purpose was to increase American patriotism during the Cold War and to encourage tourism to Civil War battlefields and commemorative events.
The commission got off to a rocky start Its first meeting was to be held in Charleston, South Carolina, but one of the commission members, an African American woman, was denied a reservation in a Charleston hotel. This ignited a furor even before the commission was able to do its business. The meeting was moved to the Charleston Naval Yard.
Many southerners viewed the centennial as an opportunity to dull the effects and impacts of the Civil Rights Movement that was gathering steam throughout the South.
Eventually, the Kennedy Administration tried to change the course of the centennial by replacing Grant, who resigned for family reasons, with noted historian Allan Nevins and a young professor from Virginia Tech, James (Bud) Robertson. Nevins and Robertson tried to shift the focus to a more thoughtful, history based, commemoration, but the centennial lost steam, especially in the South.
Interestingly, the best source on the centennial is a book written by a British historian, Robert Cook, titled Troubled Commemoration.
For various reasons, Congress did not establish a commission to commemorate the 150th anniversary, so there is no national leadership for the commemoration. Congress also has not appropriated any money for the sesquicentennial. A number of states have established commissions, and some, like Virginia, are doing an outstanding job of commemorating the war.
A young girl mourns her father, c. 1860s, LOC
The National Park Service, with its 20 major battlefields and over 75 parks associated with the war, has become the de facto national organization coordinating the 150th.
Our main focus, which was been ongoing for several years, is to expand the interpretation of the Civil War, to go beyond “who shot whom, how, when and where.” We believe it is important to talk about the causes, and to emphasize that slavery was the principal cause of the war.
We talk more about the common soldiers, their views of the war, and its impact on them. We focus on families. What was it like for the families of the more than 600,000 fathers and sons who did not return home? What was it like for the many more who returned with missing limbs or who suffered from post traumatic shock syndrome, which no one understood at that time?
We are also talking about what is was like for women, who had to take on new roles to feed their families, to take care of their households, and/or to try to maintain the institution of slavery on southern plantations.
We also want to focus on the aftermath of the war, the Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction Eras.
Our main focus, which was been ongoing for several years, is to expand the interpretation of the Civil War, to go beyond “who shot whom, how, when and where.” We believe it is important to talk about the causes, and to emphasize that slavery was the principal cause of the war.
We talk more about the common soldiers, their views of the war, and its impact on them. We focus on families. What was it like for the families of the more than 600,000 fathers and sons who did not return home? What was it like for the many more who returned with missing limbs or who suffered from post traumatic shock syndrome, which no one understood at that time?
We are also talking about what is was like for women, who had to take on new roles to feed their families, to take care of their households, and/or to try to maintain the institution of slavery on southern plantations.
We also want to focus on the aftermath of the war, the Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction Eras.
African American soldier with his family, 1860s, LOC
UHP: What is the most important thing people should know about the Civil War?
Dr.Sutton: Slavery was the principal cause of the war.
Without the institution of slavery, and the fact that 4,000,000 humans were enslaved, I can’t imagine that the war would have ever happened.
The war ended the institution of slavery in the United States forever.
Enslaved individuals took a very active part in ending the institution, by escaping, by joining the Union war effort, and by keeping constant pressure on the military, Congress and President Lincoln to make the end of slavery a war aim.
Dr.Sutton: Slavery was the principal cause of the war.
Without the institution of slavery, and the fact that 4,000,000 humans were enslaved, I can’t imagine that the war would have ever happened.
The war ended the institution of slavery in the United States forever.
Enslaved individuals took a very active part in ending the institution, by escaping, by joining the Union war effort, and by keeping constant pressure on the military, Congress and President Lincoln to make the end of slavery a war aim.
The Gunnoat Planter, Harpers' Weekly, 1862
UHP: What do you think was the most interesting event associated with the war and why?
Dr. Sutton: This is a tough one, because there are so many truly interesting events.
But, in my mind, the most interesting event was the escape of Robert Smalls in Charleston, South Carolina Harbor in May of 1862. Smalls was an enslaved man who was the wheelman (actually pilot) on the Confederate harbor steamer Planter. The Planter was a converted cotton steamer used to deliver arms and supplies to the Confederate forts in the harbor. Smalls and the enslaved crew plotted for weeks to commandeer the ship, pick up their families, sail through the harbor, and surrender the ship to the Union naval blockade just outside the harbor entrance.
They pulled it off on the night of May 12th-13th, when the white crew went ashore for the night.
They fired up the boilers, sailed over to another wharf where they picked up their families and several other enslaved men, and sailed through the harbor, giving the proper signals to all of the forts.
Smalls later piloted several Union vessels during the war, including the Planter of which he became the captain. He later served several terms in the United States House of Representatives and was a major political figure in South Carolina.
He purchased the house in Beaufort, South Carolina that had belonged to his former master—the house and property where he was born. The house is currently a National Historic Landmark and it stands as a memorial to this truly amazing man.
Dr. Sutton: This is a tough one, because there are so many truly interesting events.
But, in my mind, the most interesting event was the escape of Robert Smalls in Charleston, South Carolina Harbor in May of 1862. Smalls was an enslaved man who was the wheelman (actually pilot) on the Confederate harbor steamer Planter. The Planter was a converted cotton steamer used to deliver arms and supplies to the Confederate forts in the harbor. Smalls and the enslaved crew plotted for weeks to commandeer the ship, pick up their families, sail through the harbor, and surrender the ship to the Union naval blockade just outside the harbor entrance.
They pulled it off on the night of May 12th-13th, when the white crew went ashore for the night.
They fired up the boilers, sailed over to another wharf where they picked up their families and several other enslaved men, and sailed through the harbor, giving the proper signals to all of the forts.
Smalls later piloted several Union vessels during the war, including the Planter of which he became the captain. He later served several terms in the United States House of Representatives and was a major political figure in South Carolina.
He purchased the house in Beaufort, South Carolina that had belonged to his former master—the house and property where he was born. The house is currently a National Historic Landmark and it stands as a memorial to this truly amazing man.
1861 Lithograph of the "Fort Monroe" Doctrine, LOC
UHP: Of all sites associated with the Civil War, which do you think is the most interesting to see and why?
Dr. Sutton: Again, this is a tough one.
I would have to say that Fort (or sometimes referred to as Fortress) Monroe, near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, is the most interesting. First of all, it is our newest National Park.
Built shortly after the War of 1812, it was the largest masonry fort in the United States. It was in continuous military use until closed in 2011. So, the history itself is fascinating. The Union held onto Fort Monroe through the Civil War as a vital piece in the Union blockade of Southern ports.
Fort Monroe rises to my most interesting site because on May 23, 1861, only six weeks after the firing on Fort Sumter, three enslaved men who were forced to work on a Confederate fortification under construction and to fire on Fortress Monroe, snuck away from their camp, commandeered a boat, sailed it across the harbor, and presented themselves to General Benjamin Butler, the commander at Fortress Monroe.
Butler, who was a lawyer in civilian life, invoked the legal principle that the three men were property of the enemy, and thus contraband of war. Soon, word spread among the networks of enslaved people and a flood tide of others left Confederate work sites and plantations and fled to Union lines.
Enslaved people did not wait to see if the end of slavery would become a Union war aim. Early on, starting at Fort Monroe, they seized the opportunity to end slavery by escaping bondage on their own initiative.
Dr. Sutton: Again, this is a tough one.
I would have to say that Fort (or sometimes referred to as Fortress) Monroe, near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, is the most interesting. First of all, it is our newest National Park.
Built shortly after the War of 1812, it was the largest masonry fort in the United States. It was in continuous military use until closed in 2011. So, the history itself is fascinating. The Union held onto Fort Monroe through the Civil War as a vital piece in the Union blockade of Southern ports.
Fort Monroe rises to my most interesting site because on May 23, 1861, only six weeks after the firing on Fort Sumter, three enslaved men who were forced to work on a Confederate fortification under construction and to fire on Fortress Monroe, snuck away from their camp, commandeered a boat, sailed it across the harbor, and presented themselves to General Benjamin Butler, the commander at Fortress Monroe.
Butler, who was a lawyer in civilian life, invoked the legal principle that the three men were property of the enemy, and thus contraband of war. Soon, word spread among the networks of enslaved people and a flood tide of others left Confederate work sites and plantations and fled to Union lines.
Enslaved people did not wait to see if the end of slavery would become a Union war aim. Early on, starting at Fort Monroe, they seized the opportunity to end slavery by escaping bondage on their own initiative.
Unidentified Union soldier with a woman, 1860s, LOC
UHP: And finally, the $65,000 question! Why are Americans, and even non-Americans, so fascinated by this war above all others?
Dr. Sutton: I wish there was a simple answer to this question! If there is, I have never found it.
Many are fascinated with the military history. At our National Park Service Civil War battlefields, visitors still flock to our tours and many can never get enough of the battles, tactics, commanders, etc. People are interested in the global military history—how the war shifted from a limited war to a hard war. They are fascinated with Sherman’s March to the sea in Georgia and Sheridan’s march through the Shenandoah Valley.
Then, there are particular interests. Once I checked on the number of books currently in print on the telegraph in the Civil War. I quit counting at 35.
The number of re-enactors has increased dramatically over the past twenty to thirty years, and while their interests vary, many really want to understand the war by trying to relive it.
There is an intellectual curiosity with the war. Americans wonder how the “land of the free” could not only condone slavery, but how they fought this tragic, bloody war over the institution.
Of course, there are still many who subscribe to the “Lost Cause” view, that the war really had nothing to do with slavery, but was fought over the issue of states' rights or state sovereignty, economics, etc.
I am particularly fascinated with how people in other countries have such a fascination with our Civil War. It is almost an obsession with Australians and Canadians. I think they view the war as something that could have happened to them, but didn’t, so they look at it vicariously as something they were able to avoid.
For more information about the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, we recommend looking at the website for the Civil War Trust.
You can also read about Robert Smalls' amazing life in a book written by Robert K. Sutton and Luann Jones here.
Dr. Sutton: I wish there was a simple answer to this question! If there is, I have never found it.
Many are fascinated with the military history. At our National Park Service Civil War battlefields, visitors still flock to our tours and many can never get enough of the battles, tactics, commanders, etc. People are interested in the global military history—how the war shifted from a limited war to a hard war. They are fascinated with Sherman’s March to the sea in Georgia and Sheridan’s march through the Shenandoah Valley.
Then, there are particular interests. Once I checked on the number of books currently in print on the telegraph in the Civil War. I quit counting at 35.
The number of re-enactors has increased dramatically over the past twenty to thirty years, and while their interests vary, many really want to understand the war by trying to relive it.
There is an intellectual curiosity with the war. Americans wonder how the “land of the free” could not only condone slavery, but how they fought this tragic, bloody war over the institution.
Of course, there are still many who subscribe to the “Lost Cause” view, that the war really had nothing to do with slavery, but was fought over the issue of states' rights or state sovereignty, economics, etc.
I am particularly fascinated with how people in other countries have such a fascination with our Civil War. It is almost an obsession with Australians and Canadians. I think they view the war as something that could have happened to them, but didn’t, so they look at it vicariously as something they were able to avoid.
For more information about the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, we recommend looking at the website for the Civil War Trust.
You can also read about Robert Smalls' amazing life in a book written by Robert K. Sutton and Luann Jones here.