Robert Devereaux

I have easily a dozen Civil War books going at this point.

My primary focus, though, in the coming weeks are David Herbert Donald’s biography of Lincoln and Gore Vidal’s novel about Lincoln.

The question at hand–or at my hand, at any rate–is how can any sane person, guided by humanitarian impulses, lead a nation into war? 

From whence comes the gall and temerity to send young people to their deaths?  Especially in a "good" man?

It wasn’t concern for black folks.  Lincoln was all for sending blacks back to Africa, and he felt–or expressed that he felt– that whites were the superior "race."  (Nonetheless, the byplay between him and Frederick Douglass will be fascinating to explore.)

So we’re left with "preserving the Union."  What does that mean?  What would be the alternative plans, and why were they unacceptable to him, to the point of launching the hell that is war?

One of the great values of Gary Gallagher’s Civil War course for The Teaching Company is his occasional reminder that hindsight is not the way to go when looking at history, that human decisions among living alternatives are always at work, that nothing is pre-ordained.

It’s so easy to have one’s vision clouded over by the Lincoln myths, but so rewarding to probe beyond them.

So onward we press.

Robert Devereaux

Book titles is the subject today.

My new Civil War anti-war novel in particular as, in the wee hours prior to rising, a few candidates presented themselves.

Some novel titles come quickly, as was the case with Deadweight, Walking Wounded, and Santa Steps Out.

Some take reams of paper with lists and lists until one hits upon the right one.  The as-yet-unpublished Deadolescence is one of those titles.

The first candidates:

• What’s Blue and Gray and Red All Over?
• Shitstorm:  A Civil War Novel
• Shitstorm in Blue and Gray

The lovely little tome On Bullshit has, I believe, broken the barrier for using "shit" in the title of a book.  As has Another Bullshit Night in Suck City.  (But I ain’t wedded to that.)

Comments or other suggestions are welcome!

Robert Devereaux

I do indeed believe that the way to tie all of my Civil War incidents together–or a principal way I’ll do that (there shall be others)–will be via the Greek Gods, especially Ares the God of War, and Eris, the Goddess of Discord.

I’m also entertaining the notion of creating sub-gods as yet unknown, like the God of Acting Like an Asshole.  This I would reserve for those men who betrayed Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, who fought to gain blacks their freedom and the vote via amendments to the Constitution, but were betrayed by the inclusion of "male" in the 14th amendment; and more generally those pinch-minded idiots who threw roadblock and ridicule in their way.

I commend to your attention the excellent Ken Burns documentary on these two amazing women.  The primary focus is on getting the vote, which happened by the skin of our teeth (one vote in Tennessee) 16 years after Anthony’s death.  But along the way are gains in allowing women to own property, to have custody of their children, to sue in court, and so on.

Robert Devereaux

The Civil War books pile up, my red pen furiously underlining things I can use in the new novel.  I’ve been re-viewed the Ken Burns DVDs, and starting in on Gary Gallagher’s course for The Teaching Company.

I’ve also had swimming about in my head how best to structure this story, whether or not the Greek Gods will come into it, especially Ares, the Greek God of war, oh surely he must.  There’s so much good material.  Gallagher says every day some book or pamphlet is published; it’s the most written about period in American history.

But you can be damned sure that Robert Devereaux’s vision is going to be unique, and I can feel finally the real fire coming back in to my efforts toward fiction–which is precisely what makes or breaks a book from the outset. 

Without that fire, what’s the point?

Yesterday, I finished reading The Real Lincoln.  Will need to look again at the commentary about it on the web, but still, even if the author is pushing an agenda that’s causing skew in his vision, there’s still plenty to use here. 

We have been handed such a load of bullshit about how great a Prez honest Abe was.  But this, and the book about Taney and Lincoln, and the People’s History of the Civil War fill in the practical politics of his situation. 

Seeing him as some saint is death to the truth of this novel.

Okay, enough of that.

The day it doth beckon!

Robert Devereaux