I'm curious how your work on Shaw (with all its revelations about the nature of his views on slavery and his time in the low country) has affected your take on Winsmith, now that you have taken his letters up again after a hiatus of several years. There was a time in my life when I knew a lot more than I know now, but understood vastly less. I am really interested to see how this process of greater understanding causes you to (or not) see Winsmith's letters in a new light than you did, say, in 2010. Glad to know you are working on this project again!
Hi John. Always nice to hear from you and thanks so much for the question.
When I first came across the letters I didn't know anything about Winsmith's postwar turn toward the Republican Party. At the time I was happy to discover a rich collection of letters from a Confederate soldier, but didn't think twice about wanting to learn more about his story or in claiming that his life matters. So much has changed in the past few years as a result of the history wars or reckoning over the past...whatever you want to call it. American history, now more than ever, is cast in terms of a morality play. There seems to be very little room to acknowledge the complexity of the past and the humanity of historical actors, especially when it comes to the Civil War and the Confederacy.
Winsmith's story is certainly exceptional in many ways, but I want to use it to encourage people to recognize the contradictions, missteps, and contingency that all of us live with. Your question is one that I am going to continue to think about as I move forward with this project.
Still looking. I don't know if I am gong to find a smoking gun. I can situate the family within the broader context of South Carolina families that embraced the Republican Party after the war, but that's about it.
Glad you have taken this project up again. It will be so valuable both in itself and as a resource for other scholars.
I hope so. Thanks.
This sounds at least as interesting as the bio of Shaw, if not more. Very much looking forward to it!
Glad to hear it, Margaret. Thanks.
I'm curious how your work on Shaw (with all its revelations about the nature of his views on slavery and his time in the low country) has affected your take on Winsmith, now that you have taken his letters up again after a hiatus of several years. There was a time in my life when I knew a lot more than I know now, but understood vastly less. I am really interested to see how this process of greater understanding causes you to (or not) see Winsmith's letters in a new light than you did, say, in 2010. Glad to know you are working on this project again!
Hi John. Always nice to hear from you and thanks so much for the question.
When I first came across the letters I didn't know anything about Winsmith's postwar turn toward the Republican Party. At the time I was happy to discover a rich collection of letters from a Confederate soldier, but didn't think twice about wanting to learn more about his story or in claiming that his life matters. So much has changed in the past few years as a result of the history wars or reckoning over the past...whatever you want to call it. American history, now more than ever, is cast in terms of a morality play. There seems to be very little room to acknowledge the complexity of the past and the humanity of historical actors, especially when it comes to the Civil War and the Confederacy.
I agree with Pete Carmichael's emphasis on the importance of empathy in studying the past. https://kevinmlevin.substack.com/p/the-importance-of-empathy-in-historical?utm_source=publication-search
Winsmith's story is certainly exceptional in many ways, but I want to use it to encourage people to recognize the contradictions, missteps, and contingency that all of us live with. Your question is one that I am going to continue to think about as I move forward with this project.
Thanks again, John.
I am really looking forward to this book! Are there any hints about the reasons for their change in political views?
Still looking. I don't know if I am gong to find a smoking gun. I can situate the family within the broader context of South Carolina families that embraced the Republican Party after the war, but that's about it.