Booknotes: Tennessee Civil War Monuments

New Arrival:
• Tennessee Civil War Monuments: An Illustrated Field Guide by Timothy S. Sedore (Quarry Books - Indiana UP, 2020).

Following his Virginia and Mississippi volumes (the latter released mere weeks before this one), Timothy Sedore's Tennessee Civil War Monuments: An Illustrated Field Guide is the third of what will presumably be an extensive tour of public monuments across the South. It "reveals Tennessee's history-laden landscape through the lens of its many proud monuments. War monuments have been cropping up since the beginning of the commemoration movement in 1863, and Tennessee is now home to 400 memorials. Not only does Sedore provide commentary for every monument―its history and aesthetic panache―he also explores the relationships that Tennessee natives have with these historic landmarks."

Also organized by region (in this case West, Middle, and East Tennessee) and county, the Tennessee register includes a black & white photograph of the monument, dedication date, GPS coordinates, copy of the inscription in caps, physical description, and author commentary. Because the state hosted a number of major western battles, much of book is composed of battlefield monuments.