Booknotes: The Fabric of Civil War Society

New Arrival:

• The Fabric of Civil War Society: Uniforms, Badges, and Flags, 1859–1939 by Shae Smith Cox (LSU Press, 2024).

Academic studies of Civil War material culture are few and far between, but each new one is always welcome in my book. Recognizing that "(m)ilitary uniforms, badges, flags, and other material objects have been used to represent the identity of Americans throughout history," historian Shae Smith Cox, in her book The Fabric of Civil War Society: Uniforms, Badges, and Flags, 1859–1939, "examines the material culture of America’s bloodiest conflict, offering a deeper understanding of the war and its commemoration."

Cox's examination of the topic employs specificity in both material involved (textiles) and overarching theme (those materials as "as markers of power and authority for both the Union and the Confederacy"). From the description: "These textiles became cherished objects by the turn of the century, a transition seen in veterans replacing wartime uniforms with new commemorative attire and repatriating Confederate battle flags. Looking specifically at the creation of material culture by various commemoration groups, including the Grand Army of the Republic, the Woman’s Relief Corps, the United Confederate Veterans, and the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Cox reveals the ways that American society largely accepted their messages, furthering the mission of their memory work." You might recall that John Hopkins's very recent study of the 1913 Gettysburg Reunion touches heavily upon matters related to the above, particularly its discussion of what kinds of, to use Cox's term, commemorative attire the old Confederate veterans would be allowed to wear to the big event.

Expectations of an accompanying photographic cornucopia of clothing and objects should be tempered. With just over a dozen illustrations in total, Cox's heavily researched book (its bibliography exhibits a hefty primary source base and wide engagement with the published literature) is very much a text-based study. You do get some representative images of uniforms, coats, and commemorative badges (particularly the last).

In sum: "Through the lens of material culture, Cox sheds new light on a variety of Civil War topics, including preparation for war, nuances in relationships between Native American and African American soldiers, the roles of women, and the rise of postwar memorial societies."