The Civil War in Popular Culture: Memory and Meaning

7. “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye”: The Civil War Navies in Public Memory

117 117 7 “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye” The Civil War Navies in Public Memory Matthew Eng We are truly at a unique crossroads in American history: the centennial anniversary of the First World War is drawing near, the bicentennial anniversary of the War of 1812 is just past, and the Civil War’s sesquicentennial anniversary is upon us—a gold mine for the collection and preservation of history. Memory of the Civil War, many would argue, has always been present. According to historians Alice Fahs and Joan Waugh, the war “has never receded into the remote past in American life.”1 Not since the well-received 125th anniversary has the public fully experienced the weight of the war’s impact on American society. Without that collective memory and identity, the current commemoration would crumble.2 The conflict that separated the country so long ago is set to spark the public’s memory of the war again. For younger generations, information about the war presented during the current commemoration will be brand-new. Accessing the information, however, is easier than ever. There are plenty of events and activities planned to fill any gaps in the historical record, but do they tell the full story? Is something missing? In his 1961 essay The Legacy of the Civil War, novelist Robert Penn Warren discusses the complications that arise with the understanding of history over time. “When one is happy in forgetfulness,” he writes, “facts get forgotten.”3 Although Warren’s words pertain to the war’s overall meaning, many historians, educators, and scholars of naval history might agree. Separate “wars” over the memory of the conflict began immediately after the cannons and muskets were silenced. Certainly, the debate over the war’s 118 Matthew Eng historical antecedents takes precedence. Others, like embers in a fire, continue to burn low and silent in the American psyche. This is where many naval historians of the Civil War find themselves today—locked in a vacuum of forgotten battles, intrepid commanders, and iron ships. Look at any general history textbook or overview of the Civil War, and you will find a scant number of pages devoted to the navies and their key battles, individuals, or grand strategies. Comb through any monograph published in the last fifty years, and you will likely find the words “Civil War Navy” and “overlooked” placed together. “Memory,” according to John Gillis, “is something to be retrieved.” The main difference between memory and identity is that identity is “something that can be lost as well as found.”4 The wartime actions of sailors on the rivers and seas are not altogether lost; they are merely buried beneath the collective memory of “hallowed ground.” For others, the Civil War navies represent a portion of history long forgotten. Over time, it became a renewed “lost cause” that is still largely undiscovered. This essay entreats readers to remember the navies’ role in the Civil War with a spirit of scientific inquiry. If public memory is any indicator of the preservation of history, the following information on the impact of popular culture and Civil War naval history will excite and enthrall new generations of historians and enthusiasts to remember Uncle Sam’s “webbed feet.” One of the problems facing the memory of the Civil War navies is geography . Because naval forces fought primarily on the water, there are no battlefields , at least in the classic sense, for individuals to visit. The public cannot grasp what it cannot see. Civil War Monitor blogger Craig Swain echoed these sentiments in a 2011 interview about the nature of memory and the Civil War. According to Swain, “audiences are prewired to a state, often identifying with these homogenous groups that went into battle together.” And the majority of monuments visited by the public today are dedicated to states, not organizations. In contrast, navies lack a physical entity that links the war to the common consumer of Civil War history and memory. As Swain notes, it’s “rather hard to ‘walk’ a naval battlefield.”5 In a 2011 article posted to his blog, Swain explains: “One may stand where great actions took place; stand in the footsteps of great leaders, considering their perspective; and even touch buildings and trees that stood at the time of the war. . . . Unlike the landward components of the war, today’s visitor has trouble ‘immersing’ in the naval war.”6 Unlike the armies of the Union and the Confederacy, there was no [3.144.36.141...