Author Douglas Butler Discusses His Book North Carolina Civil War Monuments: An Illustrated History

In researching his new book North Carolina Civil War Monuments: An Illustrated History, author, photographer, Douglas Butler uncovered lots of competing interests immediately following the war as different groups sought to advance their own version of what the war had been about and what it had accomplished.

There were numerous cost concerns, Northern and African American interests, but even among those who wanted to commemorate the Confederate dead and veterans, Doug says that the issue of where to put the monuments was also often controversial.

Doug's book was recognized by the North Carolina Society of Historians, and in 2014 it received The Willie Parker Peace History Book Award. Civil War News calls North Carolina Civil War monuments: An Illustrated History a “… well-researched and well-written book... an excellent source”. 

In today's show, Doug talks about how the construction of various monuments correlates to a process of grieving, and, of 109 Civil War monuments in North Carolina, Butler reveals how many are Union monuments.