Former war correspondent, Tony Horwitz returns to America after covering the conflicts in Bosnia and the Middle East only to find himself investigating a war which ended more than a century ago.

Horowitz sets out on a personal journey, looking for the heroism and valour of the American Civil War which as a child fired his imagination. Traveling throughout the American South; visiting battle sites, small rural towns, and urban centers, Horwitz attempts to put the American Civil War into a contemporary context.

What do Robert E. Lee, U.S. Grant, the 'rebel yell', abolitionists, civil rights, states' rights mean to the inhabitants of the South today? Why does the Civil War (or to some The War of Northern Aggression) continue to be the defining moment, the touchstone, to the psyche of the American South?

The author spends time with history buffs, museum curators, shop owners, park rangers and tour guides, regular people both black and white, listening to their opinions and attitudes about the Civil War. As a Canadian, and new to both the lore and myth which surrounds the American Civil War, I found Horwitz to be a thoughtful, insightful guide through this tumultuous yet compelling period.

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