Thread by @sarahbelle721

In homage to one of my favorite edited volumes ever, it's Weirding the War week in my Civil War grad seminar! We're reading articles and chapters that capture new turns in CW scholarship, and complicate things in weird, creative & fascinating ways. Here's what we're reading:

Judkin Browning and Timothy Silver's "Nature and Human Nature: Environmental Influences on the Union's Failed Peninsula Campaign, 1862," pub in @JCWE1 in 2018. This article blew my mind when I first read it. An explanation of the unique formulation of Virginia's mud!? Yes please.

"A Burden Too Heavy to Bear:" War Trauma, Suicide, and Confederate Soldiers" by @ProfSommerville, which will introduce students to the debates about war trauma in the Civil War era and the so-called 'dark turn.' If only I could assign Diane's whole book!

Of course we have a chapter from @JGiesberg's Sex and the Civil War, with the utterly delightful title "Storming the Enemy's Breastworks." I forgot this chapter had lots of great illustrations of Civil War era porn - whoops, sorry students!

I was so excited to assign a chapter from @EvanKutzler's "Living By Inches," about 'anosmia' and the experience of smells in Civil War prisons. A wonderful example of creative and innovative scholarship. I can't wait to read the rest of the book!

Finally, one of my fav articles ever: Joe Beilein's "The Guerrilla Shirt: A Labor of Love and the Style of Rebellion in Civil War Missouri," pub. in @CWHJournal. I literally squeal when I read this essay. Masculinity bedecked in scalps, ribbons, flowery shirts! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

For the extra little icing on top, we throw in @megankatenelson's brilliant Three Cornered War, which we were supposed to discuss last week. (Why did I have to get sick on a Wednesday!?) I'm extra caffeinated and ready 👏🏼 to 👏🏼 go!

Also, apologies @megankatenelson, my brain *really* wants to call your book "The Triangle War" and I keep confusing myself and my students. I mean, three corners, triangle - it makes sense, right?