America's National Cemeteries : A Meditation on History, Memory, and Place.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Spears, Timothy B.

Contributor:

Gainer, Roderick.

Series:

War, Memory, and Culture Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Memorialization--United States.

Memorialization.

Collective memory--United States.

Collective memory.

National cemeteries, American--Pictorial works.

National cemeteries, American.

National cemeteries, American--History.

National cemeteries--United States--Pictorial works.

National cemeteries.

National cemeteries--United States--History.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (287 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Tuscaloosa : University of Alabama Press, 2025.

Summary:

"In America's National Cemeteries, Timothy B. Spears takes the reader on a grand tour of these singular places of commemoration, the final resting place for more than four million American military personnel who died either in wartime, during their time of service, or after their honorable discharge. His absorbing account-part historical narrative and part travelogue-is enhanced by 180 of his remarkable photographs, which capture the spirit, grandeur, and solemn remembrance to be found in each of the 155 national cemeteries across America and abroad. Spears details the history of the cemeteries since their establishment during the American Civil War and explores their ongoing evolution and importance to American society and the commitment America has made to honoring its military dead. With headstones neatly arrayed in rows and each soldier typically buried in an identical fashion, the cemeteries symbolize an enduring connection between human mortality, national service, and the nation's persistent challenges with racial inequalities and injustice, violence and racism, and lingering questions about "good" versus "bad wars," the vexed legacies of America's military forays. In this unique meditation on American history, memory, and place, Spears embraces the impact of the past on the present, offering an original perspective on the meaning of military service, mortality, and remembrance and how these national cemeteries have evolved into truly iconic and emblematic American spaces. The book also features a foreword by Roderick Gainer, Chief Curator of Arlington National Cemetery since 2013"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Foreword by Roderick Gainer

Introduction

1. Under a Big Sky

2. Fourscore

3. This Great Sepulture

4. X Marks the Spot

5. Confederates Interrupt Us

6. True Ground

7. Abroad

8. Good Wars

9. Trees and Stone

10. COVID Times

Coda

Gallery of Honor

Acknowledgments

Notes

Suggested Readings

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-8173-9568-7

OCLC:

1526862663