The Civil War's Impact on American Literature

American literature was greatly impacted during the Civil War era of 1861-1865. With many literary artists involved and interested in the war, they used the war's inspiration in their writing and helped readers to relate to the war better and understand its challenges. Authors and Poets found great inspiration in the brutal and gory battle scenes or created their own nonfiction stories based on things they knew or had heard of from the battle scenes. Many artists even witnessed the battles or lost family and friends during the war. Some chose to bring out the war's romantic side, while others chose the somber more gruesome side.

To begin with are those literary artists involved with the war. Elizabeth Akers Allen wrote "In the Defenses" while working as a government clerk in Washington and tending to wounded soldiers during the Civil War.(3) Thomas Bailey Aldrich wrote "Fredericksburg" while working as a war correspondent for the New York Tribune and later as an editor of the Atlantic Monthly; he describes on of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. On December 13, 1862, at Fredericksburg, Virginia, Union soldiers under the command of General Ambrose Burnside, attacked Confederate troops under Robert E. Lee.(3) James Dickey wrote "Hunting Civil War Relics at Nimblewill creek" while serving as a fighter pilot in World War II and the Korean War and later worked as an advertising executive.