Fresh Perspective on the Civil War as Presented in Battle Lines

Battle Lines: A Graphic Book on the Civil War


Battle Lines, a graphic book, is a more effective historical education tool than traditional Civil War literature. The book, which was written by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm and Ari Kelman, uses a variety of techniques to depict the actual events that led up to and fueled the Civil War, including drawings of real photographs and comic structures. Without a question, the book accurately depicts the Civil War's historical timeline. For instance, the book gives a chronological account of constitutional amendments from the time of the Declaration of Independence to the start of the Civil War in 1861 in the second volume. These changes in slavery laws and acts serve to forge a greater understanding of the reasoning behind both the Union and the Confederate actions in the war. Other chapters are filled with individualistic perspectives and reactions to the Civil War. Battle Lines is a representation of a new perspective on the happenings of the Civil War that culminated in the abolishment of the slave trade.


The Beginning and Triggers of the Civil War


Battle Lines begins with contextual articles seemingly from past newspapers with written accounts in each of its chapters. In the first chapter, there is a drawing of a newspaper report on the events surrounding the inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln. The book then gives a photographic account of what ostensibly triggered the Civil War; the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in 1861. The war was bloodless up to this point as illustrated in the book. Photographs reveal that the Union flag was lowered as Lincoln ordered his soldiers to stand down at the island of Fort Sumter. This battle inspired the appetite for war as captured in the book; \u201cThe violence at Sumter, though, released a flood tide of patriotism in both North and South, leaving recruiting offices awash with volunteer soldiers.\u201d Contrary to other historical accounts of the civil war, Battle Lines presents a detailed account of the accidental misfiring of a canon that initiated bloodshed in the Civil War. The book does well to reveal the secessionist agenda that governed the Civil War and the tussle to abolish slavery in America. The reasons for war as revealed in this book are less noble than those given in other historical accounts of the Civil War.


The Civil War from an Individualistic Perspective


The Civil War is the biggest and bloodiest in American history before the World Wars owing to the large number of casualties it produced. The book, Battle Lines, presents graphic images of individual soldiers and civilians injured or lying dead at various stages of the Civil War. The book differs from other books in its Civil War coverage from an individualistic point of view. Battles are not documented in detail, but they are acknowledged throughout the book. For example, the Gettysburg battle is captured in Chapter eight of Battle Lines; \u201cDuring the first three days of July 1863 in fields and orchards outside Gettysburg, Pennsylvania\u2026 the men of George Meade\u2019s Army of the Potomac turned back Robert E. Lee\u2019s invasion of the North. The victory came at a horrifying cost: some twenty-eight thousand federal troops were killed and injured alongside thirty-two thousand rebel casualties.\u201d Battle Lines, therefore, covers the Civil War without concentrating on the battles but through individual and legislative stories.


An Informative and Entertaining Account of the Civil War


In conclusion, Battle Lines is a graphic novel detailing the events of the Civil War from 1861 up to the Reconstruction of 1865. The book documents the ideological differences between the North and the South that led to the secession of several Southern states. The book underlines the main reason for the Civil War as the irony of Southern States wanting equality for all American citizens but at the same time championing for slavery. Using images and comic forms alongside limited text, Battle Lines covers the Civil War using individual stories. The book revisits the battle to abolish slavery that gave birth to several battles encompassing the Civil War. Battle Lines is an informative and entertaining account of the Civil War; with fresh information and perspective on the causes and details of the war.

Works Cited


Fetter-Vorm, Jonathan, and Ari Kelman. Battle Lines: A Graphic History of the Civil War. New York: Hill & Wang, 2015.

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