Chapter 1 Confederates in the Attic Summary and Analysis

In the opening chapter, the author tells about his boyhood fascination with the Civil War. He traces it back to his great-grandfather, who was a Jewish Russian immigrant who came to America in the 1880s but who was himself fascinated with the war. He had a large book he had obtained shortly after arriving in the country that contained sketches from the war, and he shared it with his children and grandchildren.

As an older child, Horwitz himself became fascinated with the war. He painted the walls of his attic bedroom with an historical mural depicting famous battles. His parents read to him from history books on the war.

As an adult, Horwitz became a journalist and war correspondent and left the country for several years. After marrying a woman from Australia, he...