Chapter 7 Tennessee: At the Foote of the Master Summary and Analysis

In Chapter 7, Horwitz visited Shelby Foote, a novelist and historical writer who had become well-known for his appearance in a documentary on the Civil War produced by Ken Burns. Horwitz wrote to Foote, arranging to meet with him at his home in Memphis. He spent several hours speaking with Foote about the Civil War and the South's fascination with it. He was surprised to hear Foote defend some of the actions of the Southerners after the war, including the original founders of the Ku Klux Klan, which had originally formed after the Civil War then had died out and re-emerged in the early twentieth century.

Foote told Horwitz about his frequent visits to the battlefield at Shiloh on the anniversary of the battle. Foote would arrive early...