History

Secrets of the Graveyard

Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash

“Buff” is too mild a term for my boyfriend’s love of all things Civil War.

He wants to retire to Pennsylvania and be a Gettysburg tour guide. (Gettysburg is in Pennsylvania, right? Pretty sure.)

That’s fine. I’ll send him postcards from The Villages, where I’ll be playing pickle ball and doing water aerobics with leathery Republicans.

I mean, it could be worse. He could be an ax murderer. Or a *shudder* Civil War reenactor.

But it could be better, too. He could be a Tool or a Radiohead fan. He could be as hooked on TikTok as I am. (No, that would probably be right up there with ax murderer.)

Fortunately, I’m okay with the Civil War. I’m not a fanatic, but I don’t hate it. As wars go, it’s more interesting than, say, the War of 1812.

I studied the Vietnam War extensively in college, but since I can’t go to Da Nang, I guess Gettysburg will have to do.

I’ve seen Ken Burns’ documentary, The Civil War, about 10 times, but mostly for the gruesome bits about field surgeries.

I liked Cold Mountain (both the book and the movie), so I guess I’ve made peace with the fact that I’m life-partnered with the Battle of…