The Civil War Yesterday and Today in Poetry

In this carefully crafted and well-researched book, Don Iannone uses his poetry as a time machine to carry us back to the years before, during, and after the U.S. Civil War. This time machine transports us into today's world and sheds light on the future. It shows us how power based on privilege, class, race, and wealth more often corrupts than heals a nation and its people. A civil war is an internal conflict between groups within the same country or state, marked by violent confrontations where warring factions seek government control, assert autonomy, or push for significant political or social changes. These conflicts arise from deep divisions-whether ideological, ethnic, religious, or political-that escalate into violence when peaceful resolutions fail. Civil wars often involve groups with distinct visions for governance, power, and rights, driven by feelings of marginalization or oppression. They signal a breakdown of state institutions and destroy social cohesion, leaving lasting political, economic, and humanitarian damage. The American Civil War remains one of the most defining events in American history. This extremely costly conflict brought, at best, temporary justice, which is challenged daily by how Americans live their lives today. This poetic journey traverses 175 years of American history-reaching back to the time before the Civil War, through the conflict itself, into the remainder of the 19th century, and across the 20th and 21st centuries. The poems in this collection go beyond the Civil War's battles to explore the enduring struggles in American society since its founding, reflecting on the deep-seated values and beliefs that have shaped the nation's course. Through these vivid and often unsettling poems, readers will witness the violence and suffering of the Civil War and the moral and societal battles that have continued to define America. This collection captures the voices of those who fought for freedom, the leaders who wrestled with doubt, and the civilians caught in history's relentless tide. It offers graphic depictions of battlefields and the brutality of slavery alongside reflections on America's past and present struggles for justice, equality, and democracy. Several of the book's poems warn of the future of our nation and its people. As you turn the pages, you will walk alongside soldiers, mothers, enslaved people, and leaders, sharing their hopes, fears, and triumphs. This is the story of one war and a nation's ongoing struggle to realize its ideals. Ultimately, the poems ask us to confront both the darkness and the light within American history and ourselves, offering a raw, emotional look at the challenges that have shaped the United States and continue to do so today. Strap on your seatbelt and prepare for a riveting roller coaster ride through the past into today's severely challenged world.