A historian becomes history

Funeral services were held today for Shelby Foote, one of Tennessee's favorite historians. He won worldwide acclaim and recognition for his role in Ken Burns's Civil War documentary, as well as his three volume history of the Civil War, or as a southern gentleman likes to call it, the War of Northern Aggression. His soothing voice is a pleasure to hear and was once described as molasses over hominy. I highly recommend checking out the eleven part PBS special on the Civil War if you have not had the pleasure of watching it yet. Shelby Foote was controversial because of the southern tint he gave to his narrative-styled history, often underemphasizing the plight of the black south. He was fascinated by Nathan Bedford Forrest(Confederate general and eventual founder of the Ku Klux Klan), and has been buried near relatives from the Forrest family in Memphis. Whether you agree with Mr. Foote's leanings or not, his virtuosity as a historian and raconteur is undeniable. Tennessee has lost a great asset, but history will forever remember its favorite southern son.