Like most wars, the American Civil War was an enormous tragedy, marked by incalculable loss of life and property. Yet out of that death and destruction, people have also found room for humor. In our own lifetimes, television shows like M*A*S*H and Hogan’s Heroes used gallows humor to highlight the absurdities and contradictions of war, humanize the participants, and help audiences process real-life trauma.
Just as filmmakers and television writers used modern wars to lampoon the absurdities of military life, they occasionally turned the same comedic lens on the Civil War. In my latest article for the Emerging Civil War blog, I examine satirical comedies like Uncivil Warriors and Advance to the Rear, which are rarely just about a particular conflict. Through comedy, the war itself, in this case the Civil War, becomes a vehicle for the filmmakers’ critique of militarism, authority, conformity, and the loss of individuality.
Check it out:
M.A. Kleen 
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