THE ATTIC LIGHT DIMS
HE RECENT PASSING of Tony Horwitz, author of , caught the Civil War community by surprise. He was only 60 when he died of a heart attack on May 27 while. Upon hearing the sad news, I struggled to understand my deep sense of loss. After all, I hardly knew him. Sure, I’d had one, maybe two, phone conversations with him over the years and a couple of email exchanges, all of which I remember being pleasant. And, for a brief time, I even considered buying the house he had owned in Virginia before he moved to Martha’s Vineyard. During a tour of the property, I daydreamed about where he might have written passages of his famed Civil War book. Maybe the home could allow me to soak up some of his writing ability? Perhaps my regret was over the lost opportunity to interview him for magazine? Then I heard a rebroadcast of a 1998 radio interview in which Horwitz discussed and Civil War reenactors. He had followed my reenactment unit, and specifically my friend Robert Lee Hodge, around for material for the book. His views on my beloved hobby were insightful, and he made me think back to a time when my beard was dark and I could effortlessly march for miles. His death made me aware of my own ticking clock. Horwitz also had a magnificent ability to convey the wonder and complexity of history to a large audience, something I strive to do with every issue of . That’s why it hit me so hard. We had similar passions, despite the huge gulf of ability that separated him from me. Thanks for the inspiration, Tony. Like you, I’ll stay curious about America’s incredible and horrifying Civil War and its echoes until it’s my time to go.
