307 The Civil War and the English Language
History | Registration opens 8/5/25 9:00 AM EDT
If metal and lead were the heart of the Civil War, then the English language was its soul. The rich vocabulary of the language ignited the emotions on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line and was used to get men into the ranks, sustain them while they were there and was the instrument they used to try and make sense of the carnage. Soldiers, in turn, longingly waited for letters from loved ones at home to know if someone still cared, while generals used words to move armies, develop strategies, and cover their backsides when they lost battles. A tall man from Illinois perhaps used it to its fullest potential when describing the meaning of the war at the dedication of a small portion of a battlefield in Pennsylvania. The English language, in all its splendor, went to war as surely as the armies did between 1860-1865.
Tim Vane
Tim Vane served in the US Army for more than 20 years and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. During his time on active duty he participated in Operation Just Cause (Panama), the first Gulf War and Operation Uphold Democracy (Haiti). He earned his BA from La Salle University and MA from California State University. His military education includes the Field Artillery Basic and Cannon Courses, the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, the Defense Information School and the Command and General Staff School. Tim retired from ORNL in 2014; he now owns his own consulting company and is co-owner of How2LeadUS which offers leadership development to businesses and organizations. The company uses Civil War battlefields as the classroom and often uses re-enactors and equipment as part of the instruction.