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Such is the state of Civil War history today. And though more dramatic reversals probably lie ahead, the caricatures of saintly Lee and devilish Grant might finally fade away.

Elesha Coffman is associate editor of Christian History.

See last week's New York Times article "History's Judgment of the 2 Civil War Generals Is Changing" for more on historians' shifting assessment of Lee and Grant.

For Christian History's perspective on this period, see issue 33: "The Untold Story of Christianity & The Civil War."

Grant's peace policy was discussed in the April 7 Christian History Corner, "The Original 'Charitable Choice' Program."

Lee Considered , Uncertain Glory, How Robert E. Lee Lost the Civil War, President Grant Reconsidered, Ulysses S. Grant: Soldier & President,and Grant are available at Amazon.com and other book retailers.

Christian History Corner appears every Friday at ChristianityToday.com. Previous Christian History Corners include:

Olympia Revisited | Christianity and the Olympic Games were once competitors, but at other times have been on the same team. (Sept. 29, 2000)

Weighty Matters | Gwen Shamblin's teachings sound an awful lot like some in the early church—and not in a good way. (Sept. 22, 2000)

In Errancy | Want to know what's wrong with the Western church? Start with a list. (Sept. 15, 2000)

"Kill Them All" | The medieval church was deadly serious about eliminating 'heretical' Cathars. (Sept. 11, 2000)

All Together Now | What qualifies as an ecumenical council anyway? (Sept. 1, 2000)

Soviets, Schism, and Sabotage | How the government manipulated division in the Russian Orthodox Church. (Aug. 18, 2000)

Sacrifice at Sea | The story that wasn't in James Cameron's Titanic. (Aug. 11, 2000)

Colonial Soul | The Cross and The Tomahawk series examines our nation's past from many perspectives. (Aug. 4, 2000)

The Fifth Evangelist | Johann Sebastian Bach was a musician "who lived the Bible." (July 28, 2000)

How the Other Half Lived | Chronicling the forgotten gender in the Bible and church history. (July 21, 2000)

A Cure for Cliophobia | While not for "dummies" or "complete idiots," a new guide introduces church history to the beginner. (July 14, 2000)

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October (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44