By J. H. Segars We of the South have borne too long and too patiently the many mis representations concerning us, and we cannot afford to be patient longer. There is a hope that some of t omissions may enter future history, but what hope can there be of these misrepresentations ever being right ed if we neglect to do it now? They have condemned us; they are condemning us; and they will continue to condemn us, if we longer remain indifferent. Let us remember . . . history as now written is accepted, it will consign the South to infamy Mildred Lewis Rutherford, 1914
The impact of the American Civil War can’t be ignored. It’s still wi in news headlines. States’ rights v Federal authority issues. Disagreements over the usage of Confederate symbols, flags, and memorials continues. Activists in Memphis, New Orleans, and other cities seeking t remove statues that honor Southern patriots. Editors guessing at the m tives of the cowardly shooter in th Charleston, S.C. Church murders. Delegates at the Southern Baptist Convention condemning Confederate Battle Flags against the wishes their local members. The removal of historical stained glass at the Nat al Cathedral and important names from academic building at colleges. Even stranger, some historians continue to say that Sherman’s March was more akin to a group of college boys doing mischief than
he Civil War Hypocrisy? what it actually was—unconscionable vandalism and life-threatened abuse of Southern civilians. And, more recently, elitists are now pro claiming that the “Lost Cause” was really a myth and Southern valor didn’t exist. And, of course, loud voices continue to scream that the Civil War was fought over the singl issue of Slavery and nothing else.
Remembering the American Civil War Today’s news is delivered 24 hour a day on countless radio and televi sion stations. This method of communication, however, is what most Americans want—simple, short and uncomplicated sound bites, brief explanations to fit busy schedules. This doesn’t work very well when explaining American history. Opinion in popular culture is dri en by past history and is fluid and constantly changing. It is also dep dent on those with the loudest voic and the strongest media platforms. As Civil War enthusiasts and American citizens, we sometimes have need to think critically about all about historical interpretation and how history is sometimes explained in order to accommodate the 21st Century mindset. This cataclysmic conflict of
a lot of reasons, especially for th implementation of federalism and fo settling the slavery issue. The Civ War also needs to be remembered for the unbelievably large death
and casualty rates suffered by bo sides. A national calamity filled human tragedy that is still hard comprehend. At the beginning of the war, t North had a population of 22 mill while nine million lived in the S Union armed forces numbered 2.1 million and Confederate troops 1. million. Death and casualty stati tics differ with some sources but chart published by the Ohio State Dept. of History provides a good overview:
Union dead: 364,511 Union wounded: 281,881 Total Union loss: 646,392 Confederate dead: 260,000 Confederate wounded: 194,000 Confederate total loss: 454,000
The total number of dead in the Civil War is estimated to be 624, and more recent studies place the death total at 850,000 or more; 405,399 American soldiers were killed in World War II, and until Vietnam War, the number of deaths in Civil War surpassed all other American Wars combined.
Interpreting American History From the outset, Americans couldn’t even agree on what to ca this calamitous event. Now genera accepted as the American Civil Wa the conflict also had other names to include “The War Between the States,” “War of the Rebellion,” of Secession,” “War of Northern
Aggression,” “The Freedom War,” The Second American Revolution,” and “The Late Unpleasantness.” And if Americans first had trouble agreeing on a definitive name for the war, then, no wonder there still remains disagreement about many other aspects. It’s complicated. Interpretation depends on regional upbringing, ingrained biases, and culture. For many of us, the best way to learn about the Civil War is to study authentic accounts written by soldiers, North and South, and by the women, servants, and others who lived during the times. Also, by rea ing the works of eminent historians who immerse themselves in letters, diaries, and reliable sources, histo
thor of The Life of Johnny Reb and Life of Billy Yank and his former st dents: James I. (Bud) Robertson, Jr. Charles P. Roland, Richard McMurry and Steve Davis. Also, reading Jack Davis, Mauriel Joselyn, Burke Davis and other good researchers who can be trusted in their writings and historical interpretation. For many of us, the real story of the war can be found in first-person accounts rather than pretentious edi torial opinions. For example, here’s a story that is drawn from the famil papers of Ellen Denham of Putnam County, Georgia, from an interview in the early 1900s. Ellen, ten-years old at the time, had returned to her family’s plantation home and tannery after a visit by Sherman’s left wing: “Although the house had not been burned, it had been terribly abused. Windows were shot out. Doors had been chopped up for kindling. Animals had been quartered in the parlor. All the carpets were ruined and most of them cut to shreds. All the beautiful china and crystal had been wantonly broken to bits and strewn about. The furniture had been chopped up. Mama’s beautiful rosewood piano was in the barnyard where it had been used to feed and water animals. Everything valuable that had been buried had been found, dug up, and taken away . . . All the privies had been turned over and some of them partly burned. All the wells were filled with garbage and human and animal offal.” By looking closely at the words of those who were eye-witnesses to history, we can separate fact and fi tion. In this example, we don’t need a historian to tell us what Sherman’ men did to civilians and it serves n purpose to continue telling Southern ers today that Union vandalism and destruction was minimal. It serves no purpose. Perhaps a better question we should be asking is: “What kind of people would pour human and animal manure down the wells of defenseless families (as describe above) or purposely take measures that would leave women and children to starve?” Well, one answer could be: These same Union soldiers of this army who went to the Western frontier in order to fight Nativ Americans, burn villages and murder innocent women and children with Yankee precision, skills that were being developed on Sherman’s March to the Sea.
Causes of the War In modern society, many believe the war was all about slavery or it had nothing to do with slavery: both are incorrect conclusions. There are many complex reasons for the conflict and Martin Kelly provides good explanation in his article entitled “Causes of the Civil War” (About. com American History), summarized as follows: 1. There existed great economic and social differences between the North and the South. The Southern economy, dependent on cotton, a one-crop economy, called for slave labor. The Northern economy, industrial and diversified, meant that sla ery was no longer needed and could be abolished state by state. “This di parity between the two set up a major difference in economic attitude.” 2. States versus federal rights. Under the Articles of Confederation, states had the right to withdra from a national union. The creation of a new Constitution dismissed the rights of states to act independently and created great tension. This argument over the powers of the federal government and individual states remains with us today. 3. The fight between Slave and Non-Slave State Proponents. This volatile issue involved “the question of whether new states admitted to the union would be slave or free.” This national dilemma involved Congressional action taking place over several decades: The Missouri Compromise (1820), the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. Fighting over this issue als led to border wars (1854 to 1861) in Missouri and in “Bleeding Kansas,” a prelude to the Civil War. 4. Growth of the Abolition Movement. “Increasingly, Northerners became more polarized against slavery. Sympathies began to grow for abolitionists and against slavery and slaveholders.” Critical national events stirred both regions: the publishing of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the Dred Scott Decision, John Brown’s raid, and the Fugitive Slave Act. 5. The election of Abraham Lincoln. The election of Lincoln with less than forty percent of the popula vote (against three other candidates) pushed the Southern states into secession. “They believed that Lincoln was anti-slavery and in favor of Northern interests.” There was also another underlying issue that simmered for a long time: The issue of trade tariffs that favor Northern industries while penalizing Southerners who were more dependent on imports. Southern “crops were sold to cotton mills in England, and the ships returned with cheap manufactured goods produced in Europe. From the early 1800s, northern factories were producing many of those same goods, and northern politicians were able to pass heavy taxes on imported goods from Europe so that southerners would have to buy goods from the North. These taxes angered southerners (Kentucky Educational Television).” With all these historical situations in play, the stage was set for the country to be torn apart. Patrick J. Buchanan, national commentator,