150th Anniversary of the American Civil War

[Sappho]

The 12th of April this year marks the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War... the bloodiest, yet most significant war America has engaged. America is what it is today because the North won... and would be a vastly different entity had the confederates won.

The absolutely arrogance with regard to southern supremacy is mind blowing...

Of the western expansion it was said... "Better for us that these [new] territories should remain a waste, a howling wilderness ... than to be so settled."

Of themselves it was said... "We are a peculiar people, sir! ... We are an agricultural people ... We have no cities_we don't want them ... We want no manufactures: we desire no trading, no mechanical or manufacturing classes ... As long as we have our rice, our sugar, our tobacco, and our cotton, we can command wealth to purchase all we want." and... "Ours is an agricultural people ... the most powerful condition on earth."

Of the Northerners it was said... "The great evil of northern 'free' society is that it is burdened with a servile class of mechanics and laborers, unfit for self-government, yet clothed with the attributes and powers of citizens." and... "Free society! We sicken at the name. What is it but a conglomeration of greasy mechanics, filthy operatives, small-fisted farmers and moon-struck theorists .. hardly fit for the association with a Southern gentleman's body servant."

Of the conflict between the Northern and Southern mindset it was said... "In this country have arisen two races [that is, Northerners and Southerners] which, although claiming a common parentage, have been so entirely separated by climate, by morals, by religion and by estimates so totally opposite to all that constitutes honor, truth and manliness, that they cannot longer exist under the same government." and... "... directly descended from the Norman barons of William the Conqueror, a race distinguished in its earliest history for its warlike and fearless character, a race in all times since renowned for its gallantry, chivalry, honor, gentleness, and intellect." and... "one Norman Southerner could doubtless lick ten of those menial Saxon Yankees."

So, given the Anniversary of the American Civil War is upon us, I thought it might be interesting for us to share our knowledge and interesting quotes from the time.

[Jovial Monk]

The civil war was the first war to be documented by photographs.

[Sappho]

You are wrong Monk. The first war to be photographed was the Crimean War of 1854. The American Civil War of 1861 was the first war to be photographed extensively. Photographic technology had become more wide spread in the years intervening those two wars. That said... it was also the case that drawings and paintings were still the normal means of visual documentation.

Nonetheless... introducing photographs to this thread is a good idea.... although a warning to all... these are war pictures and can be brutal viewing.



More than 600,000 Americans died in the civil war and more than 400,000 were injured.

[Jovial Monk]

First to be documented by photographs in fact

[Sappho]

First to be documented by photographs in fact

How many times must you be told that you are wrong Monk? Please, let us keep to the facts. Click this link for images for the Crimean War's photographic history as photographed by Roger Fenton.

[boxy]

"We are a peculiar people, sir! ... We are an agricultural people ... We have no cities_we don't want them ... We want no manufactures: we desire no trading, no mechanical or manufacturing classes ... As long as we have our rice, our sugar, our tobacco, and our cotton, we can command wealth to purchase all we want." and... "Ours is an agricultural people ... the most powerful condition on earth."

Dunno who said it... but that's the mindset that lost the South the war. It was the might of the Northern industrial machinery that kept it's soldiers resupplied, even far from home, while the Southern army often ran short, even when fighting on their own doorstep, and the massive rollout of the telegraph kept the Northern generals informed.

[Jovial Monk]

“The fantastic gimcrack factories of the south. . .”

Collected urine-soaked soil to extract the nitre for gunpowder. What a way to run a war.

[Sappho]

"We are a peculiar people, sir! ... We are an agricultural people ... We have no cities_we don't want them ... We want no manufactures: we desire no trading, no mechanical or manufacturing classes ... As long as we have our rice, our sugar, our tobacco, and our cotton, we can command wealth to purchase all we want." and... "Ours is an agricultural people ... the most powerful condition on earth."

Dunno who said it... but that's the mindset that lost the South the war. It was the might of the Northern industrial machinery that kept it's soldiers resupplied, even far from home, while the Southern army often ran short, even when fighting on their own doorstep, and the massive rollout of the telegraph kept the Northern generals informed.

Critically, the south also lacked the rail and road networks necessary to quickly move their troops to the various theatres of war. What they did have in roads and rail aimed at servicing their agricultural export trade.

Meanwhile... here is the song of the Civil War written by the abolitionist Julia Howe. It is now consider to be one of the great American patriotic songs of our era. It was popular during the Civil war also. I personally find it to be biblically vengeful.

Battle Hymn of the Republic

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.

(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:
His day is marching on.

(Chorus)

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
"As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,
Since God is marching on."

(Chorus)

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.

(Chorus)
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

(Chorus)

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave,
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave,
Our God is marching on.

(Chorus)

[Sappho]

Camp in Williamsport, Maryland

July the 11, 1863 1

My Dear Cousin



I write you a few lines
this evening in answer to yours of
the 23 of June which I received today
and you may be assured that it afforded
me great pleasure to hear from you
all once more. It had been more than
a month since I had heard from home.
This leaves myself and brother both
well. And I much hope it may reach
you in due time and find you all
enjoying the best of health and all
other blessings. We have had a very
hard time since I wrote to you before
both marching and fighting to do.
We went into Pennsylvania and stayed
for some time and had a hard
Battle Near Gettysburg. It commenced
on the 1 day of July and continued
until the night of the 3 day, and then
both armies fell back with great
loss. We went in the 3 day and got
nearly all of our Division killed & wounded
I hope there was not another Division
in Lee's army that suffered the loss
that Pickett's2 did. General Pickett's lost every
Brigadier General that he carried in the battle:
two killed and one taken prisoner.
Nearly all the officers in our brigade were
killed & wounded. We lost our Colonel one
of the best men in service. He was a
good officer and he was good to his
men; they all loved him. Our
Lieutenant Colonel lost one of his arms at Malvern
Hill and got the other one seriously
wounded in the Battle the other day.
I guess you will see a list of the killed
and wounded in the papers which will
be more correct than I could give you.
There was 35 men went in the battle
in our company and there was only
15 of them came out fit for duty
Myself & John come through safely. Are we
not lucky; ah we have been so far.
There was a ball passed through my sleeve
though it did not hurt my arm. Me
and Jon came very near being taken
prisoner on the day of the battle; [ I told
him] when I saw that we were nearly
surrounded I told Jon that we would
run and try to get away from
them and we made our escape by doing
so, while several of our boys that
was with us let the Yankees take
them.

We have taken a great many of the
Yankees prisoners. Our Division brought
some five or six thousand of them
to this place. I heard that the
Yankee's papers stated that they
lost forty thousand killed at the
battle at Gettysburg. I hear of
a small battle nearly every day and
I am expecting another big battle
every day. Though I don't think
they will put our Division in.
Our brigade is on guard in this
town, the citizens of the town
seem to be in favor of the Yankees
mostly.


I must close. Give my love
to all the family and share the same
for you and write to me soon.
to your loving Cousin

Jimmie Booker

to C. U. Blair

[Jovial Monk]

The South had lost Stonewall Jackson b4 Gettysburgh. . .would still have lost I think. The march into Virginia should have been done in first year of the war, they were doomed when they didn’t.

Churchill in History of the English Speaking People talked about 60,000 muskets sent from the south to the north for refurbishments, when that was done some southern sympathiser in the govt somewhere ensured they got sent back to the army units down south—if only someone had thought quickly and seized those muskets 1m casualties might have been avoided.