American Civil War
Hello, friends! I hope your Fourth of July celebrations were plentiful. Me and the family had a wonderful time downtown this year. It was such a beautiful site to see so many people, decked out in their patriotic regalia, waving American Flags, all coming together for a common purpose. Day in and day out we all seem to cheer for something, and more often than not it’s for different reasons. My dad roots for the Buffalo Bills, and my mom likes the Carolina Panthers. It’s a house divided when those two teams play each other every couple of years. NASCAR fans root for many different drivers who’re all making left turns on the same track at the same time! And don’t even get me started on college sports…that’s a whole’nother thing I’m not gonna go near at this time. But for real, it really gives me warm feelings all over when everyone is cheering and celebrating for the same reason. The Fourth of July is a day – in fact it’s THE day – when we can all smile bigger to celebrate our Independence and eat a lot! LOL! Let’s just say it’s a good thing I wore shorts with an elastic waistband. If I don’t see a hot dog or a pile potato salad for another year I won’t be sad about it.
You know, there was a time when we didn’t all root for the same goal for our country. During a four-year span, between 1861 and 1865, we fought amongst ourselves. It is considered the most inglorious period of our American history. I remember a time when my mom had a “thing” for Patrick Swayze. In the 80’s he was in the TV miniseries, “North and South,” which took place at the time of the American Civil War. In the show Patrick Swayze fought for the South against his best friend, who was fighting for the North. The allusion of fictional characters to historical truth is hokey, but it’s pretty plain in its meaning; we as a people during the time of the Civil War fought our own brothers.
Civil War Soldiers
The American Civil War pitted eleven southern states – The Confederate States of America – against the U.S. Federal Government (commonly referred to as The Union). The Confederacy declared a secession from the United States after increasing talks of anti-slavery. Anti-slavery was a hot topic in the United States for a decade prior to Abraham Lincoln’s Presidential election in 1860, the secession of the Confederate States, and the start of the Civil War. Heavy helpings of the political agendas in the 1850’s focused on the expansion of slavery, the moral beliefs surrounding the practice, and an agreement by both the North and South that if slavery could not expand it would disappear. Lincoln’s election to the Presidency in 1860 was the proverbial last straw for the south who feared losing their grip on slave ownership, and triggered their ultimate secession.
During his campaign Abraham Lincoln stated, “Government cannot endure permanently half slave, half free.” Honest Abe campaigned against the expansion of slavery beyond the states in which it already existed. The Confederacy, led by Jefferson Davis, fought the Union which was supported by all the free states and the five border slave states in the north (for the time being). A little more than one month passed following Lincoln’s victory when, in December, 1860, South Carolina secedes from the Union. Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas followed just a couple months afterward; the seven southern states seceded from the Union even before Lincoln took office in March, 1861. Both Lincoln and the outgoing U.S. President, James Buchanan, rejected secession, considering it rebellion.
Fort Sumter Flag
With the beginnings of lines being drawn, the Civil War began on April 12, 1861, with the Siege of Fort Sumter. Following the Confederacy informing the Union that it planned to attack the South Carolina Fort, a bombardment commenced before dawn, lasting for 34 hours until the next morning. During the assault the fort’s central flagpole fell. The absence of flying colors queued Confederate envoys to inquire whether the flag had been lowered in surrender. Shortly thereafter the commander of Fort Sumter agreed to a truce, and surrendered the fort to Confederate control. No one from either side was killed during the bombardment. It was not until the 100-gun salute to the U.S. flag when a pile of cartridges blew up from a spark, killing one soldier and injuring the rest of the gun crew, one mortally. The deaths are logged as the first of the American Civil War. While the flag at Fort Sumter fell during battle, it was not lost. The Fort Sumter Flag was carried north where it became a widely known symbol of the battle, and rally cry for supporters of the Union.
And that is just the beginning. I’m going to halt the lesson here so you can digest this historical step in to the past. Meanwhile, I am going to digest the rest of my Fourth of July feast. More to come from days gone by, stay tuned for Patrick Swayze’s first scene. It’s coming soon!
Lexi
