American Civil War (resp. Secession War) - your opinion

The political and economic reasons I stated WERE reasons enough to seccede. Neither part could become more prosperous by cooperating.

 

I really don't think that seceding was reasonable at the time. Through appeals from the south, it would have taken longer for the problems to get solved, but they would have gotten solved.

 

Maybe it wasn't reasonable, but they didn't see it that way. It was a matter of imposing YOUR system to the other if you want to remain as rich as you are or become richer.

 

I believe only a few southerners thought that way, and others followed just because of southern pride. The only reason Robert E. Lee went to lead the CSA Army was that "Virginia needed him." And look at the results today. South Carolina refusing to take down the confederate flag a few years ago, you see confederate flag bumper stickers all over the place here in texas. Would that be a possibility?

 

Ike, is correct Fried. THE only reason Robert Edward Lee joined the Confederacy, was because he would not bear arms against his home State of Virginia. If Virginia had stayed in the Union, he would have been one of the if not THE top Union Military Commander.

As we know, Virginia went "Dixie."

 

Agreed about Robert Lee and many others. But the war happened because of the political and economical reasons I stated. $$$$ is always the matter...

 

True, the war started partly due to political and economic reasons but, the big reason was also because they did not want some Yankees telling them what they could or could not do.

 

Which is a shame isn't it? Nevertheless, the Civil War did bring up quite a few problems in the government and I'm sure people will agree that the Civil War did more harm than good to this country even though the North did win.

I think an excellent thing to talk about while we're on the subject is the shoe situation during the war. I'm still puzzled how the south could not supply their troops with shoes (which is attributed to being one of the causes for Gettysburg). I realize that supply lines were being cut constantly and marching for days straight can wear shoes out, but still...

 

Yeah, the whole thing was nothing but a sad affair. Too many good people wasted for this. And whats even sadder is that the South would have soon voted to outlaw slavery anyway.

 

*shivers* Carl, I highly doubt southerners in those times would have gotten rid of the sole source of income and balance of economy just for something people (who were considered pacifists) wanted. Of course there was a few people in the south that were giving slavery a hard time (John Brown etc.) but not enough for it to be "almost outlawed" like you say...

 

This is the political things I'm talking about. The North wanted to improve southern legislations to ban slavery and therefore, allow capitalism to work.

 

I dont recall the government ever bugging the south about slavery. that would be devistating to the economy without something to back it up...does anybody have something from a book that they could share? Although, I do remember a few people outside of the government giving slavery trouble, like I said before: John Brown, people like him.

 

Hi Ike, actually it was something supposed to be on the table to discuss in ending if it had been that the South had won the war because Robert E. Lee refused all offers of becoming the President of the country unless the slavery issue was going to be resolved.

Look at saudi arabia, they only ended slavery there in 1967.

 

I'm sorry Carl, but I also have to do this in bold to stand out.

Your statement above is simply not true

I don't know where you got your figures from, but they bear no basis to reality.

In the ACW over 200,000 Black men served with the Union forces, of which 176,000 fought in the Union army (approximately 9% of the total enrollment of the Union army).
The first Black regiment was mustered in November 1862, by October 1864 there were 140 black regiments, of which 38 took part in the invasion of Virginia in 1864. Black soldiers were the first Union troops to enter Charleston and Richmond when these cities fell in 1865.
By the end of the war Black regiments had fought in 449 engagements of which 39 were major battles, most of them in the last decisive year of the war.
More than 37,000 Black soldiers lost their lives fighting for the Union, and 17 Black soldiers and 4 sailors were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
According to some military analysts the use of Black troops by the Union may have shortened the war by as much as a year.

On the Confederate side, Black men were not even allowed to join the CS army until March 1865 when Jefferson Davis signed the " Negro Soldier Law" a few companies were enrolled, but the war ended before any had seen combat.

source: Illustrated History of the American Civil War. edited by Henry Steele Commager.

 

Besides, slavery was the basis of power of the southern aristocracies. It was not about morals or human rights, but $$$$$$...

 

Hi Redcoat, I got those figures from a huge Civil War book I got years ago and recently sold, so I cannot quote much more of anything accurately from that book.

Hate to disagree with you red but, Blacks DID serve as Confederate soldiers long before 1865 and Davis's decree. Also, there were many many Indians who served on both sides as well and there were mixed units of Cherokee Indians, Choctaw Indians and others, that also had blacks serving along side them as well as "white" men.

Also, being that this seems to not be believed but, would you believe that 33% of ALL Cowboys that made the Wild West famous, were blacks--which is also so true.

Your also wrong in that no Negro CSA soldiers saw combat.

 

Hi Redcoat, I wish I could prove it to you with actual records and such but, Negro Cavalry aslo served in my Great, great Uncles Cavalry Brigade. My GGUncle was a Colonel in the CS Cavalry and was the Johnnie who lost his right arm at the Battle of Shiloh, that's (Pittsburg Landing)to any Yankees on this board

My GGUncle, served in this same unit throuought the war. He also was one of its founders and spent much of his own money to help raised at first, what was a Squadron of Cavalry but rapidly expanded into a Regiment.

As the war went on, it eventually became a Brigade. Some of the units were often detached and sent elsewhere and thery were under the command of General James Ewell Brown Stuart (J.E.B. Stuart) a few times even if only briefly.

Some of his men went on that famous ride with Stuart when Lee had needed him most which I think was at Gettysburg? not sure. Anyway, men from his command were on that long ride.

My GGUncles name was: Sam Cooper. So if anyone can look it up somewhere???? maybe this would help prove that there were Negro Confederates serving thruought the whole war.

 

Can you give me some info about people with declared anti-racist attitude at that time?

 

We all know what Shiloh is, Carl. In all the history books they name it after what the soldiers named the battle depending on who won. You should know that...
Knightmove, what do you mean?