The Union Forever!

Greetings Cosmic Americans!

Just a short note today to illustrate something that I believe is worthy of further discussion. Most of us can agree with President Lincoln...that slavery was somehow the cause of the war. One of my former professors said it best when he wrote  on the blackboard on the first day of Civil War class: "It was slavery - stupid."

But with all the talk about slavery - both the reasonable informed discussions and the back and forth bang-your-head-against-the-wall (usually pointless) arguments with neo-Confederates, one thing sometimes slips beneath the radar.

The overwhelming number of northern soldiers enlisted to fight for the preservation of Union. The destruction of slavery did not, for the most part, compel them to take up arms.  During the war, many saw the demise of the institution as a great way to undermine the Rebels' war effort...and after the war, Union veterans' sense of moralizing self-righteousness in regard to their participation in emancipation went a long way to show the world that theirs had been the noblest of efforts.

Perhaps the notion of Union is far to abstract for 21st century folks to really grasp. Even historian Barbara Fields has suggested that 19th century soldiers did not consider Union worth fighting and dying for - implying that emancipation was the only truly noble cause. Sure, emancipation was a noble cause indeed...and many came to see it that way. But it was Union that stirred patriots' hearts in 1861.

Peace,

Keith

John Brown Gordon Describes the Final Scenes at Appomattox

[caption id="attachment_2155" align="alignleft" width="173" caption="John Brown Gordon during the war"][/caption]

Greetings Cosmic Americans!

Ralph Lowell Eckert, in his book John Brown Gordon: Soldier – Southerner – American, recounts Gordon’s description of the final scenes at Appomattox, in which he attempts to arrange a truce with the Federals in his front and finds his wing of the army in the unfortunate condition of having no white flag. Eckert sites as evidence Gordon’s official report in the OR, a letter to E. P. Alexander in 1888, another letter to Bryan Grimes in 1872, and several published accounts including those of J. William Jones and James Longstreet. Apparently, the story of his part in the final hours of the Army of Northern Virginia was a story he was fond of telling. In an 1899 letter to Mrs. Peyton, the wife of Colonel Green Peyton, Gordon’s chief of staff and the man to whom he gave the order to procure a flag of truce, Gordon offers nearly the exact account as he had rendered to Grimes decades earlier. Sounding something like a letter of reference, the letter is in answer to a request from Mrs. Peyton…for what it is uncertain.

1918 F. St. NW



Washington D.C.



Feby 13, 1899.



My Dear Mrs. Peyton:



I dictate a brief reply to your letter received some time since.



On the night of April the 8^th, 1865, a conference was held at General Lee’s Headquarters at which it was decided that my command consisting of nearly one half of the Army, should, the next morning, attempt to cut its way out. We moved at daylight and swept over the Union breastworks, capturing some Artillery, and driving the enemy before us. We were however, soon almost completely surrounded when Colonel Venable rode up with an inquiry from General Lee as to the situation. I replied, “Tell General Lee that my command has been fought to a frazzle.” Then I received a note from General Lee informing me that there was a flag of truce between General Grant and himself stopping hostilities. It was at this time that I called your gallant husband to take a flag of truce, and communicate this information to the Union Commander in my front. Colonel Peyton could find no white flag or handkerchief. He finally secured a towel or something of the sort and rode rapidly away to the enemy’s lines. He soon returned with General Custer, with a demand from General Sheridan for my surrender, which was promptly declined, with a statement form me that General Lee was in conference with General Grant. On Custer’s return, General Sheridan rode toward my lines under a flag of truce, and I rode out with your husband and other members of my staff to meet him. This conference between Sheridan and myself resulted in an agreement to stop the fighting until Generals Lee and Grant should be heard from. My wing of the Army at this time consisted of other Corps. Rode’s old Division was a part of Jackson’s Corps, and therefore under my command. Colonel Peyton was the ranking Staff Officer in the Corps, and his fidelity, courage and great efficiency had long been recognized both in the field and by the War Department in Richmond. He was at this time serving as chief of staff with me. His never failing cheerfulness and hope; his words of encouragement and his good humour under the most trying conditions made him a delightful and helpful companion on the march, at the mess, around camp fires at night – indeed everywhere.











[caption id="attachment_2156" align="alignleft" width="199" caption="Senator Gordon of Georgia in the late 1890s"][/caption]







I wish I could write more; but hope that this may answer your purpose with every good wish.



I am, sincerely your friend,



J B Gordon



P.S. I beg to give you a more detailed account of the part played by your gallant husband in the last scenes of Appomattox. When the message reached me from General Lee, I directed Col Peyton, my chief of staff to take a flag of truce, ride quickly to the front & communicate to the Union Commander of the forces in front, the substance of General Lee’s note to me. Col Peyton replied: “General we have no flag of truce.” “Well,” I said, “Take your handkerchief & tie that to a stick & go.” He felt in his pockets & promptly replied: “I have no handkerchief Sir.”  “The tear your shirt Sir & put that on a stick & go” I ordered. He looked at his shirt & then at mine & said: “General, I have on a flannel shirt & I see you have. There isn’t a white shirt in your whole army. “Then get something at once & go” I quickly directed. Whereupon he found a towel or rag of not very immaculate whiteness, and rode off rapidly to the enemy’s lines. I have given in the body of this letter the circumstances of my parley with General Custer and later with General Sheridan.



Affectionately your friend,



J B Gordon

What a storyteller - he was full of 'em...and some were pretty close to the truth! And for those of you who demand satisfaction (from citations) the Gordon letter is housed at the Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library, Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond, Virginia. Their archivist was kind enough to send me copies of the Gordon collection.

Peace,

Keith

William H. Seward's Gettysburg Address

Greetings Cosmic Americans!

You really don't hear much about this one - but Lincoln's Secretary of State had his say at Gettysburg too. On the evening of November 18th, the night before the big show, Seward made a few impromptu remarks in response to a serenading crowd. At least one historian has suggested that he had had a few cocktails.

At any rate, while his words are not nearly as eloquent as his boss's far more famous Gettysburg Address, he is nevertheless direct on both the slavery issue and the fundamental principles of democratic government.

I thank my God that I believe this strife is going to end in the removal of that evil which ought to have been removed by deliberate councils and peaceful means. . . And I thank him for the hope that when that cause is removed, simply by the operation of abolishing it, as the origin and agent of the treason that is without justification and without parallel, we shall thenceforth be united, be only one country, having only one hope, one ambition, and one destiny.



When we part to-morrow night, let us remember that we owe it to our country and to mankind that this war shall have for its conclusion the establishing of the principle of democratic government;—the simple principle that whatever party, whatever portion of the community, prevails by constitutional suffrage in an election, that party is to be respected and maintained in power, until it shall give place, on another trial and another verdict, to a different portion of the people. If you do not do this, you are drifting at once and irresistibly to the very verge of universal, cheerless, and hopeless anarchy. But with that principle this government of ours — the purest, the best, the wisest, and the happiest in the world — must be, and, so far as we are concerned, practically will be, immortal.

To my amazement, I had a hard time finding this speech through the usual Internet searches. I finally found it in John Hay and John G. Nicolay, Abraham Lincoln: A History, Volume VIII, on page 191. So it seems books retain their usefulness. Hallelujah!

Peace,

Keith

The Days After the Battle of Gettysburg

Greetings Cosmic Americans!

In 1863, Gettysburg was hardly the "sleepy little hamlet" of lore. While the population was only around 2500 or so, the bustling town was set to do great things. There were tanneries, carriage manufacturers, and shoe cobblers. Gettysburg was the seat of Adams County, several roads converged there, and the town boasted a brand new train station.

Then, over three days in  early July 1863, 180,000 men showed up with their 50,000 horses and mules and all the accoutrements of war and had at each other - killing in great profusion. And just a quickly, they left. Lee's beaten army headed toward the Potomac - Meade's victorious Federals (cautiously) followed.

What happened in the town over the next few days, weeks, and months does not occupy the minds of those who follow the epic military saga nearly as much as it probably should. Both armies left behind thousands of wounded and dying men - with few, at first, to care for them. The handful of care givers had to contend with the most horrific of man's work. The psychological scars must have surely lasted a lifetime. Here I include one nurse's (Emily Souder)  vivid and emotional description of the scenes immediately following the battle.

The amputation table is plainly in view...I never trust myself to look toward it...the groans the cries, the shrieks...I buried my head in the pillow to shut out the sounds which reached us, from a church quite near...the Union soldiers and the rebels lie side by side, friendly as brothers...Monday, there was no bread...manna in the desert...Almost every hour has its own experiences to tell...from seven in the morning till seven in the evening...I am sorry to say that I gave out totally...a perpetual procession of coffins is constantly passing to and fro...it will be a place of pilgrimage for the nation.

With oddly reconciliatory overtones, Souder sensed what would soon follow - the creation of a national shrine...not to both armies, but to Union. Spearheaded by Pennsylvania governor Andrew Curtain and prominent Gettysburg citizen David Wills, a plan quickly came together for the dedication of a national cemetery. Invited to the dedication were Massachusetts politician Edward Everett, President Lincoln, and poet  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Longfellow declined perhaps, as historian Gabor Boritt put it, because poets are "sensitive souls and muses often fail to speak upon demand."

Or...maybe he was just busy. Of course you know the rest...

Ultimately, the town and the entire surrounding area became a national shrine - not just the cemetery. As "altogether fitting and proper" as that is, the elevation to shrine status meant that Gettysburg would grow no more. And I am just fine with that.

Peace,
Keith

Robert E. Lee and Slavery (Part Deux)

Greetings Cosmic Americans!

The question of Robert E. Lee's thoughts concerning the peculiar institution deserve more than one post. Last week, I spoke of the oft-quoted letter to Mrs. Lee, written in 1856, that has suggested to many that Robert E. Lee was opposed to slavery. I concluded that while he may have been uncomfortable with the institution in the abstract, he was perfectly comfortable with it in practice - and thought it the best relationship that could possibly exist between the two races. Slavery - the course of it anyway - was in God's hands.

I include the "relationship" letter below in full. Written to Virginia state legislator Andrew Hunter on Jan 11, 1865, the whole letter discusses the arming of slaves for use in the Confederate ranks.

Headquarters  Army of Northern Virginia
January 11, 1865

Hon. Andrew Hunter

Richmond Va.:



Dear Sir:



I have received your letter of the 7th instant, and without confining myself to the order of your interrogatories, will endeavor to answer them by a statement of my views on the subject.  I shall be most happy if I can contribute to the solution of a question in which I feel an interest commensurate with my desire for the welfare and happiness of our people.



Considering the relation of master and slave, controlled by humane laws and influenced by Christianity and an enlightened public sentiment, as the best that can exist between the white and black races while intermingled as at present in this country, I would deprecate any sudden disturbance of that relation unless it be necessary to avert a greater calamity to both.  I should therefore prefer to rely upon our white population to preserve the ratio between our forces and those of the enemy, which experience has shown to be safe.  But in view of the preparations of our enemies, it is our duty to provide for continued war and not for a battle or a campaign, and I fear that we cannot accomplish this without overtaxing the capacity of our white population.



Should the war continue under the existing circumstances, the enemy may in course of time penetrate our country and get access to a large part of our negro population.  It is his avowed policy to convert the able-bodied men among them into soldiers, and to emancipate all.  The success of the Federal arms in the South was followed by a proclamation of President Lincoln for 280,000 men, the effect of which will be to stimulate the Northern States to procure as substitutes for their own people negroes thus brought within their reach.  Many have already been obtained in Virginia, and should the fortune of war expose more of her territory, the enemy would gain a large accession to his strength.  His progress will thus add to his numbers, and at the same time destroy slavery in a manner most pernicious to the welfare of our people.  Their negroes will be used to hold them in subjection, leaving the remaining force of the enemy free to extend his conquest.  Whatever may be the effect of our employing negro troops, it cannot be as mischievous as this.  If it end in subverting slavery it will be accomplished by ourselves, and we can devise the means of alleviating the evil consequences to both races.  I think, therefore, we must decide whether slavery shall be extinguished by our enemies and the slaves be used against us, or use them ourselves at the risk of the effects which must be produced upon our social institutions.  My opinion is that we should employ them without delay.  I believe that with proper regulations they can be made efficient soldiers.  They possess the physical qualifications in an eminent degree.  Long habits of obedience and subordination, coupled with the moral influence which in our country the white man possesses over the black, furnish an excellent foundation for that discipline which is the best guaranty of military efficiency.  Our chief aim should be to secure their fidelity.



There have been formidable armies composed of men having no interest in the cause for which they fought beyond their pay or the hope of plunder.  But it is certain that the surest foundation upon which the fidelity of an army can rest, especially in a service which imposes peculiar hardships and privations, is the personal interest of the soldier in the issue of the contest.  Such an interest we can give our negroes by giving immediate freedom to all who enlist, and freedom at the end of the war to the families of those who discharge their duties faithfully (whether they survive or not), together with the privilege of residing at the South.  To this might be added a bounty for faithful service.



We should not expect slaves to fight for prospective freedom when they can secure it at once by going to the enemy, in whose service they will incur no greater risk than in ours.  The reasons that induce me to recommend the employment of negro troops at all render the effect of the measures I have suggested upon slavery immaterial, and in my opinion the best means of securing the efficiency and fidelity of this auxiliary force would be to accompany the measure with a well-digested plan of gradual and general emancipation.  As that will be the result of the continuance of the war, and will certainly occur if the enemy succeed, it seems to me most advisable to adopt it at once, and thereby obtain all the benefits that will accrue to our cause.



The employment of negro troops under regulations similar in principle to those above indicated would, in my opinion, greatly increase our military strength and enable us to relieve our white population to some extent.  I think we could dispense with the reserve forces except in cases of necessity.



It would disappoint the hopes which our enemies base upon our exhaustion, deprive them in a great measure of the aid they now derive from black troops, and thus throw the burden of the war upon their own people.  In addition to the great political advantages that would result to our cause from the adoption of a system of emancipation, it would exercise a salutary influence upon our whole negro population, by rendering more secure the fidelity of those who become soldiers, and diminishing the inducements to the rest to abscond.



I can only say in conclusion that whatever measures are to be adopted should be adopted at once.  Every day's delay increases the difficulty.  Much time will be required to organize and discipline the men, and action may be deferred until it is too late.



Very respectfully, your obedient servant,



R.E. Lee,
General

While he discusses limited emancipation, and thus gives even more support to those who think Lee was actively engaged in his opposition to slavery, he is actually looking to use some slaves in an effort to preserve the Confederacy and its institutions. He knew that the United States armies fielded former slaves - would the people of the Confederacy be better off using slaves to defend their cause...rather than have the United States use them to destroy it? Lee certainly thought so.

Peace,

Keith

Edward Porter Alexander on Lee at Gettysburg

Greetings Cosmic Americans!

Edward Porter Alexander - Confederate artillerist.  His reminiscences are among the best resources on the operations of the Army of Northern Virginia. Why? They were not intended for publication.

This is a great boon to historians simply for the fact that as far as we can tell, he was being candid concerning the war, the southern cause, and the soldiers he fought with and against.

Unlike many of his ex-Confederate contemporaries writing in the postwar South, Alexander was critical of Robert E. Lee. Here are a few words on Gettysburg, and what Alexander considers the failings on that battlefield - and the alternatives that Lee should have explored.

Now when it is remembered that we stayed for three days longer on that very ground, two of them days of desperate battle, ending in the discouragement of a bloody repulse, & then successfully withdrew all our trains & most of the wounded through the mountains; and, finding the Potomac too high to ford, protected them all & foraged successfully for over a week in a very restricted territory along the river, until we could build a bridge, it does not seem improbable that we could have faced Meade safely on the 2nd at Gettysburg with out assaulting him in his wonderfully strong position. We had the prestige of victory with us, having chased him off the field & through the town. We had a fine defensive position on Seminary Ridge at our hand to occupy. It was not such a really wonderful position as the enemy happened to fall into, but it was no bad one, & it could never have been successfully assaulted.

Well, I do not think that Alexander is giving Lee enough credit for trying to exploit the successes of the 1st, but still - this is a usefully honest critique of Lee written by a prominent soldier in Lee's army - free from the mythology and deity like status that others had built around their former chieftain.

Peace,
Keith

Better an English Girl Than a Yankee

[caption id="attachment_2121" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara"][/caption]

Greetings Cosmic Americans!

This is the last (for a while anyway) of posts relating to the epic Civil War drama - Gone With the Wind. It all stemmed from a question asked by an anonymous emailer about Hattie McDaniel...then a few other people asked some questions and well, there you have it.

Michael from Oregon wanted to know: who else was considered for the part of Scarlett? It was certainly one of the most sought after parts in Hollywood...and some of the biggest names in show business populated the list of potential Scarletts. There were at least 128 actresses suggested for the part and 32 women tested including. Lucille Ball, Clara Bow, Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow, Katharine Hepburn, Dorothy Lamour, Carole Lombard, Myrna Loy, Barbara Stanwyck, and Mae West.

Some heavy hitters indeed. The favorite of course, was British actress Vivien Leigh - but producer David O. Selznick was concerned that she would not play well to southern audiences. He need not have worried - when the Georgia chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy heard the news about Leigh's casting, they summed up the South's feelings: "Better an English girl than a Yankee."

So much for reconciliation. Oh sure, the response may have been issued in good-natured tongue in cheek fashion. But there is a lot of truth in every little joke...right ladies? I wonder if the film would have been such a success in the South had Selznick cast New Yorker Lucille Ball? Hmmm....makes you think.

So - Cosmic America will be back to focusing on topics directly related to the war (and not films about the war) tomorrow. But I have had fun with the Gone With the Wind stuff. Remember, if you have any questions you want answered here or on Office Hours - just fire at will!

Peace,
Keith