Was it you who recommended "The Killer Angels" novel to us? If so, thank you. I just completed it and found it powerfully moving. Not the blood and guts parts. But the dynamics between generals. Some of whom were fighting best friends. For unclear reasons. Loyalty to a slave state trumping friendship and patriotism?
It set me off on a journey to explore the journey of Gen James Longstreet. Fascinating. Once worshiped by his troops, then vilified for becoming a reconstructed Republican. And, of course, it is a novel. But if 10% of how the author portrays Lee is true, it blows a hole in one of America's biggest myths.
And...the conversations among the Confederate soldiers - denying that slavery was the the issue being fought about rang bells in my head. Those people had children who had children and passed on the same fantasies and philosophies - and here we are. "We was just faitin' for our raihts!"
Millions of people are still "unreconstructed" rebel bigots. And JD Vance wants to be their new leader. I continue to reflect on the idea that perhaps, the North should have let the South go its own way. We lost too much DNA. And as HCR's book title suggests "How the South Won the Civil War"....anyway.
Bill, in the grand scheme of the Universe I feel that the states that remained United had a moral and ethical obligation to strike down human bondage in a nation that was created the way ours was created....with the ideals the Founders put forward. The CSA was based on a BIG lie.... that Africans were put on earth to serve White masters and be their property.
We won the war...and yes it has been uphill all the way. But we have come a long way. There has been a LOT of blood, sweat & tears...but things are way better than they were when I was a child. We are now facing the biggest challenge since 1860...and it took a schmuck like Trump to let the dogs of chaos & bigotry off the chain. There's still a LOT of work to do...I can assure you that the Old South is alive and well. You can find it at Civil War re-enactments and there are Facebook groups that want to fly rebel flags everywhere and build more monuments to confede-rats...but every generation their numbers decline. We MUST win this election. There is another great book titled "Robert E Lee & Me". check that one out. Peace
Hi Bill, yes I did suggest the Killer Angels. Michael Shaara researched and wrote the novel over 8 years. His history is excellent and the details about Lee are accurate. The southern professional military people got sold a bill of goods about "States Rights". I've got to run right now...but I'll come back to this with some details about your modern observations.
I've always found Antietam to be the saddest of all the battlefields I've visited - maybe because of the contrast between the beauty and the carnage. It's nice to remember that at least one good thing came out of it.
Hi Joan. I went through a period where I just could not justify the amount of death and suffering in these peaceful, beautiful rolling hills. It took me years to really understand it...and the annual Illumination helped me get there. I believe that we constantly co-create our world...the results of our actions are often ying-yang and equal & opposite.
Slavery was the blight on America from the early 1600's and was justified by some men of the cloth...especially in the south, who had wealthy Planter church members. They found the right verses of the Bible to make slavery not only ok...but Gods will to save the "heathen" folks from the jungle. So the enslavers were actually doing "good" work...God's work from their POV. When they seceded after Lincoln was elected they clearly stated it was because the Founders were wrong about freedom & equality.
So they chose to fight it out when they fired on Ft Sumter. They honestly thought they would quickly win...(like Putin in Ukraine) and be left alone. It did not work out that way...and the mutual sacrifices at Antietam gave America what it really needed. The pathway to freedom for all and equality for all....it just took years to make it all legal for blacks, women, gay folks, etc. So I can live with that battle on that day opening the door to where we have scratched, clawed and evolved to...but the games not over. This election is an extension of those who want white male power and the rest of us. It's a VERY sacred place. I'm sad for the families of those who died there...like D-Day...but it was for the better...not in vain at all.
Mike,
Was it you who recommended "The Killer Angels" novel to us? If so, thank you. I just completed it and found it powerfully moving. Not the blood and guts parts. But the dynamics between generals. Some of whom were fighting best friends. For unclear reasons. Loyalty to a slave state trumping friendship and patriotism?
It set me off on a journey to explore the journey of Gen James Longstreet. Fascinating. Once worshiped by his troops, then vilified for becoming a reconstructed Republican. And, of course, it is a novel. But if 10% of how the author portrays Lee is true, it blows a hole in one of America's biggest myths.
And...the conversations among the Confederate soldiers - denying that slavery was the the issue being fought about rang bells in my head. Those people had children who had children and passed on the same fantasies and philosophies - and here we are. "We was just faitin' for our raihts!"
Millions of people are still "unreconstructed" rebel bigots. And JD Vance wants to be their new leader. I continue to reflect on the idea that perhaps, the North should have let the South go its own way. We lost too much DNA. And as HCR's book title suggests "How the South Won the Civil War"....anyway.
Bill, in the grand scheme of the Universe I feel that the states that remained United had a moral and ethical obligation to strike down human bondage in a nation that was created the way ours was created....with the ideals the Founders put forward. The CSA was based on a BIG lie.... that Africans were put on earth to serve White masters and be their property.
We won the war...and yes it has been uphill all the way. But we have come a long way. There has been a LOT of blood, sweat & tears...but things are way better than they were when I was a child. We are now facing the biggest challenge since 1860...and it took a schmuck like Trump to let the dogs of chaos & bigotry off the chain. There's still a LOT of work to do...I can assure you that the Old South is alive and well. You can find it at Civil War re-enactments and there are Facebook groups that want to fly rebel flags everywhere and build more monuments to confede-rats...but every generation their numbers decline. We MUST win this election. There is another great book titled "Robert E Lee & Me". check that one out. Peace
Hi Bill, yes I did suggest the Killer Angels. Michael Shaara researched and wrote the novel over 8 years. His history is excellent and the details about Lee are accurate. The southern professional military people got sold a bill of goods about "States Rights". I've got to run right now...but I'll come back to this with some details about your modern observations.
I've always found Antietam to be the saddest of all the battlefields I've visited - maybe because of the contrast between the beauty and the carnage. It's nice to remember that at least one good thing came out of it.
Hi Joan. I went through a period where I just could not justify the amount of death and suffering in these peaceful, beautiful rolling hills. It took me years to really understand it...and the annual Illumination helped me get there. I believe that we constantly co-create our world...the results of our actions are often ying-yang and equal & opposite.
Slavery was the blight on America from the early 1600's and was justified by some men of the cloth...especially in the south, who had wealthy Planter church members. They found the right verses of the Bible to make slavery not only ok...but Gods will to save the "heathen" folks from the jungle. So the enslavers were actually doing "good" work...God's work from their POV. When they seceded after Lincoln was elected they clearly stated it was because the Founders were wrong about freedom & equality.
So they chose to fight it out when they fired on Ft Sumter. They honestly thought they would quickly win...(like Putin in Ukraine) and be left alone. It did not work out that way...and the mutual sacrifices at Antietam gave America what it really needed. The pathway to freedom for all and equality for all....it just took years to make it all legal for blacks, women, gay folks, etc. So I can live with that battle on that day opening the door to where we have scratched, clawed and evolved to...but the games not over. This election is an extension of those who want white male power and the rest of us. It's a VERY sacred place. I'm sad for the families of those who died there...like D-Day...but it was for the better...not in vain at all.