Should Abraham Lincoln have let the Confederacy secede, rather than fight a war that cost the lives of 650,000 to 800,000 men, which left millions of widows and fatherless children? This death toll was between two and two and a half percent of the entire population. If we were to have such a war today, between the states, and the numbers were updated to reflect current population statistics, about 8,000,000 people would die.
Ideals. We stand by our convictions on a moral basis. Unto death in some cases. Slavery was a stain upon the soul of what the united states stood and stands for. Add that succession was seen as something just as blightful and you have yourself a civil war. My take is that rich people didnt want to give up thier slaves or thier money (federal taxes, fees, etc, etc) and as a group of idiots thought they would be better off running thier own morally corrupt banana republic. Many fortunes were lost. Can you imagine having to give up your lands to and then work right next to, as equals, the very people you shit on for so many years? Karma has a pimp hand made of granite.
It's all well and good that "many fortunes were lost", but are you aware that many fortunes were made, such as the first women millionaires, due to the Civil War? What grieves me, is the total lack of sympathy for the lives lost, which was in the neighborhood of 2.5% of the population, 800,000 men. This left millions of fatherless children and hundreds of thousands of widows left to deal with it. Did they deserve "Karma", whether the victims were from the North or South? Did not many of the former plantation owners simply set up shop once again, with former slaves as their employees and sharecroppers? For every five to six slaves that were freed, one soldier died. This is an undisputed fact. If a group of states decided to secede today, with the same percentages of Civil War deaths adjusted for the current population, the death count would be 7 to 8 million Americans, mostly young men, Would this be acceptable to the country, and the rest of the world? Remember, the slaves lives were not in mortal danger, they were considered valuable property by their owners. Couldn't Lincoln have thought of a way to handle this, other than engaging in a massive slaughter, likes of which would make anybody with common sense balk? The draft was hugely unpopular, during the Civil War. There were violent anti-government riots against it in New York City and elsewhere, and armories had to be built to control the Northern population. This certainly is a taboo topic. If you even mention that perhaps the Civil War was not a humanitarian effort, but a huge, deadly money-making scheme, with a cost that we're still paying for today, they'll accuse you of being a racist.
Yes, this was an important part of his job, but enabling a mass slaughter of 5% of the male population, when other options were not even tried, was the worst event in our nation's history, by our worst president. If people's dogs were drafted, there would be another revolution. Their sons, however, are considered cannon fodder.
No, it's for kindergarten, because a five year old would have more sense than to kill nearly a million male soldiers, to free four million from a non life-threatening situation.
My opinions are not an endorsement of slavery, or other forms of inequality. I am simply questioning the motives for, and the results of, the Civil War, given that five percent of the nations men were killed, and countless millions of people were very badly affected, with many of those lives ruined. Warfare was the incorrect solution to this problem.
I agree with cigarjack. While it's impossible to know what would have happened in our country, according to world history, when a country splits into two, the inevitable result is abundance for one and dire poverty for the other. West/East Germany, North/South Korea etc. I think Lincoln understood his two choices were armed conflict and dooming everyone in the South to this permanent poverty.
Then there is the thought that the South didn't have to fight, they could have accept the lose of having slaves and made the adjustment. It does take two to tango.
I do genealogy. One of my G-G-grandfathers, Stephen Burrell Morgan fought for the south. He was a grocer who owned no slaves, and he died of measles in May of 1862. His wife, Jane Elizabeth Donald, however, came from a big, upper-class slave-owning family. They eloped when she was 16 and he was 27 (not that unusual back then). Jane was pregnant with their 4th child as the Civil War broke out. I thought you might find a taste of life in 1862 Alabama to be interesting (and a way to waste a bit more time). When my G-G-grandmother Jane applied for her widow's pension, she enclosed some letters from Stephen to her, to provide proof that he served. She never got them back, and they were preserved by the government and were eventually reproduced online. I transcribed them. I left the spelling as it was in the letters. Letters of Stephen Burrell Morgan, 32nd Alabama, Capt. Ashe’s Company, to his wife, Jane Elizabeth (Donald) Morgan and Brother-in-law, Thomas Donald Mobile, Jary 30 1862 Dear wife, This leaves me well. I am eccept in Capt Ramfort Company. Buck & Jim also. Cyrus and Patterson are refused. We will leave to morrow or next day. I send you five dollars in cash by Pat. He will deliver it to you. I will send you some rice today if I have time to do it. Do not send Dr Curtis account to Lawson as he has paid me on the boat. John Hayle will inform you of what I wanted you do. Write to me. What has been done and everything relation & etc. Alex will deliver this and the money. If I had time I would rite more. Direct is Fort Gaines, Capt Ramfort, Comp, Fort Gains. Yours truly SB Morgan Notes: Lawson is SB’s lawyer friend. (I made these notes when I was researching Stephen's life, including his friends. I made "profiles" for several of them.) Mobile, Alb. Febry 11 1862 Dear Jane, This will inform you that I am well at this time. I am stationed at this place. I have joined Capt Ashe’s Company from Washington county. Bob McKinstry’s Regmnt. The Capt and my self will up in a short time. He, Capt Ashe, has promise to give me the 2 lieutenant ship in his company. He will get our bounty money in a few days and our uniforms. Jim Heale is with me they will not recd recrut only for the war. Tell all the Boys to come and join us as the war will not last more than six weeks. Peace is spoken of in lest than six week. Jane, I want you to send me a matress and two pillows. And one quilt. Direct them to SB Morgan, Capt Ashe Company, Col McKinstry Regmnt to the park and Lake, Mobile. I sent you some rice and six dollars by Patterson. I will rite to friend Pierce to see to the marting of said things as soon as I get my uniform and bonus money I will earn. I want you to rite to me what Dean has done for you and send me (a) bill of all the little things you want in your letters. Give me a full history of Jim Hale as in his full glory. he will come home Tell Asst Scoot that he can make it all if he will come by working. There is no cards here. Kiss my babies for me. And I will be at home in a short time & bring Warny his pony. I sent the books and fruit. Take good care of your self, children, dear. Give my friends, all my love and ---. And except a portion for your self, so fare well my dear wife, yours truly SB Morgan Notes: Ft. Gaines cannot keep up with the recruits’ needs, so he needs bedding. Card playing was considered as sinful. Camp Chandler, Mobile Feby 27, 1862 Dear Jane, I received your letter today informing all was well with exception of your self. I am truly sorry to hear it. But I trust when you receive this that you will be in health again. Jane I have trying for the last week to get a furlough home. But it seems almost impossible as there has been only furloughs granted from Gen Withers but nevertheless Capt Ashe told me to go Col Mckinstry on Monday morning and try to get him to grant me one and if I get it I will leave here Tuesday night if not I can’t say when I can. I (n) the first place I am well and hearty as usual and weigh more by 3 lb. Jim Heale has been sick but is up at this time. I will give you a small schetls(schedule?) of our fares pickle horse meat or mule, so said pickle beef salt beef, fresh beef and some pork mollases rice potatoes flour cornmeal sugar molass & coffee peas & etc. Jane, I will send you 3 calico, 12 yards bleaching, 13 yards shirting, thread, needles and pins, 3 plush caps. I will send you this bill of all in the box. I would tell what else but it is fast. Jay and all the houses are closed up today. I have met many a one from Dallas and this place I knew. I have seen Nel Mood. Sage is dead. I am very surprise at the boys for not coming here to join us. I seen thousand of soldiers since I came here, going to different portion of the Confederacy. It is enough to break the heart of any tyrant to think of it. The damned Yankees have whipped most everywhere. And to be plain to you, if they ever get here, it will be the same thing. 3300 hundred men left here yesterday and the day before for Cain Miss although there is hundreds coming in. Brother Jack has gone home from Florida. He was discharged on account of his health. I saw four thousand malitia last Saturday as there was a General Review and will have another to morrow. We will have a General inspection to day at 3 O’clock. We have splendid company 65 privates 12 officers. We want one hundred & twelve if we can get them. Tell the boys to come and join in. They will get fifty dollars just as soon as they are sworn in. Jane, you have no idea how dear things is here, from 30 to sixty cents per yard, shirting 70 cents per yard. Jane there is one thing I want you to send me the next time you write to me. That is ND Colman’s due bill. The one I got at Livingston several years ago. I can get the money from Dr Hawkins at St. Stephens as he is Nan Colman’s guardian. I got the mattress quilt and all you sent me on Saturday after I wrote to you. If it is in your power I would you to get my watch by the time I come home and if you get it sooner and Elber Pierce comes down, I want him to bring it as I can trade it. We may move to Camp Bula 4 miles from here next week which is at Spring Hill Road. We have seen some hard times here in this cotton yard. I will do my best to get a furlough on Monday and if I do I will be home Wednesday night. But don’t you be too certain for fear I can’t accomplish. I will send you two or three paper of the latest date. Oh Dear, I want to see you and my babies so bad. Remember me to them and tell to be good children. I will send you some small prints for my expected daughter. I will send you all some candy, nuts and other things & cake. Well, I have to church several times and not as the place you might expect. Some of our men have tuned themselves a ready. I will write some more. We lost one man at Fort Gains and left two sick ones there. We have a great deal of decking on Star Island. I will give you a small history of a soldier that died in Pensecola last week. He had the fever and went to sleep and his friend tried wake him up but to no purpose. But finally he woke up himself. He told his friend that on the next day just at 4 O’clock he was going to die and so he did. He told them that in the third week of April that there was going to be the greatest battle fought that had ever been in modern times and that early in May Peace would break upon us suddenly as the war did at the start. God grant that it may. But shure enough, he did die at the time he said he would. So far, so good. It is general opinion of everybody that Peace will soon be returned to us all. Well, I will close write to my dear wife. May God help you and my children. I pray take care of your self and children. Give my respect to Jane and enjoy a full portion for your self and children. Tell Warny I am going to bring him some white chickens. Tell Bob & Tom to learn their book and I will bring them some more when I come home. Tell Pierce that I will remember him. Write to me if you got the wheat from AN or not and everything you can think of that will interest me. Write often, say every two week. Send them by mail will be the sureits (surest?) way for me to get them. Fare well Jane. Keep my baby for me. I will write again soon. God keep you all. I remain your true and devoted husband until death- SB Morgan Notes: SB was kidding her about eating horse and mule meat, but by the end of the civil war it was true. To give you an idea about how much paying 60 cents for shirting (cloth to make shirts with) in 1900, 35 years after the end of the Civil War, Sears was selling the best shirting for 12 ½ cents per yard! Nan Colman was a 32 year old widow whose husband didn’t think she could manage her money, so he appointed a guardian for her! Note also how SB has changed his closing – the “until death”. The reality of the war is closing in. Unknown camp, Undated fragment When I lef I said I would write more So I will here is the condition of our camps. Some playing card. Some fiddling Some dancing praying Singing throwing dice and carrousing and a little of everything you can imagine coming in and going out and every where Iam. There are some good laws here in relation to whiskey you can not get it any place. Clothing some few can get. There is Old(?) moving here with a great many leaving the city for the expected fight. But I have no idea there will be a fight. I would gladly go in to one in the morning if it would close it. I see the youth from 15 years old up to the aged man of 65 or more. I saw some Union men Bridge Burners every day. They are in the Roper House though guarded by day and night. They seem to be in good spirits . Singing and whistling and laughing all the time. I may write some more before I leave. It is near drill time_____. Saturday evening Jane you will find one gingham dress and 6 yard calico. This I bought today four dollars for the ginghams and 1.50 for the calico. Tell sister Lizzy that I will bring her dress when I come. I will do my best to get it off one day this coming week. Our first orderly Sergent has deserted with a pocket full of money & some of mine. We will send for him. Oh dear, do the best you can. Send me the Coleman due bill when you write me forthwith. My loving dear wife until I see you, kiss my babies for me. SB Morgan Notes: I think this fragment fits in somewhere around here, since SB again mentions the Coleman bill again. Mobile, Alb. March 7, 1862 Dear Wife, It is with pleasure that I can inform you that we have arrived back to this place once more after an absence of thirty days at Fort Gains. I am proud to inform you that I am well and hearty and truly hope this will find you and the children all well. I am. I have not heard from you since I left this place. When I wrote to you from Fort Gains, I said to Jim that I would come home as soon as we were paid of(f) but alas, we have not rec’d any pay yet and I think we may get it the last of this week. If not, I can’t say when. I think we will say here sixty days from this time to make up our regiment. We need one hundred sixty men. I forgot to mention to you we are camped four miles from this place at Camp Goodwin on the Shed Road. Jane, I have come to the conclusion not to come home until the 25 of May as I had much rather be with you at that time than any other. If I was to come home now, I could stay but ten days with you. And I want to stay for one month when I do come. I saw Pomp Woodall this morning. He told me that Brother William was at Robinson, sick. I wish I could see him. I want to get a transfer for him and Hale and come to our regmt. I was speaking to Ashe this morning and he said he would pay a man to go and take their place. We have had some heavy fighting at Corinth yesterday and to day as was whipping them up to the last account I heard this morning. I don’t know whether you got the box of goods I send you or not. This war will not last longer than June, if that long. I heard that our regmt was for the state and if so, we will stay a bout Mobile. And Heale, Mull, and John McElroy is here and others. Jane, write to me soon for I am anxious to hear from you and my little children. I have not had a letter from anyone except your self. I have wrote Lawson, Tom and John Ward. And have not heard a word from any one of them. I also wrote PG Nash to see if Dean and Pierce attended to(o), and also attend the selling of HB Nell with business of Simon’s. If I ever get home I will remember Simon of them. And if I have to stay in the army much longer I will teach them a lesson that will long be remembered. I am determined to come home in May if my life last. If we get our pay, I will send you flour, coffee and other things. My dear write me all the news and everything that will….. (ends) Notes: SB joined at the end of January, but still no pay! Paying a man to take another’s place in the army, was a common and accepted practice. Ads were in newspapers to get replacements. The food shortages had already begun. Fort Gaines March 7, 1962 To Thomas Donald, brother to Jane Dear Brother and sister, I drop you a few lines to inform you that I am well and hearty and hope this will find you all well. I thought I would wright to you before we left Mobile. There but was ordered to this before we new it. I like this place very well. There is about six hundred here in all. We will not stay here long before we’ll be ordered away. I am, as soon as there is malitia enough to defend this fort. Then we will leave. I was pickett guard night before last. Last Thursday, malitia captured two spies. It liken to be they will hang. I think Tom, I will come home just as soon as our corporal returns from Washington County and we have elections for 2 lieutenant, which office I have had the promise of by the captain when the election comes on which will be as soon as he comes back. I was in hopes you would come and join our company. I tried to come home last week but could not get off. This is a mighty cold place here. Tell sister Liz that I will bring her a present when I come home. Tom, there is not time here or expected be. Give my respect to James Wheat and tell him that I have not had the chance to kill a Yankee yet but would have killed one of three that we taken the other night if they would have let me. Tom, go and tell my wife and little boys that I will come home as soon as I can. Write to me soon. Fare well to you all. Give my love to all. Fare well, your brother until death, SB Morgan Notes: Ed Hyatt is dead. Jim Grimes is in the Marina Hospital in Mobile. Fort Gaines March 15, 1862 Dear wife To day gives me opportunity of mailing you a few lines to inform you that I am well with the exception of a slight cold and hope this will find you and my little boys well. I would have writing to you before now, but I wrote to Tom and Alex Lawson and requested them to go and see you. We have a great deal of backs up in camp since our arrival here. We start a pickett guard every other night and work every other day. Our men are all dissatisfied here. We have seen aufall cold weather here and winds enough to kill the devil. (Don’t)think that we will stay here long. We will go to Hall Mills 12 miles from Mobile or back to Mobile. I will do my best to come home this coming week if there is any earthly chance. We have had one or two false alarms. We came here, we have captured two spies and two that was furnishing the Yankees its beef. When or if you write to me, send it to Mobile. Engage all the eggs for me by the time I come home. They are worth only fifty cents a dozen. Fare well my dear. Keep my babies for me. May God bless you all I pray. Fare well my dear, I remain your true and husband until death. SB Morgan Jim Hale is dead. Jim Grimes is in the hospital in Mobile. Tell Uncle Billy Grimes that James is in the Marina Hospital. The doctor says, so I have been told, that it is doubtful if he ever get well. Ed Wyatt died the day we landed here. Buck ________ is gone to Kintucky. There is a many one here that I know from Livingston. Fare well, Jane, SB Morgan Notes: March 7th at Ft Gaines must have been a slow day. SB wrote 2 letters, at least. To engage means to get a promise for something, in this case eggs. Eggs normally sold for 5 cents a dozen, SB wanted to make some more money. Hospitals were unsanitary and amputation were common. Disease and infections killed more soldiers than bullets! Camp Goodwin April 10, 1862 My dear wife, I write to you again to day. I am well and doing verry. I hope these lines will find you and children all well. Jane, I have nothing of importance to write you more. Heard we have very good new as to our victory at Corinth and Virginia. We have been fighting six days and have taken a good many pieces of artillery and upwards as 4,000 prisoners. Jane, I cannot say to you how long we will remain here. If we need more men at Corinth, we may be ordered off in a few day and if we are, I will write to you at the first opportunity. I am perfectly willing to start off in the morning if necessary. I am of the same opinion now, that I have all been. And you know that I have often told you that I never expected to be killed, but in case I should be, I will fall in a glorious cause. I know you have some friend that will not let you suffer. Jane, I wrote to Dr. Brocking yesterday that I wanted him to go and see you. And you must get him to rite to me that my presence will be required at home verry much, where you say in and state the time of your letter, so I can show it to the Col. And he will give me a furlough. This is the only way a furlough can be obtained. You must use your utmost enerony (energy?) to get it. You can show this to Brocking and he is bound by the tie of friends to assist you and I know he will do everything in his power to assist you. Be certain to get him to do this in time so we can have time to (scratched out)______. Put also stating and making out your health bad indeed to help confirm everything. Jane, I see mighty hard times here, but am willing to do my duty as a soldier. I have to stand pickett guard 24 hours, cold, wet or whatnot. Jane, I want you to send after brother Bill to see and tell him to get a transfer to come to our company and Lisha Heale. Jim Hales says tell he will take his peace so he will be with his brother and me and Bud will be together. Tell to come an seme if no more. William is at Robinson, sick so I heard. I can’t write anything with (comet- comments? confidence?)for I have not slept any for 36 hours, pickett duty and scouting. Keep my babies and think of me. I remain your true and loving husband. God bless you I pray. SB Morgan TP Ashe Company, Col Mc Kinstry Regmnt, Wilson Guards Note: On May 16th 1862, Stephen Burrell Morgan died of measles in a Mobile hospital. Jane lost the baby or it died soon after birth. In the 1870 census is no child born in 1862 to the Morgan family. I hope all of you history nerds enjoyed that. And Ancestry.com has a free 2 week offer going. You can dive into your family's history and see "history" from a whole new angle! A lot of the time, you'll find that other, distant relatives have already found photos and stories about your shared ancestors. If you are lucky, you may find things like these letters. And you can print it all up (just be sure to hit "print preview" before printing or you can get a lot of almost blank pages), and create a book about your family and the part they played in history. Granny
That was a practical solution only in hindsight. Not at the time. At least ime this wound has still not fully healed in parts of the South, e.g. I routinely hear the Civil War referred to as the "War of Northern Aggression" etc. They saw it as a fundamental attack on their way of life, including but not limited to slavery.
The remaining Union would have been reduced to 2/3 of it's original amount of states, but probably more united without the slave states.
True, yet commerce had already been strongly built between the Union and Confederacy. Each was very dependent upon the other. It is not just a clear cut issue/division.
the entire premise for the war starting in 1861, was to preserve the concept of "the union" in tact. secession was not in the long range plans for the future vision, i.e. a united states. adding abolishing slavery to the list of reason came about in 1863. it really started as a political war to end anti-union, secessionist, desires. in that sense, as was already stated, the will of the people of the north was strong to support lincoln and the huge military resources that were put into winning a painful and costly yet resounding defeat. the strategy of "war of attrition" won out.