From William Dennison to Abraham Lincoln. April 10, 1861
Anybody can pick out quotes from official records and letters from governors to make it look as though one side favored war over the other. This is not a shot at Mr. Wolfe, his research was great. I am just merely pointing out the fact that history is a lot of interpretation. It wasn't just Southerners that were itching for a fight.
I often get complaints because I post 'too much' on a subject. And, most reasons why I do post so much, is so that there is a space long before the target discussion topic/thread/post(s). I agree that history can be seen/digested/understood in so many ways --I do believe it is due to our own fault as we're not of those times (circa 1840-1880); and see from the 1940-2010 mind/judgment/observation. I find it easy to over analyze a document--when it should be at face value.
Having filed official reports myself. I stick with the facts. Who, what, where, when and how. Assuming why someone did what they did --is a waste of energy.
When that person is in front of you--you can ask for yourself as to why.
I do understand the desire to champion one side or another. As I mentioned on occasions, sir -- I have no relatives of the time involved in the American Civil War. Therefore, I enjoy the ability of soaking the whole war as a collective experience like a 'blanket' and made from battles, skirmishes, actions and such as 'patches' that creates the quilt.
Many members posting as we (you, I and in general) have different ways to look at the same thing. It isn't that one is better than the other in the incident we're studying in a 'snap shot' moment of history. Both sides (Union and Confederate) had good and bad; middle of the road, above the board and so forth--but, again we're dealing with human beings.
Comforted by the knowledge, that the Official Records of the Rebellion was assembled and worked on by Union as well as former Confederate officers, to whom invested their time to help assemble the records from Richmond, Montgomery Alabama and US War Department --I rather use the Official Records over someone's 30 year memory. And, even then -- the authors used the Official Records of the Rebellion to write their life story was in the Civil War.
But, I personally believe that reading the official records is the best documentation to be read and studied, as it was made the freshest and 'at the moment.' I am personally pleased that so many former Confederates worked on the Official Records of the Rebellion; as was hoped by the Union Government to make sure a more total story of what happened in the Civil War took place as; in the end --both the CSA and USA troops fought for us all in the end. We're here because of them, we're able to be divided in an opinion because we (in a general sense) are in the 'United' States and the opinion that divided the Confederacy and the Union states was settled and moved on.
Reference:
O.R.--GENERAL INDEX [SN #130]
PREFACE.
The civil war, the military records of which are contained in the publication known as the "Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies," extended over a period of more than four years. The armies assembled by the North and South were engaged in almost incessant hostilities over a theater of operations which embraced in its vast area dense forests and cultivated plains, mountain ranges and valleys, sea-coasts and sounds, lakes and rivers, bayous and trackless swamps. The armed participants in this great struggle were numbered by millions and the regiments by thousands.
[excerpt]
The work of compiling and publishing the civil war records was projected near the close of the first Administration of President Lincoln, and has been continued during the Administrations of succeeding Presidents, under the direction of Secretaries of War Edwin M. Stanton, Ulysses S. Grant, John M. Schofield, John A. Rawlins, William T. Sherman. William W. Belknap, Alphonso Taft, James D. Cameron, George W. McCrary, Alexander Ramsey, Robert T. Lincoln, William C. Endicott, Redfield Proctor, Stephen B. Elkins, Daniel S. Lamont, Russell A. Alger and Elihu Root.
[excerpt]
From the outset of the work there was a great deficiency of Confederate records. During the last year of the war the reports rendered by Confederate officers were generally meager and incomplete. Toward the close of hostilities many papers of great historical value were intentionally destroyed by their holders, and a still greater number was concealed. Others were burned with public buildings or were carried off by relic hunters, and in various ways the official Confederate files were depleted.
In view of the distrust with which the Southern people for a while naturally regarded the movements made by the Government with a view to the procurement of the records of the Confederacy, it is not surprising that the efforts of the Department to complete its Confederate files met at first with slight success or assistance. However, Marcus J. Wright, formerly a brigadier-general in the Confederate Army, was appointed July 1, 1878, agent for the collection of Confederate archives, and in this capacity he continued employed until the completion of the work. Through his efforts and tact the attitude of the Southern people toward the compilation became more cordial, and, as their confidence increased, records were brought out from their places of concealment and forwarded to the Department as gifts or deposited as loans. Purchases of collections of Confederate records have been made as follows:
From Marcus J. Wright, October 28, 1875 $2,000
From William P. Johnston, July 2, 1878 10,000
From Thomas L. Snead, July 3, 1878 4,000
From Thomas L. Snead, March 11, 1879 6,000
Total 22,000
The policy of purchasing records was soon abandoned, owing to the great expenditure it would necessitate and the unfair discrimination which such purchases would involve in respect to those who had gratuitously delivered up valuable collections to the Department; but, notwithstanding this change of policy, the war papers of many prominent Confederate as well as Union officers were subsequently donated to the Government. Among the notable collections in the possession of the War Department may be mentioned the records of the commands of the Confederate Generals R. E. Lee, Joseph E. ,Johnston, G. T. Beauregard, James Longstreet, Stephen D. Lee, Sterling Price, Leonidas Polk, E. Kirby Smith, J. B. Hood, James R. Chalmers, Samuel Jones, R. S. Ripley, A. P. Stewart and William Steele.
As the fact of these donations became generally known and confidence in the impartiality of the publication increased, numerous and constantly increasing contributions from all parts of the country followed. The former President of the Confederate States, Jefferson Davis, during his lifetime, and his widow after his death, afforded the Government access to his papers relating to the late war, and from this source were obtained copies of archives of the greatest historical value.
[end of excerpt]
As the magnitude of the task that had been undertaken became better appreciated and larger means were provided for its prosecution, other former Confederate officers were appointed to assist in the compilation of the Confederate archives, to represent the Confederate interests and to assure impartiality. Among these were Maj. Gens. Cadmus M. Wilcox, Charles W. Field, L. L. Lomax and Henry Heth, Col. E. J. Harvie and Maj. Jed. Hotchkiss, chief topographer of the Army of Northern Virginia.
[end of excerpt]
Respectfully submitted,
M. E. Wolf======================================================================================
Unionblue,
I'm not "screaming" anything. I am merely pointing out the reasons I believe Lincoln provoked the South into firing on Fort Sumter. I have no doubt they were looking for a reason. As for the history books thing, I was just joking because I keep getting told about the "facts" in history books. Charles w. Ramsdell's wrtten history goes along with my beliefs. I guess since it doesn't go along with OpnCoronet's ideas of "history" then his writings must not be "facts".
Bringing the