Difficult Topics

[1950lemans]

In your opinion what do you think are the most difficult topics to discuss on CivilWarTalk? I'm not talking about the most volatile topics like secession and slavery, but topics that are hard to grasp - to "wrap our minds around" so to speak. They seems so convoluted that even discussing them on this site is at a minimum.

 

[Nathanb1]

In your opinion what do you think are the most difficult topics to discuss on CivilWarTalk? I'm not talking about the most volatile topics like secession and slavery, but topics that are hard to grasp - to "wrap our minds around" so to speak. They seems so convoluted that even discussing them on this site is at a minimum.

I think you might need to give us one example.

 

[cash]

The fighting in the wheatfield at Gettysburg.

 

[1950lemans]

How about Reconstruction?

 

[TinCan]

The wheatfield was just a dog eat dog blood bath, Reconstruction, I think, is an excellent example.

 

[Drew]

How about Reconstruction?

Very difficult, indeed. "Wrapping your mind around" a social order that was completely upended is hard, very hard. It appeals to a modern sense of justice, but for those who lived through it, whoa.

 

[diane]

The decision to surrender Ft Donelson to Grant without too much of a fight. I have a very hard time figuring out why losing a sizable army and a majorly important river or two was a good idea!

 

[1950lemans]

Yeah why? Why give up so easily after getting so riled up to fight. The first impression I got when I first read about the forts was the Southerners (out West at least) had no stomach for war. War is hard and they didn't have the fight in them, except for "that guy" and his men.

 

[M E Wolf]

Death. The dying. The wounded. The ages of some of these soldiers and drummer boys to old men, from all kinds of position in life, the women who served in secret in men's attire, those who put their lives in danger to spy or scout for their chosen side and or that army. The disrespect -- often vile hate, that would defile graves of either Armies.

M. E. Wolf

 

[Karen Lips]

The way soldiers treated civilians, especially in the South. They robbed women and children of all their food, for example.

 

[1950lemans]

Death. The dying. The wounded. The ages of some of these soldiers and drummer boys to old men, from all kinds of position in life, the women who served in secret in men's attire, those who put their lives in danger to spy or scout for their chosen side and or that army. The disrespect -- often vile hate, that would defile graves of either Armies.

M. E. Wolf

Death and dying indeed. We often mention casualties but they're only numbers to us.
This Republic of Suffering, Death and the American Civil War, Drew Gilpin Faust.

 

[Drew]

Yeah why? Why give up so easily after getting so riled up to fight. The first impression I got when I first read about the forts was the Southerners (out West at least) had no stomach for war. War is hard and they didn't have the fight in them, except for "that guy" and his men.

Tell that to Hood's Texans and the Louisiana Tigers who fought with the the Army of Northern Virginia. Tell it to Taylor's cavalry, who ran Banks out of Louisiana. Tell the Army of Tennessee that threw itself against Thomas in late '64. I could go on and on.

 

[Elennsar]

The way soldiers treated civilians, especially in the South. They robbed women and children of all their food, for example.

A sin not reserved for any one unit or even one side. Being a civilian when armies were a-foraging was an unpleasant experience.

 

[dlofting]

Death. The dying. The wounded. The ages of some of these soldiers and drummer boys to old men, from all kinds of position in life, the women who served in secret in men's attire, those who put their lives in danger to spy or scout for their chosen side and or that army. The disrespect -- often vile hate, that would defile graves of either Armies.

M. E. Wolf

Definitely the wounded, particularly those who never completely recovered or were hampered/suffered for the rest of their lives.

 

[M E Wolf]

Death and dying indeed. We often mention casualties but they're only numbers to us.
This Republic of Suffering, Death and the American Civil War, Drew Gilpin Faust.

The death and dying of civilians (non-combat involved) from diseases or of want for food and or medical attention, so many who joined up in both armies weren't sick until they joined a larger force and conditions there made them ill. These numbers aren't always added to, as its so difficult to know if it was related or remotely related, e.g. airborne diseases, infected food, etc.

M. E. Wolf

 

[1950lemans]

Tell that to Hood's Texans and the Louisiana Tigers who fought with the the Army of Northern Virginia. Tell it to Taylor's cavalry, who ran Banks out of Louisiana. Tell the Army of Tennessee that through itself against Thomas in late '64. I could go on and on.

But the fall of the forts happened at the start of the war. Wouldn't you think the armies at the forts, still riding high on the euphoria of a new nation, would have put up a better fight?

 

[Elennsar]

The soldiers put up a good fight. It's Pillow and Floyd who chickened out.

 

[JeffBrooks]

Why on Earth Jefferson Davis thought it was a remotely good idea to make Leonidas Polk a major general.

 

[1950lemans]

The soldiers put up a good fight. It's Pillow and Floyd who chickened out.

Why on Earth Jefferson Davis thought it was a remotely good idea to make Leonidas Polk a major general.

Then the question comes up, and I believe it's been discussed before, why were such men given command? They had no "guts"?

 

[Pvt.Shattuck]

Any topics touching on, relating to, or influenced by modern politics -states rights, racism, affirmative action, reparations,white "privilege" or supremacy, multiculturalism, progressive or revisionist influences or points of view in academic history and education, etc., etc.