One statement defense for americans

[Mr King]

I'm just putting a one statement defense for americans who fought in the war. I am not looking for arguements nor to slander nor do I want to be haughty with one side against another. Nor do I want to force my opinion on others, if you disagree, then that's your choice, I don't want to argue with those who disagrees. That's why I have chosen to make one defense statement on this thread for americans who fought in the war.

Yankee soldiers who fought for the Union were americans.

Confederate soldiers who fought for the Confederacy were americans. It's Confederate States of America. The Southern States didn't secede from America, they seceded from the Union.

Just because a soldier fought for the Union doesn't mean he's more of an american than a soldier who fought for the Confederacy nor does that mean the confederate soldier was less of an american. Both were americans.

 

[brass napoleon]

I'm on board with that.

 

[Littlestown]

Absolutely.

 

[Rob9641]

I agree with the basic premise about soldiers who fought. At Gettysburg, one of the Union officers on Cemetery Ridge watched the men of Pickett's Charge approaching and felt immense pride, because they were Americans, too. (But I sincerely mourn the carnage.)

 

[larry_cockerham]

Brother against brothers and uncles, cousins against cousins, farmer against shopkeeper, lawyers against clockmakers, Americans all.

 

[proud texan]

:beer: !! Great analogy !!

 

[truthckr]

Absolutely! That's why standing at places like Cold Harbor, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg or any of the other battlefields sometimes makes me a little misty eyed thinking of the extreme sacrifices made by both sides. They were all Americans.

 

[unionblue]

Mr. King,

As a friend of mine recently commented, he wished that war had been fought "with cornstalks."

I cannot but agree, as the real tragedy was that they were ALL Americans involved in that terrible war.

Sincerely,
Unionblue

 

[bama46]

And that is why, on Memorial day, you will find the Stars n Stripes on the graves of Confederate, as well as Union Soldiers, buried in National Cemeteries.

 

[Historyprof]

This reminds me of the scene in "Gods and Generals" when the Confederate Irish cheered the Irish Brigade.

 

[johan_steele]

Now if we could get everyone to read it...

I'm just putting a one statement defense for americans who fought in the war. I am not looking for arguements nor to slander nor do I want to be haughty with one side against another. Nor do I want to force my opinion on others, if you disagree, then that's your choice, I don't want to argue with those who disagrees. That's why I have chosen to make one defense statement on this thread for americans who fought in the war.

Yankee soldiers who fought for the Union were americans.

Confederate soldiers who fought for the Confederacy were americans. It's Confederate States of America. The Southern States didn't secede from America, they seceded from the Union.

Just because a soldier fought for the Union doesn't mean he's more of an american than a soldier who fought for the Confederacy nor does that mean the confederate soldier was less of an american. Both were americans.

 

[TerryB]

While trying to prove that the Capt Henry Pointer of Clack's 3rd Tenn Inf was the same man who was later a volunteer ADC to NB Forrest, I looked at a widow's pension claim as a last straw. The middle initial was posted wrong on the website that led me to it, but it was indeed the same man and the docs proved that he enlisted with Forrest after being exchanged in Aug 1862. He had been captured at Fort Donelson, and one of the docs in with the widow's pension claim was a letter from a Union officer dated March 1885. The Union man had found Pointer's commission in the Provisional Army of Tennessee, dated May 1861 (before Tennessee joined the CSA). It was lying in front of Pointer's tent along with other papers on the day Fort Donelson surrendered. The US officer didn't presume to go inside the tent that blustery day, and in his 1885 letter to Pointer he finished by saying, "We are all growing old together. I would be very pleased to hear from you again."

 

[O'Bruadair]

I'm just putting a one statement defense for americans who fought in the war. I am not looking for arguements nor to slander nor do I want to be haughty with one side against another. Nor do I want to force my opinion on others, if you disagree, then that's your choice, I don't want to argue with those who disagrees. That's why I have chosen to make one defense statement on this thread for americans who fought in the war.

Yankee soldiers who fought for the Union were americans.

Confederate soldiers who fought for the Confederacy were americans. It's Confederate States of America. The Southern States didn't secede from America, they seceded from the Union.

Just because a soldier fought for the Union doesn't mean he's more of an american than a soldier who fought for the Confederacy nor does that mean the confederate soldier was less of an american. Both were americans.

Hard to argue with that.

 

[Bomac]

Absolutely! That's why standing at places like Cold Harbor, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg or any of the other battlefields sometimes makes me a little misty eyed thinking of the extreme sacrifices made by both sides. They were all Americans.

Amen. To look at all the names, monuments, graves can become quite emotional.

 

[Rob9641]

One reason I like to visit the Angle at Gettysburg is that I can stand between the monument where Armistead fell and the monument where Cushing fell and pay my respects to two of the most remarkable fighting men of the CW at the same time, because they are only a few feet apart. It seems like a particularly appropriate place to remember all the men of both sides.

 

[Nathanb1]

One reason I like to visit the Angle at Gettysburg is that I can stand between the monument where Armistead fell and the monument where Cushing fell and pay my respects to two of the most remarkable fighting men of the CW at the same time, because they are only a few feet apart. It seems like a particularly appropriate place to remember all the men of both sides.

Amen. An exceptional pair to remember.

 

[carson_reb]

I think this thread gets the "Gold Star" for unity. Not a single post in disagreement with the original premise...And, you won't get one from me, either.

Despite all of the posturing that still goes on today over who was right and who wasn't, the fact remains that more than 600,000 husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, uncles and cousins were killed in the ACW; each fighting for what he believed in...regardless of our opinions of those beliefs today. I cannot stand in judgment or fault a (wo)man willing to give the last full measure of devotion to their countr(ies) for an idea, a way of life, principles, values, virtues or ideals. That kind of devotion takes courage well beyond what I am willing to admit to possess.

 

[Michael_Schaffner]

I would like to propose another single statement that both sides could use to justify their participation in the war:

"We had no idea what we were getting into."

 

[PINCKNEYUSMCRET]

Yep

Pinckney

 

[Rob9641]

I would like to propose another single statement that both sides could use to justify their participation in the war:

"We had no idea what we were getting into."

Got that right, or I don't think they'd have done it.