2nd Alabama Cavalry
Sergeant
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2019
Regardless of how you personally define the American Civil War as being; be it rebellion, revolt, revolution, invasion or the act of preserving the union, it became a full scale Civil War which fell upon our country, that resulted in 620,000 "American" lives being taken, over the course of 4 years, as a direct consequence of that war. Which is an astounding number taking into consideration that 644,000 Americans were killed in all other conflicts in which our Nation has fought wars. Roughly 1,264,000 American soldiers have died in the nation's wars since we have become a nation, with the American Civil War alone representing nearly half of that number regarding Americans killed in war, and on our own soil no less.
Few who research the American Civil War really profoundly understand the depth of the opposition which turned a rebellion into full scale Civil War and from whence that opposition came. The ACW truly divided us as a nation, in more ways than most understand. After committing myself to hundred`s of hours of research regarding this topic of conversation, I was surprised at my findings. Allow me to share some of those with you.
When I state that the American Civil War divided us as a nation, to bear this out you need only look at the plethora of current and former U.S. government officials, spanning several administrations, as well as Officers in the U.S. Army, who resigned their positions in our government at the time of the war and joined the Confederate States of America or those who had long been out of their positions of power with-in our government who went on to either join the Confederate States Army, became Confederate Senators and Representatives or gave their allegiance and support to the Confederate States of America. This to include numerous U.S. Army and Cavalry Officers, a former U.S. President and Vice-President, several former U.S. Secretaries of War, Secretaries of State, Secretaries of the Treasury, Secretaries of the Interior, Secretaries of the Navy, numerous U.S. Senators and Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, to include former Speakers of the House.
The 1860 Presidential Campaign was a highly contested quadrennial election held between 4 principal candidates: Abraham Lincoln, John C. Breckinridge (sitting vice-president at the time), John Bell & Stephen A. Douglas. On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln won and was elected as the 16th President of the United States of America with Hannibal Hamlin elected as his Vice-President. Half of the 4 candidates who lost in this General election to Lincoln, joined the Confederate States of America, those being Breckinridge and Bell.
Right after the Inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln, Vice-President John C. Breckinridge won a seat in the Senate and served in that capacity for about 6 mos. at which time he joined the Confederate cause and entered service in the Confederate States Army as a Brigadier General, his first action was leading his men into Battle at Shiloh, Tennessee. By April 1862 he was promoted to the rank of Maj. General as he was fighting in Baton Rouge and New Orleans and by January 1865 he was appointed the fifth and last Confederate Secretary of War and was Captured with Confedrate President Jefferson Davis just four months later, on May 10, 1865 at Irwinville, Georgia which brought the Civil War to an end.
John Bell, threw his support behind the Confederacy after the fall of Fort Sumpter. He was formerly the Speaker of the House for the 23rd Congress (1834–1835), and briefly served as Secretary of War during the administration of William Henry Harrison (1841). Although a slaveowner, Bell was one of the few southern politicians to oppose the expansion of slavery in the 1850s, and campaigned vigorously against secession in the years leading up to the American Civil War. During his 1860 presidential campaign, he argued that secession was unnecessary since the Constitution protected slavery, an argument which resonated with voters in border states, helping him capture the electoral votes of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. After the Battle of Fort Sumter in April 1861, Bell abandoned the Union cause and supported the Confederacy. On April 23, 1861 he called for the state of Tennessee to align itself with the Confederacy and prepare a defense against a federal invasion. Bell's defection to the Confederate cause stunned Unionist leaders. Louisville Journal editor George D. Prentice wrote that Bell's decision brought "unspeakable mortification, and disgust, and indignation" to his long-time supporters. Horace Greeley lamented such an "ignominious close" to Bell's public career. Knoxville Whig editor (and future Tennessee governor) William Brownlow derided Bell as the "officiating Priest" at the altar of the "false god of Disunion."
The 10th President of the United States of America, John Tyler, joined the Confederacy and was elected to the Confederate Congress when the war first broke upon the country. What was really surprising to me was that half of President James Buchanan`s Administration resigned and joined the Confederate States of America, who were in charge of the governmet up until 4 Mar 1861 when Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as the 16th President of the United States of America.
In every presidential administration you had the President, Vice-President, Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of War, Attorney General, Postmaster General, Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of the Interior. Half of Buchanan`s Administration (4 of 8), to include 3 of his 7 Cabinet Members (Howell, Floyd and Thompson), resigned and joined the Confederate Cause.
The 22nd U. S. Secretary of Treasury, Howell Cobb, under President Buchanan, also former Speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives (1849 - 1851), later served in the Confederacy as a General and lead troops into battle to fight for the Confederate cause. Cobb is, however, probably best known as one of the founders of the Confederacy, having served as the President of the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States. Cobb served as the Confederate Provisional Head of State for two weeks between the foundation of the Confederacy and the election of Jefferson Davis as its first President (4 Feb 1861 - 18 Feb 1861). As the Speaker of the Congress, he was provisional Head of State at this time.
The 24th Secretary of War under Buchanan, John Floyd became a Brig. General in the Confederate Army and fought under Robert E. Lee in Virginia.
Buchanan`s Secretary of the Interior, Jacob Thompson became the Inspector General of the Confederate States Army and was the leader of the Confederate Secret Service. Making a total of 4 of his administration, to include Breckinridge, to join and fight for the southern cause. These Gentlemen were the U. S. Government up until the day that Lincoln was sworn in. As a matter of fact nearly all of Buchanan`s Cabinet resigned after South Carolina seceded, save for Breckinridge who remained with him until the end of his term a few months later when Lincoln was sworn in.
Regarding other previous Presidential Administrations; Charles Magill Conrad served in the Confederate Congress. He was acting U.S. Secretary of State in 1852 and the 22nd Secretary of War under President Millard Fillmore and, briefly, Franklin Pierce, from 1850 until 1853. It was he that Jefferson Davis succeeded as the 23rd U.S. Secretary of War in President Franklin Pierces Administration.
In 1861, the 21st Secretary of War under President`s Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore (1849 - 1850), George Walker Crawford, was elected a delegate from Richmond County to the state's Secession Convention which brought him out of retirement to answer the call of his constituents. By the convention's first order of business, Crawford was elected Permanent President of the Convention by which he presided over Georgia's decision to secede from the Union. Crawford was to be tried for inciting a rebellion due to his role in presiding over the state's secession and was excluded from eligibility for both Lincoln's and Johnson's amnesty proclamations because of his leadership status.
President`s Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore`s 19th U.S. Secretary of the Navy (1849 - 1850), William Ballard Preston was an American politician who served as a Confederate States Senator from Virginia from February 18, 1862, until his death in November 1862.
President Millard Fillmore`s 20th U.S. Secretary of the Navy (1850 - 1852), William Alexander Graham, a former U. S. Senator (1840 - 1843) who later became a Senator in the Confederate States Senate (North Carolina) from 1864 to 1865 threw his full allegiance and support behind the Confederate States of America.
Regarding U.S. Army and Cavalry Officers who resigned their commissions and joined the Confederate Army were: Albert Sidney Johnston, Robert E. Lee, William J. Hardee, Earl Van Dorn, Edmund Kirby Smith, P.G.T. Beauregard, Fitzhugh Lee, Joseph E. Johnston, J.E.B. Stuart, John Bell Hood, Joseph Wheeler, Samuel Wragg Ferguson, William Hicks Jackson, Charles Field and others scarcely less famous. 29 officers alone from the 1st and 2nd U.S. Cavalry (Formed by the 23rd U.S. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis in 1855) would become Confederate Generals in the Civil War. So many Officers resigned and joined the Confederate cause that they had to be replaced with very green unexperienced officers to take their place. Which regarding the Cavalry this gave the Confederate States Army a sound advantage up until around 1863.
The reason that I post this is to illuminate the conversation, as many think that the Civil War was just an "uprising" or simply a "rebellion" when in fact it was so much more, it was by all accounts a full scale Civil War. And when you see the likes of the very prominent men who joined the Confederate Cause as former leaders who served in our U.S. Government and Military spanning numerous administrations that becomes evident. Passions were heated and men were willing on both sides to fight, and die if necessary, for a cause that they believed in, to defend their narrative regarding the war. It was a dark time in our history, one which I truly hope that we will never have to repeat again, at least in my lifetime.
Again this post is not intended to digress into the topic of slavery or secession but rather to shed light on just how divided we were as a nation at the time of the ACW and how "some" of the men who governed our nation saw that very confusing time of our history as a nation..
Few who research the American Civil War really profoundly understand the depth of the opposition which turned a rebellion into full scale Civil War and from whence that opposition came. The ACW truly divided us as a nation, in more ways than most understand. After committing myself to hundred`s of hours of research regarding this topic of conversation, I was surprised at my findings. Allow me to share some of those with you.
When I state that the American Civil War divided us as a nation, to bear this out you need only look at the plethora of current and former U.S. government officials, spanning several administrations, as well as Officers in the U.S. Army, who resigned their positions in our government at the time of the war and joined the Confederate States of America or those who had long been out of their positions of power with-in our government who went on to either join the Confederate States Army, became Confederate Senators and Representatives or gave their allegiance and support to the Confederate States of America. This to include numerous U.S. Army and Cavalry Officers, a former U.S. President and Vice-President, several former U.S. Secretaries of War, Secretaries of State, Secretaries of the Treasury, Secretaries of the Interior, Secretaries of the Navy, numerous U.S. Senators and Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, to include former Speakers of the House.
The 1860 Presidential Campaign was a highly contested quadrennial election held between 4 principal candidates: Abraham Lincoln, John C. Breckinridge (sitting vice-president at the time), John Bell & Stephen A. Douglas. On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln won and was elected as the 16th President of the United States of America with Hannibal Hamlin elected as his Vice-President. Half of the 4 candidates who lost in this General election to Lincoln, joined the Confederate States of America, those being Breckinridge and Bell.
Right after the Inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln, Vice-President John C. Breckinridge won a seat in the Senate and served in that capacity for about 6 mos. at which time he joined the Confederate cause and entered service in the Confederate States Army as a Brigadier General, his first action was leading his men into Battle at Shiloh, Tennessee. By April 1862 he was promoted to the rank of Maj. General as he was fighting in Baton Rouge and New Orleans and by January 1865 he was appointed the fifth and last Confederate Secretary of War and was Captured with Confedrate President Jefferson Davis just four months later, on May 10, 1865 at Irwinville, Georgia which brought the Civil War to an end.
John Bell, threw his support behind the Confederacy after the fall of Fort Sumpter. He was formerly the Speaker of the House for the 23rd Congress (1834–1835), and briefly served as Secretary of War during the administration of William Henry Harrison (1841). Although a slaveowner, Bell was one of the few southern politicians to oppose the expansion of slavery in the 1850s, and campaigned vigorously against secession in the years leading up to the American Civil War. During his 1860 presidential campaign, he argued that secession was unnecessary since the Constitution protected slavery, an argument which resonated with voters in border states, helping him capture the electoral votes of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. After the Battle of Fort Sumter in April 1861, Bell abandoned the Union cause and supported the Confederacy. On April 23, 1861 he called for the state of Tennessee to align itself with the Confederacy and prepare a defense against a federal invasion. Bell's defection to the Confederate cause stunned Unionist leaders. Louisville Journal editor George D. Prentice wrote that Bell's decision brought "unspeakable mortification, and disgust, and indignation" to his long-time supporters. Horace Greeley lamented such an "ignominious close" to Bell's public career. Knoxville Whig editor (and future Tennessee governor) William Brownlow derided Bell as the "officiating Priest" at the altar of the "false god of Disunion."
The 10th President of the United States of America, John Tyler, joined the Confederacy and was elected to the Confederate Congress when the war first broke upon the country. What was really surprising to me was that half of President James Buchanan`s Administration resigned and joined the Confederate States of America, who were in charge of the governmet up until 4 Mar 1861 when Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as the 16th President of the United States of America.
In every presidential administration you had the President, Vice-President, Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of War, Attorney General, Postmaster General, Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of the Interior. Half of Buchanan`s Administration (4 of 8), to include 3 of his 7 Cabinet Members (Howell, Floyd and Thompson), resigned and joined the Confederate Cause.
The 22nd U. S. Secretary of Treasury, Howell Cobb, under President Buchanan, also former Speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives (1849 - 1851), later served in the Confederacy as a General and lead troops into battle to fight for the Confederate cause. Cobb is, however, probably best known as one of the founders of the Confederacy, having served as the President of the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States. Cobb served as the Confederate Provisional Head of State for two weeks between the foundation of the Confederacy and the election of Jefferson Davis as its first President (4 Feb 1861 - 18 Feb 1861). As the Speaker of the Congress, he was provisional Head of State at this time.
The 24th Secretary of War under Buchanan, John Floyd became a Brig. General in the Confederate Army and fought under Robert E. Lee in Virginia.
Buchanan`s Secretary of the Interior, Jacob Thompson became the Inspector General of the Confederate States Army and was the leader of the Confederate Secret Service. Making a total of 4 of his administration, to include Breckinridge, to join and fight for the southern cause. These Gentlemen were the U. S. Government up until the day that Lincoln was sworn in. As a matter of fact nearly all of Buchanan`s Cabinet resigned after South Carolina seceded, save for Breckinridge who remained with him until the end of his term a few months later when Lincoln was sworn in.
Regarding other previous Presidential Administrations; Charles Magill Conrad served in the Confederate Congress. He was acting U.S. Secretary of State in 1852 and the 22nd Secretary of War under President Millard Fillmore and, briefly, Franklin Pierce, from 1850 until 1853. It was he that Jefferson Davis succeeded as the 23rd U.S. Secretary of War in President Franklin Pierces Administration.
In 1861, the 21st Secretary of War under President`s Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore (1849 - 1850), George Walker Crawford, was elected a delegate from Richmond County to the state's Secession Convention which brought him out of retirement to answer the call of his constituents. By the convention's first order of business, Crawford was elected Permanent President of the Convention by which he presided over Georgia's decision to secede from the Union. Crawford was to be tried for inciting a rebellion due to his role in presiding over the state's secession and was excluded from eligibility for both Lincoln's and Johnson's amnesty proclamations because of his leadership status.
President`s Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore`s 19th U.S. Secretary of the Navy (1849 - 1850), William Ballard Preston was an American politician who served as a Confederate States Senator from Virginia from February 18, 1862, until his death in November 1862.
President Millard Fillmore`s 20th U.S. Secretary of the Navy (1850 - 1852), William Alexander Graham, a former U. S. Senator (1840 - 1843) who later became a Senator in the Confederate States Senate (North Carolina) from 1864 to 1865 threw his full allegiance and support behind the Confederate States of America.
Regarding U.S. Army and Cavalry Officers who resigned their commissions and joined the Confederate Army were: Albert Sidney Johnston, Robert E. Lee, William J. Hardee, Earl Van Dorn, Edmund Kirby Smith, P.G.T. Beauregard, Fitzhugh Lee, Joseph E. Johnston, J.E.B. Stuart, John Bell Hood, Joseph Wheeler, Samuel Wragg Ferguson, William Hicks Jackson, Charles Field and others scarcely less famous. 29 officers alone from the 1st and 2nd U.S. Cavalry (Formed by the 23rd U.S. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis in 1855) would become Confederate Generals in the Civil War. So many Officers resigned and joined the Confederate cause that they had to be replaced with very green unexperienced officers to take their place. Which regarding the Cavalry this gave the Confederate States Army a sound advantage up until around 1863.
The reason that I post this is to illuminate the conversation, as many think that the Civil War was just an "uprising" or simply a "rebellion" when in fact it was so much more, it was by all accounts a full scale Civil War. And when you see the likes of the very prominent men who joined the Confederate Cause as former leaders who served in our U.S. Government and Military spanning numerous administrations that becomes evident. Passions were heated and men were willing on both sides to fight, and die if necessary, for a cause that they believed in, to defend their narrative regarding the war. It was a dark time in our history, one which I truly hope that we will never have to repeat again, at least in my lifetime.
Again this post is not intended to digress into the topic of slavery or secession but rather to shed light on just how divided we were as a nation at the time of the ACW and how "some" of the men who governed our nation saw that very confusing time of our history as a nation..
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