“Well... “The John Brown Song” was first played & sang at a flag raising ceremony in Fort Warren near Boston on May 12, 1861.
That date is most significant because it is just six days after the Confederate congress formally declared war on the United States.
The unit which wrote & sang is said to be the Massachusetts militia's Second Infantry battalion, aka “Tiger Battalion”.
Congress began dealing with slavery in August 1861 with the Confiscation Act addressing “Contraband of War”.
Julia Ward Howe first heard soldiers of Company K of the 6th Wisconsin singing “The John Brown Song” near Washington, DC, in late 1861.
Julia's husband, Samuel Howe was one of John Brown's Secret Six, so for her, it had always been “all about slavery”.
Her version of the song, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” was published in early 1862.
So there is no doubt that Civil War was indeed “all about slavery” for some Northerners from Day One.
By war’s end it was a major war aim for virtually all Northerners, hense the 13th, 14th & 15th Amendments.
I think we should all here seriously acknowledge that it pains our dear FRiend jeffersondem to the soul of his heart to hear that there was anything in any small way moral, noble or uplifting about Unionists in “the War of Northern Aggression” against Southern Freedom Fighters, but sadly, the facts are still facts, regardless of how much jeffersondem hates and denies them.”
For the purpose of this post, let's stipulate that the purpose of Lincoln's war was, indeed, to free the slaves.
That's a problem for anyone that claims to support the original United States Constitution.
Although some will occasionally deny it, the original U.S. Constitution included slavery. The founders provided an amendment process to peacefully change the Constitution but did not provide a mechanism for the President to use troops to violently overthrow the Constitution and its slavery provisions.
After the House Divided speech many southerners believed Lincoln, if elected, would use the U.S. military to attack the South and to violently overthrow the United States Constitution.
Maybe he did.
jeffersondem:
"For the purpose of this post, let's stipulate that the purpose of Lincoln's war was, indeed, to free the slaves.
That's a problem for anyone that claims to support the original United States Constitution." Which is why Union defenders like Bull Snipe, OIFVeteran & others are happy to agree with Lincoln's August 1862 words to Horace Greeley saying,
"I would save the Union.
I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution.
The sooner the national authority can be restored; the nearer the Union will be “the Union as it was.”
If there be those who would not save the Union, unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them.
If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them.
My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery..."
That seems pretty clear, and people who focus on these words usually ignore Lincoln's last sentence:
"I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men every where could be free."
The fact is that by August 1862 many Unionists, including Lincoln himself, saw Civil War to restore the Union as also an opportunity to abolish slavery lawfully (via Proclamation) and Constitutionally (13th, 14th & 15th amendments).
I think I "get" where this can drive our pro-Confederates like jeffersondem to craziness, but still, it is what it is. ![]()