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I am reminded of the scene in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" where Arther Dent is recounting an event where he embarrassed himself and Ford Prefect's reaction: "That's awkward" ;')
Posted on 11/15/2013 11:16:55 AM PST by nickcarraway
Seven score and ten years ago, the forefathers of this media institution brought forth to its audience a judgment so flawed, so tainted by hubris, so lacking in the perspective history would bring, that it cannot remain unaddressed in our archives.
We write today in reconsideration of “The Gettysburg Address,” delivered by then-President Abraham Lincoln in the midst of the greatest conflict seen on American soil. Our predecessors, perhaps under the influence of partisanship, or of strong drink, as was common in the profession at the time, called President Lincoln’s words “silly remarks,” deserving “a veil of oblivion,” apparently believing it an indifferent and altogether ordinary message, unremarkable in eloquence and uninspiring in its brevity.
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In the fullness of time, we have come to a different conclusion. No mere utterance, then or now, could do justice to the soaring heights of language Mr. Lincoln reached that day. By today’s words alone, we cannot exalt, we cannot hallow, we cannot venerate this sacred text, for a grateful nation long ago came to view those words with reverence, without guidance from this chagrined member of the mainstream media.
The world will little note nor long remember our emendation of this institution’s record – but we must do as conscience demands:
I did, carefully.
At the time of Lincoln's inauguration, March 4, 1861, there was no Civil War, no war of any kind, and Lincoln's inaugural address is his plea with the Slave Power not to start one.
At that point in time, Republican Lincoln's position is very close to that of his predecessor, outgoing Northern Dough-faced Democrat President James Buchanan.
So, in exchange for peace, Lincoln was willing to offer the Slave Power just about anything.
Lincoln closes with the following:
I am loath to close.
We are not enemies, but friends.
We must not be enemies.
Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection...."
As true today as it was then.
But in fact, the Civil War was provoked, started and formally declared by the Confederacy against the United States for one reason, and one reason only: to preserve, protect, defend and advance the Slave Power.
Unlike all post-war defenders of the Confederacy, all the ante-bellum (pre-war) slavers knew exactly why they declared secession, provoked, started and even formally declared war.
They weren't bashful or shy about it, they had no concerns -- zero, zip, nada -- for "political correctness" or anything else.
They declared openly: they were intent on protecting slavery, period.
Certainly, after the war, after defeat was certain, then all the pro-Confederate propagandists went back and tried to rewrite the history, to make it look like something -- anything -- other than slavery, and anything other than their own fault.
CodeToad: "We’re not as stupid as liberals think we are."
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Actually, our FRiend onedoug did his best to wiggle out of saying he'd fight to preserve slavery.
Obviously, onedoug doesn't want to remember -- or be reminded -- that slavery was the reason for Deep South secession and declaration of war on the United States.
Obviously, onedoug and others here are victims of post-war pro-Confederate propaganda, which rewrote the true history to make their side look like the "good guys" and Northerners to be mere minions of the great "Ape" Lincoln.
But onedoug's posts also vaguely hint that he may, himself, be a northerner, in which case we have to ask how, precisely, was he victimized by these propaganda-lies?
I’m not a big Lincoln fan like Neos here....sorry Mark...Glenn
But this address is most certainly not something about Lincoln I would criticize
Re Lincoln, please see my original post.
If one's "home" is in the middle of the thing, then that can assert some pretty strong tugs.
I'd venture to say that in many respects in the 1860s, the loyalty to one's state oft took precedence over one's fealty to even the national government. Such was it with Lee and the thousands of others who, even torn between loyalties, struck South.
In that respect I would have been one of them.
May we never have to so choose again.
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I am reminded of the scene in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" where Arther Dent is recounting an event where he embarrassed himself and Ford Prefect's reaction: "That's awkward" ;')
I would never consider another human “property”, let alone sign up to fight a war to keep that designation the law of the land.
Patriot & Union (today’s Patriot-News) was and still is a left wing publication.
My understanding is the Lee’s General order number 4 required southern soldiers (a marksman company per brigade) to follow attacks and shoot down any that were too slow.
That would indeed be a counterpart and a predecessor to Soviet blocking battalions.
But it wasn't loyalty to a state which mattered so much as loyalty to the "peculiar institution" of slavery.
That's why it's estimated that even though all-told nearly a million Southerners served in Confederate armies, still 450,000 more served in Union Armies, in units from every Confederate state.
About 150,000 of those Southerners in Union units were black, former slaves, the other 300,000 whites from Unionist sections of their slave-states.
These included:
So, joining the Union Army in a slave-state could be difficult and dangerous, but many Southerners despised slavery enough to accept the risks.
If true, it would change my perception of Civil War armies, and indeed lead to the question: how many Confederate troops were gunned down by their own units?
Which makes onedoug's comment even more interesting. onedoug's grammatically challenged comment: "Yet even in spite of the tragedy of damned slavery which led to that horrible war, as in the least it is, had I not already been there, I would have gone South."(emphasis mine)
Later, when offered an opportunity to revise his remarks he doubles down:
(BroJoeK to onedoug): onedoug, post #4: "Yet even in spite of the tragedy of damned slavery which led to that horrible war, as in the least it is, had I not already been there, I would have gone South."
onedoug: "Yes sir."
The plain reading of his words are the support of the rebellion, Particular Institution and all. They are not often that candid and for that at least I suppose we should applaud him.
An interesting Union unit is the First South Carolina Volunteers.
They were probably the first ever unit to actually increase in numbers with most of its battles. Upon seeing them in action, nearby slaves would drop their agricultural tools, pickup the weapons of casualties (from both sides) and follow the soldiers back to their camp after the battle.
At least as early as the spring of 1862, the file closer’s job description expanded. They were given the added task of following behind the lines of battle and ensuring that the men fought and did not run. Anyone who attempted to flee the front line was forced back at sword or gunpoint. File closers were also empowered to execute any man who failed to do his duty. During the siege of petersburg on the 22nd February 1865, R. E. Lee included a circular to his general Orders No. 4. It was distributedthroughout the Army of Northern Virginia and underscored the need for keen military discipline in the face of internecine fighting along the siege lines. With regard to file closers, he wrote:-
I call your attention particularly to the following order with reference to the duties of file closers, which you will immediately carry into execution.... The whole number of file closers in each company shall be one for every ten men.... They will be required to prevent straggling and be held responsible for their respective squads of ten. In action they will keep two paces behind the rear rank of their several squads .... with loaded guns and fixed bayonets. They will be diligently instructed to aid in preserving order in the ranks and enforcing obedience to commands and to permit no man to leave his place unless wounded, excused in writing by the medical officer of the regiment or by order of the regimental commander. For this purpose they will use such degree of force as may be necessary. if any refuse to advance, disobey orders or leave the ranks to plunder or to retreat, the file closer will promptly cut down or fire upon the delinquents. They will retreat in the same manner any man who uses words or actions calculated to produce alarm among the troops.... It will be enjoined upon file closers that they shal make the evasion of duty more dangerous than its performance.
In light of Lee’s instructions, the role of file closer was not a popular one. Although the Official Records gives no hint that soldiers sometimes turned on file closers in combat, it is not unlikely such actions occurred frequent;ly enough to prevent most men hankering for the job.
http://www.acws.co.uk/nl/nl0701/fileclosers.htm
“It was probably 3 o’clock or later in the afternoon when the cannon fire of the enemy ceased. General Pickett went to Longstreet and asked if he should make the charge according to the orders issued. He (Longstreet) did not reply by word of mouth. He simply nodded. We were ordered to fix bayonets. The Colonel spoke to us. ‘See that wall there; it is full of Yankees: I want you to help take it.’ He told the file-closers to see that all the men kept up, and if any lagged shoot them, or he would have the file-closers themselves shot. Just before we reached the Emmitsburg Road a shell killed three and wounded three, a loss of six out of my company of only 25. Our pace was regular time.
http://richmondthenandnow.com/Newspaper-Articles/Pickett%27s-Last-Man.html
Jackson also shot stragglers on his marches. His biographers pass over that, claiming he was ‘a magnificent marcher of men.” How he got the men to march so far, so fast— best not to talk about that.
http://www02.us.archive.org/stream/campfiresconfed00breegoog/campfiresconfed00breegoog_djvu.txt
Above link to an interesting compilation of anecdotes. Thought it would amuse you.
He Forgot His Brains.
There was a desperate fight in Tennessee, in which a colonel very largely distinguished himself, and, as the result of such distguishment, had most of the top of his head shot off. He was
carried to the rear, and the surgeon in charge of the field hospital, seeing that it was a severe case, applied heroic treatment. He scooped out the brains and proceeded to wash them in an old army bucket near at hand. While this was going on a message came from the commanding general saying that the wounded colonel had been promoted to a brigadier-generalship for gallantry on the field, and requesting him to report at the front immediately. With the top of his head in the hands of the surgeon, and his brains in the bucket, the colonel mounted his horse and prepared to obey the order.
Thereupon the surgeon said to him :
“Here, you have forgotten your brains!” “What of that?”
said the late colonel, as he cast a glance of pity toward the men with whole heads about him. *’ What need have I of brains ? I’m a brigadier-general now!”
Thank you for your gallantry, sir.
File Closers Don^t Count.
Captain Cleveland, of the Fifth Texas Infantry, Army of
Northern Virginia, on one occasion offer’d a reward of one hundred dollars to the man who first reached the enemy’s works. In the regiment was a sergeant named Keyes, a most notorious coward — one who would have a chill the hottest day in July if he heard picket firing, and to whom the prospect of a fight was the signal for a severe attack of bomb ague. After the fight the question of the identity of the man who was entitled to the premium came up, and was settled by a wag claiming that Keyes, the coward, was the winner, for he had heard Captain Cleveland shout out to him just as he reached the works : “Stop, Keyes; file closers don’t count.”
page 118 of the previous reference.
I guess that the joke was that Keyes was always a bit behind the lines, and so was mingled with the file closers.
My pleasure.
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