Posted on 07/17/2005 9:37:15 PM PDT by SAMWolf
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are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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The YMCA Goes to War Split in two by secession, the YMCA still managed to bring mercy and a moral compass to the camps of North and South. Volunteers with the YMCA-organized U.S. Christian Commission served as surgeons and chaplains. With these concerns in mind, the United States Christian Commission was founded in November 1861. The first civilian volunteer organization dedicated to serving soldiers, the commission was organized by a 17-year-old international association known today for providing city youths with constructive alternatives to activities that can get them into trouble. That association is the Young Men's Christian Association, better known as the YMCA or simply the Y. By the end of the Civil War, YMCA chapters in the North, through the auspices of the U.S. Christian Commission, raised an astounding $6 million to care for Union soldiers. The Southern Ys also participated in wartime volunteer work, though an inherent aversion to centralized authority made it more difficult to plan a coordinated effort. There was little or no cooperation between Northern and Southern chapters. The once-strong ties between the United States chapters began to fray along the Mason-Dixon Line as Southern states seceded. Southern leaders of the Y believed secession was no reason for the association to split along North-South lines. The Y already had chapters in England, Canada, and the United States, they reasoned, why in not the Confederate States as well? Southerners viewed this acceptance of their new confederation as a normal progression of affairs. They wanted political independence from the North, but still wanted to maintain non-governmental bonds with their Northern brethren. The Chicago YMCA provided hymn books to soldiers in the field. Northerners viewed the situation differently. Many of them believed the South had no moral or constitutional right to secede from the Union. They believed that when Southern states made the aggressive political move of declaring independence, Southerners were willingly cutting themselves off from their former countrymen in emotional and spiritual ways, too. In May 1861, the YMCA chapters in Richmond and New Orleans each sent a letter to Y chapters in the North. Both mentioned the upcoming National Convention in St. Louis, which the Southerners wanted to keep scheduled. They asked for peace and Christian fellowship, though they insisted on the South's right to independence. The Richmond letter blamed the "distorting medium of the press" for many of the misunderstandings between the sides. It insisted that such "misrepresentations" cease, concluding that only through "prayers and efforts for the restoration of peace and goodwill" on both sides could the Y remain united. The New Orleans letter echoed many of those sentiments. The writers conspicuously avoided debating causes of the war, and concentrated instead on trying to reunify the association. They appealed to "those principles and sentiments in your bosoms, upon which the religion of our Divine Savior is based." They wished that there "should be peace between the two Confederacies." There was no hint, however, that the New Orleans Y was rethinking its support for an independent Southern republic. Northern chapters responded to the Southern chapters' letters with bitter accusations and vindictiveness. For the New York City chapter, the conflict was not merely a matter of misunderstanding. "Have the Southrons the right to rule the Union until they lose an election and then destroy it?" wrote the chapter's correspondence secretary. "No." It did not matter that the Southern letters avoided the slavery issue. For the New Yorkers, it was slavery that had split the country in half. United States Christian Commission Identification Card. This Generic ID card was distributed by the United States Christian Commission and was printed on linen paper with a brass grommet driven through it. Members of the Y in the North and South proved the strength of the convictions highlighted in these letters when it came time to fill the military ranks. Like many of their fellow countrymen, they rushed to enlist. So many members of the Y in Charleston, South Carolina, went off to war that the chapter struggled just to keep its doors open. The piano, furniture, and fixtures had to be sold to maintain operations. In New York, members of the Y filled the ranks of the 7th, 9th, 12th, 71st, and 176th infantry regiments. The Chicago chapter filled five companies of the 72d Illinois Infantry. There also was a company of dragoons (heavily armed, mounted infantry). The Chicago Y was prepared to present these troops a flag and other donations before they left for war, but the soldiers declined the offer. They instead unanimously voted to hold a prayer meeting. It was clear that the figurative sense of the time-worn cliché "brother versus brother" held more than a kernel of truth. Members of the Young Men's Christian Association would soon be firing their guns at one another across the battlefield. As the New York letter to the Southern chapters put it, "Your Christians will meet ours in battle." In the early weeks of the war, soldiers in both armies spent most of the their time sitting in camp, bored perhaps, but relatively comfortable. Food and other supplies were adequate. Battle casualties had not yet begun to amass. It was not until the first major battle of the war--the Battle of Manassas in Virginia on July 21, 1861--that anyone began to think seriously about the care and needs of the troops. Almost 3,000 soldiers were wounded in that fight, and those men required at least some basic medical care.
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www.ymca.net
TheYMCA had existed in America for only 10 years when the Civil War separated the country into North and South. The New York and Chicago YMCAs raised troops for the North, while several YMCAs in the South raised troops as well. In 1861, 15 Northern YMCAs came together to create the U.S.Christian Commissionfor the relief of soldiers on the battlefield. A conference with President Abraham Lincoln led to the full-scale recruitment of YMCA volunteers, eventually numbering 5,000, who served as surgeons,nurses and chaplains.These volunteers distributed medical supplies,food and clothing,and even taught soldiers to read and write. YMCA volunteers wrote more than 90,000 letters for the sick and wounded, and distributed $1,000 per week in stamps for soldiersletters home. TheYMCAs Christian Commission also published a Record of the Federal Dead which helped many bereaved families find their fallen sons .Forty-three Christian Commission volunteers,including three women, lost their lives during service. American poet Walt Whitman served in the Ys Christian Commission and called his service,the greatest privilege and satisfaction ...and most profound lesson of my life. One Confederate YMCA began during the war in a federal prison camp at Johnsons Island, Ohio. However,only two southernYMCAs survived the War Between the States: the Richmond (Va.) and Charleston (S.C.) YMCAs. Although it would take several decades forYMCAs to regain their former strength in both the North and South, the work of the Y during the war had brought the movement great prestige among both Federal and Confederate troops. |
Another excellent, informative article--I was unaware of the depth of the influence of the "Y" during the Civil War.
It resonates to this day in my household: I have four kids enrolled in YMCA sports right now. Their legacy continues (I'm obligated to mention under full-disclosure ethics that my oldest daughter starts a "Y" basketball tournament tomorrow evening, and her proud father will be in attendance).
They do good work, and I appreciated learning about a part of their history I'd never heard about.
Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.
Village People Bump for a fascinating read about the "Y"
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Good morning ALL.
On This Day In History
Birthdates which occurred on June 18:
1681 Feofan Prokopovich theologian, archbishop of Novgorod, westernizer
1799 William Lassell discoverer (satellites of Uranus & Neptune)
1809 Sylvanus William Godon, Commander (Union Navy), died in 1879
1839 William Henry Seward Jr, Brig General (Union volunteers), died in 1920
1877 James Montgomery Flagg illustrator "I want you" recruiting poster
1886 George Mallory England, mountain climber ("because it is there")
1901 Jeanette MacDonald actress/singer (When I'm Calling You)
1904 Keye Luke Canton China, actor (Kung Fu - Master Po)
1906 Kay Kyser Rocky Mount NC, orch leader (Kay Kyser's Kollege)
1908 Bud Collyer NYC, TV emcee (Beat the Clock, To Tell the Truth)
1910 E.G. Marshall actor (Defenders, Nixon, Absolute Power)
1913 Sammy Cahn lyricist (3 Coins in a Fountain)
1913 Sylvia Porter financial writer (Sylvia Porter's Money Book)
1915 Red Adair, oilman (fought oil fires)
1917 Richard Boone LA Calif, actor (Paladin-Have Gun Will Travel,Big Jake-John Fain (gang leader))
1926 Tom Wicker columnist (NY Times)
1937 John D (Jay) Rockefeller IV (Sen-III)
1937 Vitali M Zholobov cosmonaut (Soyuz 21)
1937 Hunter S. Thompson (d.2005), Gonzo Journalist
1939 Lou Brock one-time baseball stolen base leader (St Louis Cards)
1942 Paul McCartney rocker, Beatles, writes silly love songs
1942 Rogert Ebert Urbana Ill, film critic (Siskel & Ebert at the Movies)
1952 Carol Kane Cleveland Ohio, actress (Dog Day Afternoon, Simka-Taxi)
1963 Bruce Smith NFL defensive end (Buffalo Bills)
I wonder if they had a singing group with all in different uniforms?
Shameless Plug
On This Day In History "Their Finest Hour"
The Churchill Centre ^ | 7/18/40 | Winston Churchill
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1445239/posts
/Shameless Plug
I lose. :-(
I bet Snippy that Valin would be the first to mention the Village People.
Interesting read about the Y. That's some rich history and it's sad that the mission to do the work of Christ had to be divided by politics. Some of the most vile and vindictive words that I have ever witnessed were communicated by the family of God against each other . . . and some no further away than the FR Religion Thread.
The Richmond letter blamed the "distorting medium of the press" for many of the misunderstandings between the sides.
Always has . . . always will. Talk about an organization that has Satan as it's chief editor.
LOL! Admit it, you just didn't get in fast enough. ;-)
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