[ronnietherocket3]

Most historians are statists. Grant was a monster who broke with centuries of precedent governing the conduct of war. When he couldn't defeat Lee in the field he turned to making war on civilians. Western civilization had not seen that kind of barbarism since the Thirty Years War.

As opposed to what the South did, which was to enslave people, beat them and deny them liberty? That is the group of barbarous individuals you want to defend?

[central_va]

which was to enslave people, beat them and deny them liberty?

So how many freed slaves killed their previous owners? You'd think thousands, but I cant recall reading about any. Most took their owners last name and stayed on the plantation and share cropped. A lot of visceral hate there I tell ya.

[DiogenesLamp]

As opposed to what the South did, which was to enslave people, beat them and deny them liberty?

Slavery held sway under 89 years of Union Rule. How about you put most of that hatred on the Government that dominated that period?

How about you face the fact that the Union was going to CONTINUE slavery if the war had ended sooner?

Five Union States maintained slavery through most of the War. If the Union was fighting to end slavery, they could have started with those.

[RFEngineer]

“As opposed to what the South did, which was to enslave people, beat them and deny them liberty?”

The “South” wished to perpetuate the existing system.

But that’s not the point.

The point is that the “South” is also YOU - assuming you are an American. The “North” is also me, as an American of Southern heritage.

The defeat of the South at the hands of the North is not something that should bring feelings of moral superiority in any American. Sherman’s march should outrage every American - rather than be justified as due punishment of the South.

That’s the fundamental misunderstanding of Americans who declare affinity on either side of the Civil War. It was an American war. Nobody today can claim victory or defeat in any logical sense. Nobody can run away from our history, nor can they claim anything but that the Civil War is part of being an American.

There are great cultural differences that indeed remain and make the South vastly superior and more American than any area of the North in terms of our founding as a God-fearing, liberty-loving republic.

But the Civil War in both “defeat” and “victory” is American.

The South simply has innate superiority that, unfortunately, people like you just resent - and having nothing to contribute yourself, you simply point to “The North defeated the South in the Civil War” when properly translated in todays context should be “Americans defeated Americans in the Civil War” - because there were no victors.

So holster your resentment of the South. You can’t do anything about being bested by your Southern neighbors in understanding America, and being American. That’s why your Northern neighbors move here in vast numbers - because they love America, and choose not to be around resentful hysterical tyrants like you.

You sir, are an ass.