The Civil War Was an Event That Marked a Great Change in Our Country, Because in the End

Braden Rollins

Ostler

Hist. 1700

MW

Dueling Documents Two: Invaders and Defenders

The civil war was an event that marked a great change in our country, because in the end it would unify all states under one flag. The war itself began in 1861 when confederate southern forces fired upon Ft. Sumter which was occupied by Union soldiers. Slavery however was the cause of the separation of the country in the first place; the southern states wanted and needed slavery, so they could continue producing cash crops. The fear of losing the means of continuing there way life was enough for all confederate states to secede from the union in order to protect there interest. Because of the split through the country you occasionally had families on either side.

The two documents for review are one from a union soldiers point of view and the other a confederate women’s view on the Union raiders. The two accounts are near opposites in the views of both of the individuals by which they were written. The Soldiers speak of how filthy the environment everyone was living in and how slow day to day life was. The Confederate woman talks about the Union soldiers and how inconsiderate, boorish, and had a raider like mentality.

William Christie was a soldier deployed from the Union to do battle under Ulysses Grant at Vicksburg. He writes to his brother about all of the ups, downs, triumphs, and hardships of the war. William feels that he is the only one trying to keep communication open between himself and his brother, because his brother apparently has nothing to write about. He speaks of how the location of the city is fantastic, and how before the war it was probably very beautiful. However now that the confederate rebels are in control the aesthetics of the city had declined to a very poor state. Recalling how there is filth and refuse everywhere, so much that he says there are wagon loads of filth including tons of soiled rags and clothes. His description of the hospitals in the area truly describe how they would have been in the civil war, with the lack of hygiene and appropriate medicinal knowledge the acrid smell was most likely that of waste and rotting flesh.

Nancy Emerson retails the story of when the Union Soldiers invader her town. She tells of when they arrived into town they went door to door asking for provisions such as flour, bacon, and whiskey, and when they citizens of the town denied that request the soldiers let them selves into the homes and ransacked them for everything they owned. Many people in the town tried to hide there valuables, but were either found out or ratted out by there slaves and servants. Yankee officers even told people were to hide there valuables so the soldiers would not be able to find them.

So from both accounts neither side approves of one another. The Union soldier accounts how beautiful the city may have been if not for the confederate rebels, and how they have let the city become worn down and let the trash build up. From reading Nancy’s account of what occurred when Union soldiers would come into town led me to believe a lot of the mess was caused by the northern intruders. From the letter it sounds like after a town was conquered there was not much to do other than “Walk around and Drum” which also strengthens my opinion on the second view of the southerners.

How the people who lived in the south were treated is somewhat embarrassing. To have the north come into your town to win it over to end the war was one thing, but when the men of the army acted like renegade marauders you would think to yourself “Why would I want to be with a country that allows that to occur?” With the invasion of the southern peoples homes, and to have them ransacked and cleaned out of there valuables is not a good way to encourage them to join the north. It sounds like the officers of the Union army were aware of there soldiers behavior, but could do little to stop what was occurring through each town they visited.

I would side with the southern towns people, because if I were in there position I would not want invaders who want me to conform to their ideas to come into my home and take everything I own. I don’t know how wide spread the problem of marauding was with the union soldiers, but I find that those who did seem to have taken advantage of the opportunity of their power and position. “Hey everybody! They’re against us so we can do what ever we want!” Knowing that most of the soldiers had no real education they were probably easily influenced by their comrades.

Grateful that our country could be reunited by winning the civil war, it makes me wonder if Union men had set a better example rather than exploiting there position, would the conflict resolved itself quicker with fewer casualties? If most southern accounts of how Union soldiers behaved are like Nancy’s I would have wanted nothing to do with the North and their government.