Well said Mr. Billings. Much of what you said is my perspective. As a true blue Rebel, I must state something that may be considered blasphemous. I consider it a good thing that the Confederacy lost and Booth did the South no favors by assassinating Lincoln. To the first part, had the Confederacy been able to make a peace settlement and stay separate, there would have been two countries, maybe three in what is now the USA. I doubt that two or three smaller countries, would have been able to do as much as the USA did in WWI or WWII. Can you imagine what Hitler might have done had there been no USA. To the second part, I think reconstruction would not have been what it was, had Lincoln been President and been able to control the radicals who wanted to severely punish the South for seceding and "causing" the war. Maybe if reconstruction had been different some Southerners would not feel the way they do now. Of course our whole history since the Constitution has been a struggle, among individuals, states and federal rights and powers. I do not see it ending any time soon. I am not sure which General said it, but to paraphrase, "It is a good thing war is so terrible, or we might come to love it too much". In their memory, "LEST WE FORGET" "FREEDOM IS NOT FREE" Robert H. Meek, JR Colonel, USAR(RET) Son of 2LT Robert H. Meek, US Army Air Corp Killed in Action October 19,1994 near Milan Italy Gggrandson or Pvt. William B. Meek, 7th Missouri Inf. CSA Died of wounds December 23, 1863 at the Alton IL Federal prison. -----Original Message----- From: Jared E. Billings [SMTP:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, March 03, 2003 9:56 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [MO-CW] Re: MO-CW-D Digest V03 #50 I can't stand it anymore! Slavery is an indefensible evil. It has always been and will always be. When I began studying the War Between the States I had to unlearn many things I had been taught. I was under the impression that, leading up to the war, the greedy and evil people of the South hated negroes and kept them as slaves so they wouldn't have to do their own work. The enlightened and kind-hearted people of the North realized that slavery was wrong so they elected Lincoln as President because he had promised to free the slaves. Since they did not want to give up their slaves, the South seceded when Lincoln was elected and started the war by attacking Fort Sumter. Then Lincoln raised an army to free the slaves and bring the South back into the Union. When he won the war, the South had him assassinated. Actually, the Abolitionists of the day were a small minority of people and considered radical extremists by folks both North and South. The northern people resented slavery more for the economic advantage it gave the South rather than for morality issues. Lincoln is on record as saying that blacks were not equal to whites. He said that blacks and whites could never exist peacefully together. He wanted to deport them. When Lincoln put out his first call for 75,000 volunteers for the army, he went to great pains to explain that the purpose of raising an army was to bring the seceded states back into the union, NOT to free the slaves. Why? Because he would not have been able to raise an army otherwise. The purpose of the Emancipation Proclamation (almost two years after the war began) was to keep England out of the war. It did not free a single slave. It exempted Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri. Mass desertions from the Federal Army were feared, but by this time the soldiers had been bloodied and wanted to keep fighting anyway. The vast majority of the soldiers that fought for the Confederacy did not own any slaves nor did they care too much one way or the other. They fought because their homelands were invaded. I could go on and on. I also have ancestors from both sides of the conflict. I honor them all. I have no axe to grind except for those who would rewrite history to fit their desires. When I see a Confederate Battle Flag, displayed in the proper context, I do not think to myself, "Oh, if we just still had slavery," as some would seem to imply. If others choose to feel that way about me, that is their problem. They are the ones who are wrong. Jared E. Billings Festus-Crystal City, Missouri (It is OK to say Missour-uh if you also say Mississipp-uh, Miam-uh and Cincinnatt-uh) ----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, March 02, 2003 5:24 PM Subject: [MO-CW] Re: MO-CW-D Digest V03 #50 As gently as possible, and without attempting to start a fight, I am concerned about those who make such comments as "honoring our heritage", as regards the Civil War. I am all in favor of honoring our history and our ancestors (some of mine fought for the South). It seems to many of us, me included, that the Confederate flag should certainly be displayed in appropriate places, but that flying this flag sends the wrong message. The South was attempting several things in this war, some of them understandable in current context, but a major issue in this war was the continuation and legalization of slavery. I think very few of us today could find anything to defend about slavery, so why would anyone want to give the impression of valuing this part of the conflict. I would appreciate thoughtful comments from anyone. I am just trying to understand. Thank you. Pat ==== MO-CW Mailing List ==== "It's a disagreeable thing to be whipped." - Col. William Tecumseh Sherman ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 ==== MO-CW Mailing List ==== "I hope to live long enough to see my surviving comrades march side by side with the Union veterans along Pennsylvania Avenue, and then I will die happy." - James Longstreet ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237