When the republicans won in the 1860 election and Abraham Lincoln was the President-elect, the leaders of the Cotton Belt in the deep South knew perfectly well that although he was not an abolitionist and had never advocated the destruction of slavery in the states, slavery was not safe with him in the White House. They knew the tide was going to turn with a president and a dominant political party in Washington committed to the checking of slavery in the territories. They knew that if slavery was no longer able to expand, it eventually would have to die.
If the Southerners did not feel that they were going to war to defend slavery, they did have a deep feeling that the race question that would confront them if slavery were abolished was more than they could handle. They had been brought up, despite the quietness of their slave population, to suspect that under the surface dangerous violence lurked. The example of Santo Domingo, where the slaves rose in revolt and massacred all the white people they could get their hands on, was something they never forgot. The Nat Turner Rebellion had pointed in that direction. A few other outbreaks in the South seemed to point the same way. And most Southerners frankly confessed that they did not see how the two races could get along together if the institution of Slavery were removed. If the Southerners were not fighting to preserve slavery, then they were at least fighting to preserve a situation in which they did not have to be afraid of a sudden violent uprising by the slave population.
What made John Brown, for instance, such a hated character in the South, was the fact that his strange abortive raid at Harpers Ferry was designed as a step to stir up a slave rebellion. If it had succeeded, it would undoubtedly have gotten out of hand. Brown was the man to start something like that; not the man to control it. Fortunately, it did not succeed and the country was spared what would have been a very tragic, bloody experience. But the fact that such a tragic, bloody experience seemed to lie below the surface of their lives was a frightening thing to the people of the South and helped persuade a great many that safety, for them, lay in getting out of the Union.
The black man in the North was not a slave, but he was very definitely not merely a second-class citizen, but a third or fourth-class citizen. He had few rights, practically no privileges and no social standing whatever. In general, the poorest jobs, the lowest wages and the worst housing were reserved for him. In some cases, indeed, it was possible to argue that some slaves in the South might be better off than black people were in the North, strictly from the standpoint of food, clothing, housing and general treatment. Of course, that argument missed the point because, above everything else, the slave wanted his freedom and he was willing to pay a high price for it; and he did. The rest of the country paid an equal price to get it for him.
When the war began and Northern armies moved down into the South, the soldiers in the Northern armies discovered that the black men who were all around them were somehow on their side. The soldiers felt that they were in a foreign country, simply because slavery did not exist there. They passed the plantations with their slave quarters behind the big house and the work gangs out in the field. This was not life in Ohio or Pennsylvania. This was foreign; it was different. The people here were enemies and yet, somehow these black folk were friendly. If a soldier was lost from his unit, or had straggled after a battle and did not know where he was or how to get back, it was the black people who would help him. They would give him something to eat, they would put him on the road, they would help him dodge the Confederate patrols; they were always on his side. Furthermore, they soon clustered round the camps and the Northern soldier began to realize that there was something wrong with the argument that the slaves were contented with their lot.
Civil War The Musical
Did you know that during the Civil War, more than 1000 different types of bullets were used? This is one reason Civil War bullet collecting has become a popular hobby. Another reason is that the time of the Civil War saw changes taking place in the development of firearms and ammunition. The old round musketballs of the Revolution were being replaced with bullets in the shape we are accustomed to. While musketballs are found on Civil War battlefields, the most common type of bullet used was the .58-caliber bullet with three rings around the base. Many bullets found are splattered out of shape. If you've always been fascinated by the Civil War and firearms, Civil War bullet collecting is a hobby you will enjoy.
With the advent of Internet buying and selling, Civil War bullets have become more collectible, and the prices have gone up quickly. Not only this, sometimes sellers are not informed and ask more than the bullet is worth. For these reasons, if you are just starting out in Civil War bullet collecting, you will want to buy a good price guide. You can even find a price guide online if that works better for you.
Many Civil War bullet collectors also collect bullet molds and other relics from the Civil War era. A real enthusiast might even investigate the possiblility of becoming a Civil War reenactor, acting out battles with others in towns and fields across the Southeast.
Civil War bullets can be collected by buying from other collectors, or you can begin by going directly to the battlefields to dig and search. A metal detector will make Civil War bullet collecting easier. You may also find buttons from uniforms, bullet molds, belt buckles, and other metal items from the battle. Some of the bullets may be buried quite deep. You will need to wear a headset and pay close attention to the changes in tone in your metal detector. Hunting Civil War relics is prohibited on protected battlefields, but there are still old homesites where battles were fought. Be sure to get permission from the owner and fill any holes you dig.
Some people have the idea that hunting for bullets with a metal detector indicates a lack of respect for the soldiers who died there. They get this idea because sometimes bullet hunters find bones along with the bullet. The fact is, however, that many of the bullet hunters who have found bullets this way have chronicled and mapped out there finds, resulting in many of the facts that we now know about the Civil War.
The Civil War fascinates Americans because of everything it stands for. While everyone agrees that slavery is a terrible blot on the history of the U.S., there are some people who still discuss the issue of states' rights versus a strong central government. Civil War bullet collecting is an iteresting hobby, though somewhat sobering at times when considering the great number of casualties. The memory of brother fighting against brother out in the cornfields and pastures will never go away. Civil War bullet collecting is one way to commemorate this monumental historical event.
Both Michael Russell & Charles And Kim Petty are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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