06th May, 2011.
I like calling myself George Huss but people like putting comrade Bob. This is because they consider me to be a friendly man. They say that they have never seen me get angry. The moments that I share with them, they see me either laughing or smiling around. True to this, I am a very happy man who never likes regretting for any moment of my life. For this reason I do what my mind tell me is right for me. I drink a lot when I consider that it is the best thing for me to do. I do smoke cigarettes to keep me warm. This is because the nature of my job called for this. Most of the times I was either in the field or in the bush to fight for the safety of our people. I am a fed and I worked for the freedom of the confederate states during the civil war of the 1860’s. In this war I rose to the rank of a commander. (Heseltine, 1962: p32)
Being a fed requires a big heart otherwise one may risk death n and try resigning from duties if possible but unfortunately this is not possible with the forces. In summary what am putting across is that life of a confederate soldier is not easy. If you are keen that some of our friends did not get the chance of returning back to this beautiful land of ours. To be a fed one had to serve in a home away from home. A home of friends who may be as frustrated as you or as hopeless as you may think that a person should be. In this home of frustrated guys, we had very ruthless bosses who could not see the humanity in you as long as you could not comply to the rules and regulations that guided us. This it was the home of the soldiers. In this home, which was our home and at the same time our work place, forced us to work away from home, away from our loved ones and the home comfort and its surroundings. What made life to be more difficult was the inadequate food and shelter. This was around 1860. There were more diseases accompanying us. We marched a lot and spent many hours of drilling. We soldiers from the South we had easy time in traveling. This was so because we did not carry the many things that the northern soldiers carried. With them, they wore jackets with vests and trousers which were made of denim. Confederates who were called butternuts by the Northerners because of the tan-brown color of their uniforms, had shirts and undergarments. There was hardship in the confederation soldiering. It really needs big hearts to persevere out of it.
2In my life as a soldier I had hopes. I strongly believed that were going to be free from the oppression of northerners. The way our people, the young and the old supported the war, it meant that in real sense we were tired of being slaves and the kind of treatment that we were the getting from our bosses the whites. We were really tired. So my hope was by the end of the war we will be free unfortunately we lost to the northerners simply because they owned most of the things of the country. I had hopes and dreams and settling down with the benefits from the war and become independent. To be a person who had a better life than that of my dad. I was really hopeful. However things do not always turn out the way we think. I was not able to succeed in my dreams. Truly they were dreams. I never got the big money that I dreamt of. Despite being a commander, I can not count any benefit from this war. Instead I am counting losses: we lost strength, lost time, people, and resources among many others. I had a dream of that finally when everything is settled we will talk as brothers and sisters and determine where we went wrong without going back to the field to look for a solution. It pains me a lot when I sit and reflect the life that our people are leading and somewhere in the north we have the leadership of this country. I really hate this.
Being in the army was not my choice. I said before that I was only there because of the beneficial I expected out of it. Also, the thoughts of liberation that filled my mind could not let me free. I found myself in it. Ones in it I knew I could not abandon it. Who amongst you can run away when your house is on fire, would you care putting it out before you decide what next? I thought I would rather die with my people.3
The American Civil War took place from 1861 to 1865. It was also known as the War between States. Apart from these two, it had very names of which any can be used to successfully refer to it. It was a war between eleven states from the south who had declared there secession from the American united states. The southern states joined hands to form a confederation and was known as the confederation states of America. They were led by Jefferson Davis. We fought for our independence from the United States federal government which was a coalition of twenty independent states and were majorly from tihe North. The fight was for a period of approximately four years after which the con federacy sopped. Slavery also stopped as a result and what followed was the reconstruction era. During the presidential elections that had taken place earlier in 1860 before the war began, the republican leader Abraham Lincoln had campaigned that slavery should not be expanded beyond the states in which it existed by that time. In 1861 after the Republican took the office, almost seven of the cotton states broke away to form confederation state of America. This was met with repulsive reactions, both from the incoming government and the out gone government of James Buchanan. Apart from us, no other country recognized the existence of this state.
4Trouble began in April 1861 when our forces attacked a military of the U.S at Fort Sumter. The then president, Abraham Lincoln raised an alarm and called for soldiers to volunteer to capture the federal property. Following this call of Lincoln, four more states broke and joined us. The war began thereafter. Some of our leading commanders surrendered. A serious one that affected us most and which brought to the end of the war was the surrender of Lee Robert in the year 1865.the abolitionist movement came there after to campaign against the slavery. This was very effective and by the 1809, all the northern states had put it in the law. Slavery was done away with. The war against slavery was the major bone of contention and it started all the way from1850’s. Jefferson Davis led this country from 1861 to 1865 as the only president. The deaths that were registered were many. Most part of this war took place in the southern states and thus the southern slave states experienced more loss of property as compared to the northern union states. This was the political temperature of this time. However things have become better, at least there is peace.
The north and the south showed different economies, different social structures different customs and different political values. The social structures that the people of the south differed from that of the people of the north. The economic status of the citizens of the union states was elevated. People were wealthy and they supported the war to some extent. They participated in the purchase of the war materials. However, this was not the case to the southerners who a majority was very poor. This was commonly referred to as sectionalism. This steadily increased in the 19th century up to around 1960’s when it ceased.5
There exited free lands for use though this was majorly implemented after the war. We the south majorly depended on the cotton production and exportation. This was the major economic activity and was dominated by the northern that majorly invested in. they owned large farms and above all they employed many people from the south in these farms, though at a very low pay.
Describing the current political situation, I would applaud the leaders. We are in a position where no slave could have been should we have spared the war. With the abolishment of the slavery, we are free and have the rights and freedom just like the res. Though there are instances of racism in some parts of the country, our attitude towards our neighbors has changed. People can see themselves in others. We are able to appreciate the lives of our individuals.
Sociologically, there have been these two political parties, the republican’s party and the Democratic Party. Republicans are majorly nationalists and would view everything in the context of the citizenship of Americans. Democrats on the other hand are free human beings who are open to reasoning and letting the rule of the majority to apply. This is where the majority of the slave politicians are. They are not many as you may think, but many as compared to the number of individuals in the republicans party. Nowadays we are able to express our political views in a most decent way. We can form political affiliations at the grassroots level as long as it does not affect the national politics of the two party systems.
This is a very peaceful country and generally I love it However, I am aware that in most cases peaceful talks do not succeed especially in issues of independence. I do not regret the deaths any way. We are now at peace. My hope for this country lies not in the reconstruction after another war, but in the preventive measures. How we can prevent such a thing from re occurring. We have lost very many people, lot a lot of property among other valuables. I hope the people of this beloved country will realize this.
References:
Commager, H. (Ed.) (1950) The Story of the Civil War. Michigan: Eve Publishers.
Heseltine, W. B. (1962) The Civil War and Reconstruction. London: Macmillan Publishers.
Hart, A. (1906). The American Nation History. New York: Harper & brothers.
John W. C. (1999) The American Military History. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bibliography
Johnson, Clint. (2006).The Politically Incorrect Guide to The South. Washington, D.C: Regnery Publishing, Inc.,
Johnston, David E. (2005). The Story of a Confederate Boy in the Civil War (Serving in the 7th Virginia Infantry Regiment
Johnston II, Angus James. (1961.)Virginia Railroads in the Civil War. N.Caroliner: University of North Carolina Press
Levine, Bruce. (2005) Confederate Emancipation: Southern Plans to Free and Arm Slaves during the Civil War. London: Oxford University Press,
Robson, John S. (2007).How A One-Legged Rebel Lives: Reminiscences of the Civil War; The Story of the Campaigns of Stonewall Jackson, Kessinger Publishing.
U.S. War Department, The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901
