2. Are you a Civil War enthusiast?

Commonly called THE Civil War. Yes, I spent many a holiday touring Civil War sites, especially in Pensylvania. Since Canada and England had particular interests in the Confederate States, I spent most of my time in the South.

Cheers,

Jim

 

I have read quiet a lot about the Civil War and found some facts that the general public doesn't have any clue about what all prevailed because of the war.

 

Because of the slavery issue in the South, the Confederate leaders had to coome to Montreal, Quebec to pick up the monies donated by Canada and England to the Confederacy...........And yet, some Canadians fought on both sides of the war. I understand that the last remaining veteran of the Civil War was actually a Canadian from Toronto. I believe he was living in the US when he died.

Cheers,

Jim

 

You stand to be corrected, Salty------ole buddy, ole pal!!!

It was "The War of Northern Aggression"

 

And the war ain't over yet!!!

:laugh: :laugh:

 

I said yes but I am not as fanatical about it as some people I know. I don't starve myself or go to reenactments dressed as a soldier.

The American Civil war (call it whatever you want) is great history to many Americans because we live near the actual sites and many of us know of ancestors who were involved. When you can go to the places and see the land it makes history real and alive.

Now don't forget that our British cousins had their own civil war a couple hundred years before ours. I have found some ancestors who were involved in that one too.

 

quote: Now don't forget that our British cousins had their own civil war a couple hundred years before ours.
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Blimey! We had so many civil wars in the UK and spoke so many languages, we were never sure who we were.

I liked the US civil war history so much our whole family returned to Gettysburg for two weeks each July holiday for 8 years running. The other places we visited were Williamsburg, Va and Appomattox..I even have the huge book written by Gen. James Longstreet from Manassas to Appomattox. Absolutely fascinating.

I did not really care about which side won the war, but the amazing stories that went along with the war; stories about people.

Cheers,

Jim

 

I actually consider the American Revolutionary war with Britan to be the 2nd part of the English civil war. I believe the war of 1862 to be the American civil War and North wasn't Aggressive the South didn't want to play as team players. They wanted each state joined in a loose confederacy where the states were closer to independent countries. They didn't see a need for strong central government especially when that government wanted to free up their cheep labor and had more financial leanings on industialization rather than agriculture. The South actually agressed with making Richmond their capital and drawing up documents for the Confederacy. Then the north had to step in with their feeble attack at bull run.

 

Jim, I read where you lived in England. I have been told that in the Libraries in England, you can get more history about the American Civil War than we can get in our country. I have been led to believe that our country didn't shed a light for the reason we wasn't made available of all that happened according to history Would you know if it is true?

 

Ray, I am not sure that we had more books about your civil war, but in our schools we tended to learn more about foreign history than seems to be taught in US schools.

My daughters grw up in Canadian schools and American history was a vital part of their learning. My granddaughter in Georgia hardly hears about Canadian history in er schools.

Not a judgement; just a thought.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Jim, I graduated from High School in 1957. During the later grades, we was taught American History and World History. I guess we started American History with the several voyages of Eric, the Red Pounce de'Leon, Leif ERrickson, Columbus straights of MeGellion and others and so on and the colonizing of the new America and that is about when we started studied World History.

 

I'm somewhat interested in the Civil War for a couple of reasons.

One, I grew up in West Tennessee and spent most of my adult life in Western Kentucky, where a good part of the war was fought. There are a number of battle sites in those areas, and their stories sort of bring it home to reality for me.

Two, my great-grandfather and his brother enlisted in April 1864 in the Confederate army.Great-grandad was a cavalry soldier. Details history of his unit is on the internet and thus I can follow him to the places where his company traveled and fought.
Great-granddad's brother, by the way, deserted, according to the records.

My mother told me that great-granddad found his future wife and her mother in Alabama, hiding behind a water trough during a skirmish. He rescued them and somehow got them to Tennessee, where he married the daughter in 1870 at age 15.
Twenty years later, after the mother's first two husbands died, the mother married one of great-grand's brothers (not the deserter). That made her not only his mother-in-law, but his sister-in-law at the same time.

 

Considering we are only about 138 years removed from the end of the Civil War, I should there are a lot of people around who have some story to tell about people in those times.

Wife and I met a few such people in Pennsylvania and Virginia with such relations. Absolutely amazing. I even got to read some letters. One letter talked about civilians
standing around watching the war take place.

Cheers,

Jim