Question Gettysburg 150 aniversary.

[Notebook]

Top of my head, 1862-1864? Lee and Burnside?

N.

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

Top of my head, 1862-1864? Lee and Burnside?

N.

Top of mine, 1861-1865, although I couldnt recall the specific generals.

On a bit of a different tack, I think the story of the USS Monitor deserves a look, given that it was actually much more dramatic than most people realize. If her launch had been delayed a bit longer, the Union blockade might have been severely damaged by the CSS Virginia, which in turn would have made for quite a different war.

 

[MattBaker]

Try Grant for the Union side.

See, memorizing all the Presidents had some use.

 

[TMac3000]

1861-65
Union: Grant
Confederate: Lee

It's true that a lot of people are ignorant of history in general (no pun intended), but I don't think ignorance of the Civil War stands out more than any other ignorance.

 

[gattispilot]

I was at the 125th anniversary as a reenactor on The Confederate side in Texas ranks.

 

[Aeadar]

I dare you to go out on the street and ask some random folks what years the Civil War was fought.

I guarantee most will not know the answer.

Then ask them who the two major opposing generals were (looking for a simple answer to a simple question here).

They may get one or the other, but few will get both.


Go ahead, try it. In fact, try it on a college campus.

You can make that claim about any of the wars in our past.

And the reason you didn't see any reference to the Civil war on the news is...the Civil war isn't news. Nor is WW2, Vietnam, Korea, WW1, war of 1812.

I'd bet that you didn't hear any reference to those either.

Not being news is a far cry from being forgotten; Hell, I heard a 'southern' politician refer to the Civil War as, "The war of Northern aggression" just last week!

Hardly forgotten.

I agree that we seem to be on a road that could well lead to another civil war, but, in my opinion, that is more due to the fact that some people/states/politicians just don't learn than it is to any 'forgetfulness'.

 

[TMac3000]

When I think about the Civil War, one thing always amazes me. This country was done. Completely over with. We had lasted about 90 years. But a few years after the Gettysburg address, the south was reconquered and by 1900, we were back on our feet. America literally came back from the grave. Now that's tough:thumbup:

 

[PhantomCruiser]

Grant didn't take overall command until later in the war, His success in the West (Vicksburg, etc al) led to his appointment. The union generals in the east were stalemated trying to attack Lee, all he had to do to make his opposition look like amateurs was play defense (which he did quite well).

Grant took command here in Chattanooga of the Army of the Cumberland from Rosecrans (a genius, but very scatterbrained). After the siege of Chattanooga was broke, Sherman was free to tear through the south towards Savanna.

To say that Lee was opposed to amateurs isn't true of course. Lincoln, the legislature and the press needed some quick victories; but the the tactical and strategic factors wouldn't allow for them until later.

 

[Notebook]

There might be some places where yankee is still a derogatory term, but no around the Chattanooga area, it's far from cosmopoliton but we've got people from a wide area (lots og Germans now tha VW and Wacker have moved in).

Far worse than yankee is "carpetbagger", we still have those people coming in.

Thats intersting, that was a term I heard in various films from the 1960's could have been in "Gone With The Wind"? Didn't understand at the time(well you would't). Found out later it referenced various folk who arrived
to help the South, they had suitcases made of carpet?

Could be wrong of course!

N.

 

[PhantomCruiser]

Well, they were known for bags (luggage) made of carpet. But the term is/was reserved for those more devious people.

From wikipedia; "In sum, carpetbaggers were seen as insidious Northern outsiders with questionable objectives meddling in local politics, buying up plantations at fire-sale prices and taking advantage of Southerners.

There were some individuals of course that really did have the best interests in mids with an offer of "help", but honestly, when does "social engineering" (as it's termed now) really help anyone but an opportunist?

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

Well, they were known for bags (luggage) made of carpet. But the term is/was reserved for those more devious people.

From wikipedia; "In sum, carpetbaggers were seen as insidious Northern outsiders with questionable objectives meddling in local politics, buying up plantations at fire-sale prices and taking advantage of Southerners.

There were some individuals of course that really did have the best interests in mids with an offer of "help", but honestly, when does "social engineering" (as it's termed now) really help anyone but an opportunist?

From what I understand, some of the people slapped with the carpetbagger title were teachers that came south to teach newly freed black children. The response by white southerners to this was apparently quite violent.

 

[PennyBlack]

Not long ago I used the term "Carpet-Baggers" in conversation.
The government is building an new high speed link in the UK called HS2 (High Speed 2), don't ask what the 2 is because I can't remember a HS1. Anyway, because the route will plough through peoples houses, I informed the misses that they'd send in the "CarpetBaggers" to the house owners with a pittiful offer for the're homes that they cannot legally refuse.
I recall the same expression used in old American westerns for the same practice, when they built the railroads.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Not long ago I used the term "Carpet-Baggers" in conversation.
The government is building an new high speed link in the UK called HS2 (High Speed 2), don't ask what the 2 is because I can't remember a HS1. Anyway, because the route will plough through peoples houses, I informed the misses that they'd send in the "CarpetBaggers" to the house owners with a pittiful offer for the're homes that they cannot legally refuse.
I recall the same expression used in old American westerns for the same practice, when they built the railroads.

HS1 is the new line from London to the Channel Tunnel through Kent. Apparently our forum's garyw sometimes use it (regional services) for going to work. :tiphat:

 

[Melvin]

Anyway, because the route will plough through peoples houses, I informed the misses that they'd send in the "CarpetBaggers" to the house owners with a pittiful offer for the're homes that they cannot legally refuse.

Yeah well... maybe you should have called them Norman's and stayed the hell away from Colonial insults.



Yankee, Reb, Carpetbagger, Grey, Blue....


Beats the hell out of...


LOBSTERBACK

 

[gattispilot]

Of course today is also the 150th anniversary of General Grant taking Vicksburg, MS. In the South the 4th was celebrated because of this for a while.