Here's a picture of Lottie Moon, whose story is in my post below. She's absolutely hilarious!
Hi everyone!
A few weeks ago, I wrote an essay for one of my classes on the Civil War. I was requested to post it, so here it is!
A few weeks ago, I wrote an essay for one of my classes on the Civil War. I was requested to post it, so here it is!
Also known as the War Between the States, the Civil War lasted for four long, hard years, which were filled with bloodshed. As everyone knows, the Civil War was an arduous and painful ordeal. It separated and embittered many families – brothers from brothers, mothers from sons, fathers from daughters. Although it divided the United States, the War Between the States settled the controversial issue of slavery, one of the largest causes. Fighting for what they believed in, both the North had its heroes, and the South had heroes. There were also spies. During the war, women really had to get involved as well, since almost all the men were fighting. Sadly, while the Civil War made people fight for what they believed in, thousands of men died as a result of it.
What actually started the war? Finding many things that they disagreed and argued about, the North and South began to get more and more divided. The downward spiral continued. There was much controversy over many different matters, including the different states’ economies. Evidently, the straw that broke the camel’s back was the subject of slavery, which was much debated. While many in the South did not believe in slavery, the Southern common populous saw nothing wrong in free labor. In no time, the North was willing and able to stand, fight, and die for freedom and equality, as slavery violated this. Slavery was the largest cause of the war – the reason the division came to a war.
Although every man that served in the war was indeed a hero, some outstanding indi viduals deserve special attention. Of these, two were General Joshua Chamberlain, a professor with a passion for teaching and learning, and Robert Smalls, a former slave in the South. Both for the Union. He spoke 9 different languages. Unfortunately, the school that he taught at wasn’t willing to let him enlist in the army, which forced him to deceive them into giving him a leave of absence to “study” in Europe. He used it to join the army. Many times he risked his life; many times he was wounded; many times he thought he would die. Twice, when everyone thought he had been killed, he got up again. On one such instance, he was shot in the hip, and a pessimistic army surgeon declared it fatal. Propping himself up, he ordered his men to charge. After undergoing an experimental surgery, which patched him up, Chamberlain was back on his feet. Sadly, he was shot again – this time in the shoulder; way it happened, the bullet appeared to go straight through his chest, making the men think he was dead – for a second time. But again he got back on his feet, and surprisingly, both his side and the enemy, began cheering, since they thought he had been shot through the heart. Robert Smalls was a slave boy who got a position on board a ship in the South. He discovered that he loved the sea, and was soon promoted to wheelman, the highest place for a black man to serve. He learned how to navigate. After a while, he began to plot with the black crew to escape. On a night when all of the white officers were on shore, he and the crew drifted out of the harbor, with Robert himself acting as pilot. Managing to get out of the South, they delivered the ship full of supplies to the Union troops. Plainly, these men that served during the Civil War were heroes.
The South also had heroes who risked or gave up their lives, including General John Brown Gordon and Phoebe Pember. John Brown Gordon was a man who was once considered invincible. During one battle, all of his soldiers were dropping like flies around him, and he rode on. Even his gun handle and canteen were severely punctured or damaged by bullets, but he had still not been hit, which was amazing. His fortune didn’t last forever. Evidently, he was hit five times in the midst of another battle, and kept fighting until the fifth one hit. He lived through all of the wounds – which was miraculous; after the war became involved in politics and was elected several times for various things, since he was fiery and loud by nature. Serving in a hospital, Phoebe Pember worked long, late hours, staying up into the early hours to care for the wounded and dying. Although she is not as remembered as some, she deserves recognition for her self-sacrificing ways. Both of these were heroes, both believed in the cause of the South, and both risked what they had for their cause.
An interesting field to study is the spies from the Civil War. There were many. A few are Charlotte and Virginia Moon, commonly known as Lottie and Ginnie, and Timothy Webster. Humorously, Lottie and Ginnie had just about the most spunk and grit any two girls could have. After meeting, marrying and moving in with Jim Clark, Lottie became involved in a spying ring for the Confederacy. When one spy learned he was under suspicion, Lottie volunteered to take the information he had to the South from her home in the North. After seeing her big sister complete several missions, little sister Ginnie decided she wanted to be a spy, too. So she and her mother began running messages to the South. Unfortunately, they were caught and arrested. Lottie came in disguise to try to spring them, but was recognized by her former fiancée, General Ambrose Burnside, who she had left at the altar – literally. Fortunately, no charges were pressed, and they were all kept under house arrest until after the war ended, since they could do no damage, as they were locked up. A spy with a very different story was Timothy Webster, who spied for the Union. He was one of the most successful double agents in the Civil War, earning the trust of many high command officers in the Confederacy. Weighed down by bad rheumatism, Webster was visited by two detectives from the Union who came to see what was wrong; they were found out, and somehow Webster was discovered and hung. This shows the danger that the spies during the Civil War faced daily.
The last and probably most interesting field was the women of the Civil War. While many helped in different ways, some were greatly active, and some women even disguised themselves as men to fight as soldiers, because back then, women weren’t allowed to fight. A more lady-like role was acting as a spy, or a nurse, but these roles were still frowned upon by the culture at the time. A woman that steadily marched by the beat of her own drum was Belle Boyd. To say the least, she was rebellious and tenacious. Spying, delivering messages and rebelling against authority, Belle was very open about being a spy. Although she was caught several times sending messages containing important information to the South, she was always let off with a warning. While staying at an aunt’s house, Belle discovered a hole in the floor of the closet directly above a Union meeting. She spied, writing as much as she could down. After dark, she ran through open fire across the border, saying later that there were bullet-holes in her skirts. She delivered her message to the Southern authorities. During her career as a spy, she was arrested 6 times, imprisoned 3 times, and exiled twice, once to England, once to Canada. She was truly a woman of action, which can be seen plainly. Elizabeth Van Lew was, also. Working with freed slaves to go against the Confederates, Elizabeth had a large ring of spies. Interestingly, one of her old slaves was hired as a servant in the Confederate White House, and was presumed illiterate – for this reason, she was not stopped from looking at any vital secret documents. All of her information went North through Elizabeth. At the end of the war, Elizabeth flew the first Union flag in Virginia from the top of her house. These two women fought with all they had for their cause.
The Civil War had many causes, the largest being slavery. Heroes were numerous and great. While the heroes of the North are generally more respected, the South’s should also be recognized, since their valiant bravery was equally great. The men and women who worked as spies probably had the most difficult job, considering the consequences of being caught. If you weren’t caught by soldiers and shot, then you had the risk of being caught and hung by the law. Being a woman during the Civil war was not easy. They had two choices, really – fight as a soldier, spy or nurse, or sit at home and knit socks for your man in uniform, which is what many of them did. In the end, although spying was very important and difficult, the most important role that was played was the role of the women. Many, like Belle Boyd, Elizabeth Van Lew, or the Moon girls, gave up much to help fight the war. While these particular ladies were not caught, the consequences of spying, fighting or nurses were just the same for the women as for the men. A spy would be hung. A female soldier would be shot or stabbed just like a male soldier. A nurse worked the same or longer hours that the doctors did, had the same risk of catching a disease, and the same amount of pressure to save lives. Clearly, the women of the Civil War were brave and loyal to their cause. Many times, the women are passed over, believed to have the role of housewife sitting nervously at home, knitting or sewing, but not many people realize the role they played in the winning of the Civil War.
~Sylvia =)
What actually started the war? Finding many things that they disagreed and argued about, the North and South began to get more and more divided. The downward spiral continued. There was much controversy over many different matters, including the different states’ economies. Evidently, the straw that broke the camel’s back was the subject of slavery, which was much debated. While many in the South did not believe in slavery, the Southern common populous saw nothing wrong in free labor. In no time, the North was willing and able to stand, fight, and die for freedom and equality, as slavery violated this. Slavery was the largest cause of the war – the reason the division came to a war.
Although every man that served in the war was indeed a hero, some outstanding indi viduals deserve special attention. Of these, two were General Joshua Chamberlain, a professor with a passion for teaching and learning, and Robert Smalls, a former slave in the South. Both for the Union. He spoke 9 different languages. Unfortunately, the school that he taught at wasn’t willing to let him enlist in the army, which forced him to deceive them into giving him a leave of absence to “study” in Europe. He used it to join the army. Many times he risked his life; many times he was wounded; many times he thought he would die. Twice, when everyone thought he had been killed, he got up again. On one such instance, he was shot in the hip, and a pessimistic army surgeon declared it fatal. Propping himself up, he ordered his men to charge. After undergoing an experimental surgery, which patched him up, Chamberlain was back on his feet. Sadly, he was shot again – this time in the shoulder; way it happened, the bullet appeared to go straight through his chest, making the men think he was dead – for a second time. But again he got back on his feet, and surprisingly, both his side and the enemy, began cheering, since they thought he had been shot through the heart. Robert Smalls was a slave boy who got a position on board a ship in the South. He discovered that he loved the sea, and was soon promoted to wheelman, the highest place for a black man to serve. He learned how to navigate. After a while, he began to plot with the black crew to escape. On a night when all of the white officers were on shore, he and the crew drifted out of the harbor, with Robert himself acting as pilot. Managing to get out of the South, they delivered the ship full of supplies to the Union troops. Plainly, these men that served during the Civil War were heroes.
The South also had heroes who risked or gave up their lives, including General John Brown Gordon and Phoebe Pember. John Brown Gordon was a man who was once considered invincible. During one battle, all of his soldiers were dropping like flies around him, and he rode on. Even his gun handle and canteen were severely punctured or damaged by bullets, but he had still not been hit, which was amazing. His fortune didn’t last forever. Evidently, he was hit five times in the midst of another battle, and kept fighting until the fifth one hit. He lived through all of the wounds – which was miraculous; after the war became involved in politics and was elected several times for various things, since he was fiery and loud by nature. Serving in a hospital, Phoebe Pember worked long, late hours, staying up into the early hours to care for the wounded and dying. Although she is not as remembered as some, she deserves recognition for her self-sacrificing ways. Both of these were heroes, both believed in the cause of the South, and both risked what they had for their cause.
An interesting field to study is the spies from the Civil War. There were many. A few are Charlotte and Virginia Moon, commonly known as Lottie and Ginnie, and Timothy Webster. Humorously, Lottie and Ginnie had just about the most spunk and grit any two girls could have. After meeting, marrying and moving in with Jim Clark, Lottie became involved in a spying ring for the Confederacy. When one spy learned he was under suspicion, Lottie volunteered to take the information he had to the South from her home in the North. After seeing her big sister complete several missions, little sister Ginnie decided she wanted to be a spy, too. So she and her mother began running messages to the South. Unfortunately, they were caught and arrested. Lottie came in disguise to try to spring them, but was recognized by her former fiancée, General Ambrose Burnside, who she had left at the altar – literally. Fortunately, no charges were pressed, and they were all kept under house arrest until after the war ended, since they could do no damage, as they were locked up. A spy with a very different story was Timothy Webster, who spied for the Union. He was one of the most successful double agents in the Civil War, earning the trust of many high command officers in the Confederacy. Weighed down by bad rheumatism, Webster was visited by two detectives from the Union who came to see what was wrong; they were found out, and somehow Webster was discovered and hung. This shows the danger that the spies during the Civil War faced daily.
The last and probably most interesting field was the women of the Civil War. While many helped in different ways, some were greatly active, and some women even disguised themselves as men to fight as soldiers, because back then, women weren’t allowed to fight. A more lady-like role was acting as a spy, or a nurse, but these roles were still frowned upon by the culture at the time. A woman that steadily marched by the beat of her own drum was Belle Boyd. To say the least, she was rebellious and tenacious. Spying, delivering messages and rebelling against authority, Belle was very open about being a spy. Although she was caught several times sending messages containing important information to the South, she was always let off with a warning. While staying at an aunt’s house, Belle discovered a hole in the floor of the closet directly above a Union meeting. She spied, writing as much as she could down. After dark, she ran through open fire across the border, saying later that there were bullet-holes in her skirts. She delivered her message to the Southern authorities. During her career as a spy, she was arrested 6 times, imprisoned 3 times, and exiled twice, once to England, once to Canada. She was truly a woman of action, which can be seen plainly. Elizabeth Van Lew was, also. Working with freed slaves to go against the Confederates, Elizabeth had a large ring of spies. Interestingly, one of her old slaves was hired as a servant in the Confederate White House, and was presumed illiterate – for this reason, she was not stopped from looking at any vital secret documents. All of her information went North through Elizabeth. At the end of the war, Elizabeth flew the first Union flag in Virginia from the top of her house. These two women fought with all they had for their cause.
The Civil War had many causes, the largest being slavery. Heroes were numerous and great. While the heroes of the North are generally more respected, the South’s should also be recognized, since their valiant bravery was equally great. The men and women who worked as spies probably had the most difficult job, considering the consequences of being caught. If you weren’t caught by soldiers and shot, then you had the risk of being caught and hung by the law. Being a woman during the Civil war was not easy. They had two choices, really – fight as a soldier, spy or nurse, or sit at home and knit socks for your man in uniform, which is what many of them did. In the end, although spying was very important and difficult, the most important role that was played was the role of the women. Many, like Belle Boyd, Elizabeth Van Lew, or the Moon girls, gave up much to help fight the war. While these particular ladies were not caught, the consequences of spying, fighting or nurses were just the same for the women as for the men. A spy would be hung. A female soldier would be shot or stabbed just like a male soldier. A nurse worked the same or longer hours that the doctors did, had the same risk of catching a disease, and the same amount of pressure to save lives. Clearly, the women of the Civil War were brave and loyal to their cause. Many times, the women are passed over, believed to have the role of housewife sitting nervously at home, knitting or sewing, but not many people realize the role they played in the winning of the Civil War.
~Sylvia =)