1. G Is the war still going?

What kinds of evidence is there to support a YES answer? What kinds of evidence is there to support a NO answer?

The Facts of the Case in Charlottesville:

-The originally rally was meant to protest the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue. The City Council Voted to Remove the Statue in April, but a Judge Halted the Removal for 6 Months in May

-The first rally to support keeping the statue occurred in May

-The statue was commissioned and built 50 years after the war, in 1917

-There are over 1,000 monuments in the country that are dedicated to Confederate Civil War leaders.

-James Fields Jr., from Maumee, OH, was arrested and charged with murder and willful injury for driving his car into a crowd of counter protesters.

Should we celebrate or recognize Civil War Generals and fighters? Are their contribution important?

Confederate journal of Pickett's Charge

July 3 - When under a very heavy fire, we were ordered on Culps Hill, to the support of Gen. A.

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Johnson. Here we stayed all day - no, here, I may say, we melted away. We were on the brow of one hill, the enemy on the brow of another. We charged on them several times, but of course, running down our hill, and then to get to them was impossible, and every time we attempted it we came back leaving some of our comrades behind. Here our Lieutenant Belt lost his arm. We have now in our company a captain. All of our lieutenants are wounded. We fought here until 7 P.M., when what was left of us was withdrawn and taken to the first day's battlefield. At the commencement of this fight our Brigade was the strongest in our division, but she is not now. We lost the most men, for we were in the fight all the time, and I have it from Colonel Owens that our regiment lost the most in the Brigade. I know that our company went in the fight with 60 men. When we left Culps Hill there were 16 of us that answered to the roll call. The balance were all killed and wounded. There were 12 sharpshooters in our company and now John Cochran and myself are the only ones that are left. This day none will forget, that participated in the fight. It was truly awful how fast, how very fast, did our poor boys fall by our sides - almost as fast as the leaves that fell as cannon and musket balls hit them, as they flew on their deadly errand. You could see one with his head shot off, others cut in two, then one with his brain oozing out, one with his leg off, others shot through the heart. Then you would hear some poor friend or foe crying for water, or for "God's sake"

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to kill him. You would see some of your comrades, shot through the leg, lying between the lines, asking his friends to take him out, but no one could get to his relief, and you would have to leave him there, perhaps to die, or, at best, to become a prisoner. Our brigade was the only one that was sent to Culps Hill to support General Johnson. In our rapid firing today my gun became so hot that the ramrod would not come out, so I shot it at the Yankees, and picked up a gun from the ground, a gun that some poor comrade dropped after being shot. I wonder if it hit a Yankee; if so, I pity him. Our regiment was in a very exposed position at one time to-day, and our General Daniels ordered a courier of his to bring us from the hill. He was killed before he got to us. The General sent another. He was also killed before he reached us. Then General Daniels would not order any one, but called for volunteers. Capt. Ed. Stitt, of Charlotte, one of his aides, responded, and he took us out of the exposed position.

Jan. 1865

January - Nothing, only that I fear that our cause is lost, as we are losing heavily, and have no more men at home to come to the army. Our resources in everything are at an end, while the enemy are seemingly stronger than ever. All the prisoners in Northern prisons, it seems, will have to stay until the end of the war, as Grant would rather feed than fight us.

April 1865

I suppose the end is near, for there is no more hope for the South to gain her independence. On the 10th of this month we were told by an officer

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that all those who wished to get out of prison by taking the oath of allegiance to the United States could do so in a very few days. There was quite a consultation among the prisoners. On the morning of the 12th we heard that Lee had surrendered on the 9th, and about 400, myself with them, took the cursed oath and were given transportation to wherever we wanted to go. I took mine to New York City to my parents, whom I have not seen since 1858. Our cause is lost; our comrades who have given their lives for the independence of the South have died in vain; that is, the cause for which they gave their lives is lost, but they positively did not give their lives in vain. They gave it for a most righteous cause, even if the Cause was lost. Those that remain to see the end for which they fought - what have we left? Our sufferings and privations would be nothing had the end been otherwise, for we have suffered hunger, been without sufficient clothing, barefooted, lousy, and have suffered more than any one can believe, except soldiers of the Southern Confederacy. And the end of all is a desolated home to go to. When I commenced this diary of my life as a Confederate soldier I was full of hope for the speedy termination of the war, and our independence. I was not quite nineteen years old. I am now twenty-three. The four years that I have given to my country I do not regret, nor am I sorry for one day that I have given - my only regret is that we have lost that for which we fought. Nor do I for one moment think that we lost it by any other way than

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by being outnumbered at least five if not ten to one. The world was open to the enemy, but shut out to us. I shall now close this diary in sorrow, but to the last I will say that, although but a private, I still say our Cause was just, nor do I regret one thing that I have done to cripple the North.

Journal entry from a northern soldier

8th of April, 1862

I killed four men yesterday, and I only remember one of them.

He was a lot like me, but he was wearing a grey uniform instead of blue. It's funny how I could decide to kill another person based off of a colour. Because of a jacket they wore. He was probably in the same situation I was in; he might've had a worried mother at home, and some younger siblings who didn't understand. Perhaps even a father on the other side of the war. We could've shared the same fear of hoping everyday that we wouldn't meet them on the field.

I didn't close my eyes before I pulled the trigger like I usually do. I started to, but his expression pleaded with me. It was his last unspoken request, and I'd honour it.

The boy knew I was going to shoot him. He understood that this was just a bloody game and that we were the chess pieces. If he hadn't been pointing his rifle at me we could have started a conversation, talked about politics or school. Maybe he had a sweetheart. He could've been a poet.

He tried to stand up, but it was too late. Fear swept over his face and his body trembled. I hardly hesitated, the act of murder nothing more than habit for me.

The lead ball pierced his heart within three seconds, but it felt like a longer time span. He tipped backwards and fell on his side, the grey in his uniform slowly becoming crimson. Blood was the only stain that could cover both blue and grey to make it one.

I had just killed someone who had wanted to live. And I'd watched him fall. But it was more than that to me. I'd killed myself piece by piece every time I reloaded the gun. I gritted my teeth and screamed, my heart shattering.

I felt tears wash the dirt from my face as I ran to the person I had horrifically destroyed. He was still breathing, but the light in his green eyes fading with every staggered cough.

I apologized to him, wishing I could take it all back. I choked on my sobs as I squeezed his hand. His dusty lips twitched with a smile for just one second before he said 'I get to go home?'

He went limp and the last little bit of life he held onto dissipated.

Home. Did he get to go home? I think so.

... But will I?

• • July 22, 1864, Little Rock Arkansas

  • "...If Permited to live then I exspect to Return Home & See the People & Eat Peaches. We Could get Home This winter Coming By Reenlisting as Veterans for 3 years longer But I am not wanting to get Home that Bad yet a while."

  • November 3, 1864, Little Rock Arkansas

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  • "And I hope & think that the War will Be Over By that Time. I think that the Election or Reelection of President Lincoln will Do much Toward the Closeing of the War.. "The Election is near at hand and I I *sic* am glad to tell you that Co. A has No McClellen Men Amongst our No.. I think that Every man that Belongs to Co. A will Vote for Old Abe without a Doubt.."

  • March 13, 1865, St. Charles, Arkansas

  • "...of all the Dirty & little Smokey Shantys Ever See those Certainly was the greatest Each Shanty large anough for 2 men I & my Bunk Mate Mr Albert Grimes Took Possession of one Shanty & to Work we went and In one half Day we had it arranged Somewhat to our Notion So that we can be Tolerable Comfortable again..."

  • May 24, 1865, St. Charles, Arkansas

  • "...If they Do not Surrender I hope to God that our Government will Exterminate the whole Crew of those General Officers & leading men for they cant but know that there case is a hopeless one & have no reason for Continuing the war longer..."

  • August 18 & 19, 1865, St. Charles, Arkansas

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  • "...you need not write any more...and you can tell the Friends of the 36th Iowa vols to cease writing to the boys for we will most Probaly leave Arkansas for home in Ten days..."