Sunrise over history. The American civil war. Regardless of the primary cause of the war, the slavery issue was not the reason why 600,000 soldiers fought and died. The overwhelming vast majority, some estimate 97 percent, were not fighting to either free the slaves or preserve slavery. Besides, we are talking 165 years ago and regardless the issues, it's history, no matter how you viewed the war, its causes, and those that fought... It's history. Civil war monuments and battlefields are a remembrance of all those that fought, and all those that died, for something that they believed in... which had nothing to do with slavery. The slavery issue, as attributed to the cause of the war, was the sole motivation of the southern politicians and the wealthy plantation owners. Getting the southern soldiers to fight was attributed to clever propaganda of the Southern leaders to convince them that they were fighting against the northern government and their rule of tyranny that would change the southern way of life affecting their families and communities. It's a strategy that worked for the southern leaders.
Remembering those battles and the soldiers that fought them is not a confirmation of the slavery issue, that's not why they fought. And it was, and still is, an American tragedy. Remembering them today is to honor their sacrifice, many if whom died and are buried in graves as unknowns... stripped of their last bit of their personal humanity. The countless that survived the war having lost arms or legs, and the countless lives that were changed because of the war is staggering. The losses were tragic. So year after year, with solemn thoughts, they are remembered. Sunrise over the battle fields is a time of reflection and remembrance... For those that shaped a nation.
Remembering those battles and the soldiers that fought them is not a confirmation of the slavery issue, that's not why they fought. And it was, and still is, an American tragedy. Remembering them today is to honor their sacrifice, many if whom died and are buried in graves as unknowns... stripped of their last bit of their personal humanity. The countless that survived the war having lost arms or legs, and the countless lives that were changed because of the war is staggering. The losses were tragic. So year after year, with solemn thoughts, they are remembered. Sunrise over the battle fields is a time of reflection and remembrance... For those that shaped a nation.
