As a Southerner who deeply loves his entire country and loves with all his heart the South, the whole Civil War period is a very sad time for me.
I look upon the Confederacy as destined to failure due to slavery. I agree with Lincoln that it was God—not punishing us for it—but tempering us to a better way.
Steel is made stronger by burning it to a red hot glow and then beating it against an iron anvil with a heavy iron hammer.
I suppose from the steel’s perspective this is very painful and cruel!
And so God tempered us during that time.
I do believe slavery was wrong and Lee did to. Yet he still fought for his country, which in his mind was Virginia.
I think we are eventually failing God’s test as a nation; I really do. There is either another tempering coming, or we are abandoned to our own lustful desires.
Which is it? I fear being abandoned the most but pray the tempering will be done, even though that itself will be terrible.
The American Civil War was not a war over slavery. Slavery was actually a side issue. The war was actually a fight over taxes.
Beautifully written.
I know about how it all turns on God, and so ends well. What bothers me these days is the getting there...in which we’re all yet equally obligated to do the Good, which yet seems so elusive....
Many of us, born and raised in the South, agree with what you said. It is a pity that some still hold to bigoted, made up, clueless, ignorant ideas pertaining to that tragic time in American history.
Bless their hearts.