Civil War Paper

Civil War Paper

Introduction

The following is an account of the experiences of a slave who lived in the south during the Civil war. Elements of the slave’s experience in the civil war that will be highlighted are the routines he was accustomed to, the feelings he had about the war, the interactions and relationships he had with fellow slaves as well as the slave owners, the expectations he had and how life eventually turned out for him. To reduce the monotony of constantly referring to him as ‘the slave’, he has been assigned the name James.

The Story of James

James was born in 1840 was a Slave of Mr. Matthews, one of the most successful plantation owners of the south. Since both his parents were slaves and in effect owned by Matthews, he too became property of this slave owner. As a young child he never really noticed the limitations that had been placed on his freedom until around the age of 12. This is when the realities of being a slave dawned on him and from then on life became a miserable existence in light of the fact that he, together with his family were the property of  another person. In the  presence of his master however, James always managed to hide his sentiments and this made him appear very loyal to his master. During the presidential election of e1960, Abraham Lincoln won and was declared president (Daner, 26).

Given strong stance against slavery led the State of South Carolina to secede from the United States since many of its residents owned farms which run on the manpower of slaves. The election brought feelings of hope for James and his family as they would finally have a chance to live free and independent. All this talk of  South Carolina and other Confederate states breaking away complicated life for the slaves. This is because during the war they were technically placed in a position to fight union soldiers who were fighting for their freedom.

On one hand, the prospect of war gave James a clear chance to defect to the Union as these states had embraced the concept of free black men. On the other hand however, he knew that the best chance he had of protecting his immediate family and livelihood was by joining the few black men who had been conscripted to fight as part of the confederate army. This second scenario presented him with a chance to be for once equal to the white man who had ruled over him since birth. He eventually chose to stay and fight as a confederate. His experience in war was however a far cry from what he had anticipated. Rather than fight alongside the white soldiers, blacks were placed in a regiment of their own and sent on the riskier battles that took place in the civil war battlefield.

For James and many of his comrades, their attitude towards the war was mixed. On one hand they hoped that their side (the confederacy) lost the war. At the same time they hoped to survive the experience so as to enjoy the much anticipated freedom. The proposal by General Patrick Cleburne of granting slaves who fought in the war their freedom if they survived the battle seemed to have motivated a the few colored soldiers to join the war. The authorities thought that this would encourage free as well as enslaved men to join in their tens of thousands but this was not the case. Compared to the projections, only a handful joined the war. James and his comrades believed that those who remained were frightened by the prospect of being free in a country that was yet to accept the idea of whites having equal rights to coloreds. They knew this because this was a fear that they too had.

During training as well as the first time they went to battle, James felt a heightened sense of accomplishment. For the first time he had some serious responsibility that involved more than taking charge of some farm animals. He was protecting those he loved. During the first few days he was incredibly excited by the idea of having a rifle and being allowed to use it as need arose. The events of the war however made this reality short-lived as he got to witness the large-scale slaughter of men he knew. This is because they were often commanded to go to the more dangerous battles (Ansel, 45).

The reason why he survived was the fact that his role was that of a scout and this entailed spying on enemy positions prior to battle. Their losses were coupled with the fact that their social status was largely maintained by the authorities and this meant their meals and armaments were not prioritized by the authorities. At times they had to scavenge for food from nearby settlements so as to survive. As the war drew closer and closer to its end, their level of optimism ironically seemed to increase while it was clear that they were losing the war. Their greater dream of living as free men brought them much more joy. When the war was over, many slaves were officially emancipated and this reunited him with his family who were glad they all made it through the civil war alive and emerged as free people (Boston and Hallam).

 

 

Works Cited

Ansel, Raymond B. From segregation to desegregation: Blacks in the US Army 1703-1954. ARMY WAR COLL CARLISLE BARRACKS PA, 1990.

Boston N., and Hallam J., Freedom and Emancipation: a Historical Overview. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/experience/freedom/history.html . 2004

Danner, N. American History. Pearson Custom Library. 2012

Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.

[order_calculator]