Saturday, June 14, 2008

Causes from The Vidette


The Vidette was a camp newspaper for John Hunt Morgan's brigade. In one of their November of 1862 issues, the following appeared;
"It is a hard matter to get a Union man to acknowledge that this is an abolition war. He will say to you; 'If I thought this was a war for the abolition of slavery, I would not only lay down my arms which I have taken up for the defense of the Union, but I would go into the Southern army...many in the western states speak the same way. Now, any man who pretends to believe that this is not a war for the emancipation of the blacks, and that the whole course of the Yankee government has not only been directed to the abolition of slavery, but even to a stirring up of servile insurrections, is either a fool or a liar. "

The cause for fighting is pretty clear here for the men of Morgan's Cavalry.

1 comment:

Peter Carmichael said...

Hi Lee:

Excited for your book to come out with UT Press. Do you know the date? I am also interested in the newpspaper for Morgan's raiders. Are there many issues in the run? If so, do you know where I could find it or something similar from a Confederate unit.
Best,
Pete