My dear mother who is 85 years old said recently, "The South finally has risen again and it is all due to air conditioning." Deane Mills > > If the south is conceived to be bias, then why are so many Yankees moving > south? I think it's because they like our way of life and the values that > most of us hold to be true. > > Bill Bryant > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Anne Pemberton" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 7:47 PM > Subject: Re: sherman > > > > Deane, > > > > While I appreciate your tale of heritage, I am also a Virginian, > > by choice not birth, and my heritage is absolutely void of any involvement > > in the events called the Civil War (etc.) ... I hail from Yankee roots, > > father from Ohio, and mother from a line of Pennsylvanians who were > > eligible for membership in the DAR ... my Hessian ancestor married a local > > native woman and started the material side of my family ... interesting > > ... if I trace my heritage thru men, I miss her totally .... > > > > Expand your understanding of your heritage beyond the "Civil War > > Era" values, and see what you are actually made of ... you had the chance > > to explore than when your values were questioned in a New England college > > (what did you expect??? southerners are not perceived to be princesses > > outside the south! ) .. > > > > As a "Yankee transplant" to the south, and especially as > > a teacher, I've heard lots of justifications to continue hatreds into the > > 21st century, but not a one of them has ever held water. I don't care if > > your second cousin was raped by a black man --- my sister my raped by a > > white man ... is she justified in hating all white men? Should I be, for > > her sake? > > > > When you think of the deprivations of your ancestors (and be glad > > you don't share them anymore!), you should remember that the losing side > > has to suffer costs .... These costs would not have been as severe into > the > > 20th century, if southerners hadn't tried to punish blacks for their gains > > ... if truth be said, the "Yankees" and perhaps all of civilized society, > > has been waiting patiently for the South to get over the civil war .... > > > > We tell the Native Americans, who lost much more than "The South" > > did, to "get over it" .... is that appropriate to southerners who are > still > > hung up on the civil war or who define their "heritage" in those bloody > > five years? > > > > Anne > > > > > > At 06:33 PM 8/15/01 -0400, you wrote: > > >Well, let me just say this. > > >I am a 54 year old housewife with nothing but Southern roots on each side > of > > >my family, so I admit to a strong bias. > > >My paternal grandparents were born in North Carolina in the 1880's. > > >My maternal grandparents were born in Tidewater Virginia in the 1880's. > > >During my childhood and formative years in the 1950's, it was their > > >reflections on their parents' lives that shaped my thinking and taught me > to > > >regard certain aspects of Southern American history the way I do. > > >I certainly will not bore you folks with that. > > >However, it was my beloved and dear and college degreed (i.e., not > ignorant > > >red neck) grandparents who taught me that men like Sherman were gross and > > >vile. > > >On the other hand, one of my grandfathers (whose name was Wade Hampton > > >King) had a brother whose middle name was Grant......that brother was > named > > >after Ulysses Grant. The family legend has it that my great-grandfather > > >named that son after the Union general out of gratitude for being able to > > >take his horse home from Appomatox. > > >In fairness, I think that it was the horrors of Reconstruction.... the > > >salted fields that the Yankee troops had left behind them along with > > >poisoned water wells, needlessly slaughtered live stock, the ring-barked > > >fruit and nut trees and the resulting starvation that caused the deepest > and > > >most induring bitterness. > > > I do not think that Margaret Mitchell's book created myths. I think > that > > >when many Southerners read GONE WITH THE WIND they were relieved that > after > > >so many decades someone had finally come close to putting it right and > > >putting it down on paper.....and better yet, folks everywhere were > reading > > >it and, perhaps, coming to a better understanding, albeit a romanticized > > >one, of what Southerners tended to be like. > > >I could go on and on and on, but I won't. > > >I could tell you about the teacher I had in college in the 1960's who > asked > > >me (the only southerner in that small Vermont college), "Is it true that > you > > >Southerners despise the blacks, the Jews and the Catholics. And if so, > why?" > > >I was so flabberghasted that I could not answer except to say, "Why no. > We > > >just hate Yankees!" > > >I could try to describe to you the anguish on my own mother's face as she > > >told me about her own grandmother's stories of eating insects and make > 'tea' > > >out of shoe leather after the "Wah". > > >I can hear my mother now, telling me how her grandmother said over and > over > > >and over, > > >"We were SO hungry." > > >Deane Ferguson Mills > > >a 13th generation Tidewater Virginian and proud of it. > > > > > > > > > > I agree with your assessment of Margaret Mitchell's role in tarnishing > any > > > > understanding of Sherman. But no matter what is written, I'm afraid, > > >some > > > > Southerners, and nearly all Native Americans, will continue having a > > > > difficult time believing Sherman had any noble purpose in waging all > out > > > > war, either against the Confederacy, or against the Sioux and other > > >Western > > > > peoples he subjugated in the Indian Wars. > > > > > > > > -Paul Shelton > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > From: Jim Watkinson [mailto:[log in to unmask]] > > > > Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 3:21 PM > > > > To: [log in to unmask] > > > > Subject: sherman > > > > > > > > > > > > Harold is right. Total war is key. There was a review of a bio of > > >Sherman > > > > 2 or 3 weeks ago in the NYT Review of Books which strongly suggested > that > > > > the man who said "war is hell" believed he could end the war sooner -- > and > > > > stop the carnage -- by fighting the war in a differrent manner. This > > >seems > > > > to ring true. Margaret Mitchell (and David Selznick) probably did > more to > > > > set back the cause of understanding the war than anyone who has ever > > >lived. > > > > > > > > Jim Watkinson > > > > > > > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the > instructions > > > > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html > > > > > > > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the > instructions > > > > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html > > > > > >To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > > >at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html > > > > Anne Pemberton > > [log in to unmask] > > > > http://www.erols.com/stevepem > > http://www.geocities.com/apembert45 > > > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html > > > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html