RE: [DL] Freeing the Slaves

["Mark Chiddicks" <Mark.Chiddicks@descisys.com>]

Not really. Had the number of blacks in the CSA army ever risen to a significant percentage, they would simply have turned around, killed their officers and hastened a Union victory - why would former slaves be willing to die for their masters?

-----Original Message-----
From: Clint Black [mailto:cblack@ohtinc.com]
Sent: Thursday, 1 August 2002 11:53 a.m.
To: deadlands@gamerz.net
Subject: RE: [DL] Freeing the Slaves 



>Excuse me - I've read Shelby Foote's 3000 page history
>and own Ken Burns' documentary series - Southern Manumission
>was a deperate last resort, so it just doesn't ring true in a world
>where the South wasn't defeated. Moving it 5 months earlier makes
>it even less credible. They did it to get black soldiers into the army
>and as a desperate last bid for international recognition.


I believe, sir, that your last statement supports the very proposition you
oppose.

One of the backbones of the Deadlands version of the Civil War is that
casualties go through the roof after the Reckoning.  The desperate need for
men to fight in the war has enabled women to take up roles long outside
their status.  Does it not also follow that this need would fuel the
proposal for manumission?  And I see no reason why with the war much more in
contention that the bid for international recognition would not still be
needed, but also obviously have a greater chance of success.

I think your supposition is based on the idea that the South somehow knew
they were in a better position in 1865 (Deadlands timeline).  Obviously
there is no way they could have known that.  By that time, the war had
become dirty, dangerous, and most importantly, frightening.  I think the
politicians would have done ANYTHING to gain an advantage in the war, and
while most likely debated fervently, slavery was a small price to pay to
keep the Northern war machine in the North.



Clint Black

"You smell that? Do you smell that? ...Ghost Rock, son. Nothing else in the
world smells like that. I love the smell of ghost rock in the morning. You
know, one time we had a hill bombed, for twelve hours. When it was all over
I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' Yank body. The
smell, you know that sulphurous smell, the whole hill. Smelled like...
victory. Someday this war's gonna end..."



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