I got as far as post 122, but my eyes wouldn't let me go further tonight. Interesting history so I'll finish it later for sure.
It was a bad time in our history when we let outsider's comer in and direct out actions, just like we are doing today. The NWo seems to control all nation's now.
Seems I remember South Carolina held out until the slavery thing was taken out of the paperwork? At first the idea to have liberty and justice for all was countered by slavery. Since S.C. wouldn't sign the union was they wanted to keep their slaves.
Here is an interesting story from the Civil war, about survivors from the battle of Shiloh and who had wounds that would glow in the dark.
IMO prior to the Civil War, the Federal gov't had far more responsibilities than merely having a standing army. For one thing, the Federal gov't wrote the U.S. Constitution and the beginnings of the Bill of Rights. (which the states signed into law. ) Additionally, the Federal gov't was responsible for setting up trade agreements with other nations. Which, by the way, benefited ALL of the states. Moreover, the Federal gov't had set up the Federal court system which included the U,S. Supreme Court. Most of the Southern states supported the idea that they could abolish any Federal law that they didn't like. for example they didn't want to pay tariffs on goods coming from the North. Objections to tariffs (ie taxes) was a key issue starting the Civil War.
I'm not suggesting that you are wrong, but it seems unimaginable that so much powder and lead was needed to kill one Confederate soldier. I wonder why ? Were there so many extremely poor shots on both sides ? And what about all those sharpshooters we hear so much about ? Curious. Imagine this. You have a mass of troops on both sides. thousands of shots are fired. AND NOT ONE soldier was hit ?
I was just quoting what was written. I have no idea as to the truth of it, although I imagine that in the heat of a battle, with artillery and shots flying around, soldiers on either side were probably not aiming carefully.
Probably the distances they were shooting at each other + lack of accuracy + slow velocity. I believe the south mostly had outdated weapons (lots of homemade muskets with smooth-bore barrels.)
That would certainly explain a lot of it. I have no training in shooting a rifle, BUT even I would quickly learn that if my distance from the target was too great I'd hold my fire until I was within range. If I was to aim at a mass of hundreds of troops and fired WILDLY, I'd surely hit something.
A lot of soldiers died of infections from their wounds later, and I'm not sure whether or not their deaths were counted as battlefield deaths, either.
I'm a good shot...as long as the target ain't shooting back...and I've had a good night's sleep...and a decent meal...and a shower...and been in my own house...and I'm getting in my car and driving to a restaurant after my range time...etc etc etc. I cannot imagine the living Hell their lives were.
I have visited Gettysburg with my son, along with a bus load of cub scouts, some years back. I was amazed how small the whole place was. How condensed it seemed. I remember reading that the South arrived from the North and the North arrived from the south. I also recall the telling of the presence of a boot factory nearby, and the Southern Army may have diverted for the purpose of footwear. The battle was to be elsewhere....but the two Armies quietly collided with each other at Gettysburg. The old guide taking us around looked old and tired enough to have been in the battle.
I also remembered that US General Daniel Butterfield wrote "Taps". Also, his brigade bugler blew a special call to assemble and rally on the field. "Dan...Dan...But-ter-field, But-ter-field"! "Perhaps the most poignant and distinctive melody ever composed is the one that marks the close of day at American military bases and is played at military funerals and memorial observances." "The hauntingly eloquent and mournful bugle call known as taps was composed and first played in the summer of 1862. Union Gen. Daniel Adams Butterfield, with the help of a brigade bugler he had summoned to his tent, created the 24-note tune to replace the bugle call the Army had been using to signal the end of the day." "Butterfield’s bugler, Pvt. Oliver Willcox Norton of the 83rd Pennsylvania Regiment, played the call for the first time that night at Harrison’s Landing, Va., and before long it was adopted by other buglers, becoming very popular with the Union troops. The playing of taps spread throughout the Union Army during the Civil War and was often adopted by Confederate buglers. It may be the most performed piece of music in America." "Butterfield was no stranger to bugle calls. He knew their importance to the troops and had previously composed a special unit or prelude call for his troops titled “Dan, Dan, Dan, Butterfield, Butterfield,” which was featured in the movie “Gettysburg,” before composing taps, also referred to as “Butterfield’s Lullaby.” (Read More)