Once again, while reading today’s post by Kevin, I’m compelled to write something longer than a comment to the post. Specifically, there was a comment at Richard Williams’ blog that was reflective of one contemporary person’s opinion of what April 9, 1865 meant to “all of us who love the South.” Well, to be frank, I know a LOT of people who love the South (myself included), but don’t reflect sadly on the day, fully able to appreciate what the close of the war meant in the long run.
What’s more important is knowing what Southerners thought back then.
I have no doubt that many were brought to tears, yet, I’m sure there were just as many Southerners who rejoiced, and even those who saw Appomattox as just another day, having already gone home a year or more before the war, frustrated at the very government that some of these same folks had embraced (or had been forced to embrace) in 1861. I know of the stories of some free blacks who rejoiced that their spouses in bondage were finally free and white Unionists who finally regained a voice that had been suppressed since 1861. I’m sure that despite their differences in sentiment with fellow Southerners, most of those who did not embrace the Confederacy still loved the South.
Still, while some really did sink into depression and dealt with the surrender in increased doses of laudanum, others appear to have bounced back quickly. Lt. George D. Buswell, of Co. H, 33rd Virginia Infantry (one of the regiments of the old Stonewall Brigade) was one of those people. He had been home healing from his wounds since May 1864, and recorded the days surrounding the fall of Petersburg and surrender at Appomattox as follows:
Sun. 2nd. Went to Luray for the Dr. & Capt. Booton; Mrs. B. being very sick. Went to evening meeting at Leaksville.
Mon. 3rd. Mrs. Booton died this morning. Helped awhile at the grave, plowed awhile, went to the wake.
Tues. 4th. Attended the burying. Cousin B. Hite & M. gander spent the night with us. The following men, Misters Phlip Long, Daniel Brubaker, Samuel Miller & Reuben Dadisman, commenced appraising the personal property belonging to GrandPapa’s estate. Mr. Wm. C. Lauck, clerk; Papa and Uncle Mann, Admsts.
Wed. 5th. The appraisement continued. A rumor that the Yankees were advancing on Luray reached us. I went to the intersection near Luray & found the rumor false.
Thurs. 6th. Sale commenced, tolerably well attended. Property sold very well. Hearing the yankees were in New Market, I, in company with several ithers, started to that place, but hearing they had done back we returned from Salem. I spent the night at Uncle Booton’s.
Fri. 7th. Sale concluded. Z.E.M.D. spent the night with me. Benj. Coffman passed on his way home, Richmond having been taken by Grant. Lt. Chadduck & the boys with him returned from Liberty Mills to make another start next week.
Sat. 8th. Persons are moving their property.
Sun, 9th. Went with Sis to Mill Creek and back. Went to Cousin Joe’s in the evening &, as it rained, I stayed all night.
Mon. 10th. Rainy. Lieut. Chadduck came up & told me that he & Lieut. Kite expected to start to the army next Wednesday on foot, so I could not go with them. I went out to see Lieut. Kite. Stopped awhile at Mr. B’s.
Tues. 11th. Came home and made a washstand.
Thurs. 13th. Went to B.A.’s & back.
Fri. 14th. Went to Honeyville & attended the funeral of R. Conner at Mt. Zion. Went to Leaksville, heard of the surrender of Gen. Lee’s army.
Sat. 15th. Rained. Went to Luray and back to Mr. R’s, stayed all night with F.W.Y.
Sun. 16th. (Easter) Went to preaching at Leaksville. To Mr. R’s where I spent the evening very pleasantly. Went home with Joe Huffman.
Mon. 17th. Went to Mr. Jno. Groves’, to Mr. R’s & home.
Tues. 18th. Layed off corn ground & took a ride. Commenced planting corn in the meadow.
Wed. 19th. Helped plant corn. Went to R.A.’s with Mary & to Mr. Chadduck’s with Lieut. Kite.
Thurs. 20th. Took dinner at Mr. Stover’s & went to Summer’s.
Fri. 21st. Dined at Mr. N. Kite’s Lt. Kite went home & I to Luray and home.
Sat. 22nd. Went with Mary to see Miss S.D. & back with Wesley to Cousin Z.R.’s
Sun. 23rd. Went to N.S.’s school house, to R.L.’s, Z.H.’s, & M.B.’s.
Mon. 24th. Plowed in the evening.
Tues. 25th. helped to shear sheep & layed off corn ground.
Wed. 26th. Layed off corn ground until dinner, then to Luray.
You get the general picture. In one breath, he mentions some Confederates’ plans to head back to the army in the last days, but in the next breath, he makes little “to do” with Lee’s surrender. No melodrama, no “boohoo’ery” over the fall of the Confederacy, but almost as if matter of fact. In addition to this, for all the devastation suffered at the hands of Sheridan’s army in the Shenandoah Valley in the Fall of 1864, he speaks of planting corn (which, according to some, was exhausted in the Valley during the burning of all the mills) and shearing sheep (which, according to some, were all driven off with the Union army the previous October). Later in the same month, he harvested hay, traveled to and from Staunton, and even cut wheat. To Lt. George D. Buswell, a man who had been present in the Stonewall Brigade since March 1862, and who was present to watch his company commander, messmate, and childhood friend, Michael Shuler… my third great granduncle… fall at the Wilderness*… life went on…
* Buswell wrote on May 5, 1864, “The noble Shuler was killed instantly”.
MSimons
April 14, 2010
Well Robert I was and am sadden by the Lost of Life, Brain Power, Loss of Limbs and the Loss of Freedoms and Rights that were lost on that day when the ANV Surrendered.
Robert Moore
April 14, 2010
While it is sad that so much life was lost, the potential in youths lost wiped from the earth, etc., what freedoms and rights were really lost that had existed prior to 1861? The fact is that more rights and freedoms came into existence
because of the warduring AND, most definitely, in the wake of the war.Robert Moore
April 14, 2010
Keep in mind, however, I’m not saying that freedom delivered was an immediate and easy course for those formerly held in bondage.
If you are suggesting that the rights of states to self-govern had been compromised as a result of the war, you need to provide specific examples of how things were different from before the war, as compared to the years after Federal occupation in the South… not as compared to today.
Robert Moore
April 14, 2010
I will take that even further and ask, what rights of the common Southerner were being threatened in 1860? Were there really any in jeopardy at that level? What power to decide, to vote, to voice did the common Southern dirt farmer have in 1861 that he did not have in the 1870s (of course, I’m allowing time for the reconstruction years)?
Kevin
April 14, 2010
Robert,
If you consider that roughly half of the population went from enslaved to free with the promise of even basic civil rights, the claim that rights were lost on April 9, 1865 is strange indeed.
Robert Moore
April 14, 2010
Exactly, pretty significant growth in the extension of rights, but even with the white population, I’ve yet to be convinced that white Southerners experienced less freedoms and rights after the war than they had before. On the other hand, financially speaking… if we assess the situation from the ground level up, I simply can’t see how my farm laborer ancestors experienced anything worse after the war. Other than living under occupation during a few years after the war, they still did what they were doing before the war. Once the Union troops pulled out and Virginia was restored to the Union, they regained full rights. Lives were lost, yes. Some lost in the economic fallout, but starting at ground level, I’m not sure just how much, really. Those among my family who were probably hit worse were those who ran the mills. They had to be rebuilt, but frankly, they were doing quite well by the 1880s and 1890s, having recovered nicely from the years immediately after the war (well, with the exception of losing mills again to the 1870 flood).
MSimons
April 14, 2010
Well Doc my family was of the Planter class in Spartenburg County SC and lost everything in the war. So a Family that was rich in 1850 became dirt poor by 1865.
My Family was the common Dirt Farmer from 1865 till the early 1960s when my Grandfather saved enough money to quit sharecropping and buy a place in Town and go to work a the shoe factory as a night watchman.
We lost the rights espoused by John C. Calhoun.
We lost Local Control over many daily affairs.
[the rest is deleted because it has nothing to do with the aftermath of the war]
Robert Moore
April 14, 2010
What you speak of are reflective of circumstances of the war, not a matter of rights and freedoms. Even so, circumstances of war impacted people differently. It’s better assessed on a case by case basis… and not all Southerners were impacted in such a way. Most of my people were farm laborers or farmers before the war… and returned to the same after the war. In some cases, the coming of the railroad caused some to shift from agriculture to railroad work.
I disagree on what you consider was lost by Southerners after the war. White Southerners had the ability to live just as their northern counterparts after reconstruction, same rights, same freedoms.
MSimons
April 14, 2010
I am sad about the rights I have seen to have lost in the past 25 years. I love the Flags of the South and have flown them often but now days if I fly or display the battle flag I am a Racist If I want to remember and honor the service of my CW Kin I am likened unto a Nazi according to Roland Martin. What happened to the Right to be left alone with out judgements be passed without knowing or talking to me.
Hope what I shared answers your questions if not I am sorry I can not properly articulate what I feel in my heart.
Robert Moore
April 14, 2010
Love the flags of the South do you? So, do you also include a period Union flag for those Southerners who adhered to the Union? Fact is, as I mention in today’s post, part of the loss of popularity lays at the feet of many Confederate celebrationists who didn’t handle damage-control well at all. An excellent example is the Virginia Divisions set of resolutions. Enough people see through the flaws presented in poor history.
MSimons
April 14, 2010
Doc until I ran across the State of Jones Pro Union Southerners was to me like Black Confederates are to Kevin. So I don’t have a period Union flag. Though many think my First National is a Union Flag. I have no problem with your disagreeing with me; you have been very civil and that is all I expect or ask. I understand the Union viewpoint of things and I remember the words of Lt Gen Patrick Cleburne
“Surrender means that the history of this heroic struggle will be written by the enemy; that our youth will be trained by Northern school teachers; will learn from Northern school books their version of the War; will be impressed by all the influences of history and education to regard our gallant dead as traitors, and our maimed veterans as fit subjects for derision. “
Robert Moore
April 14, 2010
Please… I’m not a “Doc”.
Actually, Cleburne was incorrect. Confederate Veterans and affiliated groups had a good handle on the education of the South for many years. I’ve mentioned this before in a post sometime back. I have the papers of one fellow, a son of a Confederate soldier, who was with a publishing company that printed one of the most popular text books in the South through the 1910s, if not longer. They made every effort to portray the Confederate story in a positive light. The greatest decline in popularity of the Confederate element has been seen in the last 15 years. In my opinion, that could have been avoided, but…
Robert Moore
April 14, 2010
Here’s what I was referring to… http://cenantua.wordpress.com/2008/12/22/were-southern-children-really-subjected-to-yankee-lies-in-school-texts/
I mention Fred Bailey as well. He’s covered the topic of Southern education in relation to the “Confederate side of the story” extremely well.
MSimons
April 14, 2010
My apologies I misread your CV. Now the SCV???? I sometimes wonder who is handling their dealings with the Press! As for Cleburne his words have rang true as you stated at least in the past 15 years so he was more prophetic than most would ever believe.
Well the day of saddness has long passed and I must move on with my work as we continue for our 150 year celebrations of the CW here in Texas. Have a great day Robert.
Robert Moore
April 14, 2010
No, haven’t quite made it to the PhD yet.
Have a great day as well, Mr. Simons.
Neil Walker
December 6, 2011
Hello Mr. Moore,
I’m the Great Great Grandson of George Buswell, writer of the diary that you quote from above. I just came across this site while doing a Google search for George, just to see what was out there. I’m curious as to how you obtained the diary. I know I have a lot of distant cousins in the Luray area — maybe you’re one of them? Anyway, I enjoyed reading the exchange above, but I have a question for you. I’m a bit of a Civil War buff myself, due in no small part to my family heritage. I’ve read the diary a number of times, and have a copy of it myself. I’d like to think that what you have assumed about George’s feelings about the end of the war are true, but is it possible that you have read too much into his comments? His lack of commentary about what he was thinking or feeling at the time has always frustrated me, and I’m not sure that it’s fair to take the brevity of his comments as anything more than his writing “style” (or lack thereof) which is consistently spare throughout the diary. I’d be interested in your thoughts on that, as well as any other background information you might be willing to provide.
Best Regards,
Neil Walker
Westland, Michigan
Robert Moore
December 25, 2011
Mr. Walker, Indeed… I may have read more into it… and I may not have. In the absence of exact details, we have to look at a range of possibilities. My projection is based not only on his writing, but other events in the area, and in relation to his unit, but, it is certainly only one possibility, among a few.
Do you have further details that may be otherwise alluding us, in his writings?
Thanks much for commenting.