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Re: Texas Confederate opposed to slavery?

One of Cleburne's command: The Civil War Diary of Capt. Samuel T. Foster, Granbury's Texas Brigade, CSA by Norman D. Brown ISBN0-292-76014-0

"April 28th, 1865
Who is to blame for all this waste of human life? It is too bad to talk about. And what does it amount to? Has there been anything gained by all this sacrifice? What were we fighting for, the principles of slavery?

And now the slaves are all freed, and the Confederacy has to be dissolved. We have to go back into the Union. Ah! There is the point. Will there ever be any more Union, as there once was?

April 29th, 1865

Men still talking politics, but it is over and over the same thing, with the same regrets for our loss, and end with the same “What does it amount to?”

Later in the day the talk is about going home, by what route, and whether we will have to walk all the way &c &c.

Men are beginning to realize their situation, and are talking about going home to Texas. Our guns have all been turned in, to our own Ordnance officers. And we suppose to save us from further humiliation there has not been a Yank in sight of us yet.

Our Muster rolls went up yesterday for paroles, which will be here tomorrow or next day.

April 30th

It seems curious that men’s minds can change so sudden, from opinions of life long, to new ones a week old.

I mean that men who have not only been taught from their infancy that the institution of slavery was right; but men who actually owned and held slaves up to this time, --have now changed in their opinions regarding slavery, so as to be able to see the other side of the question, --to see that for man to have property in man was wrong, and that the “Declaration of Independence meant more than they had ever been able to see before. That all men are, and of right ought to be free” has a meaning different from the definition they had been taught from their infancy up, --and to see that the institution (though perhaps wise) had been abused, and perhaps for that abuse this terrible war with its results, was brought upon us as a punishment {“for that abuse” is marked out}.

These ideas come not from the Yanks or northern people but comer from reflection, and reasoning among ourselves."

Capt. Foster was a member of the 24th Texas Cavalry, Dismounted. He was a hard-core Confederate who has actually been accused of murder (by other authors) for his account of killing Yanks at the Battle of Tunnel Hill during Sherman's repulse by Cleburne's Division on Missionary Ridge.

Foster didn't say much ao anything about slavery prior to the above account in his diary. Latter, he has an interesting account about while going home, coming across a black girl with school books in hand, and asking to look at those books, and asking her questions of things in the books. She answered correctly! He never saw anything like it, and realized that it was not the Color or Race was not going to be the issue, but that the smartest man will win in the end, without regard to his color.

Kevin Dally

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Texas Confederate opposed to slavery?
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Re: Texas Confederate opposed to slavery?
Re: Texas Confederate opposed to slavery?
Re: Texas Confederate opposed to slavery?
Re: Texas Confederate opposed to slavery?
Re: Texas Confederate opposed to slavery?
Re: Texas Confederate opposed to slavery?
Re: Texas Confederate opposed to slavery?
Re: Texas Confederate opposed to slavery?
Re: Texas Confederate opposed to slavery?
Re: Texas Confederate opposed to slavery?
Re: Texas Confederate opposed to slavery?
Re: Texas Confederate opposed to slavery?
Re: Texas Confederate opposed to slavery?
Re: Texas Confederate opposed to slavery?
Re: Texas Confederate opposed to slavery?