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Re: Confederate Enemy/Alien Act?

OOPS! something happened, and the "Text" of my Message didn't get thru...

While surfing an auction site, I stumbbled onto this Diary...http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6142030

Charles Anderson was born in Louisville, Kentucky to a prominent family - his father had been an aide to Lafayette during the American Revolution. Upon graduation Anderson started a law practice and in 1844 was elected to the Ohio senate. Accounts differ as to the reason for his move to Texas in 1859 - some cite health reasons, others that he moved to establish a horse ranch with an eye to selling horses to the United States cavalry. In any case his strong Union sympathies ran afoul of pro-Confederacy factions and he was arrested and imprisoned in September 1861.

The diary picks up the family's ordeal on September 29, 1861, as their house, horses and cattle are "all sold for much less than their true value"
Colonel Anderson was given only a short amount of time to liquidate their assets and remove themselves from Confederate territory. Kitty writes: "...but seeing too truly that he [Col. Anderson] must leave the country or profess what he did not believe, he felt obliged to go and in going sacrifice a great part of his Texas property. He endeavored to leave with the 40 days allowed an alien enemy for leaving the Southern Confederacy. " The family attempts to go to Brownsville after their goodbyes to several of their prominent friends. They set up camp the first night near a Mexican settlement and during the night are awakened by the sound of horsemen which they "thought perhaps some San Antonio rowdies were coming to seize Father's little supply of money as they had threatened the auctioneer [they would do this] earlier that morning." The next day they had not gotten far when "our attention was called to some soldiers with two lieutenants in command...'I am sorry Colonel but I have orders from headquarters to bring you back'." Anderson answers the lieutenant "we will go back...tho I assure you, if it were not impossible against so many of you, I would resist such a rascally proceeding." The family returns to San Antonio and is installed at the famous Menger Hotel. Col. Anderson is arrested and imprisoned and the family is anxious as "much less conspicuous men than Father were mysteriously killed for their sentiments...Alas, in times of war, power will abuse the innocent offender and stain the purest cause." The official charge against her father was that he was a dangerous man with a regiment to the north; an enemy alien suspected of carrying information to the north. While imprisoned, all of Col. Anderson's papers and money are confiscated.

Col. Anderson escapes and is finally reunited with his family in Mexico. The family ultimately makes it back to Ohio where Anderson saw action with the 93rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry and was wounded at the battle of Stones River. He resigned his commission in 1863 and was elected lieutenant governor of Ohio later that year. Upon the death of Governor John Brough in August 1865, he served as governor until 1866.

I wouldn't be too quick to Blast Lincoln for his anti-constitutional practices, when the Southern Confederacy could do the same thing!

Kevin Dally

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Confederate Enemy/Alien Act? *NM*
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Re: Confederate Enemy/Alien Act?