It may be that didn't seem to be the sentiment when you made your first post. There have been posters here who have had a larger interest in the Union side of the disagreement. Many of them were good contributors and we could really talk on the issues with productive results. Most others were not as much into discussing as dissing. We are not refighting the war, we are trying to understand so many things that have been left out. Piecing the puzzle together. Then we try to get the corrected pieces into place. Not an easy task. See each side as you will but many of us believe our ancestors were doing something that their ancestors had done in the not so distant past. They wanted to become their own nation. There were good, bad and ugly on both sides. There were very different reasons for joining the 'side' they did but one thing is for sure, they played a part in a change in this nation that is still being felt.
As I said before, I never want to see an American soldier fall. I don't want to see them face combat but it happens on a regular basis. We have all lost people dear to us because of it. Many of us had ancestors in the Northern prisons. We've seen the reports. We know what went on and why. Yes, Andersonville is an example held up as a poster for the treatment of Union prisoners but there's a lot of information that explains the series of events that seems to be overlooked by many from the North. It's not pretty on both sides in the POW department. I had a GGGrandfather at Ft Deleware, his brother died at Point Lookout and his other brothers died at other battles. Just knowing where they'd fought and what the conditions were is enough to make one have pride in them. They didn't quit.

Rounding up women who worked in a mill and holding them in a pen then placing them on trains north with nothing isn't quite what we'd want to believe any officer in the US Army would do, but it happened. The Confederate soldiers fought the Union Army. The Union Army inflicted as much damage on the land, the women and the children of the South as they did to our ancestors on the battle field. Those are facts. It's difficult at times to be both an American and a child of the South and all of it's history. I still won't change my opinion on Custer though. Sorry, he just doesn't deserve any respect in my eyes. I hate it for his men, but he led em to it.

Pam