U.S. Civil War?

Why is this period called a Civil War? By definition, a Civil War denotes an attempt by two parties to control the government. Obviously, this was not a Civil War. Some people refer to it as the War of Northern Aggression. In truth, that's what it was, but on a larger scale it was the War for Southern Independence. It was no different from the Revolution, or War for American Independence. The facts are simple. The Radical Republicans (now the Democratic Party), through the election of Abraham Lincoln. threatened the freedoms of the nation, especially in the South. The Southern States agreed that this act was the final stage in a series of political coups to remove power from them. Feeling no longer represented in the government, they seceded in an attempt to form their own government and nation, exactly as the Continental Congress had done to Britain. As for the North, they have no reason to call it a war at all. They never declared war, they fought to save the Union, exactly like the British did. They drew first blood. Ft. Sumter was bloodless, no deaths, and merely an attempt by South Carolina to regain control of their own land. Lincoln had been advised by the SC Gov't. to evacuate the fort in January. It was only attacked after South Carolinians discovered Lincoln's attempt to re-supply the fort via the "Star of the West". When the ship was spotted outside Charleston Harbor, the Rebels opened fire. Lincoln calculated this move, knew the South Carolinians would fire, and thereby provoked them to start of the war. The blood is all on his hands.

Lincoln is glorified as the greatest President behind Washington. In the pages to come, you will soon see what a devious, lying, law-breaking man he really was.

The Roswell Mill Workers

In the 1840's, Roswell King from Brunswick, Ga. moved inland to Roswell to create a textile mill on the Vickery Creek, a tributary of the Chattahoochie, mainly to get away from the ocean weather. His son Barrington, along with newly arrived shoe manufacturer Charles Dunwwoody, created the City of Roswell employing over 300 people in their mills.

By the time the War came along, the mills had been converted into tent fabric manufacturers. On July 5, 1864, the U.S. Cavalry comandeered Roswell. On July 7, Sherman ordered the mills burned and all workers transported under guard to Marietta. They arrived in Marietta on July 12th, over 400 women and countless children. They were immediately sent north via train to Louisville, KY and Indiana. Many died on the way. Most were never heard from again.

Men returning home from the war found their families gone, with no official mention of where. One man re-married, assuming his wife was dead. She had been left by the Union to fend for herself in Chicago. It took her 7 years to "walk" home to Roswell, children in tow.

Can you imagine going off to war, returning home, and finding all the women and children gone? And for what? Making tent fabric. I'm pretty sure we won't meet Mr. Sherman beyond the pearly gates.

This is not the only incident of this nature done by the Union. But, this one caught the publics attention as an outrage, North and South, and probably would have been reversed had Sherman not gone onto victory shortly thereafter and removed this so-called "blemish on his record" from the public eye.

So, who burned Atlanta?

Historians will have you believe that the Rebels fired Atlanta completely destroying the City. Ken Burns epic Civil War Film is full of errors and most Histories I have read are incomplete or Union biased. The facts are as follows:

On Aug. 31, 1864- Rebel sappers set fire to the depot and ammunition dumps they could not remove in time before Union occupation. The fire and explosions unfortunately reached the Atlanta Gas Works, setting a good portion of the town ablaze.

Sept. 2, 1864- The Mayor of Atlanta, Calhoun, formally surrenders to the Union army. The army occupies Atlanta on that date. The fires are quickly extinguished. More than 90% of Atlanta remains.
Sept. thru Oct. - Union forces put Atlanta under military rule. Sherman sets up headquarters and devises his plans for the destructive March to the Sea.
Nov. 7, 1864- Sherman orders all civilians to leave town. Looters, Union and Civilian wreak havoc upon the abandoned homes and businesses.
Nov. 13,1864- Union Sappers set Atlanta on fire. The City is a total loss.
Nov. 15, 1864- Sherman marches away from Atlanta. Sherman wrote that day:

... We rode out of Atlanta by the Decatur road, filled by the marching troops and wagons of the Fourteenth Corps; and reaching the hill, just outside of the old rebel works, we naturally paused to look back upon the scenes of our past battles. We stood upon the very ground whereon was fought the bloody battle of July 22d, and could see the copse of wood where McPherson fell. Behind us lay Atlanta, smouldering and in ruins, the black smoke rising high in air, and hanging like a pall over the ruined city. Away off in the distance, on the McDonough road, was the rear of Howard's column, the gun-barrels glistening in the sun, the white-topped wagons stretching away to the south; and right before us the Fourteenth Corps, marching steadily and rapidly, with a cheery look and swinging pace, that made light of the thousand miles that lay between us and Richmond. Some band, by accident, struck up the anthem of "John Brown's soul goes marching on;" the men caught up the strain, and never before or since have I heard the chorus of "Glory, glory, hallelujah!" done with more spirit, or in better harmony of time and place.

So, there was over 2 mos. Yankee occupation before the town was destroyed completely.