This work is a contribution to the column of the Historical Museum, and only represents the author's personal views; This work is not rigorous historical academic research and is for reference only; Without authorization, a second transmission is prohibited, and violators will be prosecuted.
Author: Qu Zhi
I've heard a saying: If you know the Civil War, you read half of American history.
This statement is a bit of an exaggeration. The United States is almost 250 years old, and the Civil War is less than 5 years old. But it was this short 5 years that attracted countless American history buffs. Every year in Gettysburg, history buffs dress up as the Confederates and Northerners to reenact the battles of that time. More than half of American history books are about the Civil War, and no one can read them all. There was even a regular magazine about the Civil War, Blue and Gray, published every two months and published for more than thirty years. It can be said that the history of the Civil War is the most attractive part of American history. Just as the Three Kingdoms period was to China, and the Warring States period was to Japan.
Search for "Civil War" on Amazon and you'll get 30,000 results
Why do people like to read about the Civil War?
Like the Three Kingdoms, the main characters of the Civil War had personalities. McClellan and Grant in the North, Robert Lee and Stonewall Jackson in the South. These people are as well-known as Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Guan Yu, and Zhuge Liang in China. These people, like the heroes of the Three Kingdoms, are still full of controversy to this day and are often the subject of debate among history buffs.
McClellan is an arrogant narcissist, and his title of "Little Napoleon" really lives up to his name? Grant legend is a drunkard, why did he save the North? Robert E. Lee was a Southern slave owner, why is he so adored today? Also, Was Lincoln the greatest president of the United States or an ambitious tyrant?
Or a vampire hunter?
The North had a huge advantage at first, but the whole war was not a boring advance. The fight between the north and the south was thrilling, and there were back and forth. Robert E. Lee led the tired division and went on two Northern Expeditions, almost eliminating the main force in the North. Why is that? Is it true that everyone in the South is brave and good at fighting? One for ten?
The Civil War has been called the first modern all-out war in human history. In just five years, the armies of both sides have expanded from tens of thousands to several million. Railways, hot air balloons, steam ships, telegraphs, submarines... For the first time, the products of the Industrial Revolution were applied on a large scale to human killing each other. In a way, the Civil War not only made the United States a great power, but also brought all of humanity into the brutal modern war.
I found that there was not much research on the Civil War in China, and there were very few translated historical works. Some self-media tend to believe historical rumors, and may intentionally or unintentionally beautify or ugly this history.
Like this question, some of the answers below are very one-sided
In order to understand the real situation of the Civil War, I read more than a dozen books about the Civil War and traveled the battlefields of all the major battles of the Civil War. At Gettysburg I crossed the Pickett charge with both feet; In Vicksburg, I also looked at the Mississippi River, which had been diverted prematurely; On Malvern Hill I saw the sunset of the former battlefield; At Harpers Ferry, I found the trenches of former soldiers.
In this series, I will use a lot of maps and battlefield sketches to show war scenes, and I will also use my own photos to describe the battlefield terrain and the dynamics of the two sides. I would find key locations on Google Maps and trace them with the mouse, indicating the military posture on both sides. The most intensive part of this series is actually drawing.
For the convenience of reading, I will simplify some place names. The name "Chancellorsville" is so long that I simply call it "unprecedented"; "Appomattox" is also so twisted that I call him "Appomattox"; "Bull Run" has little memory, we translate it as "Bull Run".
Foreigner names are hard to remember, so I'll simply follow some of them: General Longstreet changed his name to "General Longstreet," Sickles "Scythe," Archer as "Archer," and Doubleday as "Double Day." Many generals have unique nicknames, such as "old jumping eyes", "glaring old turtles", "bad old men"... When I mention them, I bring their nicknames, just like in a commentary. Of course, when all personal and place names appear for the first time, I will indicate the original English name in parentheses. My article is not a serious study, but a historical science.
This man's beard is so sexy, guess who he is?
The Civil War is still a noisy topic on the Internet today. For various political reasons, this period of history has been tampered with and distorted again and again. Was this war about slavery? Is the North really on the side of justice? We will answer these questions later, and the final chapter will focus on the roots of these historical rumors. I believe that after reading this series, everyone will no longer be deceived by public accounts and self-media, but have a relatively objective understanding of this history.
Americans still fear that their country will be divided again. Especially after Trump took office, many people were really afraid of the outbreak of civil war. Just before I wrote my last article, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia began inciting the creation of conservative states in the United States, in what it called "state divorce." It's like the "divorce" 170 years ago, which killed 620,000 people in the United States.
There is also a lot of controversy about when the Civil War began. Some believe that the Civil War began with the cannons at Fort Sumter, some believe it began with the first bull run river, and some believe that Lincoln's victory triggered everything. But a Civil War party answered that question: Frederick Douglass, a black politician. In his speech, the Civil War began with a lone man's struggle. A man named John Brown attacked an American arsenal, and the raid ignited the spark of armed abolition of slavery.
then Who is John Brown? What does Douglas have to do with him? Why did he start the Civil War?
Cartoon version of John Brown
Bankrupt revolutionary
The American Civil War begins with John Brown.
Little John grew up in a poor family. He couldn't afford to go to school, so he had to learn cowhide processing from his parents. In his spare time, Little John taught himself mapping. When he grew up, he tried surveying, farming, selling cowhide, and selling wool.
However, God did not fulfill his American dream, and all these businesses failed. Some were due to his sudden illness himself, others because of bullying by the local merchants' guild. John Brown spent decades in the northern states, heavily in debt, and finally went bankrupt.
John Brown in 1856
However, John Brown also had another identity, that of a slave emancipator.
At that time, the American South was still the domain of slave owners, and the American North had basically abolished slavery. Slaves in the South would sneak away from the plantations and head north. Slave owners would hire "slave hunters" to hunt down slaves and tie them back to the plantation.
Northerners are not used to this. The blacks fled to the north, finally gained freedom, and were kidnapped by slave hunters and turned from human to cattle, which was too cruel. So the northerners spontaneously sheltered the escaped slaves and helped them escape capture.
As early as when John Brown was in the leather business, he used his treasury to harbor escaped slaves from the South. When it was safe outside, Brown secretly transported the slaves to the next stronghold. In the northern United States, John Brown's leather warehouse is one of thousands of strongholds. The slaves fled from one stronghold to the next, traveling station by station to Canada like a train. For this reason, these secret strongholds are figuratively called the "Underground Railroad".
subway
Later, 46-year-old John Brown moved to Springfield, Massachusetts.
At the time, Springfield was a stronghold of abolitionists: journalists published newspapers calling for the abolition of slavery. Wealthy merchants donated these newspapers here to help slaves escape capture. Politicians raise money here and then push for the abolition of slavery in parliament. Springfield also produced one of the most pivotal figures of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln.
Here, John Brown met many comrades, such as Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman.
Born a slave, Douglas taught himself to become a priest after fleeing the plantation. After traveling through England and Ireland, Douglas discovered that there was no slavery in Europe. He went on to write three autobiographies, each of which was an indictment of the evils of slavery. Douglas was elegant and talkative. Many northerners could not believe that this polite gentleman was once a slave.
Douglas later wrote:
"In 1847, John Brown and I chatted in Springfield and talked all night. I was still publishing articles and speeches calling for the abolition of slavery. But after chatting with John Brown, I began to feel that the slavery issue could not be resolved peacefully. John Brown's rhetoric was fiery and persuasive. In contrast to him, my words paled. ”
Frederick Douglas
Tubman was once a slave woman. The slave owner repeatedly whipped her and hit her on the head with a heavy object. Tubman later escaped the plantation, but her brain was permanently damaged. She often felt dizzy, nauseous, and visions.
These hallucinations are interpreted by Tubman as guidance from God, who firmly believes that God has given her a divine mission to free black slaves. In the Bible, Moses led his enslaved people out of Egypt. Tubman believes that God is also guiding himself back to the South and helping his fellow citizens to be freed.
Tubman went deep into the South thirteen times and freed 70 slaves. She figured out the topography of the mountains and rivers of the United States and established a meticulous intelligence network for the underground railroad. She also invented a code word hidden in the song to secretly communicate with her comrades at the Underground Railroad.
Tubman's actions inspired Brown, who founded a militia in Springfield. Under the protection of Brown's militia, not a single slave hunter dared to enter Springfield.
Harriet Tubman after the Civil War
Harriet Tubman on the new U.S. $20 bill
Bleeding Kansas
Before continuing their story, let's take a look away from Brown, Douglas, and the heroine Tubman and look at the United States at that time.
In the United States in the 19th century, the main theme was aggression and expansion. The colonists believed that the United States should stretch from the east coast of the Americas to the west coast, which was God's "manifest destiny." So the colonists moved west, drove the Indians away, and built thousands of farms, towns, and churches.
Shōshō Destiny cartoon drawing
But expansion posed big problems: new territories needed new states, so could new states have slaves?
If the new states allowed slavery, there would be more and more slave-holding states. Each state had two senators, so there were more and more senators who supported slavery. In this way, the United States will gradually become a full acceptance of slavery.
If the new state banned slave ownership, anti-slavery legislators would become mainstream. These people would force the abolition of slavery by their majority. This is equivalent to smashing the jobs of southern plantation owners.
Maine joins the United States as a free state, and Northerners rejoice. Texas joined the United States as a slave state, and Southerners were ecstatic. The newspapers of the North denounced the sins of the Southerners, and the newspapers of the South in turn accused the Northerners of hypocrisy.
Abolitionist Lavdro
In St. Louis, an abolitionist named Elijah Parish Lovejoy ran a newspaper, St. Louis Watch. The newspaper's columns had been critical of slavery and called for the emancipation of slaves throughout the country.
You know, St. Louis is a slave state, and many people in this state are die-hard advocates of slavery. In November 1836, a mob surrounded the newspaper St. Louis Observer. Outside, thugs shot into the window, where Ravdro shot back. However, Ravtra was eventually outnumbered and shot dead by the mob. After killing Ravdro, the mob also burned his newspaper office.
Mobs besieged the St. Louis Watch newspaper office
Lovetro's death infuriated John Brown. He realized that the slaves could not be freed by the pen alone. He publicly declared: "From now on, in God's witness, I, John Brown, will destroy slavery with my life!" ”
John Brown held a militia flag and vowed to free slaves
The contradictions between abolitionists and slaveholders continued to intensify, and there were even fights between members of the Senate. By 1854, Kansas and Nebraska would join the United States. This time, the contradiction was ignited again. Should these two states be abolished or kept slaves?
A scene of a fight in the U.S. Senate in 1856. Notice the congressman lying on the ground, holding a piece of paper that says "Kansas."
After a fierce argument, the legislators decided to kick the ball to the people: let the people of the two states vote in a referendum, and whoever wins will listen to whom. Politicians also packaged the decision as a concept called "popular sovereignty." The sovereignty of the state is decided by the common people, how democratic this is!
Unexpectedly, this decision turned out to be a big mistake.
The United States does not have a household registration system to this day, and ordinary people moving from one state to another do not need to report at all, because there is no household registration book at all. If I were an out-of-towner, I could go to Kansas for the referendum, and no one knows if I'm Kansas anyway. So abolitionists and slaveholders rushed to Kansas to get more people on their side so they could win the referendum.
It wasn't long before it became clear that winning the referendum required not only addition, but also subtraction. If I drive or kill the people on the other side, won't they be able to vote?
And so the carnage began, the "Bleeding Kansas." "Bloody Kansas" is a rehearsal for the Civil War. Although no war has been declared, ordinary people from all over the north and south have already fought together. Some villages in Kansas were occupied by slave holders and others by abolitionists. These villages became militia strongholds, and the two strongholds were intertwined and attacked each other. Hundreds of people were killed by the other side in this clash.
Before the Civil War, Kansas was in flames
At the time, John Brown's sons were in Kansas, where the conflict had begun to escalate. They reported to their father that their settlements were not armed at all, and that slave holders would attack their villages at any time.
John Brown went to New York to recruit troops and marched into Kansas with arms. John Brown's army fought non-stop for two years, often leading his troops to win more with less. Finally, the referendum results came in, and Kansas became a free state.
However, John Brown, who had experienced the war, believed that the victory in Kansas was only the beginning, and that the wave of slave emancipation would surely sweep the United States.
John Brown's plan was this: If we marched into the Southern plantations, the slaves would join us. Then we train these slaves and free up the next plantation. In this way, the snowball will roll bigger and bigger, and the whole south will be liberated.
Brown talked to his friend Douglas about his plans, and he thought his "revolutionary army" would build a truly free America. This new America will not have slavery and will achieve true equality for all. He even drafted the constitution for "Free America" at his home in Douglas.
Brown's plan was not just to free slaves, but to overthrow the American regime.
Douglas thought Brown's plan was too violent. He emotionally identified with John Brown, but did not want to rebel outright. At that time, many fugitive slaves joined Brown's revolutionary army, but Douglas privately discouraged them from following Brown to death.
The heroine Harriet Tubman was very supportive of John Brown, and she contacted the black slaves she had rescued for many years and encouraged them to join Brown. Tubman shared his intelligence network with Brown and worked with him to plan the uprising. Brown was grateful, and he affectionately called Tubman "General Tubman."
After raising enough money and weapons, John Brown began to march.
Battle of Harpers Ferry
John Brown's first target was called Harpers Ferry.
Around Harpers Ferry. The red label is Harpers Ferry
Harpers ferry is generally translated as "Harpers Ferry", but this Ferry means ferry. As you can see in the picture above, it is located in the interior of the United States. To the west are the mountains and forests of Virginia, and to the east are plantation-ridden Maryland and eastern Virginia.
From the picture above, John Brown chose a very good position. This place is exactly the border between the north and south, and is backed by the mountains and faces the plantations.
John Brown's plan was to attack Harpers Ferry and free the slaves from the surrounding plantations. Freed slaves could voluntarily join the revolutionary army, and those who did not want to join were sent to the Northern Free State. After the incident, the revolutionary army retreated to the mountains and forests of West Virginia and lurked. John Brown would train blacks in the mountains and forests, teaching them to use rifles. Then the revolutionary army went out of the mountains and forests and went on to liberate the next plantation.
Let's zoom in and see the topography of the Harpers crossing.
Topographic map of Harpers Ferry
The place framed in red is the Harpers ferry. The town is a triangle with the Bolivar Heights to the west and the other two protected by the river. The Harpers crossing is the confluence of two rivers. The Shenandoah flows from south to north into the Potomac. Heading south against the Shenandoah River, you can enter the mountains and forests of western Virginia. John Brown's plan was to quickly attack Harper's crossing, then retreat into the mountains and forests to prepare for the next attack.
Not only is it easy to defend and difficult to attack, but it is also convenient for transporting commodities. The Potomac River flows slowly here, and after loading goods here, they can go east to the Atlantic Ocean.
It is also the intersection of railroads, the most important east-west railway line, the Baltimore-Ohio Railroad (B.O. Railroad)" just passing through here. Inland goods are shipped to Europe and imported goods are shipped to the western United States. The Harpers ferry later changed hands eight times in the Civil War, and it was a battleground for the True Family.
The green space where I stand was once a factory, and the red building was the train station. There are still trains pulling containers through here
The place where I stood was the railway bridge, and under the bridge was the Shenandoah River. The water is gentle here.
In addition, Harpers Ferry is the most important arsenal in the United States.
As early as the founding of the United States, the founding fathers noticed the excellent location of the Harbels crossing. So the canal was dug here and a military factory was built. The United States began with only two arsenals: Harbos Ferry and Springfield. Military fans should be familiar with these two places, because many guns in the United States are named after these two places.
Harpers Ferry pistol made in 1836
Springfield rifle made in 1855
Where I stood was the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, now only the foundation remained
All in all, Harpers Ferry is the north-south border, a railroad junction, a crossroads of rivers, and a national arsenal of the United States. Such an important town, you can guess how many people guard it.
Alone.
That's right, the most important arsenal in the United States, 100,000 guns, guarded by only one person! That's why John Brown chose this place. Dozens of people go to seize arms, and if they succeed, they can arm 100,000 people.
On the night of October 16, 1859, John Brown secretly entered Harper's crossing with 21 militiamen. Of these, 16 were white and 5 black. They also brought a large number of spears, because the freed slaves could not use guns, so they could be temporarily armed with spears.
In front are two rifles captured at the Battle of Harpers Ferry. Behind is the spear used by John Brown. The spear shaft is engraved - "The real John Brown spear"
John Brown's attack went well at first.
The insurgents quickly took control of the arsenal and blocked the bridges between the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. In addition, John Brown cut the telegraph line, kidnapped the surrounding slave owners, and sent people to spread the word calling on the slaves to join the Great Revolt. On the first day of the uprising, John Brown completely conquered the Harpers crossing.
John Brown estimated that about a few hundred slaves would join his troops. Unexpectedly, however, none of the slaves ran out of the plantation.
That night, a Baltimore-Ohio Railroad freight train passed through the Harbos crossing. John Brown stopped the train, but deemed there was no threat and let them go.
When the train arrived at the next station, the conductor hurriedly sent a telegram, and a few hours later, US President Buchanan learned the news and quickly sent troops to suppress it.
But at this time John Brown was still at Harbels Ferry, waiting for the slaves to join. A whole day passed, and there were still no slaves to join him, and John Brown did not withdraw.
Although the slaves did not come, the local white militia came.
Harpers Ferry is located in Virginia. The state was full of plantations, and the slave owners were most afraid of a slave uprising. Near the Hapers crossing, militias were organized in almost all cities in order to suppress slave riots at any time.
Hearing that John Brown's army had come to free the slaves, the local militia grabbed their guns and went out without saying a word. The militia arrived at Harpers Ferry and attacked John Brown. John Brown and 21 others could not defeat the arriving militia and had to retreat to a fire station on a small hill.
The fire station where John Brown retreated, later known as "Fort John Brown". The building was not in this location at the time, but on a hillock to its left
One by one, John Brown's militia fell, and the fire station they were guarding had been surrounded and flooded. John Brown sent his son to negotiate with a white flag, only to be shot on the spot by the militiamen. That night, the bodies of the insurgents were taken by white militiamen to vent their anger. The militiamen drank alcohol while shooting guns at the fire station for fun.
Lying on the ground were John Brown's two sons, the one on the left dead and the one on the right seriously injured. John Brown commanded the defense while taking his pulse
On the third day of John Brown's attack, U.S. Marines arrived. Commanding the army was the later famous Robert E Lee.
Robert E. Lee sent Adjutant J.E.B Stuart into the fire station to persuade him to surrender. By this time John Brown's two sons had been killed in battle, and most of the insurgents had been wounded. John Brown, distraught, told Stuart, "No, I'd rather die here." ”
Robert E. Lee ordered the Marines to storm. The soldiers slammed the fire station with a breaking hammer, knocking out John Brown and his insurgents. They found that the men were either dead or wounded, and only the hostages had not suffered any damage. As the army carried the insurgents out, the militiamen were still shouting "Shoot them!" Kill them! ”
After the trial, the revolutionaries were all sentenced to death by hanging.
John Brown was pulled from prison by a carriage with a coffin prepared for him. Sitting on the coffin, watching the scenery flying by, John Brown said emotionally:
"What a beautiful country! It's a pity that I never got the chance to really appreciate her. ”
John Brown sat in his own coffin and was escorted to the execution ground
When John Brown was hanged, the government, fearing riots, did not allow anyone to visit. 2,000 soldiers stood guard at the execution site to ensure that no one could rescue John Brown.
After John Brown's death, his last words were found in prison:
"I, John Brown, am now very certain that the sins committed by this country will never be washed away, except in blood."
John Brown walked up to the gallows
Frederick Douglas was deeply saddened to learn of John Brown's death. Douglas later wrote:
"John Brown has contributed far more to our race than I am. His enthusiasm is like the scorching sun, and my enthusiasm is only like candlelight. My struggle will only be bound by the times, and he will be remembered forever. ”
"I can live for the freedom of a slave, and he can die for it."
Blood debts and blood payments
John Brown died, but the controversy over him swept the country.
Is John Brown a hero?
He looted U.S. arsenals, stripped others of their property (slaves), and kidnapped civilians. He broke the law, provoked violence, and was an out-and-out thug. Had it not been for the timely rescue of the white militia, John Brown's great riot would have swept across the United States.
Abolitionists portrayed John Brown as the Jesus of his age. A white man sacrificed himself to save the black man. Slavery was the original sin of the United States, and John Brown sacrificed to clear the original sin of the United States.
The 1863 artwork "John Brown on the Dying Occasion" is composed exactly like the crucifixion of Jesus during the Renaissance
Oil painting "The Last Moments of John Brown" from 1882-1884. In this painting, John Brown calmly walks up to the execution site and kisses the forehead of a black child
A mural in Kansas City in 1938, with abolitionists holding Bibles on the left, Southern rebels on the right, and John Brown in the middle with a Bible in one hand and a rifle in the other
While the Northern abolitionists were moved by John Brown, the Southerners were stepping up to recruit militias.
The most important lesson of the Battle of Harbos Ferry was the strength of the local militia. Had the militia not managed to stop John Brown, the Marines would not have had time to annihilate the insurgents. One John Brown fell, and who knows how many John Brown will stand up?
Since then, militias have been trained throughout the south, and they have stepped up their guard against northerners coming to their estates to steal slaves and incite uprisings. In the subsequent Civil War, the militias of the South would become henchmen of the Northern army.
At the time of John Brown's trial, the French writer Victor Hugo wrote an open letter to American courts, in which he said:
"The execution of John Brown would create a potential rift in the United States. This crack takes a long time to stitch up. John Brown's defeat allowed Virginia to hold on to slavery, but it shook the democratic foundations of the entire United States. ”
The letter successfully predicted the beginning of the American Civil War. The rift between the north and the south mentioned by Hugo has not healed to this day.
Just as the battle of Harbels Ferry, two more people were present.
The first man was Lewis Washington, the great-nephew of George Washington, the founding father of the United States. Like George Washington, Louis was a big slave owner.
When John Brown attacked Harpers Ferry, he took Louis Washington hostage. And distributed spears to his slaves to join the uprising. Louis Washington was escorted to the fire station by the Rebels and witnessed John Brown's final blow.
Louis Washington later claimed to have been very calm and brave through the attack. However, one of John Brown's surviving comrades recalled that Louis "found himself compelled to obey and began crying and offered George Washington's sword."
Louis Washington was later rescued unscathed by Robert E. Lee's Marines. After the start of the Civil War, he joined the South. Louis Washington lived to the end of the war and finally died.
Louis Washington
The second man was Dangerfield Newby. Newby was born a slave, and after he was freed, he saved $1,500 to redeem his wife and seven children. As a result, just before redeeming his wife and children, the greedy slave owner suddenly raised the price, and Newby was never reunited with his family.
Newby later joined John Brown's Battle of Harpers Ferry, the first revolutionary to shoot. But after the shot, Newby was shot in the throat by militiamen and died in the street.
Angry militiamen stabbed Newby's body again and again with knives and sawed off Newby's legs with saws. They also hit Newby's body with sticks and finally tried to feed pigs with his carcass.
After the Battle of Harbos Ferry, a letter was found in Newby's pocket, which his wife had written to him:
"Dear husband,"
"You must buy me back as soon as possible, otherwise others will buy me away... Dear, you have been free for two years, and these two years have been like a nightmare for me. They say the owner wants money, and if that's the case, I don't know when he'll sell me. ”
"My brightest hope is gone. In my most painful times, my brightest hope is to be with you. I thought, if I can't be with you, my life won't have meaning"
"I'd love to see you. The children are good, the youngest can't walk yet. He could only grasp things with his hands, just like her sister Agnes. ”
"I'm going to stop writing, there's nothing new to write about. If you can come, you must write back to me. ”
"Love your wife"
"Harriet Newby"
Danjefeld Newby
Louis Washington joined the South for his slave rights, and Denjefeld Newby joined John Brown to reunite with his wife and children. In any case, the contradictions between the North and the South over slavery could not be resolved.
John Brown's violent behavior was not an accident. Since the founding of the United States, the South and the North have compromised with each other for nearly a hundred years. Now, all hope of compromise is gone, and the contradictions between the two sides can only be resolved violently.
But once violence begins, who can control its end?
Two years after John Brown's death, the Civil War began.
Resources
[1] Series: Remembering John Brown, National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/articles/series.htm?id=2A8437AB-A9B8-9227-45218B70511C5831
[2] John Brown. An address by Frederick Douglass, at the fourteenth anniversary of Storer College, Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, May 30, 1881: https://archive.org/details/johnbrownaddress00doug/page/n1/mode/2up
[3] Was the American Civil War the First Modern War?, A. D. HARVEY, Wiley, https://www.jstor.org/stable/24429316