July 1st - Learning is Fun

First, take a look at some of Kathy's tomato plants. They are supported by some steel fence posts and fencing but they are growing far above the fencing, even though she had tried to keep the pinched back. I think she is going to run some twine up to the porch roof to see is they will climb the twine.

Kelsey and Andy made it home from Mexico. They had a good time on their trip.

Now about the learning.

Have any of you every heard of Special Order 191? I never had until a few days ago. One evening last week Kathy and I were having supper at a restaurant in Jefferson City. Somehow, and I have no idea how, the subject of the Civil War came up. She asked the question, “I wonder how things might have been if the South had managed to gain its freedom from northern aggressors. (Yes I am biased. There is absolutely no way the Constitution would have ever been approved by the States had people been told that if they voted to join the United States they could never get out. I could go on for pages but I’ll force myself to stop here.)

She had me wondering, so I did a web search for “what it the south had won the Civil War” One of the hits was a book titled “How Few Remain”, by Harry Turtledove. Mr. Turtledove is a historian and writer. One of his series was a historical fiction series called the Southern Victory Series. The books chronicle his views on how North America would have evolved if the South had won the war. I downloaded a copy of the book from the Crossville library and have started reading it.

The books divergence from actual history starts on September 13, 1862. General Robert E. Lee had drafted Special Order 191 on September 9, 1862, it was his battle plan. On the 13^th a Union Corporal found a copy of the Special Order wrapped around 3 cigars, lying in the grass at a campground that the Confederates had just vacated. He passed the plan up the chain of command until it found its way to the Union’s Major General George B. McClellan. McClellan was the commander of the Army of the Potomac. After reading the Special Order McClellan stated, “Now I know what to do! Here is a paper with which, if I cannot whip Bobby Lee, I will be willing to go home.”

The Battle of Antietam (Confederates called it the Battle of Sharpsburg) was fought on September 17^th, 23,000 soldiers were killed during the battle. Even though the Confederates were outnumbered 2:1 McClellan was only able to stop Lee’s advance. He was not able to destroy Lee’s army. Mr. Turtledove suggests that had McClellan not been aware of Lee’s battle plans he likely would not even have been able to find Lee’s army. Further he suggests that it would have been quite possible that Lee would have advanced to Philadelphia and crushed the Army of the Potomac.

 

So far I've read up to a point about 20 years after the Civil War. By that time the South is already seriously considering ending slavery, mostly because of pressure from European nations. I have no doubt that slavery would have ended without the slaughter of over 600,000 Americans during the Civil War.

 

I hope you all had a great day. May God bless you and yours.