CIVIL WAR ERA QUOTES By Saylor Ellis

Quote: "My dead and wounded were nearly as great in number as those still on duty. They literally covered the ground. The blood stood in puddles in some places on the rocks; the ground was soaked with the blood of as brave men as ever fell on the red field of battle.” -- Confederate Colonel William C. Oates, Southern Historical Papers, April 6th, 1878

My Reflection: This quote reminds me of something my great-great-great grandfather, John W. Oswald wrote in a letter to a friend. He said, “To see the dead in piles makes me sick. I never want to see another sight such, but such is war and man’s inhumanity to man.” When I read this I think of all the brave men who have fought and died and the ones that lived and had to deal with what they have seen. There is so much we take for granted and we have everything we have because of the people that fought and died and the people who saw the blood stained battlefields’ horribleness.

Quote: “…our regiment made three charges during the day, routing and driving the enemy each time. It was terrible work I tell you. We met them face to face, and cold steel was used in no sparing way. We drove the enemy from every position they attempted to hold, and gained the day only by hard fighting and good generalship. The loss in our regiment that day was 39 killed, 131 wounded. Our Colonel was wounded in the arm. “ --John W. Oswald, my great-great-great grandfather September

My Reflection: These battles became closer to me once I learned that my relative was in the war. Also, since he was in the 23 rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and the date he wrote it, that he was describing his experience at the battle of South Mountain. The colonel he was describing was Rutherford B. Hayes, who was wounded at South Mountain. If he had died, then Colonel Hayes wouldn’t have lived to become the President of the United States. If my great-great-great grandfather had died in the war, he wouldn’t have married and had children and I may not be here.

Quote:

My Reflection: The United States of America was divided. The two sides had very different opinions and the Confederate States seceded from the Union. They even elected Jefferson Davis as president of the Confederate States of America. The Union’s goal was to retain the United States as one country with a central government. The Confederate States goal was to support the right of individual states to choose which laws worked best for those states and to oppose the right of a central government to impose laws on the whole country. Our country would be so different today if the Union hadn’t won the civil war. Maybe there would still even be slavery, which would be horrible and wrong. I am grateful that slavery was abolished. Now we don’t have to deal with that ever again.

Quote: “A ball had passed between my body and the right arm which supported him, cutting through the sleeve and passing through his chest from shoulder to shoulder. There was no more to be done for him and I left him to his rest. I have never mended that hole in my sleeve. I wonder if a soldier ever does mend a bullet hole in his coat?” Clara Barton, Founder of the American Red Cross

My Reflection: Clara Barton was not afraid of the war she just wanted to help the soldiers since she could not fight along side them. Although she was a woman, who back then did not fight in wars, she was brave and went out there and did what she could to serve her country, nurse and feed the soldiers. She was a great role model for other women like my grandmother who helped out driving officers during World War 2 and my great-grandmother who was one of the founders of American Red Cross in Toledo Ohio.

Quote: “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” -- Frederick Douglas, Born a slave, became an American writer, abolitionist, advisor to Presidents

My Reflection: Frederick Douglas rose from slavery to become the leading African-American voice of the 1800s. I think it is cool that President Lincoln called him the most meritorious man of the 19 th century. It shows that struggling the way he did leads to good things. Like when I have a long hard test I have to struggle through and then if I put in a lot of effort I end up getting a good grade. Its worth it to make the progress.

Bibliography Chadwick, Randy. "The American Civil War: Quotes - Colonel William C. Oates."Brotherswar.com. N.p., Dec Web. 18 Mar Frederick Douglass. The Biography Channel website Available at: Accessed Mar 25, Jone Johnson Lewis. "Clara Barton Quotes." About Women's History. URL: Date accessed: Mar 18, Jefferson Davis. History.com website URL davis. Accessed Mar 21, 2014 “'A house divided against itself can not stand.' I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other." —Abraham Lincoln, June 16, N.p.. Web. 24 Mar John W. Oswald wrote in a personal letter to a friend, Sept 21, 1862