Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-03-21
The Myth of tho Civil War.

Hou mislHko ioT history Aey are
invented, no enc knows by whom,
and obtain currency, 20 one knows
how, until at last, no matter how
absurd and self-contradicting they
may BIO, they are accepted without
questioning. Latterly, certain en-
terprlsing critics have undertaken
to explode few of the more prepos-
ferrous historical legends, such as
those OF R0mulus, AMI the alleged
Roman Kings but there still re
mains scores OF other myths which
are equally unable TO bear critical
examination. There is no country
in which the widest Fancies are SO
readily mistaken for history as they
are in the United States. Ofall the
historical myths which ever obtain
ed currency, there i none which
can be compared in Importance, and
in the extent to which ii has impos-
ed upon the public, to the myth of
the American Civil War. There are
probably not dozen mon in the
| United States who do not firmly be-
lieve that about fifteen years ago
this country was convulsed with a
| gigantic civil war in which the north
was victorious over the south. And
lyet the slightest investigation will
show that no such war ever occurred,
and that the whole story is as base
less as the arguments of an honest
bimetalist.
The legend in question ASSERTS that
soon after the Presidential election
of 1860 the Southern States rebelled
against the Government. A. long
series of campaigns and battles fol-
lowed. and in 1865 the rebellion was
finally suppressed. More than a
million of lives wore sacrificed, and
and the negroes of the Southern
States who had previously been held
in slavery were emancipated and
given tho right of suffrage under the
| protection OF the Federal Govern
ment This ID the Substance of the
myth Of the civil war, and il is
gravely repeated by oven our most
careful historical writer's.
| Had such a war been waged at SO
recent PERIOD it would have left it's
impress every whore. Now, it is an
incohtestable fact that the men who
are said to have fought in the war,
and the results. said to have been ac-
complished by il, are nowhere to be
seen. 1t Is alleged that the Union
was saved by the bravery and devo-
ton of its soldiers under the supreme
command of certain Gen. Grant,
who was hailed as the savior of his
country. No trace is now to be
found Of those soldiers and that Gen.
eral. We have little Army of %, +.
900 men, which is the object of the
deadliest hatred by our legislators,
and there is person named Grant,
now in Europe, who, when be was
last in this country, was covered
with abuse by the press. No nation
could thus conduct itself toward the
General who had saved il from its
enemies, or toward the army which
bad fought Oh hundred battle fields
The complete disappearance of the
heroes who crushed the alleged re.
bellIon is n strong evidence that 40
such rebellion ever occurred, for 1t is
incredible that they should all have
died within the short space OF ltsle
more than dozen years. There is,
it is true, one pretended exception
to this unparalleled mortality. The
present amisble President of the In
ion is said TO have been General 10
the Union Army. 70 suppose that
this mild and modest man would
have rudely interfered in dispute
between the North and South, il to
ignore his well-kpown habits of
mind. He wonld have considered
such an interference indicate and
undignifed, and. instend of approx
ing of armed resistance to rebels,
would have preferred to concilate
them by promptly granting all their
demands.
If we lock for the results of the
mythical victory over the South, we
are equally unable to fhd any trace
of them. The rebellion is uniform
| ly characterized by our historians as
an atroclous crime, and yet it does
not appear that single rebel leader
was punished. On the contrary the
pretended rebels now occupy seats
in our senate and House Of Repre-
sentatives, and hold the balance of
power in the Government. Is it
nraHsfa hIa hat sr1ah rnutrIt aid
have followed the suppression of a
wicked rebellion We're Russia to
invite the defeated Turks TO come to
| st. Petersburg and govern the En- :
pire, it would be no more absurd
than the story that the men whom
we defeated in the field arc now ru-
ling US in Washington. 1t is even
said that a certain Representative
who was recently conspicuous in as
sailing the national credit by means
of the Silver bill was formerly the
| YicesPresident of the Rebel Govern
ment. Probably this story was or
| ignatEd as poor joke upon an &C.
centric politician, for it is too incred-
ible to deserve serious consideration.
After crushing this imaginary re-
belliop, we are told that the Federal
Government undertook to protect
the liberated negroes from their re-
bellious masters. Had the Govern
ment undertaken any such thing, 1t
would have kept faith with its wards
Nothing is more notorious then the
fact that the Federal Government
declines to exercise the slightest pro-
lection over the negroes, and that
they are virtually disfranchised in
most of the Southern States. 70 fact
those aow in authority at Washing
ton lavish all their attention upon
the alleged rebels, and totally ignore
the existence OF the negroes. This
is sufficient 10 prove that the Gov
eminent mover undertook to protect
the rights of the negroe0, and that
this pretended result of tho war ia as