God led his people to the Promised Land. "And he sent you on a mission, saying, 'Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.'" (1 Samuel 15:18). Since ancient Biblical times virtually all wars have been fought for food, plunder, and territory. "To the victor go the spoils" as destruction was meted out to the vanquished. It was territory, liberty, and freedom for which the Revolutionary War was fought. The Civil War was fought to determine who shall be free.
The election of 1864 would determine the future direction of this nation for the next 140 years. The war was near its end, and Lincoln's re-election was in doubt. In September, at the Democratic party's convention, there was issued a peace overture for an "immediate cessation of hostilities." Fortunately for Lincoln, Sherman's "March through Georgia" played a major part in putting to rest much of the growing cry for peace at any price.
However, major attacks continued against Lincoln - especially concerning his policy on civil liberties. Here is a quote from the Philadelphia Sun Mercury to wit: "The elongated baboon at Washington ... Are we to submit to the edict of the tyrant at Washington? ... The lank, lean, filthy-mouthed, slab-sided, six foot thing that disgraces the seat once honored by Washington." [1] Every word of the above appeared in the Mercury of Sunday, September 18, 1864. "Freedom of the Press," Campaign Dial, Sept. 19, 1864, vol. 9, no. 50, p. 5. (and you think the press is bad today?)
One truly wonders what would have happened had the Democratic peace party prevailed during that election. The South was laid bare and bitter. After the Civil War the North dealt more harsh treatment to the South via the Northern carpetbaggers who helped prolong the hatred of the South toward the North ("to the victor go the spoils").
In WWI this same approach was followed - ("to the victor go the spoils"). It was called "reparations," and the result of this was to make Germany virtually destitute and very bitter - leading to Hitler and WWII. After the Second World War a different tact was taken by the United States - in Europe, it was called the "Marshall Plan" after General George Marshall (a man famous in Hanford because his personal taster was Richard Wing the owner and chef of the former Imperial Dynasty).
It was a new concept to rebuild the enemy so that they would be self-sufficient and become allies and a non-threat. Hopefully the German need for domination of other nations would no longer be necessary.
Yes, slogans and songs that have been written to eulogize or lament what was happening. In so many instances these were morale builders designed to encourage and honor the troops. Again we go back to ancient times: "Praise be to the Lord my Rock who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. -------. Part your heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke. Send forth lightning and scatter the enemies; shoot your arrows and route them. Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful." (Psalms 144: 1-2, 5-8) What can one say? Yes, even David found it necessary to prepare a song of war.
Since our beginning a number of such songs (poems) have been written. The first that comes to mind is "The Star Spangled Banner" - our national anthem which was written in 1814 during the war of 1812. I am somewhat of a history buff, but I knew or remembered little about the conditions under which Francis Scott Key wrote his poem until I did a little research. (I had meant to cover this in one article, but I found so much of interest that I ran out of space so) - to be continued.
Send your comments and questions to me, Bob Case, ei-ther by e-mail to:
rpcase@pacbell.net, or care of: The Sentinel, P.O. Box 9, Hanford, CA, 93232
(June 2, 2007)
