Civil War Diary

February, 1861
I believe these are confusing times in our history. My family lives in the south and we have a farm where we raise cotton and other crops that we sell to other families and businesses. This is how my family makes a living, off the land. Lately, I have been hearing a lot about the issues that our country is dealing with and have decided to write down my thoughts.
Late last year, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States. In February of this year, 1861, The Confederate States of America were formed and Jefferson Davis was sworn in as the President. The Confederate States include South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina.
All of these states seceded from the United States because they believe their rights have been violated. I am not sure I understand why there are now two countries and two Presidents. From what I am hearing around the house, we feel that our States’ Rights and the right to own slaves have been violated. That is why we seceded and formed the Confederate States of America.
I have heard that the politicians of the South believe that the North is threatening their way of life and their culture. I have also heard that the politicians of the North are concerned that if the states in the south secede that it will strike a blow to the democratic government. I wonder why we can’t just get along with one another and respect each other’s rights.
March 5, 1861 – Abraham Lincoln Inaugurated as President of the United States
Well, yesterday, March 4th, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the President of the United States. He made a speech and tried to make peace with the Southern states, telling us that he would enforce the federal laws in the states that seceded. He did not make any threats, but he was firm about what his priorities would be. He promised not to interfere with the institution of slavery where it already existed and made it clear that secession was not a states’ right.
April 12, 1861 – May, 1861 – The Civil War Begins
I question, what has caused this Civil War we are battling right now? Having heard the opinions of many soldiers and civilians, I think the war started for several reasons. The first was the fight against slavery, the second was the issue of states’ rights and the final reason was the election of Abraham Lincoln as President. . I think that Charles Sumner said it best, “Therefore, there are two apparent rudiments to this war. One is Slavery and the other is State Rights. But the latter is only a cover for the former. If Slavery were out of the way there would be no trouble from State Rights."
I am too young to join the Army. I have already seen what the war is doing to this country. People’s homes are being looted and our farms are being burned out. I can’t enlist in the Army, but I can help them out by serving as a drummer boy………………………………

May, 1861 – December, 1862 – The War Continues
Mr. Lincoln is concerned about the war and calls for 75,000 volunteers to help stop what he calls an insurrection. He asks Robert E. Lee to lead the battle and Mr. Lee says no. Mr. Lincoln orders the army to block the ports in Confederate states. More and more battles across the United States are being fought and the casualties are huge. On April 16, 1862, Mr. Lincoln signed a bill that prohibited slavery in the District of Columbia.
From what I understand, the Constitution of the United States allows for slavery and the 10th Amendment covers States’ Rights. When the Federal Government takes certain actions that the states believe are in conflict with the 10th Amendment, the states take counter measures and declare the actions “null and void”. Now I have to ask, “is this war about slavery?” Yes, partially. If there had not been a disagreement between the South and the North about the issue of slavery, then the states in the south would probably not have decided to secede from the union. This war is also about a states’ right to leave the Union.
January 2, 1863 – Emancipation Proclamation
Mr.
Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation yesterday, January 1st. This proclamation gave freedom to the slaves in the southern states. This proclamation did not outlaw slavery, did not make the free slaves citizens and it did not give any money to the owners of the slaves for compensation.
January, 1863 – March, 1865 – The War Continues
Over the next few years, the battles continue. There has been so much death, it is making me sick. First there was the Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in July of 1863 where we lost 51,000 people, over half of them from the southern states. This was by far the worst battle of the entire war.
The Battle of Chickamauga was in Georgia in September of 1863 and we lost over 34,000 people. The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House took place in Virginia in May of 1864 and we lost 30,000 people. As you can see, the battles were horrible and the number of people killed in each battle is totally unbelievable! Soldiers on both sides of the war are starting to desert. They are tired and weary and want to go
home.
In November of 1864, Mr. Lincoln is re-elected for a second term as President of the United States. More than 55% of the people voted for him. He is trying to find a way to make peace and end the war. In April of 1865, Mr. Davis flees Richmond for the south and Mr. Lincoln arrives to take charge. On the 9th of April, Mr. Lee surrendered to Mr. Grant at a Virginia Courthouse.
April 9, 1865 – Finally, the End of the War
I think the end of the war has finally come.
In summary, this war was fought all in over 10,000 different places, from New Mexico to Vermont to the coast of Florida. There were over 3 million enlisted soldiers and nearly 2% of these soldiers died in the war. I believe there are still people out in the field that do not know that the war has ended. I just hope that they get the news and the killing will stop soon. This war brought the end of slavery and caused the decline of southern aristocracy. It was the start of big industry and business and also economic order. This war is by far the biggest and most horrible event to ever happen in our country. I can only hope that what started as a dispute over slavery and States’ Rights will end with the American people having a better understanding of what freedom is in
America.
April 14, 1865 – Our President Has Been Shot
Today is a sad day for this country. President Abraham Lincoln has reportedly been killed. This is sad news for a country that is on the mend from such a horrible war. Vice President Andrew Johnson will now be our President and what a huge task he has in front of him.
1865 – 1877 – Reconstruction Begins
Now that the war is over, reconstruction must begin. The federal government has restored the seceded states to the Union and has started trying to figure out a way to deal with the Southern whites and the freed slaves.
In December of 1865, the 13th Amendment was ratified and abolished slavery in the United States.