Tuesday, April 12, 2011

War of the Rebellion

150 years ago today, southern rebels attacked Fort Sumter, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, and began the American War of the Rebellion (known more often today as the Civil War).  It lasted four years and was the greatest tragedy in American history.

President Lincoln, who had sworn to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States", did just that, and the rebels were eventually suppressed.  My ancestors, living in border states, where the loyalties were most divided, struggled through the period.

William Lee Rhodes
Three of my Mother's ggrandfathers, Lewis Igo (1832-1918), William Woods (1833-1914), and  Robert White (1844-1938), served the Union side, either in the Missouri Militia or the Volunteer Cavalry.  My Dad's grandfather, William Lee Rhodes (1840-1902) from Maryland, served the southern Army of Northern Virginia, under General Early (and Robert E. Lee).  His father, George Rhodes, was held briefly as a political prisoner at Fort McHenry, Maryland, in the fall of 1862.

 Robert  Macklin White
My gggrandmother, Nancy Powers White, whose father had been a Missouri State Senator and quite prosperous, saw her farm destroyed by Union forces, and was left  destitute with her sisters (her parents having died shortly before the War).  Her uncle,  Justus Franklin Powers, a doctor and former state legislator, was imprisoned  for assisting southern soldiers.  Her second cousin, Union Lieutenant Colonel Melzar  "Fighting Melz" Richards, was fatally wounded at Amelia Springs, Virginia, on April  5, 1865 (four days before the end of the War) and died at the Union hospital at  Citypoint, Virginia, on April 13.

Snowden Morris, a first cousin of my gggrandmother, Susan Tevis Igo, brought his  family north to Cooper County, Missouri, at the start of the War, and spent 3 1/2  years serving the rebel cause, before finally surrendering May 26, 1865, (being paroled June 7).

After the War, some of the families continued on their farms; others relocated.  The 13th Amendment, in effect December 18, 1865, made slavery, the other major issue along with the preservation of the Union,  illegal.  (Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation issued January 1, 1863, had declared slaves in the rebelling territory free, but did not include slaves in territory not in rebellion, such as the border states, West Virginia, Tennessee, parts of Louisiana, and Texas.)

3 comments:

  1. Good post, Vince. I'm curious to know more about our family. I'd be interested to see something on the War of Independence and how our ancestors fared there.

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  2. Just out of curiosity, have you watched the Ken Burns' documentary series on the Civil War?

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  3. We have quite a few American "patriots" in our direct line. Connecticut Governor Roger Wolcott, whose son Oliver signed the Declaration of Independence, was a younger brother of my 7th ggrandmother, Elizabeth Wolcott (1662-1707). My 5th ggrandfather, William Woods, was a friend and neighbour of Thomas Jefferson.

    I've seen Ken Burns' documentary on the Civil War. I saw some of it again last week.

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