(A partial rewriting of a post from July 3, 2011).
Today is July 4, Independence Day for the United States.
I first found this story out on Ken
Burn's classic TV mini series on the United States Civil War. (As I
write, keep in mind that I am a native of New York State.)
Vicksburg, Mississippi, in a former Confederate state, has an online listing of community events.
Listed in here, along with the Farmers Market, Faith Fest and the Old
Court House Flea Market, is the "Red, White and Blue" Fourth of July
weekend, and the 4th of July fireworks. Nothing special, here. Nothing
different than what thousands of other cities and towns in the United
States offer in celebrating our nation's Independence Day.
Or is it different?
Several generations of citizens of Vicksburg, Mississippi didn't know
what a hometown 4th of July celebration was like-because they didn't
have one. Stores remained open. People went about their business. And
stories were told, dark stories, about the Siege of Vicksburg and its surrender to the Union Army on July 4, 1863. It is said that
General Pemberton, the commanding general of the Confederate States of
America forces at Vicksburg, chose to surrender Vicksburg to the Union army
on Independence Day as he thought they would get more favorable terms
of surrender.
After that surrender, Vicksburg did not celebrate Independence Day until 1945.
Even in 1997, they still had a problem with it.
We must try to understand why Vicksburg felt that way. Vicksburg is
located on the Mississippi River, one of the most important waterways in
our nation. It was just as important, if not more so, in the 1860's.
It was vital for the Federals to take control of the Mississippi in
order to win the war.
Vicksburg stood in the way.
So, it was put under siege by Union forces commanded by
General Grant and starved into submission. As a young girl growing up
in the Bronx, I remember drawings in a textbook showing how the
residents ended up taking refuge in caves dug into hillsides, and what
they used for food as the siege progressed. Rats would have been a gourmet treat.
Towards the end, they were printing their newspaper on wallpaper because they had run out of paper.
For Vicksburg, July 4th didn't stand for our country's birthday but
rather was symbolic of what its fellow citizens did to it back in 1863. I can only
think that its citizens going overseas and fighting World War II side by
side with the descendents of its former enemies of 80 years before, to
fight a strong evil threatening to overtake the world, is what finally
started to heal those wounds.
As William Tecumseh Sherman said, "War is Hell". Especially for civilians caught in the crossfire.
In another twist of history, the same Union General Sherman, the day after Vicksburg's surrender, started practicing for what would become his infamous "March to the Sea" by marching through Central Mississippi and burning Jackson.
The descendents of those people still remember, too.
Indeed, the wounds of the Civil War
are still there, right underneath our collective skin, both North and South, not fully
healed. This was true when I first wrote about Vicksburg in 2011, and is still true today. The wounds may not fully heal even in my lifetime.
Tomorrow, back to my regular blogging schedule.
If you are in the United States, have a wonderful Independence Day.
Welcome! I hope I bring a spot of calm and happiness into these uncertain times. I blog about my photography adventures, flowers, gardening, the importance of chocolate in a well lived life, or anything else on my mind.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
9 comments:
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I love hearing about history. I wouldn't mind hearing about the Gettysburg address if you're inclined to write something on it! :)
ReplyDeletewow...well written. It is very difficult to overcome the aftermaths of a war, especially a civil war. The post was realistic and informative too. Good Job..expecting more scribblings from your side...
ReplyDeleteThis philosophy explains how many folks don't visit (or like) Germany, Poland, or Austria...
ReplyDeleteGreat article. I did not know that about Vicksburg. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI'm Canadian so I only have a very rudimentary knowledge of Civil war history in the U.S. I do live here though...my hubby is a U.S. Marine. I think there are a lot of wounds in this country that have yet to heal (race/gender/class etc) and while we may not see them do so in our lifetimes...each step brings us closer. Happy 4th!!!-Soraya
ReplyDeleteI actually knew very little on this subject (thank you for enlightening me!) As they say, you learn something new every day!
ReplyDeleteI've noticed that about the wounds being right under the skin in some parts of the country. Here in Nebraska, the Civil War is barely on our radar--I mean, as far as being affected by it today--but when I went to college in Arkansas, I was surprised at how it still crops up in peoples' feelings and emotions.
ReplyDeleteWar IS hell. Hell is not forgiving past mistakes and not letting old wounds heal. Maybe the next generation will be able to let the past go. I hope so. So sad.
ReplyDeleteInteresting article. Ancestral energy can be so powerful. At least, they have begun the healing process.
ReplyDelete