tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8199270158927284616.post776630786021022018..comments2024-03-28T08:24:11.151-04:00Comments on Ramblin' with AM: Civil War Sunday - Sam Houston and the Prophetic Speechbookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06589840841266507266noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8199270158927284616.post-36273213319636304562013-08-09T17:35:20.714-04:002013-08-09T17:35:20.714-04:00Three quick points:
First, it is interesting that...Three quick points:<br /><br />First, it is interesting that Sam's political strength wasn't in the South. We think of him in Texas terms but he was a national figure. The one time he allowed his name to be placed in nomination for the U.S. Presidency half of his votes came from New York. He used to travel up through the Ohio Valley and New England every winter giving speeches which were wildly popular. He was seen by those in the North as a Southerner who wasn't a hot-head. That didn't win him any friends in the South but it made him a viable national candidate.<br /><br />Second, in 1854, a full seven years before the quote you cited, he told Rufus Burleson (one of the founders of Baylor University) that "In two years the free-soilers and the abolitionists will get together and form a new political party, and in 1860 they will elect the president. When that happens the South will secede and there will be war." He said that both sides would predict a quick victory, but "…what fields of blood, what scenes of horror ...it will be brother murdering brother… I see my beloved South going down in the unequal contest, in a sea of blood and smoking ruin." He went on to add this jaw dropping prediction about the North: that it "will reap a bitter harvest of assassination." <br /><br />Finally, the statue in Huntsville is 67 feet tall, not 77. (Although Houston himself would have never corrected the error!)<br /><br />** I hope you don't consider this to be an advertisement, but James L. Haley's biography on Sam Houston is absolutely top shelf. He also wrote the script for the new 3-hour documentary on Houston's life that is playing on PBS.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8199270158927284616.post-71749761281900187642013-08-01T14:21:27.926-04:002013-08-01T14:21:27.926-04:00Texas is a state I'd realllly like to visit. ...Texas is a state I'd realllly like to visit. Their passion about their state is similar to South Carolina's. Probably even more so. Did not know about the large statue or that SH was head of a foreign state. Very interesting. And, yes indeed, very prophetic words.Carolina HeartStringshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04292841944812910360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8199270158927284616.post-72779374663576406272013-07-28T18:51:07.281-04:002013-07-28T18:51:07.281-04:00No, I hadn't even heard of this speech, not un...No, I hadn't even heard of this speech, not until it was the "fact of the day" on a Civil War daily calendar I purchased this year. I've learned some amazing things from that desk calendar.bookwormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06589840841266507266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8199270158927284616.post-74752872724885399472013-07-28T18:50:23.846-04:002013-07-28T18:50:23.846-04:00I'm glad you enjoyed it. I do hope to make his...I'm glad you enjoyed it. I do hope to make history interesting because, so many times in my youth, history was never presented in an interesting way.bookwormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06589840841266507266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8199270158927284616.post-8570841855838535902013-07-28T18:10:33.196-04:002013-07-28T18:10:33.196-04:00Thanks for this part of American history. I hadn&#...Thanks for this part of American history. I hadn't read about that before (but then I'm not American).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06765230881738077966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8199270158927284616.post-50647514006005151762013-07-28T17:48:02.810-04:002013-07-28T17:48:02.810-04:00Wow, that was very interesting, and I'm not ev...Wow, that was very interesting, and I'm not even a U.S citizen... :)<br />Thanks for sharing! I especially love those little anecdotes :)Tal @ The Crafeteriahttp://english.the-crafeteria.comnoreply@blogger.com