But for me the important question is: what the heck were the Unionists thinking? Were they ethical, sensible, and competent? Or crafty, rabid, and inept? Because our own dear USG is the modern descendant of the grand old Union. And if it was crafty, rabid and inept in 1861, what is the probability that it has since somehow improved?
The question deserves its own post – but I note merely how much less attention is paid to the blue side of the picture. Magic.
I've been reading a lot of Civil War history and I can't find on the subject.
The most I have found so far is that the North minus New England did not really want to keep fighting after the early part of the war. So, I believe the question can be narrowed to "What were the New Englanders thinking?" It's an important questions because a lot of people died in the war, the war cost a lot of money, and for a long time seemed endless.
The obvious answer is that they fought to free the slaves. But, once the war was over, these same people were not exactly tripping over themselves to welcome free blacks into their communities (or even let them vote in their states – of course they wanted them to vote in Southern states). I'll keep looking for an answer and post any updates.
Foseti 