In
September of 1862 General Lee moved is army of Northern Virginia into the
boarder slave state, Maryland. There were many pros for this decision that was
approved by Confederate President, Jefferson Davis. First and foremost Lee
wanted to take the fight off of Virginia soil and into the North. He hoped by
doing so he would bring the bruised Army of the Potomac on pursuit. The second
reason Lee went north was his hope to “Liberate” Maryland by helping them "throw off the yoke" of Yankee oppression, by bringing
the state into the Confederacy. This
played a big role in Lee’s decision, due to the fact that Maryland was a big
prize for the confederate nation, if Maryland did decide to secede then the
capital (Washington) would then therefore be surrounded. So, on September 8th,
1862, Lee called out to the people of Maryland by
issuing a Proclamation.
Of course this proclamation would not
mean much considering the facts that we know today. Lee’s army would meet
McClellan’s Army of the Potomac on September, 17th 1862. This battle
is now known as the bloodiest single day in American history or Antietam. With 22,717
dead, wounded and missing on both sides. Although this battle was a draw, Lee’s
army was badly hurt and forced to head back to Virginia. On top of a defeat,
President Lincoln issued his own proclamation, the Emancipation Proclamation. This proclamation which outlawed slavery was
a political nightmare for Lee and the Confederacy.
But, I do not want to focus on the battle or political history
of September of 1862. Rather I want to take a step back and examine this
proclamation of General Lee. I find the language beautiful and heroic. It is a
piece of work that would be portrayed a lot differently if the war would have
gone “South” so to speak.
General Lee calls out to the people of Maryland with
revolutionary words. Saying, “The government of your chief city has been
usurped by armed strangers; your legislature has been dissolved by the unlawful
arrest of its members ; freedom of the press and of speech, of Federal
Executive and citizens ordered to be tried by military commission for what they
may dare speak.” This of course is Lee’s way of explaining to the people of
Maryland that they have been bullied by Federal Government just as the Confederates.
He then offers them assistance by saying, “The people of the south have long
wished to aid you in throwing off this foreign yoke, to enable you again enjoy
the inalienable rights of free men, and restore independence and sovereignty to
your state.”
It is easy to see how and why men of Maryland would want to turn
and fight against the Federal Government. (Which some did) I now challenge you
to think, what if? Of course I know as historians we are not supposed to do so,
but for one moment give me the pleasure. What if the Confederacy had gone into
Maryland and won over the people? Given them the power and strategic grounds for
surrounding the capital. With this gain, it is very possible that England would
have come to the Confederacy’s aid. Then maybe this document would be portrayed
a lot differently in our History classes. For, not once have I come across this
document that shows in good detail why General Lee thought he was fighting this
war. It puts the confederate idea in plain language that most people can
understand.
I wanted to challenge you to think like this so that we can gain
a better perspective on what these men were fighting for. For it is very easy
to view the Confederacy as a slave loving, evil revolt. But this document that
General Lee issued puts into perspective that these men believed with all of
their heart that they were gaining independence just as they did 100 years
before. This is portrayed best in Lee’s final thoughts within the proclamation.
He states, “Marylanders shall once more enjoy their ancient freedom of thought
and speech”.
In conclusion, the words in this proclamation could have been
right up there with Patrick Henry’s words who stated. “Give me liberty or Give
me death?” But they aren’t and nor will they ever be, the south of course lost
the war and so I find this proclamation within a filing cabinet. This is the
way of history, but by challenging myself to think differently this document
has broaden my views of the appeal to join the Confederacy.
New York times, September 11, 1862. Lee’s Proclamation.
Microfilm
It is always interesting and worthwhile to think about "the what if" factor in history. There is a old saying in our field that "The Winners right the History", and for the most part that is the case. Events of the modern era started to change this idea and even though this document is not prominent in the modern day lexicon it is there for someone to find which would not be the case in a more ancient period of human history. I would only caution that the writings of Lee and Davis were the vision of the well to do and plantation owners of the south, and not the common southern white man. By the end of the war the common confederate solider became disillusioned with this vision and will of the plantation owner. I really like how you have found a document that in many ways represents the southern version of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. It clearly shows the ideas of freedom that wealthy southerners had during this period. Nice article.
ReplyDeleteIn respect to your "what if" question, it is curious that you would mention England joining the Confederate States. I am not sure if you are aware, but Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 banning all forms of slavery in the United Kingdom (they were the the last European country to do so, I believe) . So it is interesting that you would suggest England would join the Confederacy since the Act puts them at diplomatic odds. Also, England had lost about 22,000 soldiers in the Crimean War (1853-1856) damaging their economy, so they were not looking to join another war.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I understand your point of view, but it is unrealistic to take everything at face value. Much of Lee's main points, which you have quoted, are expressed by him to merely entice the citizens of Maryland to join his cause. I have no doubts that Lee has purpose and passion for his cause, but to believe that what he says in his proclamation is said solely because of that is difficult. In the case of this proclamation, Lee's main goal was probably to say what needed to be said to get followers for his cause.