The last American Civil War veterans

[Apex]

http://mashable.com/2015/04/10/civil-wa ... -veterans/

The photos here are large, hi res, and spectacular. Enjoy.

[OldAirmail]

A BIG thank you.

Very captivating.

[Hawkeye07]

Thanks for the posting Apex. Very interesting period photos.

[Webb]

More Civil War pictures here

Bloodcurdling Tales And Photos of Amputations From The American Civil War


“Army Medical Wagon.” Demonstration of the use of anesthesia in amputations.

[Fozzer]

Certainly a bit of an eye-opener for me, reading all of this!....>>>>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War

An insight into some very violent history!

Paul.

[Webb]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKWGugimSi8[/youtube]

Be proud you're a rebel
'Cause the South's gonna do it again

[Hawkeye07]

Sorry Webb old boy but it aint' gonna happen. Why you may ask? Because the population of the South is more evenly split along racial lines.

[Webb]

Since political discussions are discouraged here I will leave it at this.

This country is more divided now than it was in 1860. Blame whoever you want because there is plenty of blame to go around.

[Hawkeye07]

Since political discussions are discouraged here I will leave it at this.

This country is more divided now than it was in 1860. Blame whoever you want because there is plenty of blame to go around.

Very true, and I think it's divide into more factions than it was in 1860. The days of American glory are swiftly fading away and our politicians are too busy blaming each other and worrying about their own piece of the pie to stop it. I hope there's a special place in Hell for politicians.

[Apex]

We need to be careful and not let this post get political.

However, one thing to ponder: The North's victory was not a given, Gen George B. McClellan wasn't doing so good, and the South almost won the war. Had the South won the war AND the Union remained divided, that could have had a major impact on 20th Century events, especially the two World Wars. It took the entire United States "united" to fight WW2 on two very major fronts. Some world power had to stop the aggression in Europe and the Pacific. The Russians would have eventually dealt with the European Theatre, with results possibly more far reaching than the actual outcome, but what about the Pacific? Would a 'Confederate States' have joined the conflicts?

Regardless of anyone's political stance, opinions, or preference, a divided States would not have been good for anyone. The American Civil War was a true American tragedy and remains so to this day. That's the way things are in history, and European history was perhaps not much better in its scope. We who live today cannot change history, but we can scope it into a proper perspective, if not for the benefit of today's generation, then maybe for those of tomorrow.

The U.S. is divided today in different ways than it was 150 years ago. The times have changed, and so has the political, economic, and even technological landscape. It may not be proper logic to do direct comparisons. A "what if" scenario provides a better perspective into what could have been.

[Hawkeye07]

Hi Apex!
I don't think this thread is going "political" any more. Webb saw where it might go and he turned it away from that direction when he said that there was plenty of blame to go around and I for one totally agree with him on that point. When I said that the South won't rise again that wasn't a political statement either really though I can see where it could be interpreted that way when I put the "smile" on it. But the reality is that the South has changed and the demographics wouldn't support another attempt at breaking away from the North. IF, for some reason the South did initiate another civil war it would be in a much better position to succeed because most of our important military bases are in the South. Oh Sh-T!!

As for your thoughts about the Civil War causing a huge shift in the world geopolitical situation I was going to write about that in my last post but I deleted it because I didn't think anyone would want to talk about an alternative history type situation. I think the success of the South in breaking away from the Union would have had an immense impact just like you described but I think perhaps worse in some ways and better in others. If the smaller U.S.A. had entered into WWI on the side of the Entente without the South's support the military impact would not have been great enough to affect the outcome. Germany and Austria-Hungary and there allies could have won the war and been the leading powers in Europe. WWII would not have occurred and "Uncle 'Dolf" probably would not have been more than a street artist. A weaker,13 states, United States would not have been able to project its influence/power in the Pacific as it did in the later 19th and early 20th centuries which was a catalyst for the war in the Pacific. Hawaii would probably not have joined the Union because the white "missionaries/ power grabbers" would not have had the support to usurp the indigenous Hawaiian government which they did with U.S. government support. The Philippines and Cuba would still be under Spanish rule if the Spanish-American War had not been fought because of a weaker, smaller U.S.A.
Britain and France, having been defeated in WWI would not have been able to maintain all their overseas colonies and would have been forced to lose some, probably to Germany which was also looking to expand it's colonial empire. The Middle East would not be in the shambles it is today simply because Britain and France would not have had the resources available to contest each others territories there which ultimately led, in part, to today's situation.

I know there's more consequences but I'll leave it to someone else to fill in some of the blanks.

[Apex]

I have no issues with anything said here, I'm not sensitive. Hawkeye07's historical comment and observations are very good, I had not thought about all that, and pretty much on target, seemingly well informed, so thanks for all that.

I did visit Andersonville once, when up there visiting my "Silent as a Georgia Peach" ex-girlfriend, which we've discussed in another thread here somewheres, but much younger, and didn't know exactly what it was I was visiting. Of course, she wasn't much help on that one either, coulda at least told me something about it, but nooooo.

[Fozzer]

When it comes to internal conflicts, its worth comparing the total land mass of the USA to the total land mass of the whole of Europe!

USA= 9,857,306 km square
Europe= 10,180,000 km square.

It always amazes me that all the different States in the USA manage to tolerate each other, with no conflict or warfare!
Each State in the USA can be equal to, or larger than, a single Country in Europe!

The single State of California is longer, 770 miles, than the total length of Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales), 600 miles!

The USA is HUGE, with just one single government!.... ...!

Paul.... ...!

[Webb]

It's 833 miles (driving) from Pensacola (Florida) to Key West. They are in different time zones.

Flying is only 538 miles because it's the hypotenuse of a right triangle.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO1Vhc88QkM[/youtube]

[Hawkeye07]

I have no issues with anything said here, I'm not sensitive. Hawkeye07's historical comment and observations are very good, I had not thought about all that, and pretty much on target, seemingly well informed, so thanks for all that.

I did visit Andersonville once, when up there visiting my "Silent as a Georgia Peach" ex-girlfriend, which we've discussed in another thread here somewheres, but much younger, and didn't know exactly what it was I was visiting. Of course, she wasn't much help on that one either, coulda at least told me something about it, but nooooo.

Apex,
I'm glad you don't have any issues with this thread and I hope Webb doesn't either. I really wish someone else would expand on what I said, perhaps give it a different perspective and keep this alternate history thought going.

My Great, Great Grandfather or my Great Grandmother's brother supposedly died at Andersonville. When I first transferred to a squadron at NAS Norfolk I lived up on the peninsula north of Norfolk. I lived very close to Yorktown in an area called Lee Hall. It was General Lee's brother's plantation and the original main house was still there and occupied. It's very close to the main gate at Fort Eustis.

Some of the information I mentioned about the Philippines and Hawaii came from a book I recently read called "The Imperial Cruise" by James Bradley. He's the author of Flags Of Our Fathers and Flyboys. Very eye opening book. Gives a whole different perspective on Teddy Roosevelt and Taft.