The Southern Perspective
The southern experience throughout the Civil War was, for the most part, one shaped by bitterness, pride, and a defensive mentality. At the start of the war, the South felt that the North was taking advantage of them, as the North used Southern raw materials to fuel their industry and reaped the benefits, while the South slowly but steadily lost representation in the house, the senate, and even in the executive branch. Approaching 1860, Southerners worried that the North would soon overpower them and remove their slaves, which they felt they had a right to. At the dawn of the war, bitter and patriotic confederates felt invincible and morally right, as they won many battles despite the odds. Generals such as Lee became heros, and rebels rallied behind Jefferson Davis, the face of their short lived nation. However, the North soon retaliated, and as Southern losses started to accumulate after Antietam and Gettysburg, morale began to sink. The once self assured South soon became extremely war weary as they were inevitably overpowered by Northern population advantage and tactics of total war that reduced their beloved home to ashes. By 1865, Southern pride was defeated, and the war drew to a close.
"Jefferson Davis" President of the confederacy. Photographed by Mathew B. Brady before the war.
"Price, Birch & Co., dealers in slaves" A scene in Alexandria, Virginia, in August of 1863.
"Large group of slaves standing in front of buildings on Smith's Plantation, Beaufort, South Carolina" -Timothy O'Sullivan, 1862. Library of Congress.
"Fort Sumter, SC" -April 14, 1861, under the Confederate flag. National Archives number 121-BA-914A. The confederacy took control of Fort Sumter early in the war.
"Battery at Drill, Ringgold, GA" Was taken in 1862, before these men saw combat. National Archives number 111-B-363.
"High-angle view toward the capitol"-1862. National Archives number 111-B-35. Shows the skyline of the southern capital, Richmond.
"Confederate Dead after the Battle of Antietam" -Alexander Gardener
"Ruins of the Confederate engine house at Atlanta, GA" -September 1864. National Archives number 111-B-4787. An image after the capture of Atlanta.
"Lee, Gen. Robert E."- April 1865. Photographed by Mathew B. Brady.
"Portrait of John Wilkes Booth" -1865. Confederate sympathiser, sometime in the months before he assassinated Lincoln