I just read an excellent essay regarding the Civila War by James M. McPherson who is a Professor of American History at Princeton.
Several passages that I found compelling dealt with what was known in 1863 as "Peace Democrats" or as the republicans called them, "Disloyal Copperheads"
See how many of these passages can be attributed to the Democratic Party today with regards to Iraq. How different would our nation be today if we followed the advice of these "Peace Democrats" or if they controlled the congress at the time, and went ahead with their plan to negotiate a peace with the Confederate states of America on their terms of Seperation?
After the Seven Days Battles:
"President Lincoln lamented privately, 'It seems unreasonable that a series of successes extending through half a year and clearing more than 100,000 square miles of country should help us so little, while a single half defeat [the seven-days battles] should hurt us so much.
Unreasonable or not it was a fact, The peace wing of democratic party stepped up its attacks on Lincolns policy of trying to restore the union by war.
The peace democrats insisted the Northern Armies could never conquer the South and that the government should seek an armistice and peace negotiations. Confederate military success in the summer of 1862 boosted the credibility of these arguments"
"Rather than give up and negotiate a peace, however, Lincoln and the republican congress acted dramatically to intesify the war."
"Stonewall Jackson about to invade Maryland..Disgust with our present govenment is certainly universal"----A New York Diarist
"Democrats hoped to capitalize on this disgust on the upcoming congressional elections."
"Democrats seemed sure of gaining control of the House on their platform of an Armistice and Peace neogtiations."
"Robert E. Lee was well aware of this possibility. It was one of the factors that promted his decision to invade Maryland despite the poor physical and logisitcal condition of his army". Here is an enemy to the UNited States conductin military actions to impact the vote in a congressional election. I wonder who else might try this with the '04 presidential campaign.
Lee wrote to Jefferson Davis "The present posture of afairs places it in our power to propose the the US gevernment the recognition of our independance. Such a proposal of peace would enable the people of the US to determine at the coming elections whether they will support those who favor a prolongation of the war or those who wish to bring it to a termination".
It would seem some thing have not changed much in this country over the past 140 years. Perhaps it is time we learned from a past.
