President Obama is kind of special to me

[madokie]

my grandfather fought as a union soldier during the civil war even though his family owned a plantation in Georgia with many slaves. Two of his brothers lost their lives in that war, all wearing the same uniform. So electing a Black President is coming full circle for me.

Have a great day all

[goclark]

1. That is wonderful ~

[madokie]

2. To me it has always been a big honor

to my whole family in fact. We're a German Cherokee European mix. My family on my dads side came here in the 1600's so for my grand dad and his brothers to make the choice they did is honorable, Them having been raised where slaves were seem as a natural thing and all but when the time came they stood up and fought the good fight. Grand pa won too, his brothers didn't fare so well, they won too actually I guess.

[goclark]

3. Thanks for the backgroud ~ Happy Holidays

[grantcart]

4. There were significant parts of the south that remained pro union.

Of course the most obvious is "West Virginina". Almost 1/3 of the Southerners were against it and 10% (almost 100,000 whites and 100,000 blacks) of the Southerners fought on the northern side. Tennessee for example never passed a free vote to join the confederacy;


http://www.acu.edu/sponsored/restoration_quarterly/documents/RQ_40.2_(Holley).pdf

Restoration Unionists in the South are overlooked because Southern
Unionists in general are overlooked. Although as many as one-fourth to
one-third of the people of the South opposed secession and about ten percent
of the available manpower of the South fought on the Union side, 1 they are
scarcely remembered.



Tennessee had the largest loyalist population. The first vote on secession
failed, and the second, positive vote was obtained by the use of force. Much
of east Tennessee and four counties in midwest Tennessee continued to vote
to remain in the Union even on the second vote.


Another group of Unionists almost totally forgotten are the Southern
Blacks. They furnished about 100,000 soldiers to the Union Army, or about
the same number as Southern Whites.