Article - Southern Unionists
Southern Unionists were a mixed lot...
1) There were some who originally opposed secession but became Confederates once their state seceded. Confederate vice-president Alexander Stephens was one of these. Many early Unionists also changed their positions after Fort Sumter. This was the case in Virginia.
2) There were also those who were originally Confederate but changed their minds during the war. This happened for reasons including beliefs that the Confederate government was unfair to the non-wealthy and also because of war weariness.
3) Finally, there were southerners who were Unionists throughout secession and the war. Over 100,000 white southerners fought for the Union army (the largest amounts from Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia).
4) Southern Unionists included both slaveholders and non-slaveholders. But many non-slaveholder Unionists supported the institution of slavery.
5) Over 100,000 white men from the Confederate States fought for the Union Army in the Civil War.
6) The largest densities of Unionists could be found in southern cities, the Appalachian and Ozark mountains and frontier areas (including central Florida). There were also German Unionists in Texas. North Carolina had a growing amount of disaffection during the war (article).
7) Besides adhering to the ideological concept of Union, southerners could remain loyal to the Union because of ties to northern business interests, or because they were originally from the North.
8) Many Unionists remained quiet and covered their loyalties. However, many joined secret societies, aided Union soldiers, and provided intelligence to Union officials. They also battled Confederates who pursued them. Some joined Unionist guerrilla bands.
The Red Strings (aka Heroes of America) were a group of perhaps 10,000 Unionists, deserters, and escaped slaves who contested the Confederacy in North Carolina, SW Virginia, and eastern Tennessee. The Heroes protected deserters, aided spies and escaped prisoners, and supplied Federal authorities with information about Confederate troop movements and strength to bring about a Confederate defeat.
Notorious incidents involving Confederate soldiers and southern Unionists:
1) The January 1863 Shelton Laurel massacre in Madison County, N.C. Several Unionist women, including a 73 year old, were tortured to give up the locations of a group of male Unionists, including 13 and 14 year old boys, who were suspected of stealing salt. The men & boys were captured and summarily executed by the Confederates.
2) The Great Hanging at Gainesville, Texas. Over 40 Unionists were hung after impromptu trials or lynched without trials for "treason."
3) Jones County, Mississippi (the Free State of Jones). County residents fight over a dozen skirmishes with Confederates over burdensome taxes. Legend has it they declared the county's independence from the Confederacy.
6 Southern Unionist strongholds during the war
1) There were some who originally opposed secession but became Confederates once their state seceded. Confederate vice-president Alexander Stephens was one of these. Many early Unionists also changed their positions after Fort Sumter. This was the case in Virginia.
2) There were also those who were originally Confederate but changed their minds during the war. This happened for reasons including beliefs that the Confederate government was unfair to the non-wealthy and also because of war weariness.
3) Finally, there were southerners who were Unionists throughout secession and the war. Over 100,000 white southerners fought for the Union army (the largest amounts from Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia).
4) Southern Unionists included both slaveholders and non-slaveholders. But many non-slaveholder Unionists supported the institution of slavery.
5) Over 100,000 white men from the Confederate States fought for the Union Army in the Civil War.
6) The largest densities of Unionists could be found in southern cities, the Appalachian and Ozark mountains and frontier areas (including central Florida). There were also German Unionists in Texas. North Carolina had a growing amount of disaffection during the war (article).
7) Besides adhering to the ideological concept of Union, southerners could remain loyal to the Union because of ties to northern business interests, or because they were originally from the North.
8) Many Unionists remained quiet and covered their loyalties. However, many joined secret societies, aided Union soldiers, and provided intelligence to Union officials. They also battled Confederates who pursued them. Some joined Unionist guerrilla bands.
The Red Strings (aka Heroes of America) were a group of perhaps 10,000 Unionists, deserters, and escaped slaves who contested the Confederacy in North Carolina, SW Virginia, and eastern Tennessee. The Heroes protected deserters, aided spies and escaped prisoners, and supplied Federal authorities with information about Confederate troop movements and strength to bring about a Confederate defeat.
Notorious incidents involving Confederate soldiers and southern Unionists:
1) The January 1863 Shelton Laurel massacre in Madison County, N.C. Several Unionist women, including a 73 year old, were tortured to give up the locations of a group of male Unionists, including 13 and 14 year old boys, who were suspected of stealing salt. The men & boys were captured and summarily executed by the Confederates.
2) The Great Hanging at Gainesville, Texas. Over 40 Unionists were hung after impromptu trials or lynched without trials for "treason."
3) Jones County, Mississippi (the Free State of Jones). County residents fight over a dozen skirmishes with Confederates over burdensome taxes. Legend has it they declared the county's independence from the Confederacy.
6 Southern Unionist strongholds during the war
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