MegC said:

I have tried to write this post a couple of times, but something keeps happening and I get side-tracked and the post gets cancelled and put on hold.  So, third time's a charm! 

So I finished up Part II and moved on to Part III a couple of days ago.  I don't normally pay that much attention to the beginning of Part III because it details Sherman's advance into Georgia through Chattanooga and General Johnston's retreat.  Honestly, until now I've found it pretty boring, but now that I LIVE in Georgia, two shakes from where all this is set, I'm intentionally paying more attention.

Anyway, it occurred to me as I was reading about Johnston's retreat, the man is marching straight down interstate 75!  I know this because that's the way I go when we visit family in Knoxville.  So I know all these little towns that MM's writing about–Dalton is the carpet capital of Georgia (all these little flooring wholesalers located there), Adairsville, Cartersville, Resaca…I know these towns!  My husband and I chuckled at this line, though:

“From Big Shanty, the weary sleepless lines retreated down the road to Kennesaw Mountain, near the little town of Marietta, and here they spread their lines in a ten-mile curve.” Ok, in the 1860's, Marietta was a little community outside Atlanta, today Marietta is just one of Atlanta's suburbs, and we chuckled to hear it referred to as a “little town”.  It also sits just north of Atlanta's Perimeter (interstate 285) which encircles Atlanta and sits, roughly, ten miles from downtown Atlanta.  Jonesboro, the county seat of Clayton County where Tara is situated, is on the south side of Atlanta and would probably be considered a southern suburb of Atlanta.

I just find it interesting that, in 1863, twenty miles seemed SOOOOOOO far away and required a train ride, and, now, Marietta and Jonesboro and Kennesaw are practically part of Atlanta and no one thinks a thing in the world about driving on down to Atlanta from one of the suburbs.

Then it starts talking about how the Home Guard is being deployed to Kennesaw Mountain, including the very old and the very young (Uncle Henry and Grandpa Merriweather).  Then Scarlett finds out that John Wilkes is going with them, and that just breaks my heart.  MM is essentially detailing the slow, sad decline of, not just a cause, but a way of life.  And no matter what kind of way of life is going, it's always sad to see the demise of that way of life.  But it makes me sad that these old men and boys, who had NO business fighting in any wars, were marching out to defend a dying cause.  And I think that MM's portrayal of this is probably pretty accurate.

And, as always, MM explains beautifully why Gerald is not out there marching off to defend Atlanta with Mr. Wilkes (Ellen told him he could go as long as he could jump the fence, he tried three times and was unsuccessful each time).  So many authors would never have even dealt with the issue–they would have just left Gerald's absence unexplained.  But her explanation seems completely plausible with what we know about these characters.  

Anyway, off to make breakfast for Thing 1.  Hopefully I'll get to read more tonight!

Hi Meg and yes, I understand about getting sidetracked. I was off 3 days this past weekend and still don't feel as though I'm caught up. I think we got another inch or two of rain yesterday, and at this rate, the horses will be swimming around the track at Churchill Downs come Saturday (Derby Day)! But I did start part three and I know the part you're talking about. I've been reading it closely as MM builds the situation — the Atlanta natives feeling they are invincible to invasion due to Johnston…and then realizing the Yankees are moving closer. Although I would be a supporter of the Union, it is still a frightening prospect, knowing that the enemy is at your gates, and yet you continue the brave face. The dinner at Aunt Pitty's — when the young man who I believe is missing an arm but is returning to the front makes the situation even more desperate. You know the Army is starting to ask for all their men. (A little off-track, but I'm pretty sure I remember reading that as desperation really set in near the end of the War, Lee was even asking for the slaves to volunteer in exchange for their freedom). And here is the South calling up young boys, old men; those already injured are now recalled. And was it Ashley who told Scarlett that seemingly one Confederate would fall and there was no one to take his place, but the Yankees just kept coming and coming by the hundreds.

That dinner alone told a great deal. Rhett again is being a cynic — even when the one-armed soldier knows that what Rhett says is accurate; Dr. Meade is still full of bravado; the women are nervous and skittish. Scarlett sings a verse of My Old Kentucky Home that we never sing at the Derby: Just a few more days for to tote the weary load….It is very sad watching these lives collapse bit by bit (and as Aunt Pitty declares in the movie — “It's the end of the world.” Yes I guess it would be).

Meg — I so enjoyed reading about what you know in 2011 Georgia as it compares to the Georgia of 1864. And you were so right about 20 miles seeming to be such a great distance back then. You're right! Seems I remember my grandmother — who grew up in “the country” in Kentucky — talking about catching a train to Louisville or over to Southern Indiana after she married her first husband. We're talking 50 miles give or take, but for her, it would be like one of us traveling to London or Paris!  

I know in the movie, Big Sam tells Scarlett that the Army wouldn't let Gerald go due to his bum knee (or leg), but there was nothing about Ellen and the fence jumping. (Sam says that Ellen sent I'm guessing the bulk of the male slaves to go dig the ditches for the soldiers).

Anyway, it's wonderful reading how MM is setting all of this up. I'm afraid I've only gotten through one part of War and Peace (I'd like to finish it later this year), so it's only the early years of the war between France and Russia and the invasion is about 7 or 8 years later. But like MM, I love how Tolstoy sets up this various characters and their lives and things seem to go on normally. There's war talk of course (when I stopped reading, the cynical Prince Andrei was about to engage in some major battle), but life goes on. Natasha celebrates her name-day in one scene. Her cousin Sonya is hopeless in love. Pierre becomes his father's heir and then marries the amoral Helene…and will be sorry for it. Natasha's family is constantly hovering on the edge of bankruptcy but tries to keep up the appearance of wealthy aristocracy. Now and then, the way the GWTW characters rage about Lincoln or State's Rights, there's talk of “the antichrist” (Napoleon) and what he's up to and how he is destroying everything. And like those in GWTW, those years — and the 1812 invasion — change everything.

I know they're two different writers (I understand that Tolstoy, in one of the epilogues, tends to become very philosophical, while MM just “sticks to the facts” LOL), but it's pretty amazing that two people, roughly 50 to 75 years apart, so vividly captured the monumental events which shook their nations to a core. And created a pretty vivid bunch of characters too — although I think MM may have beaten Tolstoy just a teeny bit LOL Oh and then burned down two of their major cities on top of it! LOL

So, Melanie has had her baby, Atlanta has been burned, Scarlett and the crew are back at Tara, the slaves are gone, most of the houses in the county are burned (apparently even the Slatterys which just goes to show that the Yankees didn't care–rich or poor they all burned), most of the slaves are gone, Ellen is dead, Gerald has lost his mind, and the Yankees have returned again.

That's everything I've read the past couple of days.

But the part that I wanted to mention that sticks in my mind the most at the moment is the scene that occurred between Scarlett and Rhett the night Scarlett received the letter from Gerald saying that she was, under no circumstances, to attempt a trip to Tara because of Carreen and Suellen's illness. 

I was struck by the parallels between this scene and one which we find in the life of our own dear heroine, Anne Boleyn.  A man, a wealthy man, a somewhat powerful wealthy man (we aren't really told how powerful Rhett is, but we know he has enough connections to discover the whereabouts of Ashley Wilkes after he goes missing) appears in her life and asks her to be his mistress.  And their responses are the same–a most definitive No!.

I just thought it was an interesting similarity.  Clearly both women had different reasons for their responses, but I guess my question is why did Rhett proposition Scarlett like that?  Why not just ask her to marry him?  Unlike Henry, Rhett wasn't married and hadn't had a string of extramarital affairs.  

Thoughts?  I have a few, but I'm curious to see what others think before I start spouting off my own!

MegC said:

So, Melanie has had her baby, Atlanta has been burned, Scarlett and the crew are back at Tara, the slaves are gone, most of the houses in the county are burned (apparently even the Slatterys which just goes to show that the Yankees didn't care–rich or poor they all burned), most of the slaves are gone, Ellen is dead, Gerald has lost his mind, and the Yankees have returned again.

That's everything I've read the past couple of days.

But the part that I wanted to mention that sticks in my mind the most at the moment is the scene that occurred between Scarlett and Rhett the night Scarlett received the letter from Gerald saying that she was, under no circumstances, to attempt a trip to Tara because of Carreen and Suellen's illness. 

I was struck by the parallels between this scene and one which we find in the life of our own dear heroine, Anne Boleyn.  A man, a wealthy man, a somewhat powerful wealthy man (we aren't really told how powerful Rhett is, but we know he has enough connections to discover the whereabouts of Ashley Wilkes after he goes missing) appears in her life and asks her to be his mistress.  And their responses are the same–a most definitive No!.

I just thought it was an interesting similarity.  Clearly both women had different reasons for their responses, but I guess my question is why did Rhett proposition Scarlett like that?  Why not just ask her to marry him?  Unlike Henry, Rhett wasn't married and hadn't had a string of extramarital affairs.  

Thoughts?  I have a few, but I'm curious to see what others think before I start spouting off my own!

Meg — you're moving as quickly as I. In two days' time Melanie's had her baby, Atlanta's been burned, Scarlett's been abandonned by Rhett, made it home, performed her “AS GOD IS MY WITNESS…” declaration, scrimped and burrowed and picked cotton and everything else…and the Yankees have been at Tara twice (well, 3 times if you count the Yankee deserter). AND I was reminded of characters I'd completely forgotten such as the old Fontaine woman who drew Scarlett aside to get at the truth of what was happening at Tara.

All I can say is despite being a  supporter of the Union, restoring the nation and abolishing slavery, I was absolutely sickened by the treatment of the soldiers towards the citizens. I realize that Sherman was bringing total war to the South; I realize it was an early version of the Scorched Earth policy; I understand that the point was to bring the South to its' knees and destroy the infrastructure and the morale as well as the Army. But it just gnawed at my soul. At least the Yankee commander didn't burn Tara after using it as a headquarters. But the other troop's “visit” — the one where they even struck at the Tarleton property, the Fontaines, the Calverts and all (and they nearly stole little Wade's sword — the family sword and then tried to set Tara on fire and DID set on fire what little cotton had been picked)…that was even more sickening. I even found myself imagining the girl or woman who will become the recipient of Ellen's thimble; would she be shocked to hear of how her sweetheart, brother, whatever obtained it? Would she wonder about the former owner? Oh well — I digress.

 It was heartbreaking and disgusting that women, children, the elderly and poor uneducated slaves would just be left to starve or die of sickness — it is no wonder there remains a hatred among some, even in the modern South. (I remember in a history class that one of the numerous causes of the rise of Hitler and Nazism was due to the treatment of the Germans at the end of World War I, when reparations were demanded, etc. and the German people suffered. It became one of the many things Hitler could harp on as he rose to power. But I digress again…).

Man oh man — I love your question! I didn't know…strike that…I didn't remember Rhett asking Scarlett (I nearly typed Anne LOL) about becoming his mistress, so it was as much a surprise to me as it was to our heroine! LOL I know Rhett claims he's not the marrying type, and perhaps he thinks Scarlett — wild and willful child that she is — is more suited to the role of mistress, especially since there were times when the mistress seemingly had more benefits than the wife! (I'm remembering the movie Dangerous Beauty in which the Venetian mistress was better educated and even knew politics, whereas the wives were, well, wives. You think of Madame de Pompadour. And even in the fictional Gigi, the young heroine is being trained to become a high class courtesan because she will have much greater benefits than a wife at the time).

My sleep deprived brain can't recall Rhett's response when she refused…but I've always wondered what went through Henry's mind the second Anne said “No.” You'd think most men would tell the girl to go to Hell for not realizing what an opportunity she just passed up on. But Rhett still plays a tarnished knight to the rescue (to a point LOL) and Henry refuses to take no for an answer…and hearing that Anne will not sleep with him unless she is his lawful wife and Queen just spurs him on.

I also know one other thing that made me think of Anne and also Elizabeth as I've been reading these scenes in GWTW. Scarlett — during that escape from Atlanta — was depending on two men for help: Rhett Butler, who does get her somewhat out of Atlanta and then abandons her, calling her selfish for not thinking of the Cause as he goes off to join the Army, and saying that she's not scared and Heaven help the Yankee that comes upon her. Like Scarlett, I'd like to have seen a cannonball blow him to smithereens for leaving the lot of them that way. (What a time for him to get a conscious! LOL). She even scolds herself later for not bringing provisions from Aunt Pitty's — because she was depending on Rhett to take care of things. Then she makes it back to Tara, and the second man also fails her — her beloved father Gerald, who is teetering between reality and a quiet insanity. So she is abandonned again. I'm not even counting Ashley since he's been out of the picture for a couple of hundred pages LOL The only man left right then is Pork, the “simple-minded” slave because that's how his masters raised him…but even Pork ends up being of great help in locating food — legally or illegally.

Scarlett learns to stand on her own. She learns that she doesn't have to be dependent on a man to survive. Okay so she may still be secretly in love with Dumb-Dumb but she becomes independent, stronger, harder (which isn't necessarily a good thing) and is determined that no one and nothing is going to lick her in the end.

Despite being intelligent and strong – from what we can tell – Anne puts herself under the wing of the most powerful protector a woman like her could have had…the King of England. She may have done it at first because she had no choice, although I think she grew to love Henry (and as someone, I think Claire, said in today's TABF main page, felt she was destined for these things as Esther in the Bible once had been). Then he abandonned her without further thought and she died under a suspicion of adultery, treason and incest, her demise orchestrated by powerful men (one likely being the man she had trusted and loved). I guess better Rhett's way LOL

Elizabeth is another who is determined that she's not going to be licked and she, too, is going to survive whatever is thrown at her. She has an on again-off again relationship with her father. The man who was likely her first love nearly got her brought up on treason charges and may have abused her. Men like Wyatt put her in the middle of rebellions. Men like the Spanish ambassador want her dead. Philip tries to use her as a pawn and then later wants to marry her. And all the men who council her want her married so a man can ease her burden — because we all know women can't actually rule a kingdom.  Well, all but one who councils her — and we're not always sure of his motives either. But like Scarlett she learns to survive by her wits, by her strength, by a spirit she may not have always known she had, and without having a man telling her this and that. Scarlett declares herself an O'Hara and knows she will take care of herself, her folks, the land without turning to the charity of her distant relations. Elizabeth is not just a Tudor, but a Plantagenet, a Boleyn, a Howard — one hell of a bloodline. And she is her father's daughter  She's her mother's daughter too.

And boy I need to be in bed. LOL I have to work tonight, it's Derby weekend but my brain is just thinking as fast as a thoroughbred leaving the starting gate!!

So what do YOU all think?

One last thing before I turn in LOL

Is it just me, or is little Wade one of the most pathetic children you've ever seen in a book? I'm guessing he's about two-ish (those terrible twos) but I just don't know how to take him. Scarlett hasn't been an ideal mother, that's for sure. Half the time she doesn't remember he exists. Then she looks down and he's clinging to her skirts. At Tara, he's almost as afraid of Scarlett as he is of the Yankees (an event which obviously has marred him for life, and if it was 2011, Wade Hamilton would be on a psychiatrist's couch — or Dr. Phil) — she screams at him more, slaps him. He was so used to being spoiled and pampered (Hmm…kind of like his mother LOL) and, well, I guess being a child — and all that is gone. But there are other times when I can see why he annoys Scarlett. But unlike Scarlett, I like kids. Never had any, but I do like them. I'm just wondering though if Wade's not a little — well, not quite right, if that makes sense. Is he being a normal two/three-year-old or is there something seriously wrong with him?

I still am glad the screenwriters killed off Scarlett's first two kids though. As my mother used to say, they were way too much like their fathers — and that wasn't a good thing LOL

You know, I had wondered that, too, briefly.  Then I mentally started calculating and I realized that we have a pretty good timeline of Wade's life.  Scarlett got married at the end of April which means that she had to get pregnant in May because Charlie was gone within a month of their marriage.  That was April 1861, which means she got pregnant in May 1861 and makes Wade a February 1862 baby.  At this point in the story, it is winter 1864 so Wade is a little over 2 1/2 years old and this makes him slighly younger than my son who is 3 (who is also a February baby).  Given what he's been through and his age, I think he's probably pretty normal.  In fact, once I realized his age, it just kind of broke my heart because it would be like Andrew being terrified constantly–of not just the Yankees, but also of me.  Unlike me, though, Scarlett finds this fact more annoying than heartbreaking.  What's amazing, though, is despite Wade's fear of Scarlett, he still loves and clings to her because she's his mother.  We don't know much about Wade in general so the only thing I find annoying about him is his insistence on referring to himself in the third-person which my son didn't really do.  Otherwise, yes, I think pathetic is the best adjective for him.  

ETA:  Whoever made up the phrase “terrible twos” had clearly never had a three year old–because three is MUCH harder than 2 ever was!

MegC said:

You know, I had wondered that, too, briefly.  Then I mentally started calculating and I realized that we have a pretty good timeline of Wade's life.  Scarlett got married at the end of April which means that she had to get pregnant in May because Charlie was gone within a month of their marriage.  That was April 1861, which means she got pregnant in May 1861 and makes Wade a February 1862 baby.  At this point in the story, it is winter 1864 so Wade is a little over 2 1/2 years old and this makes him slighly younger than my son who is 3 (who is also a February baby).  Given what he's been through and his age, I think he's probably pretty normal.  In fact, once I realized his age, it just kind of broke my heart because it would be like Andrew being terrified constantly–of not just the Yankees, but also of me.  Unlike me, though, Scarlett finds this fact more annoying than heartbreaking.  What's amazing, though, is despite Wade's fear of Scarlett, he still loves and clings to her because she's his mother.  We don't know much about Wade in general so the only thing I find annoying about him is his insistence on referring to himself in the third-person which my son didn't really do.  Otherwise, yes, I think pathetic is the best adjective for him.  

ETA:  Whoever made up the phrase “terrible twos” had clearly never had a three year old–because three is MUCH harder than 2 ever was!

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Well, for 2-1/2 years old I can understand his behavior, and it's even worse with the traumatic experiences he's had at such a young age. Like I said, he'll be lucky he grows up to be normal (and honestly, I remember NOTHING about him when he's older, say during Scarlett's marriage to Rhett). But you're right – he does love her. He was clinging to her even while she was holding Beau when the Yankees returned to Tara, and he showed some gumption when he screamed that the Yankees had his sword. But his third person speak — that may be what was bothering me…and annoying me! My mother raised four of us and I was around my niece and nephew for most of their lives, and trust me, NONE OF US talked about ourselves in third person. That's just very odd, to me anyway.

I'm with you — I' have NO idea where the “terrible twos” phrase came from!

So….here's where we are:

Frank Kennedy and commisary troup have been through and Frank asked Suellen for her hand in marriage.

Scarlett has started having her nightmare.

The War ended.

Cathleen Calvert rode over to Tara to tell them she was marrying Hilton.  I don't know that I ever really grasped before WHY Cathleen was marrying Hilton, so I was a little surprised when I put two and two together.  The second Mrs. Calvert was leaving with her children to go north and Cade was dying and Cathleen wanted Cade to die in peace.  I think it just shows that things have gotten to the point where you have to do what has to be done.  

There's a description of Tara after the Yankees leave for a second time that talks about how desolate it was as Scarlett tried to figure out how she was going to feed everybody through the winter, and the description of the buzzards circling over Tara.  Let me just tell you, I have never lived in a place with more vultures!  I mean, we had both black-headed and turkey vultures in Tennesse, but I swear never in the numbers that I see around here!  I have driven down the road and literally seen ten vultures all huddled together on the side of the road picking at something.  And they circle over my subdivision all day so I can completely imagine hoards of vultures circling over Tara.

Let's see…

The soldiers returning from the war have started stopping at Tara.  Uncle Peter has come to bring Ashley's letter, Will Benteen has come to stay for awhile, and Ashley has returned.  And the Yankees are about to raise the taxes on Tara.

Here is a thought I had while reading tonight, I ran across this sentence:  “Scarlett knew that Ellen would have fainted at the thought of a daughter of hers marrying such a man, but now Scarlett by necessity forced too far away from Ellen's teachings to let that worry her.”  And I thought, I will agree that things have changed.  That the stringent class restrictions that had existed prior to the war had been loosened, that the dividing line between master and slave had blurred significantly, but I feel like there are many things that Scarlett uses the war as an excuse for her discarding–emotions and ideas she previously found little use for except to maintain a certain image she has now entirely discarded:  sympathy and empathy, sentimentality.  Those ideals that keep us human–that even Grandma Fontaine seemed to understand.  Frankly, Melanie and Carreen and Cathleen many others (including the slaves) have managed, I think, to hold on to their classiness, but Scarlett has just abandonned all scruples and is sort of descending into amorality.  I don't really begrudge anything that she has done up to this point, but she's so bitter about everything–not wanting to feed the returning soldiers or refusing to feel sympathy for the Tarletons after she discovers that they purchased two headstones to memorialize their boys.  Or being pissed at Carreen because she still mourns the death of Brent Tarleton and won't just move on.  There's not much about Scarlett that is endearing, but this is one aspect of her character that has always gotten under my craw.

Another thought I had last night while reading:

I wonder how many slaves chose to remain with their masters after the War ended simply because it was all they had ever known?  Sort of like men who have been in prison for so long that they don't know what to do with themselves once they're released.

You are exactly right, Tina, there is this strange disconnect.  It's not ok to dwell on the past, but she doesn't seem to realize that her obsessive love of Ashley is exactly that.

I watched the second part of the movie last night, and I realize there are parts of the book that are different, but it occurred to me that there are signs that Ashley isn't as into Scarlett as she is in him, but because of Ashley's typical indirectness (and contradictory actions versus words) and Scarlett's habit of basically tuning out whatever she doesn't want to hear, it's no wonder she doesn't realize it.  Ashley says to her, “Do you think I'd leave the baby and Melanie–the best wife a man could ever ask for?”.  Of course, then he turns around and kisses Scarlett!  Dumbass! I just think that at this point in the story, Scarlett is nothing more than a memory of better days for Ashley.  

I'm not too far ahead of you, Tina.  I've stalled out a bit this past weekend and I've just barely started the infamous kissing scene between Scarlett and Ashley in the fields.  Busy weekend coming up and I have to get the house in order–which is a process.  I'm using my SIL and BIL's visit as an excuse to get some stuff done.

MegC said:

Another thought I had last night while reading:

I wonder how many slaves chose to remain with their masters after the War ended simply because it was all they had ever known?  Sort of like men who have been in prison for so long that they don't know what to do with themselves once they're released.

You know I've wondered that too. I don't know if there's a stat for it or not.

Errol Flynn, Ronald Reagan, Olivia DeHavilland and Raymond Massey did a movie called Santa Fe Trail although I always thought the movie had less to do with the Santa Fe Trail than it did Bloody Kansas and the years prior to the Civil War. The movie played hard and loose with the facts including having men that weren't in the same West Point class show up in the same West Point class! Flynn played Jeb Stuart; Reagan played Custer; lovely Olivia was their love interest and Raymond Massey was abolitionist John Brown. But history aside, there's one scene that made me wonder about what you mentioned, as well as driving me up the wall. The stereotypical slaves are told by Brown that they are now free. A few of them say something to the effect of “Well lawsa Massa. What's we gonna do now that's we free?” Brown tells them about free will and such and that they are no longer enslaved…but the whole thing falls apart because there's a big fight with the Army. Brown escapes and Flynn's Stuart is shot in the arm. A Mammy type works on the arm and Stuart tells her not to make the bandage so tight, to which she replies that she's bandaged up more white arms than he knows. Then the few blacks remaining say they are going to return to their masters because John Brown wasn't offering them much of anything.

So Meg, I don't know. Like I said, the scene drives me up the wall, but I still wonder how much historic truth was in it. I've read and heard of escaped slaves that wanted to return South during the War — only to rescue the relations they left behind, and I'm very sure many — like Mammy and Pork — were willing to remain behind because it WAS all they knew; or they had a loyalty to the family they had served.  

TinaII2None said:

MegC said:

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You were so close on so many of them!!

1.  Will Benteen–yep, the guy who winds up marrying Suellen.
 

2.  Poor Frank Kennedy

3.  Grandma Fontaine–I think at Gerald's funeral.  As I recall, Scarlett is VERY pregnant and isn't thinking of much except how miserable she is!

4.  Archie–the man Scarlett hires to drive her around.  Except her refuses to drive her to one of the mills because Johnny Gallagher uses convict labor to run the mill and Archie is, clearly, an ex-con.

5.  True, in the movie, Mammy said this quote.  However, in the book this is said by Lou.  I guess Mammy has her hands full taking care of three kids at this point (Wade, Ella, and Bonnie) and doesn't have time to help Scarlett get dressed.

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I was laughing at your third comment about Scarlett being pregnant and thinking only of how miserable she is. Figures! LOL
 

I'll say this — one of my problems is that the movie is so strong in my mind, I can't often recall who said what and in which format, book or movie. I'm glad I was able to come as close as I did.

I'm going to throw one out to all of you. I ran across this while doing some reading and was automatically struck by…Well, I'll let you all read it and see. Can't think of any prize 🙂 but will just be totally amazed that you got it. (No Internet research peeking now LOL). But read it and then answer:

1) Who said this?

2) Does it remind you of anyone or anything?

You people of the South don't know what you are doing. This country will be drenched in blood, and God only knows how it will end. It is all folly, madness, a crime against civilization! You people speak so lightly of war; you don't know what you're talking about. War is a terrible thing! You mistake, too, the people of the North. They are a peaceable people but an earnest people, and they will fight, too. They are not going to let this country be destroyed without a mighty effort to save it… Besides, where are your men and appliances of war to contend against them? The North can make a steam engine, locomotive, or railway car; hardly a yard of cloth or pair of shoes can you make. You are rushing into war with one of the most powerful, ingeniously mechanical, and determined people on Earth—right at your doors. You are bound to fail. Only in your spirit and determination are you prepared for war. In all else you are totally unprepared, with a bad cause to start with. At first you will make headway, but as your limited resources begin to fail, shut out from the markets of Europe as you will be, your cause will begin to wane. If your people will but stop and think, they must see in the end that you will surely fail.

The sentiments expressed could have been said by John Wilkes or Ashley or Rhett…all of whom said almost exactly that.  However, John Wilkes or Ashley would have said it more poetically and Rhett would never have used the word “folly” or the phrase “…can you make”.  Obviously it is spoken by someone from the North either pre-war or very early in the war.  So, my guesses are…

1. Abraham Lincoln (I don't think so, I think Lincoln tried very hard before the war started and immediately after the war started to keep from further distancing the southern states, and using the phrase, “You people of the South don't know what you are doing…” would only piss them off and make them more determined.)

2.  General Sherman (I don't know why, but I think it's a possibility).

3.  General Grant (if it was Grant, I will poop my pants because I have never heard good things about Grant)

4.  Queen Victoria (a shot in the dark but maybe?)