THIRTY-NINTH KEGIMENT.

 

By LIEUTENANT THEO. F. DAVIDSON.

 

It will perhaps be many years—beyond the generations
now living—before the popular delusion that the war between
the States had its origin in the existence of negro slavery,
will be dispelled. Notwithstanding the long and most ex-
haustive discussion by the ablest men of the country, for the
quarter of century preceding actual war, of the real ques-
tions—the relative rights and powers of the State and Fed-
eral Governments under the National Constitution—and
despite the fact that, since the close of that war, the true is-
sue has again and again been stated and demonstrated, yet,
except by the intelligent, thoughtful and candid portion—
always a small minority—of the people, the great majority
of the people of the Northern portion of the Union believe,
and -will carry that belief to their graves, that the greatest
civil and military conflict of the Nineteenth century was
waged for the enslavement, or emancipation, of the negro.
When sentiment invades history it produces as much havoc
as when it influences the other affairs of practical life.

But however much the questions which led to the war may
be misrepresented or misunderstood by the people of this
generation, they were thoroughly understood by the people of
the South when the appeal to arms came; they clearly rec-
ognized that, the very fundamental principles of their gov-

icp ee Wat REGION. ernment were involved, and upon the decision, the form and

4: Sheeed Olas ices: 8. Paschal C. Hughes, Major. spirit of the Constitution, as framed by their fathers, would

2. Harvey H. Davidson, Lieut.-Colonel. 4. J.D. Harden, Adjutant. be preserved in its integrity, or that the whole system would
be revolutionized.

One of the most significant proofs of the fact that the
status of the negro was not, at the South, regarded as the
issue, was the ardor with which the non-slaveholding portions

of the population flew to arms at the call of their respective

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