The Lies of Atun-Shei: Part Two

In his second video Atun-Shei claims to debunk the claim that Confederate soldiers didn't fight for slavery. He made this before he started linking his sources, but I know what some of the sources he uses are, this is an important one to address.

The first few comments he responds to are comments about the movie Gods and Generals. He goes on to bash the movie, even though he is absolutely wrong about the movie. It is most certainly not nearly as biased as Shei claims, and you’d know that if you actually have watched it.

The first comment real comment he responds to claims that Confederate Generals didn't approve of slavery, which is true. Lee condemned slavery as a moral evil, both A.P. Hill, and "Stonewall" Jackson were reported to have been anti-slavery aswell. Of course, Shei knows this. But he doesn’t care. He goes on to say "Confederates soldiers knowingly fought to preserve slavery". Confederate soldiers made themselves clear that they were fighting for independence not slavery, they said as much. Slavery is barely ever mentioned by Confederate soldiers as a reason to fight, actually they regularly asserted the opposite.

“We did not fight for slavery, we did not battle for any particular theory of State rights but we fought for the dear old freedom of our fathers.”

-Col. William Breckinridge

We were not fighting for the perpetuation of slavery, but for the principles of states rights, and free trade, and in defense of our homes which were being ruthlessly invaded."

-VMI Cadet Moses Jacob Ezekiel

"During the war, slavery was used as a catch word by the fanatical mob, and to some extent the prejudices of the civilized world were excited against us. But the war was not made on our part for slavery."

-Lt. General Jubal Early

Quotes like these weren’t uncommon during and after the war. Confederate soldiers were clear in their reasons for fighting. Why shouldn’t we take them at their word?

Shei then brings up that some Confederate soldiers did mention in their letters that slavery should be preserved because the possibility that abolition (not emancipation) could lead to servile insurrection, which was a common and reasonable worry. But, as I have shown the Confederates made themselves clear that they were fighting for their independence. Worries about servile insurrection were not the driving force bringing Southerners to enlist. The Northern invasion was. He brings up a few books, one being Marching Masters which I have looked through. The book makes some pretty ridiculous claims, and in some cases completely leaves important context from quotes out, or otherwise purposefully misrepresents things. James McPherson did a much better job in For Cause and Comrades, in which he shows most Confederate soldiers never mentioned slavery as a reason for fighting. Shei shows three other books, one being about pro-slavery Christianity, completely unrelated to the topic, and the other being about modernizing a slave economy, neither of these two books have anything to do with the topic at hand.

We then get to the part of the video where Shei makes the claim "volunteers in the Army of Northern Virginia were 40% more likely to own slaves then the general population". Firstly, even if this were true it wouldn't prove they were fighting for slavery. Secondly, based off of Joesph Glatthaar's study of the ANV, only 13% of Confederate soldiers actually owned slaves. 44% came from slaveholding households, but didn't personally own slaves, this is the same trick he used in the first video. Glatthaar's study of the ANV took 600 soldiers of various States to come to the conclusion. That isn't very large sample size, and once again, doesn't prove that they fought for slavery. For that we must look at what they wrote. Like Edward Porter Alexander who said: “As of the causes of the war it will of course be understood that every former Confederate, repudiates accusations of treason or rebellion in the war, and of fighting to preserve the institution of slavery".”

Shei then goes on to present three quotes. Two were from random Confederate soldiers who wrote unpleasant things about black people. Neither of these men talk about in their quotes why they are fighting, so these two quotes are irrelevant. The last quote he presents is from James Longstreet (who shei called a good Confederate in other videos) in which Longstreet talks to his soldiers about what he believed were the dangers of Ben Butler's refusal to return fugitive slaves, once again nothing to do with the reasoning to fight.

So then we get to the worst part of the video. When shei says: "I know it is hard to hear that your great grand pappy was all in for slavery...you want to think of him as this heroic defender of hearth and home not as an enthusiastic foot soldier in the slavers army…if you could go back in time and meet them, their beliefs would have horrified you these, long dead racists are not your friends you have nothing in common with them."

Where to begin? First of all, it isn't true. Confederate soldiers didn't fight for slavery, and nothing in this video contradicts that fact. Second, lets talk about some long dead "racists" shall we? Lets start with General Logan, a subordinate of General Sherman who said:

"The 'negro equality' talk against the [13th] amendment is all a bug-bear & humbug. I don't consider a nigger my equal."

Do General Logan's views sound familiar? Because it is basically what every 19th Century American thought. Not just Southerners. Lets look at another quote aswell, this one from one of Shei's favorite Union Generals.

"If negroes are to fight...they will not be content to sliding back into the status of slave & free negro. I much prefer to keep negroes yet for some time to come in a subordinate state."

Of course, these aren’t the words of a Confederate officer, but the words of General William T. Sherman, who said this in October, 1864. Just before his famous March to the Sea.

Let me ask, what do you have in common with General Sherman? Do you find his views horrific? Well, everyone had them in the 1800's, including Sherman. Does that mean these people were evil? Or that they can’t be honored? No, they had views common to their times. I think I made my point well enough. In closing, no Confederate soldiers didn't fight for slavery, they fought for their independence, as Jefferson Davis, and many others said.

“We are not fighting for slavery. we are fighting for independence, and that or extermination we will have.”

-Jefferson Davis, 1864