My relatives lived in South Carolina but were anti slavery. One of my great great grandpas brothers was clubbed to death for protesting slavery just before the war. His other older brother went north and joined the union. My gg grandpa was only 11 or 12 when it started so his parents made him hide in a cave so he wouldn't be conscripted.
His dad was a well liked Dr in the area and many locals felt bad because his brother was killed at the protest. The locals helped smuggle my gg grandpa food at the cave. I guess most people in the area weren't slave owners just the rich people were.
I've always wondered why non slavers felt so strongly about fighting for the south and suspected the real history has largely been rewritten as always. Probably more to the war than I'll ever know. I had a southern friend tell me it wasn't about slavery it was about state rights. I then asked him which rights in particular? He said the right to own slaves and laughed.
In high-school I met a black kid in Pocatello, with my same last name, that we were playing basketball against. I asked him after the game if he knew how his family got that name. He said his grandma told him that his relatives took on the name in honor of a white guy that was killed for protesting slavery in the south during the Civil War. It wasn't until later that I read the story about my gg uncle being killed.
Bb
Last edited by Burleyboy; 02/16/24.
