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Posts:
119
From:
Austin, Texas
Registered:
12/1/05
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Posts:
3,543
From:
Monticello
Registered:
1/15/07
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(2 of 75)
Re: The Life of Billy Yank
Oct 31, 2009 4:59 PM
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How about the life of Rudolph the Red, Alpha Centurion, Ming Mongol, or Helmutt Nazi? An imperialist is an imperialist.
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Posts:
9,306
From:
Shenandoah Valley
Registered:
1/6/04
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(3 of 75)
Re: The Life of Billy Yank
Oct 31, 2009 5:54 PM
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> http://www.amazon.com/Life-Billy-Yank-Common-Soldier/d
> p/0807133752/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257032999
> &sr=1-1
>
> Anyone ever read that? I've seen it in book stores
> since I was 12, and had an interest in it. However, I
> didn't become interested in reading until a few years
> ago, and I think I'd like to finally read The Life of
> Billy Yank, and I'm curious if anyone here has read
> it, what they thought? Is it a pretty easy read?
I would like for you to read the book and then come back and report how many yankees were fighting to free the slaves.
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Posts:
1,901
Registered:
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(4 of 75)
Re: The Life of Billy Yank
Oct 31, 2009 7:02 PM
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Zeeboe,
Sorry about the static you got with your first three replies.
You have asked an honest question and deserve an honest answer.
I have read the book and enjoyed it very much. I first read it when I was starting Civil War reenacting to help me with my impression.
It is a very easy read and does give some pretty good background on the day-to-day life of a Union infantryman.
After you have read it, you might consider the following books to learn some more about the life of a Civil War soldier.
The Union Soldier In Battle: Enduring The Ordeal Of Combat, by Earl J. Hess.
Hard Marching Every Day, 1861-1865: The Civil War Letters of Private Wilber Fisk, edited by Emil & Ruth Rosenblatt.
The Civil War Infantryman: In Camp, On The March, And In Battle, by Gregory A. Coco.
Detailed Minutiae of Soldier Life: In The Army of Northern Virginia, 1861-1865, by Carlton McCarthy.
Co. Aytch, by Sam R. Watkins.
Hardtack & Coffee: The Unwritten Story of Army Life, by John D. Billings.
Enjoy your reading of whatever book you decide to look at.
Sincerely,
Unionblue
--
Belief does not make truth.
Evidence makes truth.
And belief does not make evidence.
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Posts:
9,872
Registered:
11/18/04
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(5 of 75)
Re: The Life of Billy Yank
Oct 31, 2009 7:31 PM
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Zeeboe
Please don't judge this forum by the ramblings of a few.
--
The state that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards, and its fighting done by fools.
There's never a right time to be in the wrong place
jasser
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Posts:
7,579
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(6 of 75)
Re: The Life of Billy Yank
Oct 31, 2009 7:37 PM
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reply to Zeeboe
Yes you should read it, and you should follow it by reading the Life of Johnny Reb. Both were considered manditory reading when I became a reenactor which was a long time ago.
There was no reason why you should have been bullied because of your question, sorry that happened to you.
Hard Tack and Coffee is indeed another good follow up book.
spondulix
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Posts:
1,901
Registered:
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(7 of 75)
Re: The Life of Billy Yank
Oct 31, 2009 9:07 PM
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> reply to Zeeboe
>
> Yes you should read it, and you should follow it by
> reading the Life of Johnny Reb. Both were considered
> manditory reading when I became a reenactor which was
> a long time ago.
> There was no reason why you should have been bullied
> because of your question, sorry that happened to you.
>
>
>
> Hard Tack and Coffee is indeed another good follow up
> book.
>
> spondulix
spondulix,
Forgot all about The Life Of Johnny Reb. Thanks for catching it.
Sincerely,
Unionblue
--
Belief does not make truth.
Evidence makes truth.
And belief does not make evidence.
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Posts:
119
From:
Austin, Texas
Registered:
12/1/05
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(8 of 75)
Re: The Life of Billy Yank
Nov 1, 2009 8:57 AM
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Thanks unionblue and everyone else for the responses. Even though I live in the South, and am proud to be a Texan, when it comes to the Civil War, since I was a kid, I've always been more of a supporter of the Union, and had more of an interest in them. Blue is also one of my favorite colors. 
Even if all the boys in blue weren't fighting to free the slaves, I still admire and respect those that fought to preserve the Union. The United States of America is the greatest country on earth. Shame on my fellow southerns for trying to spilit it up, and destory what George Washington worked so hard to create, and shame on those southerns for wanting to keep their fellow human beings in bondage.
Since I was very young, I've been a defender of the Union and black people. Lincoln was also always a hero of mine.
I was brought up in a small racist town before moving to Austin, but I've run into plenty of Neo-Rebs, and even use to get into debates with my sister (who was a big "Gone with the Wind" fan) and my father about the Civil War.
The south is a great place to live, there's a lot of beauty here, and there are a lot of great people here too, and it makes me sad sometimes because there's so many closed-minded rednecks down here that many people up North think we're all like that and hate us for it. Johnny Reb and his ugly flag put a bad mark on all of us that are true Americans living in the South. The hell with the rebel flag.
Anytime I see the real flag (The United States flag) I feel very proud to be living in this country, and I'm grateful so many men died to keep that flag flying in the air all through out the country.
*sings*
Away down South in the land of traitors,
Rattlesnakes and alligators,
Right away, come away, right away, come away.
Where cotton's king and men are chattels,
Union boys will win the battles,
Right away, come away, right away, come away.
Then we'll all go down to Dixie,
Away, away,
Each Dixie boy must understand
That he must mind his Uncle Sam,
Away, away,
And we'll all go down to Dixie.
Away, away,
And we'll all go down to Dixie.
I wish I was in Baltimore,
I'd make Secession traitors roar,
Right away, come away, right away, come away.
We'll put the traitors all to rout.
I'll bet my boots we'll whip them out,
Right away, come away, right away, come away.
Then they'll wish they were in Dixie,
Away, away,
Each Dixie boy must understand
That he must mind his Uncle Sam,
Away, away,
And we'll all go down to Dixie.
Away, away,
And we'll all go down to Dixie.
Oh, may our Stars and Stripes still wave
Forever o'er the free and brave,
Right away, come away, right away, come away.
And let our motto ever be --
"For Union and for Liberty!"
Right away, come away, right away, come away.
Then they'll wish they were in Dixie,
Away, away,
Each Dixie boy must understand
That he must mind his Uncle Sam,
Away, away,
And we'll all go down to Dixie.
Away, away,
And we'll all go down to Dixie.
--
"Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally." - President Abraham Lincoln
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Posts:
3,543
From:
Monticello
Registered:
1/15/07
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(9 of 75)
Re: The Life of Billy Yank
Nov 1, 2009 10:48 AM
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> Thanks unionblue and everyone else for the responses.
> Even though I live in the South, and am proud to be a
> Texan, when it comes to the Civil War, since I was a
> kid, I've always been more of a supporter of the
> Union, and had more of an interest in them.
Based on what information? Biased or objective?
> Even if all the boys in blue weren't fighting to free
> the slaves, I still admire and respect those that
> fought to preserve the Union.
Which you ASSUME they had the legal right to do. Stalin also fought to preserve the SOVIET Union, Hitler fought to preserve the Germanic union, and Saddam fought to maintain the Union of Iraq and Kuwait. Do you admire THEM?
They were all alike with Lincoln, in that they also claimed that these "unions" were each ONE soveriegn nation, and not simply associations of separate ones.
>The United States of
> America is the greatest country on earth.
On what evidence to you claim it's a "country?"
All evidence says that it was simply a federal republic of sovereign nations.
>. Shame on my
> fellow southerns for trying to spilit it up,
Actually it was already pre-sectioned when we formed it; if you care to read the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the Paris Peace Treaty of 1783, then you'll see that each state was individually and popularly sovereign by mutual and global recognition.
The southerners were simply trying to PRESERVE those sovereign boundaries-- just like ANY nation that is invaded.
You've simply been LIED to.
The North also invaded simply because the South didn't want to pay the illegal TAXES that the North tried to levy on them. That was the ONLY reason for the war.
Truth may be a harsh mistress-- but she beats the alternative of ignorance.
> destory what George Washington worked so hard to
> create,
Again, a FEDERAL REPUBLIC of INDIVIDUALY sovereign nations-- not one empire under George I, to replace another under George III.
> and shame on those southerns for wanting to
> keep their fellow human beings in bondage.
And who was going to compensate them for the $3 billion investment they represented-- you?
The North also wanted to keep their slaves in bondage, but it simply wasn't as economically feasible as in the south-- so they SOLD them there... FACT.
Nice knowing the truth for once, isn't it?
> Since I was very young, I've been a defender of the
> Union and black people. Lincoln was also always a
> hero of mine.
As you were taught. German children also idolized Hitler-- as Soviet children did Stalin, Chinese Children did with Chairman Mao-- every empire since the beginning of time indoctrinated and trained its youth to worship and idolize their demagogue rulers.
Time to grow up and break free of that Santa-ized brainwashing.
> I was brought up in a small racist town before moving
> to Austin, but I've run into plenty of Neo-Rebs, and
> even use to get into debates with my sister (who was
> a big "Gone with the Wind" fan) and my father about
> the Civil War.
It WASN'T a civil war-- any more than Hitler's invasion of Austria, Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, or Mao's invasion of Taiwan. Sovereign nations don't cease to have BEEN sovereign, simply because an ivader is successful; the past cannot be changed simply by lying about it.
> The south is a great place to live, there's a lot of
> beauty here, and there are a lot of great people here
> too, and it makes me sad sometimes because there's so
> many closed-minded rednecks down here that many
> people up North think we're all like that and hate us
> for it.
A "redneck" was originally a memmber of the coalminer's union who wore a red neckerchief as a sign of solidarity; this originated from the coal-mines of Virginia that were stolen from that state by the North, via the theft of the the pseudo-state of West Virginia, and likewise wage-enslaving its own people to work there for slave-wages udner Northern fatcats that owned the mines through pure theft and plunder of land from a sovereign state.
> Johnny Reb and his ugly flag put a bad mark
> on all of us that are true Americans living in the
> South. The hell with the rebel flag.
The hell with ignorance-- get your facts straight, and you might see right.
There WAS no "rebel flag," since secession by a sovereign state is NOT rebellion, it's simply the proper exercise of sovereign powers.
And any "true American" is one who realizes that a federal republic of sovereign states CANNOT be a single soveriegn state. "Divided sovereignty" is a logical oxymoron which simply translates reducto ad absurdum to dictatorship.
This is in contrast to Lincoln's FALSE reducto ad absurdum argument that "secession is anarchy" since, he claimed, any dissenting faction would secede rather than submit; however this put the "absurd" in "abdurdum," since the only faction that seceded from any state was WEST VIRGINIA-- and thus Lincoln was the enemy that he accused OTHERS of being.
> Anytime I see the real flag (The United States flag)
> I feel very proud to be living in this country, and
> I'm grateful so many men died to keep that flag
> flying in the air all through out the country.
That's what they WANT you to think-- that's why they taught you to salute the flag and pledge allegiance like a good little subject.
Freedom starts with your MIND, not a flag.
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Posts:
1,901
Registered:
11/13/07
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(10 of 75)
Re: The Life of Billy Yank
Nov 1, 2009 12:44 PM
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Brian,
Give it a rest.
Asking about a book is not an indication of a huge, state sponsered, academic form of censorship.
Are you trying to deny the original poster the chance to read and decide for themselves?
Books were recommended that depicted BOTH Union and Confederate infantrymen's life, so why the rant?
You are not an electronic messiah nor a book critic for a major anything.
You're just you and unfortunately, you insist on proving that everytime you post.
Unionblue
--
Belief does not make truth.
Evidence makes truth.
And belief does not make evidence.
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Posts:
7,579
Registered:
5/2/03
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(11 of 75)
Re: The Life of Billy Yank
Nov 1, 2009 1:11 PM
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reply to zeeboe
"Even if all the boys in blue weren't fighting to free the slaves, I still admire and respect those that fought to preserve the Union. The United States of America is the greatest country on earth. Shame on my fellow southerns for trying to spilit it up, and destory what George Washington worked so hard to create, and shame on those southerns for wanting to keep their fellow human beings in bondage."
response: My position has always been that the south
had every right to leave the Union, but that right was a revolutionary right, and as such the Federal Government had the right to keep them from doing so. I think that the war once and for all decided the question about states rights, dispite those here who will never accept the verdict. As I have asserted before for all to many southerners it was bad enough that they had to lose the war, it is much worse if they can't claim they had a legal right to leave the Union. When you encounter one of those such as on this board you will never get past their unrational fears the propaganda has been driven to deep into their souls.
spondulix
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Posts:
3,543
From:
Monticello
Registered:
1/15/07
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(12 of 75)
Re: The Life of Billy Yank
Nov 1, 2009 6:55 PM
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Neil, once again you attempt to claim a free-speech right to suppress that of others.
As I've stated previously, everyone is entitled to their own opinions-- but not their own facts; and am not intersted in either from you. However since you've stated no counter to these the facts or positions when given the opportunity to do so, you must be taken to have none, and thereby concur with all of them.
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Posts:
1,901
Registered:
11/13/07
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(13 of 75)
Re: The Life of Billy Yank
Nov 2, 2009 1:49 PM
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Brian,
I simply state that any person has a right to reply to the view that you espouse.
This is your problem. That you cannot suppress anyone who disagrees with those views. As for being entitled to one's own facts, how is it possible to counter an argument based on facts, when you report/delete madly when your views and opinions are questioned? And the last time, in ANY of your recent posts have listed supporting documentation, sources, etc., been listed, WHERE?
Sorry, Brian, I cannot take your statement about "facts" seriously when you simply delete them when you don't want to answer them.
As for free speech, Brian, you seem to continue to have the right you have to begin numerous threads on the same, old, tired topic of state sovereignty, you know, the ones you post that no one replies to anymore?
Why no replies? Because they become tired of trying to engage you in civil debate with other points-of-view, and then you simply report/delete their responses and they have the right to ignore your free speech.
They have learned the one person on this forum that continually denies free speech in the form of posted replies is yourself.
They have only to go back over any thread you have begun with your favortie topic or simply remember that they have tried to engage you in open and fair debate.
No, Brian, if we are to compare who is really trying to suppress free speech at this forum, I have no fears where I will be placed on THAT supposed list.
Try again, Brian, but your own history here at this forum definately weighs against you.
Sincerely,
Unionblue
PS And thank you for not reporting/deleting this post. 
PPS Ever read the book, The Life of Billy Yank yourself?
--
Belief does not make truth.
Evidence makes truth.
And belief does not make evidence.
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Posts:
9,872
Registered:
11/18/04
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(14 of 75)
Re: The Life of Billy Yank
Nov 2, 2009 3:15 PM
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I think TJ's aluminum foil hat may be getting tighter.
--
The state that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards, and its fighting done by fools.
There's never a right time to be in the wrong place
jasser
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Posts:
119
From:
Austin, Texas
Registered:
12/1/05
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(15 of 75)
Re: The Life of Billy Yank
Nov 2, 2009 5:14 PM
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If the South won, slavery would still be going on today in my view. Even if it wouldn't be, it still would have lasted a lot longer then it should have, and I'm sure plenty of racist white people would love that, which is why I'm glad the Union kicked the butts of people like that.
--
"Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally." - President Abraham Lincoln
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