Fort Pillow Sectionalism

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On April 12, 1864, the Confederates attacked Fort Pillow in what was one of the most tragic events in Civil War history. It resulted in a Confederate victory at the cost of many African Americans and Union troops. Sectionalism influenced the interpretations and accounts of what occurred at Fort Pillow. Both the South and North had conflicting accounts of the battle at Fort Pillow. This incidence would lead to an investigation by the Joint Committee On the Conduct of the War, which concluded that a massacre did occur. Notably, the investigation and its conclusions were widely publicized and published in numerous Northern newspapers. Despite the findings of the federal investigation, the Confederates disputed these findings, and this was evident in Southern newspapers and writings. The outcome of …show more content…

This was issued by Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1863, after the Union victory at Antietam. It declared that as of January 1, 1863, all slaves in the rebellious states “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” It also allowed the newly freed African Americans to join the Civil War as well. The Emancipation Proclamation states “And I further declare and make known, that such persons of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.” Emancipation was arguably a military tactic that reduced the Confederacy’s resources and strength. Enlistment provided opportunities to help defeat the proslavery Confederacy, but the Confederacy refused to recognize captured black troops as military prisoners. The Civil War began due to the institution of slavery; the South fought to preserve it. Emancipation Proclamation invited slaves to bear arms and opened new avenues to freedom for blacks. Emancipation of slaves to the Confederacy exacerbated their fears of white subordination, slave rebellions, and a

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