Ralph Green

Sidelights and Lighter Sides of the War Between the States: a Feast of History Cooked Up in Small Bites! Ralph Green

As a comedy the War Between the States would be a complete failure. It has been called many things, but I suspect that either funny or amusing was rarely found among the adjectives or phrases utilized. Yet there were many events and incidents that could be so described. Whether you ingest these tales as occasional hors d oeuvres or as a smorgasbord, I hope this food-for-thought feeds your interest in a critical period of Southern history. Ralph Green

Whimsical tidbits and offbeat stories include:
· A sergeant from the Third South Carolina Infantry is executed for the crime of asking the Federal government to pay a just debt after complaining that his unit had not been paid on payday.
· A water pitcher that touched the lips of Stonewall Jackson becomes a Richmond family heirloom.
· A Texan soldier writes home of the beautifully built barns in Gettysburg.
· The story is told of Nathan Bedford Forrest s whirlwind courtship and marriage.
· Headache Springs, a Texas laboratory that made medicines and whiskey for the Confederate government, becomes known for its healing mineral waters.
· An old Gettysburg spinster gets an eyeful of skinny-dipping Confederates.
· An escape from prison by means of a coffin.
· A soldier removes his new shirt and puts on a tattered one so the Yankees will not shoot his new shirt.