I recall a line from Ken Burns "The Civil War" wherein one historian was commenting on the impact of John Brown's Harper's Ferry raid. As near as I can recall, and it wasn't Shelby Foote it was the bald guy, he noted "the militia system in the south had been a joke until this time, but then (1859) it began to take on a true form." The narrator then cut in with:
"It was the beginning of the Confederate Army."
The thing is in the north the militia system remained a joke.
The results were apparent at First Manassas in July, 1861. The South had a nearly two year head start.
"It was the beginning of the Confederate Army."
The thing is in the north the militia system remained a joke.
The results were apparent at First Manassas in July, 1861. The South had a nearly two year head start.
