This Day in Georgia Civil War History
January 30, 1863
Editorial Expressed Pride in what the South had Overcome
In an editorial calling for the Confederate States of America to recall its ambassadors to Europe, the Daily Constitutionalist of Augusta commented on the surprising, unforeseen aspect of the war.
“…The wisest and most far-seeing among us never dreamed that the war could ever assume such vast proportions as it has. Almost everything that has occurred has produced wonder and surprise. We have astonished ourselves, the enemy and mankind - not that we could beat the Yankees, with anything like a fair showing, in a stand up fight, (for that we always counted on,) but that we should have been able to endure so much, sacrifice so much, and never once look back, or contemplate again the idea of Union. …” Reprinted from The Civil War: Primary Documents on Events from 1860-1865, Edited by Ford Risley, Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut, 2004, p. 169