Independence Day
Here’s wishing everyone a happy 4th of July. It was on this occasion in 1863 that two very important events played out, changing the outcome of the Civil War: Gettysburg and Vicksburg. The battle of Gettysburg, after three days of heavy fighting, ended on July 4th, with both sides thinking they were victorious. It was realized later that the Confederate army had actually suffered a defeat: the first major loss of the war. And at Vicksburg, Mississippi, Union General Grant succeeded in taking the town after a month-long siege, thus securing the Mississippi River for Federal use.
For years, the South refused to celebrate this national holiday because of the outcome of these battles, as well as the way the South was treated after the war. Southerners believed that they were fighting their “second war for independence,” and refused to bow down to a unified central government.
Our ancestors sacrificed home and health to secure our freedom. This 4th of July, let’s honor those who so loved, cherished, and believed in our country that they laid down their lives unselfishly. God bless America!
J.D.R. Hawkins 