Quotes on Civil War

All wars are civil wars because all men are brothers... Each one owes infinitely more to the human race than to the particular country in which he was born.

In the name of the constitution of Texas, which has been trampled upon, I refuse to take this oath. I love Texas too well to bring civil strife and bloodshed upon her.

We made a great mistake in the beginning of our struggle, and I fear, in spite of all we can do, it will prove to be a fatal mistake. We appointed all our worst generals to command our armies, and all our best generals to edit the newspapers

I am now considered such a monster, that I hesitate to darken with my shadow, the doors of those I love, lest I should bring upon them misfortune.

It is glorious to see such courage in one so young.

Any victory would be dear at such a price.

I can only say that I am nothing but a poor sinner, trusting in Christ alone for salvation.

Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other.

In firing his gun, John Brown has merely told what time of day it is. It is high noon.

We are sure to be losers when we quarrel with ourselves; it is civil war.

This is one of the consequences of the civil war. People stop trusting each other, and every stranger becomes an enemy.

The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.

As a nation we began by declaring that all me are created equal. We now practically read it, all men are created equal except Negroes.

Viewing the man from the genuine abolitionist ground, Mr. Lincoln seemed cold, tardy, weak and unequal to the task. But, viewing him from the sentiments of his people, which as a statesman he was bound to respect, then his actions were swift, bold, radical and decisive. Taking the man in the whole, balancing the tremendous magnitude of the situation, and the necessary means to ends, Infinite Wisdom has rarely sent a man into the world more perfectly suited to his mission than Abraham Lincoln.

The better part of one's life consists of his friendships.

And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.

Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.

One section of our country believes slavery is right, and ought to be extended, while the other believes it is wrong, and ought not to be extended.

The prejudice of the race appears stronger in the States that have abolished slaves than in the States where slavery still exists. White carpenters, white bricklayers, and white painters will not work side by side with the blacks in the North but do it in almost every Southern State.

Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration, will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation.

I hope to live long enough to see my surviving comrades march side by side with the Union veterans along Pennsylvania Avenue, and then I will die happy.