They fought for a cause
This past Spring, I had the honor and pleasure of getting to know my great-great-grandfather, William McAdams, as I studied and transcribed letters that he wrote while in the Union Army during the Civil War. I frequently wonder what he’d think of things the way they are now: how much farming has changed since his days, how big our cities have become, how quickly and easily we travel. Except for his 3 and a half years in the Army, he stayed at home or nearby. Home was a busy, multifaceted, yet simple farm on the prairie of central Illinois, near a town called Kansas. William McAdams, Sr. I know that he would be perplexed, to say the least, to know that monuments to Confederate officers stand in places of honor in many public squares, and that schools and military bases are named for Confederate generals. Throughout his letters, he referred to the enemy as “rebels,” “Secessionists,” and “Secesh.” He considered them to be treasonous...