Introduction
In relation to a more focused review, let us examine the letter written by Major Sullivan Ballou to his spouse one week before his death at the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861. George W. Ballou, a lawyer from Rhode Island and a member of the Union Army, composed the above letter at a time when the Civil War was just in its early stages. The state of affairs depicted in this period was especially tumultuous and divided due to the significant national separation which the conflict caused and the inevitability of its impact on the future of the United States. In his letter, on 30th April 1865, he dashes off lines of profound love for his wife and children, as well as a deep devotion to the principles for which he is fighting. The words of his youth convey the fears of the man, the area of hope, and the moral values which were fighting for his country’s sake. This letter shows not only the soldier’s effort, deep sorrow and inability to face daily life duties but also the patriotism, national struggle, and the civil identity the country is seeking. What follows is my claim that the letter by Sullivan Ballou is of great value in revealing the socially traumatic effect of the Civil War on individual lives and circumstances as well as the three themes – the labour problem, race and violence. We have here Ballou’s actual words and, through that intimate perspective, seeing the complexities of loyalty, the costs of war on the human level and the attainment of the American values of freedom and justice.
Contextual Background
Mr Sullivan Ballou’s words were written down just in the first period of the American Civil War, a type of conflict which would exist forever and won between 1861 to 1865. The Civil War was a very controversial inner-American conflict between the North and South USA, which was represented by the two parties, the Union and the Confederacy (Bates,2006). The issue of slavery has been at the forefront and was the most prominent one. In US history, a hugely significant factor was the election of Abraham Lincoln on a platform that opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories, which in 1860 brought about the secession of eleven Southern states and the founding of the Confederate States of America.
The war ended with the blood of humans, the slaughtering of overall lives, and the difference in the political and social structures. New technological innovations in weapons, together with the mass movement of huge armies, resulted in a worse situation than ever before from the viewpoint of carnage and destruction (Bates,2006). In the domestic spheres, the men and women were separated, economies were affected, and the traditional perceptions were touched.
Just at the time when the Civil War fight was in the process of getting its plot completely set up. with the Union and the Confederacy forces getting ready for battles that were going to be among the bloodiest battles ever fought in US history. The First Battle of Bull Run, a wintery fight in which a rifle bullet would hit Ballou in his forehead, was the first major land battle of the Civil War. It became the same as a foresight for the long and devastating conflict that had to take place. Through this, Ballou’s reflections convey the personal undertone of war, the individual aspects included in American civilization, values, and further development as to what the United States is going to be (Bates,2006). Regarding his words, we can perceive the mentality of those days—developing mostly the sensitivity of family ties but also the sense of national duty and the readiness to sacrifice everything for the common cause of unity and freedom.
The Document Analysis
Sullivan Ballou, who is the letter writer, was a 32-year old lawyer and politician who is from the State of Rhode Island and who enlisted into the Union Army during the American Civil War era. The letter was written before the Battle of Bull Run. As such, Ballou’s position as a major in 2nd Rhode Island Volunteers contributed a lot of his public service experience and strong values in political activism while serving the Union cause. That was the time when he was very much concerned about the topics that dealt with the relationship between Liberty and the Union was reflected in his writings (Ashton,2010). Churching’s letter is defined by his education and profession: it is articulate, thoughtful and filled with the historical and moral importance of the war; which points to a man who has wrestled deeply in his mind about the sacrifices war brings about.
The person whom the author addressed in his letter on the day of the execution was his wife, Sarah. While the letter is written in private, the intimate nature of the correspondence underscores the emotional tone in which, as he strives to express his love for his family and concern about never coming back to them, and his beliefs about the right of his cause (Ashton,2010). Such an individual context plays a great role, both in the shaping of the meaning and the tenor of the letter, which makes the communication strong evidence of feelings of love and a commitment to serve and lay down one’s life.
The purpose of Ballou’s letter seems multifold: He delivers an oath of love, sums up his ethical and patriotic values, and ponders on the death and mortality questions. He writes not only to calm and show his love to his wife but also to preserve what he feels could be a deprivation of the world so great that it is necessary for one man to pay the ultimate price for the well-being of his loved ones (Ashton,2010). This is a personal account that not only attests to the emotional and human aspects of war but also adds to the existing narratives on the themes of war.
Among the main themes that can be drawn from the text of the letter, one theme stands out, and it is related to the history of the USA from its founding to the historical Civil War. Ballou voices the sense of duty aimed at the country to uphold the Union, and he is confident to fight and perhaps die to save the Union on principles such as liberty and justice. He notices the consequences of his commitment, though—maybe he will not come back to his own family living far away— and stresses the individual contribution during the war that was not as popular as one of the soldiers on the front (Ashton,2010). Moreover, his declaration of a higher purpose and his introspectiveness in the matters of death, legacy, and mortality guide us to understand the mental state of many of his fellow soldiers and citizens during that period.
The impact and aftermaths of Ballou’s letter were confined to his own family, or he would have the letter as a personal correspondence. Indeed, although the letter was only considered as a few lines of very personal thoughts at that time, later on, after its publication and widespread, the letter became very famous for the deepness and accuracy of its feelings: love, honour and motive. It has ever since become an icon of the personal sacrifices of the Civil War. It has been quoted in more grand, varied works of history and literature as well as in Ken Burns’s documentary series “The Civil War”. The letter has touched the hearts of many of the victor’s generations, and many people see it as a moving illustration of those universal human dilemmas of love, duty and sacrifice (Ashton,2010). By means of such stories, the film does not make the war a more abstract idea but translates it into realities that previously were just one.
Contemporary Connections
Unlike most letters that were sent hundreds of years back, Sullivan Ballou’s letter still resonates with modern issues and themes, providing a firm verdict that reality has a tendency neither to change nor escape from historical currents (Young,2006). The points of love, self-sacrifice and dedication brought out in Ballou’s letter still hold importance and become relevant to current-day life, especially in the ongoing conflicts and battles of both individuals and society from throughout the world.
Compassionate analysis of the historical context of the American Civil War and perseverance of the humanistic people’s efforts like that of Ballou are certain sources of our enlightenment on racial, labour, and diplomatic issues in the present age. The Civil War presents itself as the crusade for slavery abolition and the protection of the Union, thus showing the perpetual fight for racial eventuality and fairness in the United States (Young,2006). Ballou’s case of refusing to support the Confederacy and the cause of slavery gave us some deep insight into the value and importance of equality and human rights when faced with oppression and unfairness.
In addition, the essay letter wisely centres on the notion of service and its cost, providing materials for present-day dialogues about labour and workers’ treatment (Young,2006). His refusal to back down from his cause but dying for it instead shows a deeper social justice outburst that is still ongoing, involving the struggles of poor workers and labour equity.
War’s human fatality becomes accentuated for everyone in the contemporary world when various conflicts and diplomatic turf wars continue going on. Thus, Ballou’s letter comes as a moving reminder of the high price of war and the relevance of diplomacy in the settlement of conflicts and maintenance of peace. From examining the diary letters of Ballou, like the author’s, we try to find several possibilities of human beings’ nature of complexities and the efforts of justice and equality getting regard even though time difference (Young,2006). Moreover, attempts to imagine the eternal values of love, sacrifice, and duty that overcome time and location.
Conclusion
Last but not least, Sullivan Ballou’s heart breaking letter to his wife’s ex hints at the potential immeasurable personal sacrifices which individuals in the midst of the American Civil War had to make. From Ballou’s words, we win understanding, and with that, like points into topics of kindness, duty, sacrifice, and overall the global pressures of the Civil War era. This primary source illustrates how historical affairs occurred rather than being monotonous, clearly showing that personal narratives are what help us to remember historical events. Through studying primary sources, such as a letter by Ballou, we are able to go beyond just understanding what happened because we can recreate the minds of people back in the historical times, discovering their anxious emotions, worst fears and complicated actions. Those writings are priceless and look quite through the picture to us. Through the medium of them, we begin to understand the history of humanity and shape the history to come.
References
Bates, C. (2006). For Love & Liberty: The Untold Civil War Story of Major Sullivan Ballou & His Famous Love Letter. Civil War Book Review, 8(3), 10.
https://repository.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2445&context=cwbr
Ashton, L. A. (2010). Sullivan Ballou’s Farewell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VK1KcZoDu0
Young, R. (2006). For love and liberty: The untold Civil War story of Major Sullivan Ballou and his famous love letter. Basic Books. https://www.amazon.com/Love-Liberty-Untold-Sullivan-Ballou/dp/1560258969
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