Diversity is a grandiose characteristic with which this world can be identified with, whether it is on a macro level that varies from country to country or more intimately, from person to person. Those with the same interests and beliefs tend to drift and congregate with each other. Name the topic of controversy and both sides will have supporting members. Numerous groups in history that sprouted from controversial topics can be used to portray this idea, there is one closer to home that is still of large importance today: slavery.
The land that was settled had been ivided up into the North and the South where slave owners and those against slavery bickered, until it escalated into a Civil War. Some would say slavery was relatively humane and reasonable, while others think more along the lines of harsh and cruel exploitation. Both could be right depending on the point of view that was taken, and which side you were standing on. Although there was a division between the North and South, not all of those within the borders agreed with its side’s views. One thing is for sure though; both sides experienced the harsh realities of war and took heavy losses.
Mackinlay Kantor the author of a fictional Civil War novel Andersonville gives us a closer look on the South side when it came to the impact of the war. He depicts the Georgia prison for Northern soldiers in Andersonville, in order to bring forth themes that foreshadow after war effects, as well as give the audience a better understanding of the War Between the States. Kantor was able to expose the universal struggle of both conflicting sides by representing the point of view of many individuals from different fronts of the war: the families at home, slaves, and oldiers. The novel takes place on a Southern Georgia Plantation in the fall.
The main perspective is given by a fifty-one year old white Southern slave owner known as Ira Claffey. He owns twelve slaves on his potato plantation and has a wife (Veronica), daughter (Lucy), and three sons that died at war. Like most stereotypes that come with slave owners, it is expected that he is cruel and unjust, but on the contrary he treats his slaves decently considering the circumstances. Kantor does a great job of really showing how Ira feels about everything going on round him; he is a very dense character that helps give the audience insight on Southern lives.
Like most families, he is devastated that he has lost sons to the war and is trying to make a living out of what is available, ready for the war and bloodshed to be over. Not only is he affected on the big spectrum of economy issues, military tax, and crop production, but he is also exposed to the tragedies that the war has brought out in the form of prisons for captured soldiers. The prison, just like the war, has changed his life and the plantation he once called home. The beginning and end of the prison can be seen through Claffey’s eyes, where the Author shows that not all Southerners hated the North.
Within all the craziness of the war, the author still projects the lives of those who are the middle men in this situation, the slaves. Before the prison arrived to the plantation, Claffey’s slaves harvested the potatoes at a slow pace, the master preferred quality over quantity. They did not require an overseer when Claffey was absent, and even attended the memorial service for one of Claffey’s sons, where they chanted and partook in their rituals to show respect. When the area for the prison was chosen, slaves end up having to help clear the area as well as set up huge walls from the cut trees to serve as the enclosure.
The focus was then shifted to the variety of soldiers that were shipped into the prison now that it was built. Originally the prison was to hold 10,000 prisoners but by the end of the war 50,000 Northern soldiers had suffered in its terrible conditions. One managed to escape and befriend what would’ve been seen as the enemy, but proved to be helpful. Others had fallen victim to disease, lack of nutrition, pollution, nd other unfavorable living conditions that caused mass amounts of death. There were also cases of hallucinations as soldiers struggled to keep sane during the long miserable days.
Ages varied from young middle aged to a fifty year old who was the oldest there. The south didn’t have as many resources as the North to begin with, so this is where the Northern prisoner soldiers further suffered with lack of shelter and services. Nonetheless Southern guards, officers, and management were pleased to see the Northern prisoners suffer and die. To further dd to the abyss of perspectives shown, Kantor displayed the struggle of the Confederate prison commander- General Henry Wirz who was dealing with his own personal issues and struggling with the pressure of an overpopulated prison and fear of revolts.
These aspects made him out to be cruel and cold-blooded but also show where he was coming from. You see even those in command were fighting their own demons, up until the end of the war where those who did survive now had to find a way to heal from the damage done and try and put together the world that was shattered with violence and grief. The author made a lot of points in this novel, but the one that I believe was superior was that both sides suffered heavy losses and traumatizing experiences.
It leads me to think if it was actually worth it. For example even before the prison had arrived to the plantation Claffey and his family were already suffering. Claffey even had a decent background having been a part of the legislature, past soldier, and cotton plantation owner at some point, still had to put up with the neighboring horrors. This breaks stereotypes for me, because I assumed that only hose who didn’t have a high social status had land taken by force and rights inhibited on. Clearly, war has no limits.
To escape from the reality of death, and scarceness of products he liked to go on random walks in the forest because it brought him peace and food. I don’t know about you but I never imagined a slave owner as a decent guy. Owning another human being is insane to me, but if I had to imagine living in the time where it was possible, I wouldn’t mind it being Ira Claffey. I find it fascinating that he didn’t need an overseer although only even of the twelve slaves could actually work since the remaining were children. Slaves weren’t as mistreated as imagined (on his plantation anyways).
The slaves never ran away and seemed content, sometimes even being able to discuss work times with their owner, if they had things they wanted to do. It seemed like the mini community accepted and helped the blacks in general, given that they were still slaves. This is shown in many parts, but two specific examples came up: Ira talked about his daughter Lucy being a skilled nurse who helped the sick regardless of color, and the Reverend’s wife who as a Christian lady had contracted small pox from blacks she helped that no one else would.
Although they were still seen as property, the owner made it more bearable, he surprised me when he said, and “I disagree with cruelty and have no extreme greed for wealth or material gain, at least none that I am conscious of… ” (Kantor 10). I could see that it wasn’t really about the money or the power with him, he seemed to enjoy farming and the wonder that nature offered, he “worshipped vegetation, understood the small and widespread miracles, any plant was his love” (Kantor 12).
