Analysis: "The Shattered Remains of Lee’s Army…"
The topic of "The Shattered Remains of Lee’s Army" delves into the experiences of civilians in the South during the concluding days of the American Civil War, particularly from the perspective of Eliza Frances Andrews, a young Southern woman. Through her diary entries, Andrews offers a unique glimpse into the emotional and physical toll of the war on both soldiers and their families. As her community witnesses the return of General Robert E. Lee's army, now broken and defeated, Andrews describes the profound impact on the townspeople and highlights their efforts to assist weary soldiers despite their own hardships.
Her reflections reveal a complex interplay of loyalty, despair, and a sense of duty, as she and her family strive to care for those who fought for the Confederacy. Notably, Andrews navigates the delicate balance between her social obligations and the reality of a war-torn society, illustrating the societal changes and class distinctions that emerged during this tumultuous period. Furthermore, while she expresses concern for the future of Southern society and the potential dominance of Northern victors, her narrative underscores the human dimensions of the conflict, emphasizing the need to recognize the personal stories behind historical events. This exploration enriches the understanding of the Civil War's legacy and the diverse perspectives of those who lived through it.
Analysis: "The Shattered Remains of Lee’s Army…"
Date: April 24, 1865 and April 25, 1865
Author: Andrews, Eliza Frances
Genre: diary; memoir
Summary Overview
This document, which is an excerpt from the diary of Eliza Frances Andrews’ War-Time Journal of a Georgia Girl: 1864-1865, shows the Civil War from a point of view which is not often recorded or preserved for the modern audience. Eliza Andrews was an aristocratic , young, Southern female noncombatant, who witnessed much of the destruction which was wreaked on the South as the Confederate army was beaten back by the Union forces. She recorded these events both as they pertained to her and, in some cases, as they related to the whole Confederacy. Particularly interesting is that Andrews’ father was a southern Unionist, while her brothers fully supported Georgian secession. This tension in the family, which was also a characteristic of the whole Civil War, is apparent in her diary, as she explains the workings of her daily life, the interactions of her family members, and the movements of the Union and Confederate troops in the South.
Document Analysis
These journal entries, written by Eliza Frances Andrews, show not only the daily events in the life of a young Southern woman, but also the hardships which were faced by the civilians and how they interacted with troops, particularly in the final days of the Civil War. Instead of an abstract concept of loyalty to the Confederacy or fear for her family and friends, Andrews demonstrates her and her fellows’ need to help the returning and defeated soldiers in any way that they are able. This is not because they have been defeated, but in spite of it, as a show of gratitude and loyalty for unknown men who risked their lives. Through an examination of the journal entries of April 24 and April 25, Andrews’ account reveals how she herself and her family pushed through their own needs to attend to the soldiers and how she came to understand that her life was going to change and how drastically.
April 24, 1865
Eliza Frances Andrews’ journal entry of April 24, 1865 begins with a description of General Robert E. Lee’s army returning to the town in which Andrews and her family is currently residing. The “shattered remains” of the army evokes a fierce image of the once whole and proud army as broken down and despondent as the Civil War comes to its conclusion. Unlike previous entries which are largely concerned with the social visits and daily occurrences pertaining to Andrews’ family, this entry focuses exclusively on the condition of the army as a whole and the individual soldiers, as well as the effects they have on the town and Andrews herself. It is at this time that Andrews becomes fully aware of the state of the war and the prospect that independence for the South is not likely to be the outcome of their attempt to secede.
Andrews continues her entry by describing a “state of never-ending excitement” aroused by the soldiers and the stories that they bring back with them from the front lines. This excitement is not positive or even some sense of hope about the outcome of the war, but more of an agitation of the spirit. They know that the war is coming to a close and the Union troops may be closing in on their town. Now they are just waiting for the end.
The trials with which the Andrews family have had to deal, namely, moving from their home to a safer part of the country and the lack of abundance to which they were accustomed, begin to fade when they are faced with the needs of the Confederate soldiers. She states that numerous soldiers pass by their home and take some momentary rest in the trees that line the street. The pain of the soldiers touches both Andrews and her family so that they feel compelled to help, even though they are not sure there is enough for themselves to eat. Such devotion to the soldiers shows that even though the South has been defeated and the soldiers are now part of a losing army, the loyalty of the citizenry is not abandoned. Even when the soldiers do not ask for something from the family, they do their best to make sure that as many hungry and tired soldiers are fed as possible.
The beauty of the house in which Eliza Andrews lived is in stark comparison to the downtrodden state of the soldiers and their camp outside of town. The two officers who Andrews says came to the house looking for a place to sleep clearly did not want to leave the beauty and luxury of the home. The Andrews family obviously was not left in complete squalor on account of the war, even though their family did suffer numerous financial and social downturns. But, having dealt with their own troubles, they opened their home as much as they could, until they were “pack[ed] together like sardines” and were forced to turn away anyone else who wished to stay. They did all they could in order to support anyone displaced by the war, even though they themselves were equally effected.
The final section of this entry has to do with Captain John Nightingale’s servant, possibly his slave. While the story itself is light on particular details, it is representative of the status and class difference between the Andrews family and a “negro.” While the Andrews family did not seem to be cruel to the man, he was also treated with a generally disinterested air, especially since he had arrived without his master. She did not even deign to give his name in the entry, even though his master is named very definitely. This does seem to represent any particular dislike of black individuals on the side of Andrews, but clearly demonstrates the social distinction between a white woman, whose family owned approximately 200 slaves before the war (information given earlier in the April 21st journal entry), and a slave. In the end the man was sent off to stay with the other black servants and slaves, not out of any contempt for his person but simply because it was the thing to do.
April 25, 1865
This entry contains a mix of war-focused and socially-focused elements, which blend together to show how life for Andrews became a clash of soldiers returning from war and the normal daily events of aristocratic social life. In her attempts to continue her social rounds, such as visiting with General Elzey’s wife to inquire after the health of one of her husband’s men or the brief visit of a cousin on his way to New Orleans, she had to carefully find a way to move through the central square of town, which had been overrun with soldiers. Her loyalty to the troops is now mixed with a general sense of distaste at having so many men loitering in the town. This is idea is emphasized by her description of the men as “the poor, ragged, starved, and dirty remains of Lee’s heroic army.” Even though she wants to help the soldiers in need, Andrews is still at heart a fastidious aristocratic woman.
A large portion of this entry deals with ideas of the future and what will become of the surviving Confederate sympathizers and soldiers once the war is officially concluded. Andrews has a front-row view of the partial contingents and administrative departments as they return to base after being destroyed in the field. There is no longer any hope for the Confederacy and this depression hangs over every aspect of Andrews’ life. The talk in the town and the party she attends is directed by each individual’s fears for the future—waiting either to flee to another country or be completely subjugated by President Andrew Johnson and the Union. One of Eliza Andrews’ most pressing concerns, however, is related to her social station and the idea that some upstart northern men will be “lording it [their victory] over Southern gentlemen.” Even with all hope of independence gone, Andrews is able to fall back upon her traditional southern ideals, firmly rooted in the superiority of some people over others, based on their family ties.
Essentially, this document shows the daily life of a southern aristocratic woman, her interactions with the soldiers in whom she dearly believed, and the social strata which defined her life. By reading such documents, very little new information about the Civil War as a dividing force is gleaned, but the details which make history more complete, the details about the human lives affected by events, become understandable. Confederate soldiers and sympathizers could be cast aside as simply the “losers” of the war, but there is much more to their story than that basic classification allows. Each civilian and each soldier had a story, a life, maybe a family who mourned their leaving, and should be remembered and respected for their sacrifice, even if in the end it was done in the service of a conquered people.
Bibliography
Andrews, Eliza F. “The War-Time Journal of a Georgia Girl, 1864-1865.” Documenting the American South. University of North Carolina: Chapel Hill, 2004. Web. 23 Aug. 2013.
Henderson, Harris. “Summary of the War-Time Journal of a Georgia Girls: 1864-1865.”Documenting the American South. University of North Carolina: Chapel Hill, n.d. Web. 24 Aug. 2013. Rushing, S. Kittrell. “Eliza Frances Andrews (1840-1931).” New Georgia Encyclopedia. N.p., 29 July 2013. Web. 24 Aug. 2013.