"God alone can tell" | Voices of the Civil War

Mr. Gregory (?), Beaufort County, Prince William Parrish, South Carolina. Diary entry, November 22, 1861. Greenwood Plantation Records, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress

It is my opinion from present appearances that the Institution of Slavery has received a blow that it will never recover from. Even should we be able to conquer our Independence (for we will never obtain it in any other way) the Institution will be so much crippled and demoralized that it will never recover. The War was got up expressly to put it down, it was not [indecipherable] because the Border States would have gone out with us if it had. The War is now becoming a life and death struggle, when the end will be, God alone can tell.

This blog complements the Library of Congress exhibition, “The Civil War in America.” This series of posts chronicles the sacrifices and accomplishments of those—from both the North and South—whose lives were lost or affected by the events of 1861–1865. To learn more about the object featured in this blog entry, visit the online exhibition.

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