The Impact of the Civil War on Horatio Nelson TaftBibliographyPrimary SourceSecondary SourcesThe Impact of the Civil War on Horatio Nelson Taft The American Civil War remains today to be the deadliest battle in American history withthe death of 620,000 soldiers.1 Most historians who write about the Civil War tend to focus on the South and less on the North. One author made this observation, “It has been too easy for some historians to overlook the fact that there were two sides in the war. Students of the Confederacy in particular have tended to insist that all problems of the South can and must be explained purely from within the Confederacy…”2 This is the story of Horatio Nelson Taft who was a fifty-two year old patent worker in Washington D.C. during the period of the Civil War. This paper will show that the Civil War affected Horatio Nelson Taft by causing him to have fear, anxiety, labor problems, and loss of confidence in both the Union and the war.The fear that Horatio Nelson Taft felt can be separated into two main categories fear before the war and fear during the war. The fear that he feels before the Civil War actually starts in April of 1861 comes from tree different directions—fear of Confederate invasion, fear of pro-South mobs within the city, and fear of crooks who are committing burglary and larceny. The fear of a Confederate is shown not only by Horatio but also by the people in Washington D.C. as a whole. Three months before the Civil War begins (January of 1861) Horatio writes in his journal these words “It is reported tonight…that a collision has occured [sic] at Charleston. U. S. troops have been ordered to this City [Washington] to defend it if necessary.”3 The fear of a Confederate attack on Washington is very real to Horatio and cannot be ignored. Day after day asthe war grows closer he more and more troops come to Washington ready to defend the city. In April of 1861, six days before the war starts, he writes again about the city being threatened. 1John Huddleston, Killing Ground: Photographs of the Civil War and the Changing American Landscape (Maryland: John Hopkins University Press, 2002), 3. 2Peter J. Parish, The North and the Nation in the Era of the Civil War, ed. Adam I. P. Smith and Susan-Mary Grant, The North's Civil War 25 (New York: Fordham University Press, 2003), 150. 3 Horatio Nelson Taft, The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861 -1865, http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/tafthtml/diary.html (accessed April 27, 2011), January 8, 1861.1“The City is again threatened,” he writes, “… a "Coup d'Etat" may be attempted in a few days.”4 From these words we can see that the city of Washington was threatened multiple times by both Confederates and the Pro-Southerners in the city. Either the “Coup d’Etat, or overthrow of the government, that he speaks of could refer to a Confederate attack on the city or the Pro-Southern mobs taking over the city, the later is more likely. This fear of the Pro-Southerners is supported through these words “This City is threatened and the Citizens do fear that a Mob will have possession of it unless measures are taken to defend it; incendiary fires occur every night and we feel very unsafe.”5 The “mob” that Horatio refers to is most likely the Pro-Southerners who existed not only Washington D.C. but also in Maryland and many other Northern states, especially the border states. The Baltimore Riot of 1861 is a prime example of the threat that the Pro-Southerners were to the Union. When Lincoln called for armies to come to the Washington the Massachusetts regiment were the first to respond, but In order to get to Washington D.C. theyhad to go through Baltimore Maryland. One author described what happened next “An angry crowd of secessionists tried to keep the regiment from reaching Washington, blocking several of the transports, breaking windows…forcing the soldiers to get out and march through the streets.”6 The author goes on to say that the mob “surrounded and jeered the regiment, then started throwing bricks and stones.”7 Attacks like this on Unionist were prevalent before the war and escalated after the attack on Fort Sumter. This statement reveals that the fear of attack was not only felt by him alone, but also by the other citizens in the city. Even though once troops started to arrive in Washington his fears subsided, he still had some fear but felt more protected. The fear for his life is clearly seen in his words “Fires and Burglaries occur every night. I sleep 4Horatio Nelson Taft, The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861 -1865, http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/tafthtml/diary.html (accessed April 27, 2011), April 6, 1861.5Taft, January 5, 1861.6 “Baltimore Riot (April 19 1861),” Shotgun's Home of the American Civil War,http://www.civilwarhome.com/baltimoreriot.htm (accessed July 9, 2011).7 Ibid.2with a loaded revolver within reach.”8 These two sentences show not only the dangers that he was in even before the war actually started, but they also show how great his fear was. The fact that he states that he slept “with a loaded revolver within reach” shows that he was so scared thathe wanted to have protection on hand. Horatio Nelson Taft also had some fear for his family before the war. This is evident threedays before war is declared (April 9, 1861) when he speaks of cleaning his revolver. The action of cleaning his revolver shows that he wants to make sure that his protection is in good shape in case it ever needs to be used. His fear for family is more evident two days after the Civil War starts when says these words “Think[ing] of sending my family out of the City immediately.”9 Even though later on he decides they should stay, the thought of getting his family out of the city shows just how fearful he was for his family. Horatio also shows some fear for Washington during the war as he frequently mention and the beginning of the war that there is a possible attack on Washington from Virginia. His fear for the city seems to be not as strong as it was before the war. This lack of fear is due to the fact that troops have gathered in Washington ready to fight off any attack on the city that might happen.One author has described Civil War as “as a duel or an epic struggle between confidence and anxiety in America” calling the North the side with confidence and the South the side with anxiety.10 This was simply not the case with Horatio Nelson Taft. Both before