But the story I like best about Gettysburg is about Lydia Smith," said Ms. Estes. "She was a poor colored woman who had saved a little money by years of hard labor. After the battle, she hired a wagon and horse and traveled through the farms, telling of the thousands of suffering men. She accepted donations of food and clothing and, when the donations dried up, began spending her own money. Each day, with her wagon heaped high, she turned toward the hospitals; and when she reached them, weary from miles of travel, she began to distribute the articles she had brought. To Union soldiers only? No. Union and Confederate alike. In the latter, she was able to see past their role as warriors who were fighting to perpetuate slavery and view them only as wounded, suffering humans. She continued to provide the makeshift hospital populations around Gettysburg with food, clothing and delicacies until she had spent her entire life savings."

Also, and more interesting: http://www.civilwarwomenblog.c...-hamilton-smith.html

This is why I look at Memorial Day as an occasion to honor all who've gone before, since some of the most heroic people I've ever heard of never wore a uniform...

Courage isn't the absence of fear, It's the ability to be afraid and still do what is they...Or so said my JRotc instuctor....Who had more than one medal for to prove he knew what he was talking about.

Most soldiers are just an average man, who when push comes to shovve discovers he has an uncommon amount of courage. Actions of Valor are often not trying to be heores. They do what is needed, to save thier freinds,accomplis the mission, or survive the battle.

Also acts of extreme compassion are carried out by people who moments before were no more than just a bystander. In battle, or a disater, or a freak accident they see someone needs to do something. They don't talk about it, wait for someone else to do something, they see something needs to be done, and DO IT.

wheteher they are simple folk who have uncommon compassion, courage, or determination they never knew they had. Or it's a quality all of us have but only a few put to use. We should be thankful that such people are in the right place at the right time.

In reply to OceanLake (msg #1):

If you are going to Honor and remember those that fought and acted bravely in the war (on both sides) at least recognize that those on the south were not fighting to perpetuate slavery. They were fighting for their right to seceded and to be free from government control.

In reply to Vane66 (msg #4):

Unfortunately, slavery was very much one of the things they were fighting for:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornerstone_Speech

Not all southerners felt like that just as the North was not fighting to abolish slavery. President Lincoln fought to preserve the Union and made abolishing slavery an additional goal.

Slavery did have a hand in starting and fueling the Civil war but was not the sole reason. There was Sectionalism, the Territorial Crisis, and the debate on State's rights.

http://www.civilwarhome.com/europeandcivilwar.htm

That's all quite true.  Unfortunately, none of it speaks to the point about slavery being something very important to the South and one of the things (I'd argue an especially important thing) they fought to maintain.

I happened to run across this and had no thought of getting into Civil War matters. It's an interesting topic for another thread. With a whole world and thousands of years of history, perhaps some of you would care to, in this thread, remember the merciful.

I'd better send this post off before I give in to Civil War discussion temptation.

Most heroes become one by being in the right (wrong?) place at a pivotal moment and reacting courageously.  I'm sure many of them are horrified, even physically ill, after when they have time to think and realize what they have done, but their instinct was sound, they did not run away like a coward, they did what they could, however little.  It's very difficult to get war veterans to talk about their experiences, it was eye-opening once when we had a day at the Legion when a number of them brought their medals in to show children; only then did we find out some (just a few) of the things some of them had been involved in.