A Respectable Minority

The South was not of one accord during the Civil War: some southerners opposed secession; some, after seeing the might and resources of the Union army, faced reality and became unionists; some remained neutral; some joined the Union army, others deserted from the Confederate army. While the number of such was small, it was a respectable minority. Those who were true Confederates were more vociferous and active while those opposed or neutral, of necessity, usually remained quiet and little has been written about this minority, especially in Mississippi. This is a condensed version of the above forces in the South, primarily in Mississippi and focusing on Marshall County, Mississippi, a topic that was seldom taught or written about for many years. Much of the Marshall County information is from unpublished material.