Karl Marx

When Communist Karl Marx wrote in praise of Abraham Lincoln’s war of destruction against the South he said of Lincoln that he fought “for the rescue of an enchained race and the reconstruction of a social world.” The first half of that statement was political bunk–the second half was true. You could almost say that the “reconstruction” forced upon the South after the War of Northern Aggression was the brainchild of Karl Marx, which it seems that “Honest Abe” zealously followed.

Lochlainn Seabrook writes books for Sea Raven Press in Cody, Wyoming. Sea Raven is one of those few publishers that still produces books that explain what the War of Northern Aggression aka the Civil War was really all about. In July of 2023 Sea Raven published the most recent of Seabrook’s works, a book of around 500 pages entitled “Twelve Years In Hell.” It is about the official time the North spent “reconstructing” the states of the old Confederacy. Of course, most who have studied Southern “reconstruction” realize that it extended, unofficially, way past that 12 year period, and it still exists in our day in various forms – one of the main forms being public school indoctrination. “Reconstruction” has also expanded geographically to now include the entire country.

Seabrook refers, on page 33 to what he refers to as ‘the Left-wing Yankee’s ultimate goal: “the complete economic, political, social, educational and military takeover of the South, including the seizing of her businesses, banks, schools, churches, farms, land, and natural resources by Union soldiers. In essence, the brazen plan called for the total Northernization of the South under threat of further death and destruction. The result of Reconstruction would be, as authentic history shows, the near ruination of Dixie, with millions of Southerners turned into bankrupt, starving, homeless refugees…“

And it is here that the plot thickens. Lochlainn then observes: “And here we arrive at the final and most damning piece of evidence of all, revealing the Left’s true motivation for inappropriately named ‘Reconstruction.’ According to Interior Department official T. J. Barnett, very early on, in 1862, during the second year of the War, he had a private conversation with President Lincoln. It was during this startling discussion that the megalomaniacal chief executive told Barnett that not only was he going to alter the purpose of the war to one of ‘subjugation’ but that ‘the South was to be destroyed and replaced with new propositions and ideas’ – namely, Left-wing Yankee propositions and ideas. In other words, as Lincoln’s communist followers phrased it, the ‘misguided South would have to be drastically remade.’ Of course, this shocking admission by America’s Liberal 16th chief executive never made it into mainstream history books – and for obvious reasons.”

Lochlainn then continued: “Second, Lincoln’s statement to Barnett goes against the bogus, hate-filled narrative that the Left has foisted upon the public for the past century and a half, right into the current day: “Conservatives, whites, Christians, and Southerners in particular, are terrible people who do not deserve to be a part of America’s social. political, economic, or educational institutions.” According to its own warped version of America, only the Left was qualified. Here was more motivation for launching Reconstruction in postwar America.”

Seabrook then quoted from a book I have often quoted from, “The Tragic Era” by Claude Bowers, which was a detailed study of “Reconstruction” in the South. He noted: “If the negroes caused some uneasiness, many of the army of occupation were more disturbing. When the soldiers marched into a community, visions of rapine and rape terrorized the women. Unfounded as were these fears, there were instances where soldiers, unworthily officers, maliciously frightened women and children by pushing into houses and jeering at the faithful negroes, who stood by to protect them. But the meanest offenses were committed against the blacks who gathered about them in childish faith, to be worse maltreated than by former masters, who, in numerous instances, interfered to protect them from the cruelty of their ‘deliverers’. Even more cruel was the persistent effort of soldiers to instill into the negro’s mind a hatred of the men with whom he would have to live after the army should march away.”

         Judge Merrick Garland

So you can see that a huge part of “Reconstruction” was the instilling of race hatred into the minds of blacks – a hatred that has continued right down to our day. You’d have to say that, in this instance, “Reconstruction” has been a big success. Noting Bowers, Seabrook continued: “Other irritating features of the occupation there were in abundance such as the requisition of the finest private houses for the use of officers. And to this was added an unnecessary offensiveness toward the Southern whites taking the amnesty oath…Inevitably, under such conditions, conflicts between civil and military authorities were not rare. From every quarter protests poured into Washington against the high-handed tyranny of some of the military commanders. Ordinary thieves were wrested from the civil authorities, to be tried, or released by military tribunals. Such incredible stupidity or tyranny as the release of a grafting treasury agent arrested for various crimes, on the grounds that the State courts had no authority over these petty officials, aroused the wrath of thousands.” The Yankee conquerors were going to show Southern folks who really ran the show and that, at best, those who resided in the defeated Southern states were, at best, second or third class citizens – especially if they were white.

It almost sounds like today with our weaponized Department of Justice. But then, who knows, has Merrick Garland been taking some of his cues from what the Yankees did to the South after the war? Have some of today’s political stooges gone back and studied what parts of “Reconstruction” really worked to the advantage of the Deep State in the late 1860s? It’s not without the realm of possibility.

Noevember 6, 2023

~ The Author ~
Al Benson Jr. is the editor and publisher of “The Copperhead Chronicle“, a quarterly newsletter that presents history from a pro-Southern and Christian perspective. He has written for several publications over the years. His articles have appeared in “The National Educator,” “The Free Magnolia,” and the “Southern Patriot.” I addition he was the editor of, and wrote for, “The Christian Educator” for several years. In addition to The Copperhead Chronicles, Al also maintains Revised History.

He is currently a member of the Confederate Society of America and the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and has, in the past, been a member of the John Birch Society. He is the co-author, along with Walter D. Kennedy, of the book “Lincoln’s Marxists” and he has written for several Internet sites as well as authoring a series of booklets, with tests, dealing with the War of Northern Aggression, for home school students.

Mr. Benson is a highly respected scholar and writer and has graciously allowed the family of Kettle Moraine Publications to publish his works. We are proud to have his involvement with each of our projects.