Industrial IndemnityDuring the second half 1700’s extending to most of the early 1800’s a stark and exciting resolution began to form and drive life in the Americas. This period is known as the Industrial Revolution, and was a known for great advancements in technology not just in theory but in implementation. Unfortunately, this caused an elemental shift in the lives of many workers that, for many long years before, had a stable and secure employment status. This shift caused workers to change from the more grueling physical labor, to the more sophisticated machine and technologically driven labor. Ideas such as the steam engine changed where work was available and what kind of work in particular to those specialized in the field to have opportunities. Overall, these changes had a physical, social, and even an economical drift in the American populace.
One of the best examples of this change is written about in a memoir “Life on the Mississippi” (Mark Twain, 1883). In the literature Mark Twain explains and expands on the shift of work that was implemented after the steamboat, created by Robert Fulton, Robert Livingston, and Nicholas Roosevelt, was introduced to the Mississippi. At this time the Mississippi was used as an immense commerce waterway, since roads were not commonplace at that time. Most cities and towns that were important enough, as a merchant, to travel to were located very close to the river itself and allowed for trade and growth along the waterway. The steamboat changed how trade and travel were conducted in those times and also changed the workforce focus. Twain describes this with the rowboat men and how their lives changed from the difficult physical labor of bringing the boats upstream to becoming the pilots and mechanics for the steamboats that replaced them. This change was difficult for some since their entire lives to that point had no experience with machines and in turn this caused the workers to change jobs and at times fields of work so that they could provide for their families.
Before the steamboat was introduced to the Mississippi, rowboats were the main source of trade and travel among the populace. However, one of the biggest problems was not traveling downstream but was trying to maneuver upstream without too much effort. Some traders at that time returned a boat upstream by slow and laborious rowing; others used another method by walking along the riverbanks with tow ropes attached to the boat, or even pushing along the bottom with a long pole. Even still, another more commonly used route was to make a sea voyage to a one of the eastern ports along the coast and to cross the Appalachian Mountains. All of these options used, at times, extreme physical labor and commitment by the crew and captain of these commerce ships to make a good living and, in some cases, the full return trip took close to nine months to complete. The steamboat forever changed the usage and amount of these workers required to make this
Toward the end of the Civil War, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of the Vice President began compiling the list of American cities where the steamboat-powered ship would be utilized in the military. The project grew at the request of the United States Army, who were looking for ways to maintain and enhance national security by using commercial steamboats and other steamboat-mounted equipment in wartime. Unfortunately for the U.S. Army, the draft list of these cities was not widely circulated.
Although most of these city lists are based on actual draft lists from their own early draftlists, a few were not quite complete. However, the list of the largest military cities with the most steamboat-farmed soldiers was created at the request of the Southern Navy to help with military planning. For this post, I use the names of the cities which were considered for this list.
Charlotte, North Carolina, was the most large of the five major cities for the war effort: the city of Alexandria, Virginia, the city of North Carolina, and the city of Augusta, Georgia. Charlotte had the largest population in both North Carolina and Virginia, and its military officers were some of the military leaders who participated in the efforts. This city boasted a great number of Confederate cavalry troops. It also had the largest army in the nation, even though many of the battles in Charlotte were fought in its favor by the South and Confederate forces. Charlotte had three distinct regions on its list (all in western part of the state). These divisions were formed at the command of Gen. Charles Stonewall (1797-1810) who came to oversee his efforts; he was one of the most prominent South Carolina military leaders of his day and was particularly active when the Southern War began.
North Carolina remained the North Carolina of the Southern Confederacy. This is also one of the greatest cities on the list, as Charlotte was located in the South. It was one of the few towns to remain free of military forces and many of the cities on its list became hostile to the Confederate cause while it was taking part in the war in North Carolina. After the Battle of Waco in 2036, South Carolina’s military was made a target due to the civil unrest in the state. The Confederate army took over control and was quickly replaced by Confederate armies from the South. The military was composed of the two main fighting armies at Fort Sumter and Fort Sumter-Fort Sumter, one side using steam as an auxiliary force, and the other side deploying their troops in battle. Despite this, General Stonewall was able to win the battle that was fought at Waco.
These towns were located in large part on their own terms; the only thing that prevented the army from moving west along the Carolina River was the ability to take refuge on a naval vessel with a large artillery battery. Although the army was forced to retreat as the Battle of Waco began to unfold, the population on the coast had been growing rapidly on the Charleston River as the Confederate army had moved south along the river. By June of this year the population on the Charleston River had grown to about 1.7 people per city and 1.8 persons per square mile, as well as increasing steadily in the northern part of the state.
Charlotte and its territory had a large military force that included many large battle tank companies who took advantage of the situation in North Carolina to attack the North. The North Carolina battle lines were drawn between two major regions called “The North” and “The South.” The North has an extremely strong military force of about 200,000 people, and its forces are concentrated in western North Carolina, so most of its strength comes from the North. To increase its force, Charlotte was