Hawk1981
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- Apr 1, 2020
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The vast majority of Confederate soldiers and officials remained in the United States following the Civil War and accommodated themselves, however grudgingly, to the postwar order. But between 8,000 and 20,000 left the country rather than live in a nation ruled by their former adversaries. Some, such as Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin, fearing arrest and trial for treason, moved to London or to Paris. Others hoped to pursue professional military careers that were barred to ex-Confederate officers in the United States. Former Confederate soldiers and sailors served in military forces as diverse as those of Peru and Egypt.
Many Confederate soldiers had the misfortune of being on the losing side in another Civil War when they joined the forces of Mexico's Emperor Maximilian in his struggle with republican forces. An example is that of cavalry General Joseph Shelby, who fled to Mexico with about 1,000 of his troops rather than surrender to Union forces. He planned to offer the services of his unit to Emperor Maximilian as a "foreign legion". Maximilian declined to accept the ex-Confederates into his armed forces, but he did grant them land for a permanent ex-Confederate settlement in Mexico. After Benito Juárez's victory in 1867, the land grant to Shelby's soldiers and their families was revoked and most returned to the United States.
Other Confederates fled to the South Pacific, where some set up plantations. James T. Proctor who lost a leg in battle and two hundred twenty slaves along with his Louisiana plantation at the end of the war, established a cotton plantation in Fiji and became notorious for "Blackbirding"--the kidnapping of indigenous people from the islands to labor on the plantations.
Several immigration efforts were organized to establish agricultural colonies, which were generally discouraged by the former leaders of the Confederacy. Robert E. Lee offered this advice to southerners tempted to leave in a letter, “They should remain, if possible, in the country; promote harmony and good feeling, qualify themselves to vote and elect to the State and general legislatures wise and patriotic men, who will devote their abilities to the interest of the country and healing all dissensions. I have recommended this course since the cessation of hostilities, and have endeavored to practice it myself.”
Former President Jefferson Davis initially petitioned the government to allow his family to immigrate, but after his release from government custody wrote, “Because the mass of our people could not go, the few who were able to do so were most needed to sustain others in the hour of a common adversity.”
The ex-Confederates who did leave set up colonies in Mexico, British Honduras and Brazil. In Central Mexico, the New Virginia Colony was planned with the largest settlement Carlota, approximately midway between Mexico City and Veracruz, although other settlements were planned near Tampico, Monterrey, Cuernavaca, and Chihuahua.
The venture was conceived by Commodore Matthew Fontaine Maury, an internationally famous oceanographer and navy man, who had worked in the Confederate Secret Service. Maximilian liked Maury and his idea of inviting Confederates and anyone else to resettle in Mexico and offered land grants to any who would come and stay. Slavery was banned in Mexican law however, so no settler could bring slaves into Mexico. Maximilian was also eagerly seeking settlers from Germany, Austria, and France, as part of his strategy to rebuild and Europeanize Mexico.
Throughout the period, Maximilian's regime was under attack by Republican leaders Benito Juárez and Porfirio Díaz. When the French withdrew from Carlota in March 1867, the area was overrun by the forces of Juárez and the remaining New Virginia colonists fled the area. The New Virginia settlements were abandoned as the anti-Maximilian forces reached them. The survivors generally moved toward the coast. The imperial government collapsed in May 1867 and most of the settlers left Mexico.
British Honduras had been sympathetic to the Confederate cause during the Civil War, setting up a profitable trade in arms to the Confederacy that boosted the colonial economy. Following the war the colonial governor and other officials were interested in recruiting American Southerners who were knowledgeable in the cultivation of cotton and sugar. Confederate immigrants were offered substantial subsidies and tax breaks.
Many southerners were attracted to British Honduras in part because they could easily acclimate to the English-speaking colony. Well-known Confederates who went to British Honduras included Colin J. McRae (former Confederate Financial Agent in Europe) and Joseph Benjamin (brother of Confederate Secretary of War Judah P. Benjamin). The efforts to cultivate cotton and sugar met with mixed success as the inhospitable climate and ravenous insects stifled the effort.
By far the most successful new Confederate community was in Brazil. The Brazilian government wished to attract the southerners because of their agricultural expertise, particularly in the growing of cotton. The government also offered subsidies and tax breaks to would-be immigrants. Interest in Brazil was heightened by travel guides and books about the country, some predating the Civil War. Confederates in various states set up emigration societies to explore moving to Brazil, and some agents published pamphlets and information about Brazil, further inflaming interest in the massive country.
Both the government and the culture of Brazil attracted the colonists. The country remained neutral during the war, but sought ways to help the North American Rebellion. Brazil’s culture was like that of the South in some ways, including being “ruled” by a rural aristocracy. The immigrants to Brazil and their descendants are referred to as the Confederados, which is Portuguese for "Confederates." The exact number of individuals is difficult to determine, between 2,000 and 4,000 emigrants are estimated to have participated in the movement between 1865 and 1875. Leading researchers of the topic have identified 154 families that arrived in Brazil during this time, about half the total number eventually returned to the United States.
Many Confederate soldiers had the misfortune of being on the losing side in another Civil War when they joined the forces of Mexico's Emperor Maximilian in his struggle with republican forces. An example is that of cavalry General Joseph Shelby, who fled to Mexico with about 1,000 of his troops rather than surrender to Union forces. He planned to offer the services of his unit to Emperor Maximilian as a "foreign legion". Maximilian declined to accept the ex-Confederates into his armed forces, but he did grant them land for a permanent ex-Confederate settlement in Mexico. After Benito Juárez's victory in 1867, the land grant to Shelby's soldiers and their families was revoked and most returned to the United States.
Other Confederates fled to the South Pacific, where some set up plantations. James T. Proctor who lost a leg in battle and two hundred twenty slaves along with his Louisiana plantation at the end of the war, established a cotton plantation in Fiji and became notorious for "Blackbirding"--the kidnapping of indigenous people from the islands to labor on the plantations.
Several immigration efforts were organized to establish agricultural colonies, which were generally discouraged by the former leaders of the Confederacy. Robert E. Lee offered this advice to southerners tempted to leave in a letter, “They should remain, if possible, in the country; promote harmony and good feeling, qualify themselves to vote and elect to the State and general legislatures wise and patriotic men, who will devote their abilities to the interest of the country and healing all dissensions. I have recommended this course since the cessation of hostilities, and have endeavored to practice it myself.”
Former President Jefferson Davis initially petitioned the government to allow his family to immigrate, but after his release from government custody wrote, “Because the mass of our people could not go, the few who were able to do so were most needed to sustain others in the hour of a common adversity.”
The ex-Confederates who did leave set up colonies in Mexico, British Honduras and Brazil. In Central Mexico, the New Virginia Colony was planned with the largest settlement Carlota, approximately midway between Mexico City and Veracruz, although other settlements were planned near Tampico, Monterrey, Cuernavaca, and Chihuahua.
The venture was conceived by Commodore Matthew Fontaine Maury, an internationally famous oceanographer and navy man, who had worked in the Confederate Secret Service. Maximilian liked Maury and his idea of inviting Confederates and anyone else to resettle in Mexico and offered land grants to any who would come and stay. Slavery was banned in Mexican law however, so no settler could bring slaves into Mexico. Maximilian was also eagerly seeking settlers from Germany, Austria, and France, as part of his strategy to rebuild and Europeanize Mexico.
Throughout the period, Maximilian's regime was under attack by Republican leaders Benito Juárez and Porfirio Díaz. When the French withdrew from Carlota in March 1867, the area was overrun by the forces of Juárez and the remaining New Virginia colonists fled the area. The New Virginia settlements were abandoned as the anti-Maximilian forces reached them. The survivors generally moved toward the coast. The imperial government collapsed in May 1867 and most of the settlers left Mexico.
British Honduras had been sympathetic to the Confederate cause during the Civil War, setting up a profitable trade in arms to the Confederacy that boosted the colonial economy. Following the war the colonial governor and other officials were interested in recruiting American Southerners who were knowledgeable in the cultivation of cotton and sugar. Confederate immigrants were offered substantial subsidies and tax breaks.
Many southerners were attracted to British Honduras in part because they could easily acclimate to the English-speaking colony. Well-known Confederates who went to British Honduras included Colin J. McRae (former Confederate Financial Agent in Europe) and Joseph Benjamin (brother of Confederate Secretary of War Judah P. Benjamin). The efforts to cultivate cotton and sugar met with mixed success as the inhospitable climate and ravenous insects stifled the effort.
By far the most successful new Confederate community was in Brazil. The Brazilian government wished to attract the southerners because of their agricultural expertise, particularly in the growing of cotton. The government also offered subsidies and tax breaks to would-be immigrants. Interest in Brazil was heightened by travel guides and books about the country, some predating the Civil War. Confederates in various states set up emigration societies to explore moving to Brazil, and some agents published pamphlets and information about Brazil, further inflaming interest in the massive country.
Both the government and the culture of Brazil attracted the colonists. The country remained neutral during the war, but sought ways to help the North American Rebellion. Brazil’s culture was like that of the South in some ways, including being “ruled” by a rural aristocracy. The immigrants to Brazil and their descendants are referred to as the Confederados, which is Portuguese for "Confederates." The exact number of individuals is difficult to determine, between 2,000 and 4,000 emigrants are estimated to have participated in the movement between 1865 and 1875. Leading researchers of the topic have identified 154 families that arrived in Brazil during this time, about half the total number eventually returned to the United States.