Compare And Contrast Rachel Cormany

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The American Civil War was a conflict between Northern and Southern states of the United States between 1861 and 1865. The Valley of the Shadow archive was put together to tell the stories of the residents of Augusta County, Virginia and Franklin County, Pennsylvania during the Civil War. From 1862 to 1864 Nancy Emerson of Augusta County kept a diary detailing her life during the war. In the year 1863, Rachel Cormany kept a diary of her life in Franklin County. Life in both counties during this time was very similar. One aspect of similarity in both counties was that the war was very close to them. A second aspect of similarity in both counties was that both counties had to deal with enemy troops raiding their towns. A third aspect of similarity …show more content…
Emerson from Augusta County was pro-South and Cormany from Franklin County was pro-North. Emerson showed her pro-South feeling in many of her diary entries. She wrote about how slavery should still be allowed in the States. She also said that the capital of Washington has become corrupt for allowing slavery to be illegal. She also wrote about how the Southern army took thousands of prisoners and it was glorious news. She even referred to the Southern troops as our men. Cormany showed the same compassion for the Northern army and their cause for the war. One way she showed this compassion for the North was on June 17th she wrote, “Some of the officers tipped their hats to us I answered it with a curl of the lip. I knew they did it to taunt us.” This quote helps to show Cormany’s passion for the North because she greeted the incoming Southern troops nastily and did not care what they thought about her. Another way she showed her passion for the war was calling the Northern troops our men. She also is happy to see that the Northern troops have made it to their town. Cormany also stated, “… I hope our men will be strong enough to completely whip them…” This quote shows that Cormany supports the North and wants them to win an upcoming battle that she had heard about. A third similarity between Emerson and Cormany was that they were both supportive of their side in the …show more content…
However, through these diaries a person is able to get a feel for what life was like in Augusta and Franklin counties during the Civil War. Through Emerson and Cormany’s diaries, life in these counties was affected by the Civil War. Three similarities found in the diaries was that the war was very close to both Augusta and Franklin counties, both counties also experienced raids from enemy troops, and both Emerson and Cormany had a strong support for their side in the

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