Gen. William T. Sherman shown on horseback at Federal Fort No. 7 in Atlanta, Ga., in September 1864.
Gen. William T. Sherman shown on horseback at Federal Fort No. 7 in Atlanta, Ga., in September 1864.

The US Civil War started 150 years ago; for some, the debate continues



POOLER, GEORGIA // David Dickey paused for effect, laser pointer primed, eyes seeking out individual members of his audience.

"It's all here, in his own words," the Savannah attorney said, eyes resting for a minute, quietly intense, before his voice rose again, punching out the main tenets of his argument.

"We have a confession of war crimes carrying with it summary punishment according to their own rules. Yet this general is feted as a war hero, not tried as a war criminal."

Mr Dickey's voice rose further still, taking on the rhythmic lilt of a practiced fire-and-brimstone preacher.

"This was a United States of legalised terror, guided by the un-Christian idea that might makes right."

Mr Dickey rested his case to applause. The audience of about 40 people on Monday night, mostly members of the Savannah Militia Camp 1657, a chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, did not need much convincing that William Tecumseh Sherman, the Union general Mr Dickey had just spent more than an hour excoriating should be viewed as a war criminal.

Maj Gen Sherman is here known as "the devil", a man who, with unwarranted cruelty they argue, fought a war that 150 years ago threatened to permanently rupture the fledgling United States. It is a far cry from the traditional understanding of the American Civil War as one fought primarily over the principles of unity and opposition to slavery, as underscored by Barack Obama, the US president, on Monday.

"We are the United States of America. We have been tested. We have repaired our Union, and we have emerged stronger," Mr Obama said in a presidential proclamation on the anniversary of the start of the war on April 12, 1861.

He urged Americans to engage in activities that "honour the legacy of freedom and unity that the Civil War bestowed upon our nation."

But here, in the Western Sizzlin Steak House in Pooler, about 10 km from Savannah, Georgia, the descendants of those who fought on the losing side continue to be passionately aggrieved at what they consider a misrepresentation of history.

Fought mainly in the South, the reverberations of the American Civil War are still felt keenly, and not just among the 109 members of Militia Camp 1657. Sherman marched from Atlanta to Savannah in 1864, leaving a swath of destruction in his wake to finally break the Confederacy's ability to wage war, a concept of "total war" that has left its mark on all subsequent warfare.

In December 1864, Sherman reached Savannah, which surrendered, sparing the city destruction. It was his "Christmas present" to Abraham Lincoln. But in the city today, defiant reminders are nearly everywhere.

A menu at the Vic's On The River restaurant refers to the "War Between States." A caption at the Savannah Visitor's Center and Museum talks about a captured Union ship that was re-fitted to become a Confederate iron-clad and "proceeded to kick Yankee Butt".

It is a defiance that rejects the notion that slavery was central to the war.

"After the war, the education system instilled the idea that the war was first and foremost about slavery," said Don Newman, commander of Militia Camp 1657. Mr Newman, 64, a former US marine, said he did not deny that slavery was a part of the equation. But he rejected as propaganda the notion that the North fought the war primarily to free the South's nearly four million black slaves.

Militia Camp 1657 and many similar chapters, he said, exists to correct this view of the war and properly "honour the legacy of the Confederacy and those who fought for it".

These included Joseph Jackson Todd, the great-great grandfather of David Todd, 61, a retired civil servant. Mr Todd carries his ancestor's faded picture in his wallet, taken hours before the battle at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, exactly 150 years ago, the first battle of the war.

The elder Todd survived and went on to prosper again even though he lost all of his property in the war, said Mr Todd. He lies buried, at his own request, with the two slaves he owned at the time, John and James, who had refused to leave Joseph, and fought by his side in the war, said Mr Todd.

The idea that the war was about slavery was a "crock", Mr Todd said. The war was about "limits on federal power and states' rights".

"You can dress it up any way you like", said Hari Jones, curator of the African-American Civil War Museum in Washington. "States' rights? States' right to do what? To maintain slavery. That was at heart what this was about."

The attempt to define the war away from slavery is an attempt to place the losses suffered by the South in the context of a noble cause even if in a losing one, said James McPherson, a Pulitzer Prize winning Princeton historian.

"Once slavery enters into the equation, it's pretty hard today, in 2011, to defend the Confederate heritage. That's why I think there's a kind of denial that slavery was at the core of the Confederate cause."

However, Professor McPherson would be part of a group that Mr Dickey decried as "high-class Harvard historians of Puritan extraction".

"Was Sherman's actions [in marching across Georgia] Christian? No. Did he know right from wrong? Yes. What's the opposite of a Christian? An anti-Christ. The devil," Mr Dickey said.

Other ways to buy used products in the UAE

UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.

Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.

Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.

For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.

Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.

At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Isle of Dogs

Director: Wes Anderson

Starring: Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber, Ed Norton, Greta Gerwig, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson

Three stars

Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
  • Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
  • Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
  • Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
 
 
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega

Director: Tim Burton

Rating: 3/5

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Day 2, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance

Moment of the day Dinesh Chandimal has inherited a challenging job, after being made Sri Lanka’s Test captain. He responded in perfect fashion, with an easy-natured century against Pakistan. He brought up three figures with a majestic cover drive, which he just stood and admired.

Stat of the day – 33 It took 33 balls for Dilruwan Perera to get off the mark. His time on zero was eventful enough. The Sri Lankan No 7 was given out LBW twice, but managed to have both decisions overturned on review. The TV replays showed both times that he had inside edged the ball onto his pad.

The verdict In the two previous times these two sides have met in Abu Dhabi, the Tests have been drawn. The docile nature of proceedings so far makes that the likely outcome again this time, but both sides will be harbouring thoughts that they can force their way into a winning position.

Race 3

Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars

Schedule:

Pakistan v Sri Lanka:
28 Sep-2 Oct, 1st Test, Abu Dhabi
6-10 Oct, 2nd Test (day-night), Dubai
13 Oct, 1st ODI, Dubai
16 Oct, 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi
18 Oct, 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi
20 Oct, 4th ODI, Sharjah
23 Oct, 5th ODI, Sharjah
26 Oct, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
27 Oct, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
29 Oct, 3rd T20I, Lahore

Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
  • 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
  • 2nd Test India won by innings and 53 runs at Colombo
  • 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
Day 2, Dubai Test: At a glance

Moment of the day Pakistan’s effort in the field had hints of shambles about it. The wheels were officially off when Wahab Riaz lost his run up and aborted the delivery four times in a row. He re-measured his run, jogged in for two practice goes. Then, when he was finally ready to go, he bailed out again. It was a total cringefest.

Stat of the day – 139.5 Yasir Shah has bowled 139.5 overs in three innings so far in this Test series. Judged by his returns, the workload has not withered him. He has 14 wickets so far, and became history’s first spinner to take five-wickets in an innings in five consecutive Tests. Not bad for someone whose fitness was in question before the series.

The verdict Stranger things have happened, but it is going to take something extraordinary for Pakistan to keep their undefeated record in Test series in the UAE in tact from this position. At least Shan Masood and Sami Aslam have made a positive start to the salvage effort.

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Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

The specs

Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors

Transmission: two-speed

Power: 671hp

Torque: 849Nm

Range: 456km

Price: from Dh437,900 

On sale: now

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Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

RESULTS

2.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: SS Jalmod, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)

2.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout

3.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Inthar, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi

3.45pm: Al Ain Stud Emirates Breeders Trophy – Conditions (PA) Dh50,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: MH Rahal, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne

4.25pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Cup – Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: JAP Aneed, Ray Dawson, Irfan Ellahi

4.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Edaraat, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi

Lampedusa: Gateway to Europe
Pietro Bartolo and Lidia Tilotta
Quercus

MATCH INFO

Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD

* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10