BRATTLEBORO — Having recently read Ron Chernow's book Grant, I learned in detail about the life of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and about the Civil War itself.
The South struggled with a shortage of career military leaders. To fill the gap, they turned to using civilians.
One could get a position and title if one was politically connected. It helped to be an industrial leader or the owner of a large amount of land - which also meant that one owned slaves.
One can picture an elderly, bearded, white-suited plantation owner given the title of “Colonel.”
Following the war, during the Reconstruction and beyond, came a heightened level of bitterness due to the loss and control by the North. Feeling the brunt of that bitterness were, of course, people of color.
Leading the way in committing atrocities toward this group was the Ku Klux Klan. One would have to believe the “Colonel” plantation owners played an active and prominent role in the KKK as members.