"The lady had now brought the water, which the soldier drank. He
thanked her ceremoniously, bowed to her husband and rode away. An
hour later, after nightfall, he repassed the plantation, going
northward in the direction from which he had come. He was a Federal
scout" (Chapter II)
This passage is the end of chapter II, which explains how Farquhar found himself in the state described at the beginning of the story. I found it significant because it has something to say about the nature of war.
Farquhar was a politician in some capacity, a strong advocate of southern succession, who wished for glory more than anything. Farquhar did everything he could think of in service to the Confederation during the war, applying the philosophy of "all's fair in love and war."
At some point, Farquhar's actions annoyed the Union army so much that a spy was sent to put an end to him. The scout knew enough about Farquhar to expect that he would ignore prudence and try to be a hero. In this assumption he was absolutely correct, allowing the Union army to execute Farquhar without the spy even blowing his cover.
This passage does explain that Farquhar was betrayed by the Union because of his wholehearted service to his country and belief system. It also makes the statement that the Union believed in spies, treason, and betrayals to break what their armies could not. The only thing this says about war is that it is not fair and the Union believed in fighting war on all fronts, physical and psychological.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I would not agree that Farquhar annoyed the Union army. He may have been a fire-breathing secessionist, but he did not do any literal harm to their cause. All he did was preach against it. The purpose of the Union in getting him executed was to clear out some of the leaders in the Confederacy, sow uncertainty and discontent among the Confederates, and open up a pathway to victory.
Hmm... Yes i agree that the union could have intentionally sent a spy to get him in trouble, especially after reading the second to last sentence in your passage. I'm with Alex though in that i don't think he really did anything THAT outrageous to cause the union to go as far as to send a spy directly to his house.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Briana and Alex. I don't think what he was doing was that bad BUT I also see your point about the spy and the Union wanting to get him in trouble, but I think sending the spy to his house directly was.....not needed.
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