BCWRT - "With malice toward none, with charity for all." - Navy Captain Edward W. Gantt

During his Second Inaugural Address on March 4, 1865, a speech of only 701 words and considered one of his greatest and most remembered, a re-elected President Abraham Lincoln wanted to unify a broken nation. With the end of the brutal four year Civil War within sight, many on both sides felt anger and frustration toward their fellow Americans. Lincoln attempted to rise above the divisiveness and start the process of healing. Within that speech, the powerful phrase, “with malice toward none, with charity for all.” summarized the essence of Lincoln’s goal to heal. Returning by popular demand for the Tuesday, October 7 th meeting of the Brunswick Civil War Round Table is retired Navy Captain Edward W. Gantt. He believes Lincoln offered a hopeful national environment in that speech. However, Gantt turns Lincoln’s memorable phrase into a question because in his mind it just wasn’t to be. According to him, much of that sentiment died after Lincoln’s assassination six weeks later. At the beginning of 1865, African Americans had a sense of optimism, and probably justifiably so. They watched their fathers and sons return to areas in the southern states wearing the blue uniforms of Confederate soldiers. They had heard the stories of Union victories in the eastern theater. Even the 13 th Amendment had been passed by Congress, promising that their emancipation would have a sense of permanence under the law. Something changed, however, and it changed dramatically. What happened to quell that sense of optimism, and how did it happen? How did African Americans go from sitting in the U.S. Congress to, in a few short years, having to step off the sidewalk if a white person were to approach? Gantt will convey some of the writings of the late 19 th century and early 20th century to develop some understanding of this period of American history that still affects us today in so many ways. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ed graduated from Howard University and the National Defense University. He served 30 years in the military, first as a door gunner on a Huey helicopter in Vietnam with the Army, then joining the Navy after completing his degree, eventually rising to Navy Captain. He served as a Naval Flight Officer in F-14 TOMCAT squadrons, both in the U.S. and aboard aircraft carriers. After retiring from the military, he became a public high school teacher in Prince George’s County, MD, and Washington, D.C.. Passionate about telling underrepresented stories, he joined the 54 th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, an African American Civil War reenactment group, and also served with the 23 rd USCT in Maryland. He is active with The African American in the Civil War Era Round Table, and serves as Vice Commander-in-Chief of the Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW).