Despite much opposition from newspapers, politicians, and even some war heroes, thousands of Southerners risked the long, dangerous voyage to Brazil for the benefit of maintaining their way of life in peace. Conservative estimates derived from newspapers, available numbers, and descendants tell us that perhaps close to twenty thousand Southerners came to Brazil to resettle after the war. It is believed that today more than a hundred thousand of their descendants still inhabit the fair country. But why Brazil? Brazil offered a similar climate to that found in the Southern states, had plenty of land good for growing sugarcane and cotton, had cheap labor, and boasted religious and political tolerance. Also, though the importation of slaves had been outlawed in 1850, slavery within the country was still allowed.
The following letter from Frank Shippey, one of the early Confederados (as they soon came to be called) conveys the sentiment of the day:
Since the surrender of our armies, I have roamed in exile over the fairest portions of the globe. But it has been reserved for me to find in Brazil that peace which we all, from sad experience, know so well to appreciate. Here, the war-worn soldier, the bereaved parent, the oppressed patriot, the homeless and despoiled, can find a refuge from the trials which beset them and a home not haunted by eternal remembrance of harrowing scenes of sorrow and death.
MaryLu Tyndall, a Christy Award finalist and bestselling author of the Legacy of the King’s Pirates series is known for her adventurous historical romances filled with deep spiritual themes. She holds a degree in math and worked as a software engineer for fifteen years before testing the waters as a writer. MaryLu currently writes full-time and makes her home on the California coast with her husband, six kids, and four cats. Her passion is to write page-turning, romantic adventures that not only entertain but open people’s eyes to their God-given potential. MaryLu is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America.
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