The history of the Confederacy is the history of defiance of tyranny from oppression, it’s the soul of a nation that was founded and fought for in 1776. The war of northern aggression saw the Lincoln administration ascend to the role of tyrant, imposing northern industrial values against rural southern values. The south legally and rightfully seceded from the union, causing the federal administration to invade the newly formed country. Few things capture the true spirit of the Confederacy greater than the Griswold revolver. Samuel Griswold was an industrialist from Connecticut, after moving to Georgia and opening up a cotton gin factory, his company manufactured the largest number of cotton gins in the United States, making enough money to create his own village, Griswoldville. He branched out his manufacturing to produce a wide assortment of consumer products, such as soap, tallow, and candles. His village boasted amenities like a sawmill, gristmill, and post office. His southern spirit could not be broken, and at the out start of the northern invasion, he switched his cotton gin factory to producing revolvers desperately needed by the fledgling nation he pledged his allegiance to, these revolvers have become an icon of that indomitable spirit. Born out of necessity, the gun maker imbued southern resourcefulness into his works of deadly art. With steel in short supply, brass, along with copper and steel alloys were used for the frame, with twisted iron for the barrel. Designed after the colt model 1851, but with distinctive southern spin, some 3,600 of these unique revolvers were made. Griswoldville became more than a manufacturing town, it became a muster site for the Confederacy, and it’s success earned the ire of the north. The devil Sherman himself made sure that Griswoldville was the first to face the hell fire that was his march to the sea. Like a phoenix from the ashes, Griswold came back with renewed spirit and vigor to continue manufacturing as many revolvers as he could to fight the northern aggressors. The end of the war for Southern independence also marked the end of this manufacturing legend, no more would the factory of Griswoldville produce the iconic weapon. Griswold revolvers would fade into obscurity to all but a few, those that still fan the flames of Southern patriotism. Examples of this fine work of craftmanship now go for over a million dollars at auctions. Most history is written by the victors, but artifacts like the Griswold revolvers clearly show the history of those that fought against oppression, fought for their beliefs in states rights, and gave their all for the chance to live life the way they wanted, and not how others would want them to live. It is a history that is imbued in each and every historical artifact linked to the southern cause, giving a voice to the voiceless against the revisionist history that has been sweeping over the nation. It is the duty of everyone to maintain the dignity of both sides in each struggle, for when we lose sight of both sides of an issue, we easily succumb to false ideologies that can lead a nation astray. The role of history is to teach the lessons learned from previous generations, just as with the tree, when man has lost site of his roots, any new growth must wither and die.