The Civil War was terrible. In 1861, there were about 1.1 million White Men in the Confederacy between age 15 and 44. Twenty three percent, 258,000+, died in the war. Most of them were dirt poor. Very few of them owned Slaves. Most of them had only one pair of shoes, and after months on dirt roads and swamps they had blisters,fungus, ringworm,etc. North Carolina had an abundance of pine trees and sold tar,pitch and turpentine to Great Britain. Maybe the name should be changed, but like most wars the soldiers were teenagers who were terrified. The legend is that the soldiers put tar on their heels to dig in. They didn't really put tar on their heels, but after crossing rivers and walking hundreds of miles, their feet and shoes were filthy. It was only 135 years ago but we aren't certain of the origin of Tar Heels or Stonewall Jackson. I've lived my life enjoying the Tar Heels as a unique symbol of the university of North Carolina and don't associate it with the Civil War or Slavery. Perhaps I should, and perhaps my mind can be changed, but today I hope that UNC retains the Tar Heels logo
