It was a term that was used both by advocates and opponents of slavery. The term was first used in 1770 by the abolitionist Benjamin Rush. The term "peculiar" was used in a descriptive rather than a derogatory sense, to denote the unique way in which slavery in the South contrasted with the free labor system in the Northern states. The term was also used by proslavery advocates to defend slavery as a unique and beneficial system that suited the African-American race and the agricultural economy of the South.
In Nijmegen, however, the capture of the bridge over the Waal proved difficult and dangerous. General Gavin had planned to storm this bridge on Monday morning, but even before he could give the signal to leave, the enemy had counter-attacked, coming from the Reichswald, and recovered the eastern are