Posted on 08/15/2020 6:00:34 AM PDT by Kaslin
My great-great grandfather was a hero of the Civil War--a soldier of the Ohio Cavalry who was wounded and captured. He almost died in the most notorious and horrific Confederate prisoner of war camp.
As a child, each Memorial Day, I heard the stories about the War Between the States as my dad put flowers on his great granddad’s grave. The stories were not told with animosity. Just facts. But I developed my own prejudice against Southerners based on those facts.
As time went on, I delved into study about the horrors of slavery and spent a great deal of time researching the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King, Jr’s. theories on passive resistance. My negative feelings about the South strengthened.
After reading voraciously and eventually spending time in the South, I developed some understanding that the Civil War was a terrible time to be an American—on either side. There were bigger forces at play that pulled in many bit players, many who were not necessarily guilty or immoral. As I grew in my faith, I understood that no one is responsible for the sins of their forefathers. We all stand before God individually.
So, I do not cringe when I see a statue of Robert E. Lee. I just see it for what it is—a bit of history. History is mostly the story of forces for evil and good battling it out, but it is always more nuanced than we make it. It is often about little guys being dragged into the battles of the big guys—the elite.
My granddad was a little guy who could have just as easily been forced to serve under Robert E. Lee if my ancestors had settled a little farther south. That is the raw truth.
It was the idea of this Yankee girl to create my organization’s latest project to protect monuments (www.protectmonuments.org). As I have been interviewed about the project, the same question comes up: “What about the Confederate monuments?”
My contemplation led me to wonder how I would feel if I drove to Georgia where my great-great granddad was wounded, and I saw a statue of the Confederate soldier who shot him. Would I wish to get a sledgehammer and destroy it? No. It would not even occur to me. If my children were with me, I would use it as an opportunity to tell them the history of the war, the evil of slavery, and their great-great-great grandfather’s bravery.
This horrible war, that pitted family members against family members and countrymen against countrymen, provides numerous lessons about mankind’s long history of sin and forgiveness. And I want my children to know that even if man does not forgive man, God always forgives those who ask.
If I met the great-great granddaughter of that soldier would I feel any animosity toward her? Absolutely not. I cannot blame her for the actions of her forefather any more than I can take credit for my ancestor’s heroism.
Upon further thought, I realized that it is likely that the young soldier who shot my grandfather did not come from a wealthy family with slaves. It is possible he did not feel he was fighting for the evil of slavery, but to protect his family from descending forces. Through history, most soldiers are dragged into conflicts not of their choosing.
I would like to think that our country is still capable of fact finding, reason and empathy. We must strive to engage in civil discourse especially when it relates to the most sensitive subjects.
The slogan of our project to protect monuments is “Discussion. Not Destruction.” Can America still do that? Or must we pick at old historical wounds until we are bleeding?
Prejudice--or prejudging--is a natural part of the human experience. We do it daily in a million ways. We can grow out of it by acquiring new experiences and knowledge and respectfully interacting with those with whom we disagree. And, I would suggest, by asking God to open our hearts and minds to truth and forgiveness.
While the “institution” of slavery is abhorrent, not all slave owners mistreated their slaves. If you read the “Slave Narratives” in the Library of Congress you’ll find that many freed slaves did not want to leave the plantations. It was where many were born and raised and was the only constant they’d known. Their master’s family treated them well and many even said that they were “like family.”
I don’t believe that this justifies slavery at all but it does show that not all slaves were treated like Toby in Roots.
Did I read that right: her great-grandfather was from Ohio but he went to Georgia with a gun and got shot?
Stay out of Georgia if you are toting a gun and plan on killing someone.
There are countless cases of former slaves sharecropping the former masters land to pay the taxes and to stop tax foreclosure. It was a group effort.
I applaud her intent and organization. Anything that promotes history and civil discourse is infinitely better than what we have now.
That being said, the monument destroyers have no time for reasoned discourse or consideration, they are a mob and are operating with the tacit, and in some cases explicit, support of academia, politicians and popular culture. They are tearing down monuments / statues of abolitionists, Lincoln, Washington and Columbus in addition to those of our Civil War. This movement is full of popular rage, a mindless moron march of progressive thought, untainted by a schooling which has voided history.
+1
“Why are you fightn’ reb?”
“’cause ya’ll are down here.”
as told by Shelby Steele
“Forced to serve under Robert E. Lee”? IIRC, it was the Yankees who had a draft and draft riots.
Tell that to Sherman.
Was that Andersonville ???
Ive been there...
And, it was not just former slaves that were sharecropping. There just as many, if not more whites sharecropping during those days. The Yankees destroyed everything necessary to sustain life and sharecropping was common.
bttt
“IIRC, it was the Yankees who had a draft and draft riots”
The Home Guard in the South routinely press ganged Southerners into the State militias towards the end of the war. At the beginning, they had no problem getting volunteers.
They lost confidence because they started taking young men during the harvests, causing farms to fail.
Elmira was just as bad.
Not talked about because you know...winners get to write the history.
Great reply, you wrote what I wanted to say only stated it much better! God bless.
I applaud her intent and organization. Anything that promotes history and civil discourse is infinitely better than what we have now.
That being said, the monument destroyers have no time for reasoned discourse or consideration, they are a mob and are operating with the tacit, and in some cases explicit, support of academia, politicians and popular culture. They are tearing down monuments / statues of abolitionists, Lincoln, Washington and Columbus in addition to those of our Civil War. This movement is full of popular rage, a mindless moron march of progressive thought, untainted by a schooling which has voided history.
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Well and truly said, and every word of it!
“Forced to serve under Robert E. Lee”? IIRC, it was the Yankees who had a draft and draft riots.
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I could easily be wrong, but I thought I had read somewhere that there was conscription in the Confederacy during the War of Northern Aggression. No?
Tell that to Sherman.
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Some historians credit (or discredit) Gen. Sherman with being the originator of the strategy of “total war” as was waged from Atlanta to Savannah under his command.
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