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Saturday, January 30, 2016
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Monday, January 25, 2016
IN DEFENSE OF GENERAL NATHAN BEDFORD FORREST, CSA
Michael Climo, a California resident and member of Sons of Confederate Veterans, has written an article for Examiner.com, in which he clears up several misconceptions about Nathan Bedford Forrest. We are reprinting the article below in its entirety, as online articles tend to disappear after a short time, especially ones that go against the "conventional wisdom."
IN DEFENSE OF NATHAN BEDFORD FORREST
by Michael Climo, California Sons of Confederate Veterans
It has been almost 150 years since the end of the War Between the States and Nathan Bedford Forrest remains known largely for three things – his talent and daring on the battlefield, the Fort Pillow “Massacre” and his role in the Ku Klux Klan. His military skills have earned him grudging respect by even the most ardent Yankee, but he is otherwise scorned as an unrepentant racist and murderer. But Forrest was not the one-dimensional villain that many uninformed people portray him to be.
In contrast, when Forrest enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1861, Forrest was worth roughly 1.5 million dollars. But unlike many of his contemporaries, Forrest never lost sight of the fact that he was dealing with people. Although it is probably safe to assume that he never considered blacks his equals he still followed a strict rule to never buy or sell a slave if it would break up a family. He would also reunite broken families by buying the individual members and then selling them as a family unit.
Nathan Bedford Forrest: The Slave Trader
Forrest is often reviled for his pre-war activity of trading slaves, and it’s true that not only was he a slave trader, he was quite successful at it. But by no means was he alone. U.S. senator James DeWolf of Bristol, Rhode Island was the most successful slave-trader in American history and he was responsible for transporting at least 10,000 Africans to the Americas. DeWolf curried favor with President Thomas Jefferson in order to continue in the trade long after it was outlawed. When DeWolf died in 1837 he was a multi-millionaire and considered the second-richest man in America.
Forrest was also determined that slaves should be treated humanely. He had a list of men that he refused to sell slaves to because they were known as cruel masters. Forrest also allowed newly purchased slaves a measure of self-determination that was unheard of in that day and age. He would give the slave a pass to move about town with the instructions to “find the man you would like to be your master, and I will then sell you to that man.”
Nathan Bedford Forrest: The Slave Owner
It would seem that Forrest was well-regarded by his own slaves as well. When he formed his own cavalry unit, he offered his male slaves the opportunity to ride with him and fight for the Confederacy. In return, if they served honorably, they would be given their freedom at war’s end, win or lose. Forty-five men accepted the offer, and 44 stayed with him through the end of the war. In 1863, well before the end of the war, Forrest drew up the papers freeing them all.
Of these 45 newly freed men, 44 stayed with him and continued to serve in the Confederate Army until the end of the war. The one other man returned home to nurse his dying wife. In 1876, Forrest wrote, “Those boys stayed with me…and better Confederates did not live…those among us during the war behaved in such a manner that I shall always respect them for it.” Throughout his writings, even in personal letters, Forrest consistently referred to slaves or free man as ‘colored’ or ‘black,’ which were the politically correct terms of his times.
Nathan Bedford Forrest: The Fort Pillow Incident
Recently, Glenn Beck and David Barton made statements on Beck’s program about Nathan Bedford Forrest that were completely inaccurate. Beck held up a sword that belonged to Forrest, that Barton claims was used at Fort Pillow to skin black Union soldiers alive. This is nothing more than false conjecture that has reached reprehensible levels over time. Fort Pillow was indeed a vicious battle, but the truth was clearly not presented by Beck and Barton. Perhaps they should actually read the U.S. Congressional inquiry into the matter.
Only two weeks after the battle the inquiry could not conclusively determine exactly what happened. Both sides failed to control the action, and only Forrest’s direct, personal intervention to stop the shooting saved many of the Union defenders left standing on the beach. Not satisfied with this Congressional inquiry, Union General William T. Sherman convened a not-so-impartial inquiry. He openly stated that he would try and convict General Forrest. However, Sherman’s inquiry also ended without substantive evidence to find Forrest culpable. However, if this actual record does not meet with your satisfaction perhaps Lt. Col. Edwin L. Kennedy, Jr., Assistant Professor, Department of Command and Leadership, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama review of the events at Fort Pillow will: http://www.armchairgeneral.com/nathan-bedford-forrest-and-the-battle-of-fort-pillow-1864.htm. With this evidence at hand, to you Mr. Beck and Mr. Barton I say this: You said it, now you prove it!
Nathan Bedford Forrest: The White Knights
To some extent, Forrest’s association with the Klu Klux Klan has been exaggerated over the years. True, in 1865 he helped form the Knights of the White Camellia, but Forrest’s Knights differed greatly from the modern image of the Klan. Today’s Klan would find the founding members of the White Knights highly objectionable because several of these former Confederate officers were Jewish. Forrest’s original vision was of a political and fraternal group, and the goal was to fight the excesses of the Freedman’s Bureau and the Federal occupation troops.
That intent obviously became badly warped even early on, and some members adopted a violent approach. When these members refused to stop what amounted to terrorism or to give up wearing masks, Forrest asked for the group to disband and renounced his association with them. The modern Klan that we know actually dates back less than 100 years. Founded in Gary, Indiana, in 1915, the Klan may claim they are the legacy of Forrest’s Knights of the White Camellia, but their philosophies and practices bear little resemblance to the views actually held by Forrest himself.
In 1871 a Congressional committee composed of Radical Republicans investigated the Klan, its origins, its activities and the possible involvement of former Confederate leaders. They had the current facts at-hand and the men they were investigating testified before them. Among those compelled to testify was Forrest. The Committee, which would have liked nothing better than to be able to charge and try Forrest, concluded in its official findings that Forrest did not found the Klan, was not the Klan's leader, did not advise the Klan and instead worked only to have the Klan disband. See "The reports of Committees, House of Representatives, second session, forty-second congress," P. 7-449. Again with this evidence at hand I say to all of you disbelievers, prove it otherwise.
Nathan Bedford Forrest: After the War
Both Forrest’s public speeches and private writings spoke of peace and reconciliation. This began as early as his farewell address to his troops in 1865. He explained, “Reason dictates and humanity demands that no more blood to be shed. Fully realizing and feeling that such is the case, it is your duty and mine to lay down our arms, submit to the powers that be, and to aid in restoring peace and establishing law and order throughout the land.”
He also instructed his men that “Civil war, such as you have just passed through naturally engenders feelings of animosity, hatred and revenge. It is our duty to divest ourselves of all such feelings; and as far as it is in our power to do so, to cultivate friendly feelings towards those with whom we have so long contended…”
Forrest was invited to speak often in the years following the war, and he encouraged support for the U.S. government and Constitution, and acceptance of free blacks as political and legal equals. His last public speech was in 1875 at a Fourth of July BBQ held by the Independent Order of Pole Bearers, an early black civil rights organization in Memphis. Although many of his white contemporaries urged him to decline the invitation, Forrest ignored their advice.
Speaking to the group, Forrest said, “I came here with the jeers of some white people, who think I am doing wrong. I believe I can exert some influence…and shall do all in my power to elevate every man, to depress none. I want to elevate you to take positions in law offices, in stores, on farms, and wherever you are capable of going.” He also encouraged them to vote, saying “I don’t propose to say anything about politics. You have a right to elect whom you please; vote for the man you think best, and I think, when that is done, you and I are freemen. Do as you consider right and honest in electing men for office.”
While I do not claim that Nathan Bedford Forrest was a saint and deserves consideration as a civil rights pioneer, an objective look at history shows that he was a far more complicated man than is often portrayed.
IN DEFENSE OF NATHAN BEDFORD FORREST
by Michael Climo, California Sons of Confederate Veterans
 |
| General Nathan Bedford Forrest, CSA |
In contrast, when Forrest enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1861, Forrest was worth roughly 1.5 million dollars. But unlike many of his contemporaries, Forrest never lost sight of the fact that he was dealing with people. Although it is probably safe to assume that he never considered blacks his equals he still followed a strict rule to never buy or sell a slave if it would break up a family. He would also reunite broken families by buying the individual members and then selling them as a family unit.
Nathan Bedford Forrest: The Slave Trader
Forrest is often reviled for his pre-war activity of trading slaves, and it’s true that not only was he a slave trader, he was quite successful at it. But by no means was he alone. U.S. senator James DeWolf of Bristol, Rhode Island was the most successful slave-trader in American history and he was responsible for transporting at least 10,000 Africans to the Americas. DeWolf curried favor with President Thomas Jefferson in order to continue in the trade long after it was outlawed. When DeWolf died in 1837 he was a multi-millionaire and considered the second-richest man in America.
Forrest was also determined that slaves should be treated humanely. He had a list of men that he refused to sell slaves to because they were known as cruel masters. Forrest also allowed newly purchased slaves a measure of self-determination that was unheard of in that day and age. He would give the slave a pass to move about town with the instructions to “find the man you would like to be your master, and I will then sell you to that man.”
Nathan Bedford Forrest: The Slave Owner
It would seem that Forrest was well-regarded by his own slaves as well. When he formed his own cavalry unit, he offered his male slaves the opportunity to ride with him and fight for the Confederacy. In return, if they served honorably, they would be given their freedom at war’s end, win or lose. Forty-five men accepted the offer, and 44 stayed with him through the end of the war. In 1863, well before the end of the war, Forrest drew up the papers freeing them all.
Of these 45 newly freed men, 44 stayed with him and continued to serve in the Confederate Army until the end of the war. The one other man returned home to nurse his dying wife. In 1876, Forrest wrote, “Those boys stayed with me…and better Confederates did not live…those among us during the war behaved in such a manner that I shall always respect them for it.” Throughout his writings, even in personal letters, Forrest consistently referred to slaves or free man as ‘colored’ or ‘black,’ which were the politically correct terms of his times.
Nathan Bedford Forrest: The Fort Pillow Incident
Recently, Glenn Beck and David Barton made statements on Beck’s program about Nathan Bedford Forrest that were completely inaccurate. Beck held up a sword that belonged to Forrest, that Barton claims was used at Fort Pillow to skin black Union soldiers alive. This is nothing more than false conjecture that has reached reprehensible levels over time. Fort Pillow was indeed a vicious battle, but the truth was clearly not presented by Beck and Barton. Perhaps they should actually read the U.S. Congressional inquiry into the matter.
Only two weeks after the battle the inquiry could not conclusively determine exactly what happened. Both sides failed to control the action, and only Forrest’s direct, personal intervention to stop the shooting saved many of the Union defenders left standing on the beach. Not satisfied with this Congressional inquiry, Union General William T. Sherman convened a not-so-impartial inquiry. He openly stated that he would try and convict General Forrest. However, Sherman’s inquiry also ended without substantive evidence to find Forrest culpable. However, if this actual record does not meet with your satisfaction perhaps Lt. Col. Edwin L. Kennedy, Jr., Assistant Professor, Department of Command and Leadership, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama review of the events at Fort Pillow will: http://www.armchairgeneral.com/nathan-bedford-forrest-and-the-battle-of-fort-pillow-1864.htm. With this evidence at hand, to you Mr. Beck and Mr. Barton I say this: You said it, now you prove it!
Nathan Bedford Forrest: The White Knights
To some extent, Forrest’s association with the Klu Klux Klan has been exaggerated over the years. True, in 1865 he helped form the Knights of the White Camellia, but Forrest’s Knights differed greatly from the modern image of the Klan. Today’s Klan would find the founding members of the White Knights highly objectionable because several of these former Confederate officers were Jewish. Forrest’s original vision was of a political and fraternal group, and the goal was to fight the excesses of the Freedman’s Bureau and the Federal occupation troops.
That intent obviously became badly warped even early on, and some members adopted a violent approach. When these members refused to stop what amounted to terrorism or to give up wearing masks, Forrest asked for the group to disband and renounced his association with them. The modern Klan that we know actually dates back less than 100 years. Founded in Gary, Indiana, in 1915, the Klan may claim they are the legacy of Forrest’s Knights of the White Camellia, but their philosophies and practices bear little resemblance to the views actually held by Forrest himself.
In 1871 a Congressional committee composed of Radical Republicans investigated the Klan, its origins, its activities and the possible involvement of former Confederate leaders. They had the current facts at-hand and the men they were investigating testified before them. Among those compelled to testify was Forrest. The Committee, which would have liked nothing better than to be able to charge and try Forrest, concluded in its official findings that Forrest did not found the Klan, was not the Klan's leader, did not advise the Klan and instead worked only to have the Klan disband. See "The reports of Committees, House of Representatives, second session, forty-second congress," P. 7-449. Again with this evidence at hand I say to all of you disbelievers, prove it otherwise.
Nathan Bedford Forrest: After the War
Both Forrest’s public speeches and private writings spoke of peace and reconciliation. This began as early as his farewell address to his troops in 1865. He explained, “Reason dictates and humanity demands that no more blood to be shed. Fully realizing and feeling that such is the case, it is your duty and mine to lay down our arms, submit to the powers that be, and to aid in restoring peace and establishing law and order throughout the land.”
He also instructed his men that “Civil war, such as you have just passed through naturally engenders feelings of animosity, hatred and revenge. It is our duty to divest ourselves of all such feelings; and as far as it is in our power to do so, to cultivate friendly feelings towards those with whom we have so long contended…”
Forrest was invited to speak often in the years following the war, and he encouraged support for the U.S. government and Constitution, and acceptance of free blacks as political and legal equals. His last public speech was in 1875 at a Fourth of July BBQ held by the Independent Order of Pole Bearers, an early black civil rights organization in Memphis. Although many of his white contemporaries urged him to decline the invitation, Forrest ignored their advice.
Speaking to the group, Forrest said, “I came here with the jeers of some white people, who think I am doing wrong. I believe I can exert some influence…and shall do all in my power to elevate every man, to depress none. I want to elevate you to take positions in law offices, in stores, on farms, and wherever you are capable of going.” He also encouraged them to vote, saying “I don’t propose to say anything about politics. You have a right to elect whom you please; vote for the man you think best, and I think, when that is done, you and I are freemen. Do as you consider right and honest in electing men for office.”
While I do not claim that Nathan Bedford Forrest was a saint and deserves consideration as a civil rights pioneer, an objective look at history shows that he was a far more complicated man than is often portrayed.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Yankee Apologist Nightmare: Black Confederate Soldiers (#CivilWar, #History #Heritage)
 |
| Walter Williams |
He says:
Last July, Anthony Hervey, an outspoken black advocate for the Confederate flag, was killed in a car crash. Arlene Barnum, a surviving passenger in the vehicle, told authorities and the media that they had been forced off the road by a carload of “angry young black men” after Hervey, while wearing his Confederate kepi, stopped at a convenience store en route to his home in Oxford, Mississippi. His death was in no small part caused by the gross level of ignorance, organized deceit and anger about the War of 1861. Much of the ignorance stems from the fact that most Americans believe the war was initiated to free slaves, when in truth, freeing slaves was little more than an afterthought. I want to lay out a few quotations and ask what you make of them.Read it all here.
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Yankee Propaganda: Punching Back Twice As Hard (#NorthernTyranny #Confederacy #DefendingDixie)
Every defender of Dixie and the Confederacy should be well-armed with facts and knowledge about Lincoln's criminal war on the South. Here is a list of topics on which we should all be well-read. Facts, references and authors will be recommended over the coming weeks.
Defending Dixie, Topics for Study
1. The legality of secession (secession was not and is not "treason"). Our ancestors were not "traitors," but you can't say the same for Lincoln and the Union Army.
2. The Cause of Lincoln's War on the South (Hint: It wasn't to free the slaves).
3. Lincoln and Fort Sumter: Put aside all that "first shot" nonsense -- Lincoln conspired with his cabinet to start the war at Fort Sumter by provoking the first shot for propaganda purposes. Who says so? Well his authorized biographers, for starters.
4. Lincoln's "Reign of Terror" and his complete trashing of the Constitution and the rule of law.
5. Slavery -- its origins and the North's enormous culpability for its existence in America
6. The Emancipation Proclamation -- a fraud of historical proportions -- it freed no slaves at all.
7. Andersonville Prison -- The high death rate of Union POWs was the result of Northern war policies, and the fact that Lincoln and Grant considered the Union POWs as expendable (Related subject: the framing and legal lynching of Prison commander Henry Wirz, who was innocent of the absurd charges).
8. Nathan Bedford Forrest and Fort Pillow. Yankee lies and the truth. I have a Lochlainn Seabrook on order that deals with this topic.
9. Nathan Bedford Forrest and the Ku Klux Klan -- The first Ku Klux Klan was not the modern race-hate organization that we have today. In fact, there is no connection between the two. Ignorant and dishonest Yankees and Southern scalawags try to conflate the two for propaganda purposes, but it won't wash.
10. Northern war crimes and atrocities -- It's time for Yankees and their supporters to come face to face with the abject tyranny, evil and criminality of the Northern invasion of the South. We want an official apology from Washington and an admission of guilt -- after 150 years, it is way overdue.
Defending Dixie, Topics for Study
1. The legality of secession (secession was not and is not "treason"). Our ancestors were not "traitors," but you can't say the same for Lincoln and the Union Army.
2. The Cause of Lincoln's War on the South (Hint: It wasn't to free the slaves).
3. Lincoln and Fort Sumter: Put aside all that "first shot" nonsense -- Lincoln conspired with his cabinet to start the war at Fort Sumter by provoking the first shot for propaganda purposes. Who says so? Well his authorized biographers, for starters.
4. Lincoln's "Reign of Terror" and his complete trashing of the Constitution and the rule of law.
5. Slavery -- its origins and the North's enormous culpability for its existence in America
6. The Emancipation Proclamation -- a fraud of historical proportions -- it freed no slaves at all.
7. Andersonville Prison -- The high death rate of Union POWs was the result of Northern war policies, and the fact that Lincoln and Grant considered the Union POWs as expendable (Related subject: the framing and legal lynching of Prison commander Henry Wirz, who was innocent of the absurd charges).
8. Nathan Bedford Forrest and Fort Pillow. Yankee lies and the truth. I have a Lochlainn Seabrook on order that deals with this topic.
9. Nathan Bedford Forrest and the Ku Klux Klan -- The first Ku Klux Klan was not the modern race-hate organization that we have today. In fact, there is no connection between the two. Ignorant and dishonest Yankees and Southern scalawags try to conflate the two for propaganda purposes, but it won't wash.
10. Northern war crimes and atrocities -- It's time for Yankees and their supporters to come face to face with the abject tyranny, evil and criminality of the Northern invasion of the South. We want an official apology from Washington and an admission of guilt -- after 150 years, it is way overdue.
Camp Advice from Dan Shepherd, Camp 2023, Modesto
I received the following advice from the Commander of the Modesto Camp of Sons of Confederate Veterans, following the mail out of our January newsletter. I think our Camp 1440 will model ourselves after the Modestor Camp, as they have the same problems as we do and have found innovative ways to cope.
Gary
It sounds as though you've approached the problem of being 'spread out' in much the same way we have in Modesto. You may have MORE meetings than we. In our case, membership gave up and voted to become an Internet Camp in 2013. We went out of business, but now we're proud of our designation. SCV for the 21st Century. For those who (as Chuck put it) "might want a little more," we hold one meeting per Quarter. They are scheduled at the same time and location as some larger event.
Gary
It sounds as though you've approached the problem of being 'spread out' in much the same way we have in Modesto. You may have MORE meetings than we. In our case, membership gave up and voted to become an Internet Camp in 2013. We went out of business, but now we're proud of our designation. SCV for the 21st Century. For those who (as Chuck put it) "might want a little more," we hold one meeting per Quarter. They are scheduled at the same time and location as some larger event.
We too had difficulty getting members to drive an hour or two for a 1 hour meeting. We are spread out over 20,000 square miles. Now they can attend a meeting and then also attend a civil war re-enactment; or a parade; or a living history event; or some other event, immediately after the SCV.
Like you, our meetings move around (depending on the BIG event). Last year we were in Oakdale, Sonora, Lockford, Knights Ferry and Mariposa. The same core people came + plus additional members who lived nearby. It sounds as though the same strategy is working for you.
We partnered with the local United Daughters of the Confederacy to schedule/hold two cemetery Memorial's so far. They've been great partners. We've also involved a local group - Stanislaus Civil War Assn. They worked with us on one project, and had our Chaplain as THEIR guest speaker on another date.
A real blessing is our Confederate Gazette newsletter. It's published 'internet only' now. That is the best part of the Internet Camp. The newsletter is home to our Internet Committee. Every member is a member of the Internet Committee. We have projects members can do on the internet. We ask members to write about THEIR own ancestors & publish it in our newsletter. We receive/publish info about events in their OWN communities. This has given EVERYONE the chance to participate - despite age, infirmity, location etc....
I send personal e-mails to all members (well, I change the name at the top of the form before hitting SEND) giving them a chance to vote on projects, on officers, announce meetings and events, and simply asking their opinions. It takes me only a few minutes at a time but helped members fell "more involved." The members like hearing from and about each other though the e-mails in our "Members Comments" section of the newsletter. More EASY involvement.
I applaud you and your Camps innovation - I know first hand how difficult it is to get these things going. I enjoyed your newsletter and just wanted to share a "GOOD JOB," to you and the Camp.
Com. Dan Shepherd, Ph.D., Camp 2023 SCV (no pseudonym for me)
Like you, our meetings move around (depending on the BIG event). Last year we were in Oakdale, Sonora, Lockford, Knights Ferry and Mariposa. The same core people came + plus additional members who lived nearby. It sounds as though the same strategy is working for you.
We partnered with the local United Daughters of the Confederacy to schedule/hold two cemetery Memorial's so far. They've been great partners. We've also involved a local group - Stanislaus Civil War Assn. They worked with us on one project, and had our Chaplain as THEIR guest speaker on another date.
A real blessing is our Confederate Gazette newsletter. It's published 'internet only' now. That is the best part of the Internet Camp. The newsletter is home to our Internet Committee. Every member is a member of the Internet Committee. We have projects members can do on the internet. We ask members to write about THEIR own ancestors & publish it in our newsletter. We receive/publish info about events in their OWN communities. This has given EVERYONE the chance to participate - despite age, infirmity, location etc....
I send personal e-mails to all members (well, I change the name at the top of the form before hitting SEND) giving them a chance to vote on projects, on officers, announce meetings and events, and simply asking their opinions. It takes me only a few minutes at a time but helped members fell "more involved." The members like hearing from and about each other though the e-mails in our "Members Comments" section of the newsletter. More EASY involvement.
I applaud you and your Camps innovation - I know first hand how difficult it is to get these things going. I enjoyed your newsletter and just wanted to share a "GOOD JOB," to you and the Camp.
Com. Dan Shepherd, Ph.D., Camp 2023 SCV (no pseudonym for me)
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Edmund Ruffin's Final Words
"I here declare my unmitigated hatred to Yankee rule - to all political, social and business connection with Yankees - and to the Yankee race. Would that I could impress the sentiments, in their full force, on every living southerner, and bequeath them to every one yet to be born! May such sentiments be held universally in the outraged and down-trodden South, though in silence and stillness, until the now far distant day shall arrive for just retribution for Yankee usurpation, oppression, and atrocious outrages - and for deliverance and vengeance for the now ruined, subjugated, and enslaved Southern States! May the maledictions of every victim to their malignity, press with full weight on the perfidious Yankee people and their perjured rulers - and especially on those of the invading forces who perpetrated, and their leaders and higher authorities who encouraged, directed or permitted, the unprecedented and generally extended outrages of robbery, rapine, and destruction, and house-burning, all committed contrary to the laws of war on non-combatant residents, and still worse in aged men and helpless women!
Edmund Ruffin sen.
Redmoor, 10 A.M., June 18th 1865
The End"
Edmund Ruffin sen.
Redmoor, 10 A.M., June 18th 1865
The End"
Monday, January 4, 2016
Walter Williams on Historical Truth
Walter Williams has long been a defender of the South, the Confederacy, and Southern history. Back in July he wrote:
We call the war of 1861 the Civil War. But is that right? A civil war is a struggle between two or more entities trying to take over the central government. Confederate President Jefferson Davis no more sought to take over Washington, D.C., than George Washington sought to take over London in 1776. Both wars, those of 1776 and 1861, were wars of independence. Such a recognition does not require one to sanction the horrors of slavery. We might ask, How much of the war was about slavery?Read it all here.
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Surviving the Current Anti-Confederate Intifada
Our politically correct culture strongly dictates what we may think, say or believe, and that culture now dictates hatred and intolerance towards the Confederacy, and a rigid insistence on a Northern biased historical interpretation thereof. As a result, we are now involved in a national hysteria that requires all Confederate flags, symbols, songs and monuments to be censored and suppressed.
We do not agree and we will resist societal pressure to conform to the Northern Myth, the falsehood that the North invaded the South to free the slaves, and that the former was benevolent and good, and the latter villainous and evil. Meanwhile, however, we need to cope with the situation. Here are my thoughts:
1. Due to anti-Confederate hysteria, this blog will not disclose the membership of Camp 1440 without the prior permission of individual members. The reason is simple: some radical groups, the Southern Poverty Law Center for example, may call your employer and attempt to get you fired. Or, they may list you as a "racist" on their website. These people are vicious and unprincipled. There is no reason why any member of the SCV should expose himself and his family to economic hardship and joblessness that may arise from mindless discrimination.
2. For those who wish to comment on this blog, feel free to adopt a pseudonym, as opposed to using your real name in the messaging system. Give yourself a nickname so that you can comment anonymously, like Cooter, NCRebel, Grits, Smokey, etc.
3. Don't despair. We will get through this. Irrational hysteria sometimes sweeps the nation, but then dies away when rational thought returns. Meanwhile, we will develop strategies to refute the myths and defend our ancestors, while protecting our membership from persecution.
In spite of this popular wave of hatred against the Confederacy, our ranks are stronger than ever. Applications for membership have been pouring in, and Headquarters in Tennessee are two months behind in processing new applications.
There are a number of websites, blogs and FaceBook pages that defend Confederate history. These are a wealth of information. I will list them later for your perusal. Meanwhile, think about ways to turn the ignorance around, and fight back effectively.
Friday, January 1, 2016
Camp 1440's New Blog
This blog used to be that of the California Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans. However, the California Division decided on a regular website, and their blog became unnecessary and duplicative. Today I have renamed the blog as SCVCamp1440.blogspot.com, and will used it as the blog of Camp 1440.
Some obsolete posts have been deleted, but other posts that may be of interest have been retained from the former blog.
Please send any comments, suggestions, articles, photos, etc to Gary Waltrip, Commander, at gwaltrip95023@gmail.com.
Some obsolete posts have been deleted, but other posts that may be of interest have been retained from the former blog.
Please send any comments, suggestions, articles, photos, etc to Gary Waltrip, Commander, at gwaltrip95023@gmail.com.
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