Similarities Between the Periods of 1860 and 2012, Part 5

A recent article in the Confederate Veteran magazine explained the Southern heritage of autarky, traditionalism, anti-egalitarianism, traditionalism and a community structure based on Christian principles which contrasts to those of the New England and Northern regions.  Autarky is defined as the “ability to run one’s life and affairs more or less self-sufficiently”.  This contrasts to the mindset of centralized entitlement welfare and socialism where a nanny state completely controls everyday life telling each citizen what light bulb to use, what to eat (such as the resident First Lady attempting to indoctrinate our schoolchildren), what kind of automobile to purchase and what fuel to burn in it.  How many times do we need to endure government dictates which lead to unintended detrimental consequences  before we declare enough already – consider ethanol automobile fuel requirements which have diverted corn from food streams resulting in exponential cost increases for corn and meat products to fuel additives which yield poorer fuel economy.  Litigation has commenced against automobile producers for selling (government subsidized) battery powered and hybrid cars which are yielding substandard performance and safety, and fuel economy below expectations.  Bills creating governmental oversight, regulation and bureaucracy are passed to fix perceived issues and then bills are passed to fix the problems caused by the initial law ad nauseum, a perpetual catch 22 of legislative totalitarianism.

A centralized government is invariably bureaucratic and inefficient – despite examples of failed federal programs like the postal service and indebted entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicaid/Medicare, the American populace can’t comprehend the perils of government intrusion in a massive government run health care system.  More government control and intrusion is not a solution but a growing problem and has been for the past 60 years since the New Deal, the War on Poverty, the Departments of Energy and Education and the EPA were adopted by the well-meaning but socialist-leaning Democrats and big government Republican parties who have redistributed wealth and committed trillions in debt in failed attempts to eliminate poverty.  In contrast, traditionalism and a community based on Christian principles, similar and related concepts promote a self-sufficiency and work ethic.  It is unfettered entrepreneurship which made the United States of America great and is the only hope for the return of America as the unquestioned world economic leader and a force for democracy, liberty and freedom. 

Similarities Between the Periods of 1860 and 2012, Part 4

Today and the historical period preceding the War for Southern Independence  share a similar tumultuous political climate with new parties and movements gaining power.  The 1850s saw the demise of the Whig party (which was formed as an economically conservative (espousing industrialization and trade protectionism) and politically conservative (espousing legislative powers over the Executive branch) party) as the abolitionists split to form the Republican party.  Today, fiscal, economic and social conservatives have embraced the Tea Party platform espousing limited government and tax reform.  This group as well as the centrist independents have promoted the idea of a viable third party.  The modern Libertarian party could probably be regarded as purists in regards to limited federal government as contrasted with the modern Republican and Democrat parties which seem to disagree only on the degree to which overspending and additional regulation and ever expanding federal control should be implemented on the citizenry.  A Gallop poll in early 2011 found 52 percent of the respondents said neither Republican nor Democrat political party adequately represents the American people and that a third party is needed; of this 52 percent, 68 percent identified themselves as independents.   

In 1860, the election of Lincoln caused the rapid secession of the Southern States who feared ever increasing economic serfdom to the North and intrusion on their personal Constitutional liberties as Lincoln believed the federal government to be supreme to the States.  The May/June issue of the Confederate Veteran magazine has a good article entitled “Lincoln, Federal Supremacy, and the Death of States’ Rights” stating, “Today we witness the re-emergence of conservative political voices demanding the return to a limited Federal government, a return to a Federal government that respects the limitations imposed by the Constitution.”  The article goes on to maintain that the hesitancy by those in the mainstream media and Washington today to acknowledge that the War Between the States was not fought solely on the issue of slavery is because to do so would validate the South’s Cause as a defense of State’s Rights which would demonize their idol Lincoln and would contradict their faith and reliance in the big all-controlling federal government which they have helped create and which they wish to control themselves.   “Real States Rights (espoused by the framers including Thomas Jefferson) died at Appomattox (and) federal supremacy emerged as America’s new and unconstitutional form of government (and) today an all-powerful centralized federal government is the sole judge of its power. We the people of the once sovereign states are mere subjects who exercise our “rights” at the pleasure of our masters in Washington, DC. The fear of federal supremacy is the reason our Southern ancestors wore the gray in the War for Southern Independence.”  In 2012, what might be the result of the coming elections with the division and polarization of the country so evident driven by the ever expanding intrusion of the progressive agenda?

No Cause e're Rose So Just and True - Newnan GA's Oak Hill Confederate Cemetery

Went looking for my great great great grandfather Elijah Hunt's grave which I had located using the website findagrave.com - http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Hunt&GSfn=Elijah&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=67704632&df=all&. Elijah is buried at the Confederate Cemetery at Oak Hill Cemetery in Newnan GA. The cemetery is a very large one with beautiful old shady oak trees lining the access road off Jefferson Street in downtown Newnan. Cedars (symbolizing eternal life) surround the Confederate Cemetery portion of the cemetery.  The cemetery contains many other Confederate veterans as well as distinguished Newnan citizens including two former Governors of the state of Georgia. The city of Newnan provides a nice walking tour guide of the cemetery - http://www.mainstreetnewnan.com/documents/CemeteryBrochure.pdf and an Eagle Scout actually created a indexed map of the graves in the Confederate Cemetery portion of Oak Hill - http://www.mainstreetnewnan.com/documents/ConfederateCemetaryBooklet.pdf .

Elijah Hunt was a Private in Company B of the GA 15th Infantry which fought under Benning's Brigade in such important battles as Fredricksburg, Chickamauga, and Gettysburg. He died of disease while in one of the Confederate hospitals in Newnan leaving behind a 32 year old wife (Mahala Neal who is buried in Franklin County GA) and children. 

There is an historical marker there at the cemetery which reads:

“Here are buried 268 Confederate Soldiers most of whom died of wounds or

Disease in the several Confederate hospitals located in Newnan. Some were

killed in the battle fought south of here, 30 July 1864. Due to the efficiency of

the local hospitals, only two are “Unknown.” Most of these men were veterans

of many hard fought battles. Every state in the Confederacy is represented in

these burials. Also, buried here are two Revolutionary War Soldiers, and one

from the First World War.”

One on end of the Confederate Cemetery there is a wonderful monument erected by the Ladies Memorial Association which has two crossed flags on the top with the inscription, "Our Confederate Dead. No cause e're rose so just and true, none fell so free from crime."

Certainly the most famous grave at Newnan's Oak Hill Cemetery is that of Private William Thomas Overby who was posthumously awarded the Confederate Medal of Honor. His grave is located adjacent to the Ladies Memorial and a flagpole flying the Confederate Battle Flag.  The local Sons of Confederate Veterans Sharpsburg Sharpshooters Camp 1729 reinterred Pvt Overby in a January 1997 funeral with full military honors and placed a beautiful memorial granite slab over his grave.  Pvt Overby was known as the Nathan Hale of the Confederacy; he was executed as a spy after he was captured by Union troops and refused to divulge the whereabouts of the headquarters of his commander Confederate Cavalry Colonel John Singleton Mosby. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13378985 provides a short synopsis of the story of Pvt Overby but there are volumes written about Overby including the book of his name "William Thomas Overby Proud Partisan Ranger".

It was a beautiful final resting place for these Confederate veteran heroes.

Similarities Between the Periods of 1860 and 2012, Part 3

The modern Democrat party does not believe in the equality of the races as evidenced by their support for a perpetual class of state welfare supported poor, quotas thru affirmative action legislation and even the concept of diversity.   Conservative talk show host Jim Quinn equated the modern system rewarding welfare queens to have children on Government Medicaid, feeding them with Government food stamps and housing them in Government housing projects with that of the system of slavery on the Southern plantations.  He was roundly criticized for being insensitive but W.E.B DuBois and philosopher José Miranda speak of a situation in which a man is technically free, but is chained by internalized oppression. DuBois refers to this metaphysical barrier as "double consciousness" in his landmark book The Souls of Black Folk, where Miranda says that those in poverty develop a "false consciousness," where "people's very ideals are fabricated from within," reinforcing what he believes to be "the most perfect type of slavery there has ever been: that of not only not knowing that one is a slave, but of holding as an ideal of life a situation which objectively is slavery." (Derrick Braziel, http://news.change.org/stories/do-welfare-programs-constitute-modern-slavery)  Affirmative action quotas support the concept that minorities cannot compete on credentials and ability alone and require government dictated avenues of opportunity in proportion to their population percentage without regard for color blindness.  Some universities have migrated away from these quotas for admissions but recently this perverse idea has found its proponents demanding that the Navy SEALS pursue a quota of minorities.  Would national security be secondary to or furthered by diversity?  But while “African-American” communities commonly advocate supporting black businesses and boycotting others and still promote separate organizations like the NAACP and the United Negro College Fund and the Congressional Black Caucus, similar organizations for whites are prohibited by legal statute as racist. 

Similarities Between the Periods of 1860 and 2012, Part 2

In the 1850s leading up to the War, the issue of slavery was at the forefront of political debate with the Missouri Compromise and the Kansas-Nebraska Act.  The issue went beyond the Biblical affirmation of slavery to the contrasts between the rapidly industrializing North and the agricultural economic system of the South which drove the contrasting labor systems.  In the 1850s the abolitionists demanded the end of slavery and even the overthrow of the United States to accomplish that goal ignoring or vehemently arguing against the authority of the Constitution and the Bible and ignoring the deplorable working conditions of the factories in the “free” North and the system of immigrant indentured servitude common in their New England states.  Today, the issues of welfare, abortion and gay rights are social hot points on the front pages with Biblical basis for moral dictates with the Southern Bible Belt again taking a more conservative position on these current social issues.  Today, these issues are driving legislative debate in regards to entitlement funding and reform, federal earmarks and state and federal Constitutional civil rights. 

The worth of each human life was at the forefront of the arguments which led to the 3/5^th Compromise in the US Constitution, the subsequent Compromise of 1850 and Crittenden Compromise of 1860 and, the eventual 13^th Amendment in regards to the issue of slavery. More recently, the Defense of Marriage Act, states passing Constitutional Amendments for and against same sex marriages, and court decisions like Roe v Wade with states enacting legislation to limit the breadth of that court decision and defunding Planned Parenthood highlight the legislative and judicial battlegrounds for these current social issues.  It is documented that a US House of Representatives, Speaker of the House in the mid 1850s stated that although he didn’t own a slave, he would never stand in the way of another man’s legal right to own one.  The argument went on that the blacks were not a real person (as could be inferred by the Constitutions 3/5^th Compromise), the same arguments given today by the liberals in justification of the abortion of living babies in the name of a woman’s right to choose.  And today, in another parallel, a hazy moral foundation is excused where the President routinely alters his stated support for political expediency such as his recent exuberant endorsement of same sex marriages.   Lincoln in the 1850s stated he would not interfere with the institution of slavery and did not conceive of the equality or integration of the races but, when it became politically and militarily expedient, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation to rally his base and attempt to fuel an insurrection in support of his war effort.   But, in President Lincoln's first inaugural address, he had said, "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so." During the war, in an 1862 letter to the New York Daily Tribune editor Horace Greeley, Lincoln said, "My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and it is not either to save or destroy slavery."  But it is politics as usual to say whatever is necessary to rally the base or the troops.

Similarities Between the Periods of 1860 and 2012

With the Sesquicentennial commemoration of the War Between the States in its second year and the political landscape ratcheting up towards the November general elections, more and more people are realizing the climate in regards to state’s rights is quite similar today as it was 150 years ago.  Star Parker, a nationally syndicated black columnist recently wrote, “I'm struck by the similarities between today and the tumultuous period in our history that led up to the election of Abraham Lincoln and then on to the Civil War. So much so that I'm finding it a little eerie that this year we are observing the 150th anniversary of the outbreak of the Civil War.  No, I am certainly not predicting, God forbid, that today's divisions and tensions will lead to brother again taking up arms against brother. But profound differences divide us today, as was the case in the 1850s. This is the most polarized the nation has been in modern times.  This deep division is driven, as was the case in the 1850s, by fundamental differences in worldview regarding what this country is about. We wrestle today, as they did then, with the basic question of what defines a free society.”  She made the comparison that the economic/capitalistic as well as the moral/social issues of the mid-nineteenth century parallel those of today. 

Dr. Walter Williams, prominent black economist, author, syndicated columnist, and professor at George Mason University stated in a recent article, “The problems that led to the Civil War are the same problems today - big intrusive government. The reason why we don't face the specter of another Civil War is because today's Americans don't have yesteryear's spirit of liberty and constitutional respect and political statesmanship is in short supply.  Actually, the war of 1861 was not a civil war. A civil war is a conflict between two or more factions trying to take over a government. In 1861, Confederate President Jefferson Davis was no more interested in taking over Washington than George Washington was interested in taking over England in 1776. Like Washington, Davis was seeking independence.  History books have misled today's Americans to believe the war was fought to free slaves.”

Near the end of the War for Southern Independence, just prior to his capture near Irwinville GA, Jefferson Davis was quoted as saying, “The principle for which we contended is bound to reassert itself, though it may be at another time and in another form.”  And so it is, in some measure and perhaps increasingly, today, the issues of States Rights and individual liberty are reasserting themselves.

The following blogposts will examine the parallels between the pre-WBTS period and that of today’s political and social environment.  Race and civil rights, geographic economic differences, philosophical differences regarding taxation, state’s rights, nullification and secession, social contrasts of morality and, the parallels between the systems of indentured servitude and a welfare state will be examined.

Prattville Dragoons Dixie Butt Sale a Huge Success

The annual Dragoons Dixie Butt sale set a record for smoked butts sold which meant that the proceeds generated by the sale also set a camp record.  195 Dixie Butts were sold generating net proceeds of $2110 for Camp 1524 to use in carrying forward the SCV Charge. These monies are used for camp activities like cemetery flag setting, monthly camp meeting programs, participation in community activities like festivals and parades and, flag preservation at the Alabama State Archives. Dragoons arrived early Saturday morning to start bagging the smoked butts and soon after 7am the first folks started arriving to pick up their delicious butts, smoked by Fat Mans BBQ of Prattville. Among the Dragoons helping throughout the morning were Commander Booth, Adjutant Sutherland, 2nd Lt Waldo, Treasurer Leverette, Chaplain Snowden, Communications Officer Crowley as well as Jeff Potts and his son but many Dragoons stopped in to chat for a while when picking up their butts. Most all were picked up by a tick past 9am except a few which some of the Dragoons were special delivering.  It was a beautiful cool summer morning providing a great opportunity for fellowship with fellow Confederate compatriots and those in the community who support the SCV heritage organization and it's work.

Prattville Dragoons Annual Dixie Butt Fundraiser Saturday Aug 11, 2012

The Prattville Dragoons will be holding their annual Dixie Butt fundraiser this Saturday, August 11th from 7-9am.  The smoked butts are prepared by Fatman's BBQ and distributed at that location at the intersection of Hwy 14 and Hwy 31 in Prattville.  Most butts are presold by members of Camp 1524 but if you were unable to reserve one, come on by on Saturday morning and we're certain to have a couple available for purchase there.  The butts are $25 each and proceeds go to the Dragoons treasury to help fund the work of the camp throughout the upcoming year including WBTS flag preservation at the Alabama State Archives, camp participation in the Prattville community festivals and parades, monthly camp meeting programs, flag setting at local cemeteries including the Confederate Memorial Park and various other activities. The Dragoons camp is also recognized as one of the most active camps in the Alabama Division with their work including the beautiful flag along I-65 just north of Prattville/Millbrook.  Please help support the work of your local Sons of Confederate Veterans camp by purchasing a delicious smoked Dixie butt.

Prattville Dragoons August Camp Meeting Thursday Aug 9, 2012

The Dragoons, SCV Camp 1524, will hold their monthly camp meeting on Thursday August 9th at the Shoneys on Cobbs Ford Rd in Prattville at 7pm.  Come join us for an enjoyable evening with fellow compatriots.  Folks start showing up at 6pm to enjoy the delicious Shoneys buffet and Confederate fellowship. Following greetings and opening announcements, Skip Tucker will provide the keynote speech on his novel, Pale Blue Light, on the life, times and death of Stonewall Jackson. 

Pale Blue Light is a rare espionage thriller set during the War Between the States. Young Rabe Canon leaves his family’s Alabama plantation at the start of the War, befriending Major Thomas Jackson of Virginia Military Institute—later the esteemed Stonewall Jackson. When Jackson suffers a mortal wound at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Canon suspects foul play. Canon undertakes a cross-country journey to discover the truth behind Jackson’s death, one that entangles Canon with a beautiful Yankee spy as he tries to avoid capture in gold-rich California. Mr. Tucker combines historical accuracy with plenty of gunfire and intrigue for an epic, entertaining novel.

Robert Martin with the Montgomery Independent calls the book “impossible to put down,” and Dennis Love, author of Blind Faith, says the “audacious Confederate protagonist might have been one of John Wayne’s greatest roles” if a movie were made of the book. Bobby Horton of “Homespun Songs” fame admits that this is “historical fiction unlike anything folks have read about that terrible conflict.”

Skip Tucker worked for the Jasper (Alabama) Daily Mountain Eagle for ten years as a reporter, editor, and assistant publisher. He became press secretary for George McMillan and then Charlie Graddick in their gubernatorial campaigns and was later deputy press secretary for Governor Jim Folsom. In recent years, he has served as director of Alabama Voters Against Lawsuit Abuse and was media director for Judge Graddick’s 2012 campaign for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.

Upcoming Dragoons August Camp Meeting

The Dragoons, SCV Camp 1524, will hold their monthly camp meeting on Thursday August 9th at the Shoneys on Cobbs Ford Rd in Prattville at 7pm. 

Our speaker for the August meeting will be Skip Tucker, the author of Pale Blue Light, a new novel on the life, times, and death of Stonewall Jackson.  While it is historically accurate and takes the reader through the first battles of the war, this novel is meant to be a thrill ride for WBTS buffs, while humanizing the legendary Stonewall.

Pale Blue Light is a rare espionage thriller set during the War Between the States. Young Rabe Canon leaves his family’s Alabama plantation at the start of the War, befriending Major Thomas Jackson of Virginia Military Institute—later the esteemed Stonewall Jackson. When Jackson suffers a mortal wound at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Canon suspects foul play. Canon undertakes a cross-country journey to discover the truth behind Jackson’s death, one that entangles Canon with a beautiful Yankee spy as he tries to avoid capture in gold-rich California. Mr. Tucker combines historical accuracy with plenty of gunfire and intrigue for an epic, entertaining novel.

Robert Martin with the Montgomery Independent calls the book “impossible to put down,” and Dennis Love, author of Blind Faith, says the “audacious Confederate protagonist might have been one of John Wayne’s greatest roles” if a movie were made of the book. Bobby Horton of “Homespun Songs” fame admits that this is “historical fiction unlike anything folks have read about that terrible conflict.”

Skip Tucker worked for the Jasper (Alabama) Daily Mountain Eagle for ten years as a reporter, editor, and assistant publisher. He became press secretary for George McMillan and then Charlie Graddick in their gubernatorial campaigns and was later deputy press secretary for Governor Jim Folsom. In recent years, he has served as director of Alabama Voters Against Lawsuit Abuse and was media director for Judge Graddick’s 2012 campaign for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.

Prattville Dragoons July 2012 Camp Meeting

The Dragoons monthly camp meeting was held at the Shoneys on Cobbs Ford Rd in Prattville on Thursday July 12th.  Chaplain Snowden provided a multi-media presentation of the Rebel Yell illustrating the famous Battle Cry which struck fear in the Yankee enemy during the WBTS.  Communications Officer Tyrone Crowley provided a discussion on a few topics including the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America.  The following captures his write-up on the Pledge from the recent Dragoons Dispatch newsletter.

Some SCV Camps, beginning about ten years ago, stopped reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.  The reason is that those with Confederate heritage have strong objections to the word "indivisible" in the Pledge.  As we learned, this word was written into the Pledge by a late 19^th-century New York socialist named Francis Bellamy, specifically to indoctrinate children with the idea that no one should even consider the idea of opposing the central government for any reason and that the very idea of secession was traitorous.  (Bellamy, in the employ of a magazine called Youths' Companion, even wrote out instructions for the school principal to line up the students in military fashion and have them render a salute to the U.S. Flag as if they were in boot camp.)  

As soon as we utter the word "indivisible" when saying the Pledge of Allegiance, we have denied the Cause of the Confederate soldier and branded him a traitor, and have failed to answer the SCV Charge (see Charge at end of this newsletter).  How can we vindicate the Cause of the Confederate soldier and defend his good name if we affirm that this or any country is indivisible?  As Abraham Lincoln stated before the House of Representatives in 1848 (by 1860 he had “forgotten” this principle), “Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better.  This is a most valuable, a most sacred right—a right which we hope and believe is to liberate the world” (speech delivered in Congress on 12 January 1848.  Congressional Globe, Volume XIX, page 94).  As long as this principle exists, no country is indivisible.

As to the phraseology of the Pledge, in 1924 the phrase "my flag" was changed to "flag of the United States of America" to make sure immigrant children knew which flag they were pledging to.  This change was effected through the efforts of the American Legion and Daughters of the American Revolution.  This was during a decade when mass immigration into this country was seen as a threat to Americanism and to our culture.  In 1954, at the urging of the Knights of Columbus and other patriotic groups, "Under God" was put into the Pledge, due to worries about "godless communists" and their unwanted influence in this country.

The kind of thinking that led to the Pledge of Allegiance also led to a centralized government, as predicted by Robert E. Lee to Lord Acton of Britain in an 1866 letter which was quoted at our meeting.  But once a government is centralized, anyone who gets control of that government controls the country.  This led to the downfall of the Northern power structure, who did rule from 1865 to the 1920s, then began to lose ground to the marxist/socialist immigrant influences, mainly Eastern European, brought in by Lincoln's War and consequent need for foreign troops and cheap "free white labor".  One hundred years later the country they held sway over has been lost to the alien ideas imported by those East European marxists with their imposed socialism, and now anyone who accepts "the proposition", as George Will says, can become an American, whether he's been here 400 days or 400 years.

Upcoming Alabama Statewide Events of Interest for Confederate Heritage for August 2012

A perusal of the Alabama Tourism Department Sweet Home Alabama statewide Calendar of Events for June include some events of interest for Confederate heritage supporters. 

• "Battle of Mobile Commemorative Day"

Dauphin Island | Aug 4, 2012

Aug 4, Dauphin Island Battle of Mobile Commemorative Day 251-861-6992. www.dauphinisland.org. Free. Historic Fort Gaines, 51 Bienville Blvd.-- Cannon salute, followed by oral account of the "Battle of Mobile Bay" can be heard at 9:45 a.m., 12:45 p.m., and 3:45 p.m. Blacksmith demonstrations in original Fort blacksmith shop. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

• "Dixie Butts”

Prattville | Aug 11, 2012

Smoked Dixie butts will be distributed by the Prattville Dragoons on Saturday morning, Aug 11^th from 7-9am at the Fat Mans BBQ the intersection of Hwy 31 and Hwy 14 in Prattville.  Proceeds benefit the work of SCV Camp 1524.

• Civil War Dinner Cruise

Decatur | Aug 31, 2012

In commemoration of the Battle for Decatur, the Belle will offer the opportunity for you to step back into time and enjoy a cruise aboard an authentic paddle wheel river, relax as a tasty meal is served to your table and a Civil War tour guide provides a narration about the role the river played in the war complete with rifle demonstrations and firings. 7:00-9:00 pm