Make up Thy Mind…
February 16, 2009
Alright, for anyone who has read this blog or studied Civil War history in the last ten years knows there is a maked difference in how the causes of the war are interpreted North and South…especially when it comes to mainstream historians and the Neo-Confederate camp, which includes the SCV.
Over on the SCV blog, there is now a post about Missouri State Rep. Bryan Stevenson claiming “the greatest power grab” (dealing with abortion issues today)since the North declared war on the South to end slavery. So am I right, to understand, that the SCV agree that the North invaded the south to free the slaves when every other neo-confederate site claims that the war had nothing to do with slavery? If so, this will mean a complete re-write of most southern websites on the net and an end to the opposition of including slavery in the interpretations at the major battlefields in the NPS system.
Well, maybe there exposure on the “Looking for Lincoln” PBS documentary has had a positive effect on the SCV, maybe they are starting to take a real look into their own interpretations of the war and beginning to change.
Naw…I doubt it!
I was amused at your caption on the Sherman tank that you were puzzled at why Confederate reenactors do what they do. Most of us native Southerners wonder why Yankees think and act like they do.
Maybe you can answer these for me:
1. Why does Harvard honor a Nazi on its Wall of Honor, but refuse to put up their Confederate graduates?
2. Why does Brown University, named after the most successful slave trading family in American history, not at least change its name? If judged the same way Confederate monuments are judged, Brown should tear itself down and then shut down.
3. Why haven’t New Yorkers apologized and put up a historical marker at the site where scores of slaves were burned alive after two different slave revolts that occurred before any Southern slave revolt?
4. Why did Stanton allow Sherman to get away with the drownings of those 200 or so freedmen at Ebeneezer Creek, Ga. in November 18864?
5. Why did Lincoln allow Grant to get away with running the Jews out of his district?
Corey, history is never simple. It is always complex. You can’t say “Confederates are bad guys and Federals are good guys!” when it was Northerners who imported the slaves, sold the slaves, burned the slaves, and then refused to take the freed slaves North after they destroyed the South.
Clint,
First off, thanks for the comments.
I will attempt to address them one at a time.
1) I did a search for the name of the Nazi apparently on the wall of honor at Harvard, but could not find an actual name. Do you know the name, and if so, could you please pass it along. The only real mention I found of it was through Google Books in an apparent Neo-Confederate book called ” The Politically Incorrect Guide to the South and Why it Will Rise Again”. There too it is only mentioned, but no name given and I find it suspect when the claim is made but no elaboration is made.
2) Brown University was named for Nicholas Brown who was an ardent abolitionist. But, others in the family were slave traders. So, since the University is name for the Abolitionist in the family, I suppose that is why there is not a name change or a closing of the school.
3) Again, I could use a bit more information here to provide you a complete or understandable answer. Are you possibly refering to the 1712 revolt or the New York Conspiracy of 1741?
4) The incident at Ebenezer Creek is a sad one, but not the purposeful drowning of slaves on Sherman or Jeff. C. Davis’s behalf. True, the pontoon bridge was cut before the slaves could begin to cross and they were tricked into believing the were held back to avoid any possible fighting at the crossing, but many dove into the water to avoid Wheeler’s Cavalry and subsequently drowned. You see the slaves feared Wheeler’s cav. because they had fled their plantations for freedom following Sherman’s march to the sea.
5) Grant did evict the Jews from his area, but revoked the order three days later. No one is perfect.
Hope that helps.
Corey
So, I wrote a “Neo-Confederate” book. Ah, Cory, Cory. You haven’t read it, now have you? Ah, well. When someone makes up their mind, I cannot change it.
I’ll come up with the name of the Nazi at Harvard.
Brown University is named after the entire family. If Hitler had a brother named Billy Bob, would you say: “Oh, Billy Bob is just a good old boy. It was his brother Adolph who was bad.” No, you wouldn’t. You would condemn the entire family – just as you condemn all us who honor our Confederate ancestors.
New York City executed slaves in both 1712 and 1741 – burned most of them. They worked tens of thousands of them to death before they reached the age of 20. New Yorkers traded in slaves right up through the execution of Captain Gordon. Why isn’t the city condemned as The South is condemned?
Sherman was a violent racist, as was Grant. Lincoln said: “Hey! Why don’t we ship you all back to Africa or to some other country? Wouldn’t that be cool?!” After the war was over, the Yankee army said: “Thanks for good times. Don’t you dare try taking our jobs back up North. See ya!” The North had literally destroyed all of the jobs that black folks could have had after the war by destroying the means of production – and then went back home. That resulted in years of racial unrest as the poor white South looked for someone to blame. They couldn’t get back at the Yankees – they had guns. They could get back at the only ones who didn’t – the former slaves and their descendants. It was a sad case that our Southern ancestors took out their rage on the same people who had been victimized by the North.
Clint Johnson
Color Sergent
26th North Carolina
24th Michigan
(Yes, we do both sides. In The South, we honor courage.)
I’ll have to look further, but I may have confused this guy with actually putting his name on the Wall. Actually, what Harvard did with this guy is worse than putting him on the wall while leaving off all the Confederates, but that’s Harvard for you.
http://www.aish.com/jewishissues/jewishsociety/The_Nazi_Who_Returned_to_Harvard.asp
Cory, just out of curiosity, how do you feel about the United States Colored Troops being specifically left off the invitation list for The Grand Review after that well-known humanitarian Sherman threatened to take his army and go home if any black folks soiled the streets on which his boots would march? It seems like that Super Swell Guy Gen. Grant and Even Superer Swell Guy Secretary of War Stanton went along with the plan to ship the black folks off to garrison duty BEFORE they could be honored by marching down Pennsylvania Ave with all the lily white Yankees.
This Stanton, of course, was the same man who let Sherman off the hook for Ebeneezer Creek by NOT TELLING the black pastors in Savannah what Sherman and Union General Jefferson Davis had done to the 200 or so blacks who drowned.
As Ricky Ricardo would say to Lucy, “I think Sherman, Grant and Stanton got some ’splaining do do!”
Say, I do admire the time you spent putting in the links.
By the way, don’t call me a “Neo-Confederate.” My camp was tossed from the SCV when we protested Kurt Lyons running for whatever office he was running for at the time. I resigned my membership. All I do is point out interesting facts that often make people – particularly Yankees – uncomfortable.
Hello Corey,
My name is Brandon Samuels and I really like some of the posts you have on your blog. I also have enjoyed reading through this discussion and I think it is intriguing. Since you have an interest in blogging though, I thought that you might want to know about a new web site, timelines.com. The idea is to create an interactive historical record of anything and everything, based on specific events that combine to form timelines. We’re trying to achieve a sort of user-created multimedia history, in which no event is too big or too small to record. Feel free to create events using excerpts and/or links from your blog. You will generate traffic and awareness of your blog, and you will be contributing to the recording of history.
With your interest in the American Civil War, you should check out this timeline. So far it is a work in progress and we would definitely love for more people to contribute. http://timelines.com/topics/american-civil-war.
Give us a try and let me know your thoughts.
Thanks,
Brandon Samuels
Brandon.samuels@timelines.com