LEARNING FROM WAR

Why Care About Our History?
By S. WAITE RAWLS III
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST

In a recent Richmond Times-Dispatch there was a news article about a group of officers from the U.S. Army visiting The Museum of the Confederacy and Civil War battlefields. The event presents several questions. Why do they care? And why is it a news article, rather than being covered in the arts and entertainment section? As the president of the Museum of the Confederacy, I am often asked the same question, "Why should we care?" Or, particularly here in Richmond, and most particularly on the subject of the Confederacy, I confront the statement that "we need to get over it" or "our history is holding us back."

The people who ask the question are missing the point. The study of history provides a great foundation to move forward. Many of the greatest leaders of history were themselves students of history. Winston Churchill stands out. The statesman whom Nelson Mandela called "one of the most progressive leaders the world has ever seen" believed that his constant analysis of people who had gone before would provide great assistance to him as he made decisions going forward. And "progressive" is not a word one would use to describe someone who is mired in the past.

While he was the superintendent at the Virginia Military Institute, Josiah Bunting wrote a book titled An Education for Our Time about the needs of modern education -- how a new generation should prepare itself for the 21st century. In the book, he constructed the model college curriculum, emphasizing the need to study history. He cared less about facts and dates and more about the study of the conduct of men and women making critical decisions in times of crisis and stress. Bunting believed that this study would help us emulate the best qualities and avoid the worst that we see in these historical figures, particularly if we delve into the complexities, ambiguities, and nuances that affected them just as they confront us today.

Ed Ayers, the new president of the University of Richmond, is a historian who embodies that same belief. Future graduates of the University of Richmond will be the beneficiaries of his leadership -- a leadership that has gained from his own career study. It was no coincidence that he chose Drew Faust, a native Virginian and the newly elected president of Harvard University, to share the stage during his recent inaugural weekend. These educators -- people who are charged with the responsibility to forge our next generation -- share the common belief that the study of history can make a difference in an individual's future conduct. Again, it is no coincidence that the historical era of choice of Bunting, Ayers, and Faust is the American Civil War. In her seminal 2004 article, " 'We Should Grow Too Fond of It': Why We Love the Civil War," Faust stated, "The Civil War offers an authenticity and intensity of experience that can rivet both researcher and reader; the war serves as a moment of truth, a moment when individuals -- be they soldiers or civilians -- have to define their deeply held priorities and act on them."

And note that she references civilians, because she and Ayers are two leading scholars on the intertwined nature of the military and the civilian sides, including the issues presented by slavery. She has concentrated on the common folk, particularly the women, and her 2008 book, This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War, was on The New York Times best-sellers list. It is also no coincidence that the study of leadership has come into vogue, particularly in the nation's graduate business schools as they attempt to distinguish good leadership from good management. A favored text in those programs is H. W. Crocker's 1999 book, Robert E. Lee on Leadership. Crocker's subtitle states the reason for the book's merit: "Executive Lessons in Character, Courage, and Vision."

SO WHY INDEED would today’s U.S. Army officers spend a day of their valuable time at The Museum of the Confederacy and on Civil War battlefields? They did not come for entertainment or because it was somebody's favorite hobby. These men and women compose the top echelon of the Army's Accession Command, whose responsibilities include the recruiting and training of our armed forces. They find themselves late in the conduct of a war that has grown increasing unpopular with the general public.

As a nation, we have been there before. Late in the Civil War, both sides had grown war-weary. Abraham Lincoln was relatively certain that he would not be re-elected as president, and governors' races in the South included peace platforms. In the armies, re-enlistments were scarce in the North, and desertion was becoming an increasing problem in the South.

These current Army officers share the beliefs of the college presidents that the study of history is extraordinarily relevant if your focus is on the future. They are working to shape the future, not merely to know what happened in the past. The study of history is a hobby for many people. They want to visit the sites and read the books that describe the events of the past. But the study of history goes far beyond a mere hobby. It may also teach us a great deal about how we might conduct ourselves going forward -- as individuals and as a collective society. Those who say "let's get over it" may be doing themselves a disservice. Perhaps they too could learn something about themselves that could positively affect their future if they would read a book or two or visit a museum or walk on ground hallowed by the conduct of their predecessors.

S. Waite Rawls III is the president and CEO of The Museum of the Confederacy. Contact him at (804) 649-1861 or info@moc.org.

The South and Zionism

David S. Reif

While observing the 60th anniversary of the creation of the Jewish state of Israel there has been a number of celebrations and retrospectives to commemorate this historic event. The recent speech of President Bush at the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) about the appeasement of terrorists by candidate Obama focused the attention of the world on the Israeli anniversary, for instance. There are a number of articles in the dominant media as well.

It seems to me that there are certain considerations regarding this event that are of especial interest to the South and the Southern Movement. I will concentrate on the dual aspects that political and the spiritual Zionism present.

The Jewish Library defines Zionism as; “Zionism, the national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel, advocated, from its inception, tangible as well as spiritual aims.” The divine component of this movement was evident early on as was the political motive; there is a debate as to which was (and is) the most important and from that argument negative fallout has been generated.

Although the founding of the Zionist movement is usually attributed to Theodor Herzl a wealthy European journalist in the late 19th century there were antecedents. Keen observers note that it was probably Moses Hess who originally informed Herzl of the idea. Hess was a protégé of Karl Marx and a fellow Jew. Marx rejected Judaism and all religion as did Hess although Hess would recant in his old age. Yet the two would make important contributions to the ideal of Zionism.

Marx lacked sufficient mental horsepower to comprehend the overriding issues that religion brought to the table but did address the problem of European Jews in his treatise, Zur Judenfrage (On the Jewish Question) in 1844: a political document. In it he tacitly acknowledged that the Jewish emancipation in Europe would work on several distinctive fronts among them economic independence and geographic independence. Thus he laid the ground work for Hess and Herzl although Marx believed that only emancipation from the capitalist “state” would truly bring freedom.

The anti-religious bias of Marx notwithstanding the concept of Zionism was complete. It would be a two-fold movement. Herzl believed that Palestine (Israel) was the historic and Scriptural home of the Jewish people and there was a supernatural connection to Zion which consisted of “blood and land”. Furthermore, there was a political dimension that Zion/Israel was the penultimate Jewish State that would exist on earth to rule the Hebrew tribes through a divine bond.

In the early 20th century Herzl and his Zionist movement began to transfer people into Palestine where they believe the Jews had a historic claim to the land. At first this was facilitated through wealthy European Jews buying land and resettling it. By 1914 there were perhaps 50,000 European Jews in Palestine; by 1941 the number was nearly 10 times that many.

In 1948 with the dissolution of the British Protectorate the Israeli state was formed. Quickly the pace of immigration hastened. With the guarantee of citizenship for any Jew the remnants of European Jewry after the disaster of the Holocaust flocked to Israel. The Jewish State of Israel has had a troubled if not star-crossed life yet there are lessons for Southern partisans within its story.

The Southern secession of 1861 did not have overt religious roots. However, it can be successfully argued that the underlying metaphors involved in the secession of the 13 Southern states can be traced to the aspects of the Original Constitution informed by Judeo-Christian ideology. That discussion is outside the scope of this piece but there is general agreement within this readership to the veracity of that statement.

The claim that Southern secession was a political movement is evident to anyone who has taken time to study the situation. The desire for a working framework of federalism and a voluntary confederation of sovereign states opposed to Lincolnian centralism is overtly political. It is the heart of the ensuing conflict of the War Between the States: to this day.

These days there is not a comprehensive policy for the scope or procedure under which a Southern homeland might be founded. Yet there is a general idea of geographical territory involved in a model nation. There is also a broad notion that a Southern state would be based on defined concepts of Judeo-Christian ideology. Herzl must have experienced a similar formative period.

By saying that these general ideas have common ground with the historic concepts of Zionism is not a net negative. The components of Zionism were both political and spiritual. Whatever else one might say about Marx his political analysis of the situation the Hebrew people in Europe found themselves as detailed in Zur Judenfrage was on the mark. He rightly summarized that through economic and geographical means the Jews could be emancipated from the oppression of the state and the monarchy in Europe.

Then Herzl came along and said that there was a historic connection of “blood and land” with the actual territory of Palestine. The bond he speaks of is a mystical connection, part of the web of life that includes all people but can also encapsulate a defined group from oppression. That is to say if a Jewish identity is to survive within the global continuum then it must do so as a discreet entity while maintaining a connection to the material world through politics: a distinct cell within the web of humanity if you like.

Today the Christian Exodus movement is a strong echo of Herzl’s religious/political argument. This is what they say about themselves:

“ChristianExodus.org desires the return of constitutionally limited government to the whole of these United States. Recent years suggest that no such return to constitutional principles is likely. Therefore, we will return such principles to one sovereign State by moving thousands of Christian paleo-conservatives.

South Carolina can secure the rights of her citizens by interposing her authority under the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The federal government operates outside its delegated powers in the areas of education, religion, abortion, domestic behavior, intrastate communication, intrastate commerce, taxation, welfare, healthcare, gun regulation, and a host of other subjects. Most powers concerning these topics are reserved to the States under the 10th Amendment. Therefore, we will see to it that South Carolina resumes her governmental authority in these matters and that our counties and State ignore federal directives in violation of the 10th Amendment.

ChristianExodus.org will continue to move Christians into South Carolina until constitutionalists possess a representative majority in both houses of the General Assembly. Such a strategy will make the sovereignty debate public, and the influence of our membership will tip the scales in favor of constitutionally limited government founded upon Christian principles.”

Although the revanchism implicit in Zionist thinking is missing a similar religious/political argument is present. These elements are also implied to the broader mission of Southern nationalism which sets it apart from the exclusively political motives of simple state secessionists like Vermont.

The notion that there are similarities between historical Zionism and Southern secession is a positive when considering the critics of the movement. The United States State Department has also supported Zionism and its creation as well as Israel’s right to exist. It can be argued by any sane person that a political-religious-cultural movement desiring an independent state is completely legitimate. To argue otherwise is to be against the concept of Zionism and blatantly anti-Semitic.

The State Department has already accepted national secession as a legitimate right of a people with its endorsement of Kosovo. The support of the State Department for Zionist Israel must be necessarily considered when discussing similar movements in this country. The acknowledged international concept of Zionism although somewhat different from the aspirations of Christian Exodus (for example) becomes an umbrella for the legitimacy of any Southern autonomy in regards to State Department policy and United States policy by extension. Certainly the United Nations and other international bodies have accepted sovereignty on lesser grounds.

On the occasion of its 60th anniversary by closely examining the rights given to the Zionists and the Israeli state one can conclude that their struggle for separate statehood is nearly identical in its legitimacy to the struggle of the Christian South. Although the foundations of European Zionism is on our mind today this kind of movement is not at all unique in history.

Looking at the broader view the accretion of influence into a concentrated geographical locale by like minded people was also the root of the American Revolution and separation from Britain. The story of Zionism and Israel is just one more example of how a people can fulfill a dream if dedicated enough. Just because the narrative of Zionism has some negative connotations is no reason for dismissing the lessons learned and the precedents set.

Group protests Suffolk mayor's silence on Confederate proclamation

By Linda McNatt
The Virginian-Pilot
READ IT HERE

The Jefferson Davis Memorial Day Funeral Train

By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr.
cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net

A Southern President was laid to rest on Memorial Day.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans have proclaimed 2008, as the "Year of Jefferson Davis" and Davis' 200th birthday, June 3, 2008, will be celebrated with many great events including the reopening of his last home "Beauvoir" on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Please share the following Memorial Day story with your family and remember Monday, Mary 26th, is Memorial Day in the USA.

Listen closely, when the wind blows, and you may hear a train whistle from the distance.

Many songs have been written about the passenger trains. On Sunday, May 28, 1893, a few days before Memorial Day, a story began in New Orleans, Louisiana that overshadowed all other events reported in the newspapers of the north and south.

Jefferson Davis died in 1889 and over 200,000 people witnessed his temporary burial at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans. Four years later on a rainy Saturday, on May 27, 1893, the remains of Jefferson Davis was removed and taken to Confederate Memorial Hall where many people paid their last respects.

At 4:30 PM, May 28th, a funeral service was held for Mr. Davis and a moving memorial address was delivered by Louisiana's Governor Murphy J. Foster as thousands listened. A reverent silence fell among the people as the casket was given to the commitment of Veterans from Virginia.

The procession then formed for a slow march to the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Station on Canal Street.

Train No. 69, with Engineer Frank Coffin, waited patiently as the casket was taken to the platform and passed through an open observation car to a catafalque. The cars wall could not be seen due to the many flowers.

This was the vision of Mrs. (Varina) Jefferson Davis when she began three years previous to secure a funeral train and military escort for a 1,200 mile train trip from New Orleans, Louisiana to Richmond, Virginia.

Train engine No. 69, of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, slowly pulled out of New Orleans Station at 7:50 PM. L and N railroad later became CSX Railroad.

Newspaper reporters from New Orleans, Richmond, Boston, New York and the Southern Associated Press were guests on the train.

After a brief Stop at Bay Saint Louis, and a slow-down at Pass Christian, where hundreds of people lined the tracks, the Jefferson Davis Funeral Train stopped at Gulfport, Mississippi and "Beauvoir, www.beauvoir.org, that was the last home to Jefferson Davis and his family. It was here that Davis wrote his book, "The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government."

Uncle Bob Brown, a former servant of the Davis family and a passenger on the train, saw the many flowers that the children had laid on the railroad tracks. Brown was so moved by this beautiful gesture that he wept uncontrollably.

In Mobile, Alabama, the train was met at midnight by parents who let their children stay up late to witness the historic ocassion that included a artillery salute. Locomotive No. 69 was retired and Locomotive No. 25 was coupled to the train with Engineer C.C. Devinney and Fireman Warren Robinson taking over.

The Atlanta Journal reported, quote, "The Cradle of the Confederacy is ablaze with life and light tonight. Everything is ready for honoring the memory of Jefferson Davis. Tomorrow morning with the rising of the sun the funeral train from New Orleans will reach Montgomery. unquote.

The train pulled into Montgomery at 6:00 AM, on the 29th. A severe rainstorm delayed the funeral procession until 8:30 AM when a caisson carried the body of Davis to Alabama's capitol building. A procession carried the casket through the portico where Jefferson Davis, in 1861, had taken the oath of office as President of the Confederate States of America.

The casket was placed in front of the bench of the Alabama Supreme Court. Above the right exit was a banner with the word "Monterrey" and above the left exit was a banner with the words "Buena Vista." During the Mexican War Jefferson Davis was a hero at Monterrey and wounded at Buena Vista.

All Businesses and schools were closed, and church bells toiled during the procession to and from the capitol. In a final tribute, thousands of people in Montgomery, including ex-Confederate soldiers and children, filed by the casket.

At 12:20 in the afternoon the funeral train departed over the Western Railway of Alabama and Atlanta and West Point Railroad for Atlanta. At West Point, Georgia the train stopped under a magnificently-beautiful arch of flowers to pick up Georgia's Governor William J. Northen and his staff.

The funeral train pulled into Atlanta's Union Station at 4:30 PM. It is written that over 20,000 people lined the streets as the funeral procession made their way to the state capitol. Atlanta's Old Gate City Guard stood guard over the president's remains. Among those in attendance was former Confederate General John B. Gordon who had also been Governor of Georgia.

The Boston Globe reported, quote, " Davis Funeral Train on way north. Visions of the past called up. Living links of the past cause. Sumter's flag appears once more. Both banners on the walls of Georgia's capitol. Thousands look upon the dead leader. Women of the South show their affection by flowers." unquote.

At 7:00 PM the train pulled out of the station going north on the Richmond and Danville Railroad, which later became Southern Railroad and, today, Norfolk Southern Railroad. The train traveled through Lula, Georgia, Greenville, South Carolina and stopped in North Carolina at Raleigh. Davis' remains were taken to the North Carolina capitol building to lie in state.

A brief stop was made in Danville, Virginia where a crowd gathered around the train and sang, "Nearer My God To Thee" as the church bells toiled.

Finally, the train reached Richmond, Virginia on Wednesday, morning, May 31, 1893. It was Memorial Day. Mrs. Davis met the train and her husband's casket was taken to the Virginia State House to lay in state. There was no school this day and many children brought flowers that they scattered about the casket.

At 3 PM on May 31, 1893, the funeral procession started for Hollywood Cemetery with former Gen. John B. Gordon as Chief Marshall. The caisson was driven by six white horses and earlier rains kept the dust of the dirt roads from stirring.

With Mrs. Jefferson Davis were two of her daughters, Winnie and Margaret. Six Southern governors acted as pall bearers. Two hundred thousand people lined the streets and nearly 100,000 took part in the ceremony at the cemetery. The ceremony concluded with a 21-gun salute followed by "Taps."

It had been 28 years since the War Between the States ended, but they came by the thousands to pay tribute to their former president. In truth, they came to remember a hope and a dream. And all across the South hundreds of thousands heard that train.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans of Virginia are planning to erect a statue to Jefferson Davis and his African-American adopted son, Jim Limber.

Lest We Forget!!

The Arrogance of Flag grabbing William Howell

It seems Speaker of the House William Howell is good at making friends these days. While most of us could care less about who becomes the leader of any political party, this intra-party fight seems to show the same sort of arrogant attitude that William Howell has towards the heritage community in Virginia. Whether your conservative or liberal, it doesn't seem wise to treat half of your party base like they are vermon, unless you like to lose and if you like to lose that makes you a loser.


FROM THE DESK OF
Amy N. Frederick

An Open Letter To William Howell, Speaker Of The Virginia House Of Delegates

Dear Mr. Speaker: I received your letter this morning. To say that I was shocked would be an understatement. It takes some nerve for you to write me to outline all the reasons my husband should not be Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV). Worse, your letter to me was apparently timed to arrive the same day RPV (the organization our opponent currently oversees) leaked misleading documents intended to attack Jeff's integrity.

Can you imagine your reaction if Jeff sent a letter to your wife Cessie telling her -- in light of the House Republican Caucus losing 11 seats to the Democrats since you've become Speaker -- that you should not be Speaker any more? That the House GOP has gone from a very healthy governing majority to now a slim 3 seat majority under your leadership and therefore you're not best qualified to be Speaker? Then, on the same day after such a letter, you were attacked for standing on the podium at the 1993 Virginia Republican Convention to ask Republicans to defeat a pro-life nominee for Lt. Governor with a pro-choice alternative?

I believe you'd demand an apology from Jeff immediately -- and while I can't demand anything, I do believe you owe me an apology. I realize Jeff is a young go-getter, and that rubs the old guard the wrong way. Yet, just because you've known Jeff's opponent for over 20 years, as you stated in your letter, doesn't excuse this sort of conduct.

I do find one of your statements rather curious: "As the Speaker of the House of Delegates, I've stood firm for our conservative values and John Hager has stood with me. I've known John Hager for two decades, and I've always been able to count on him." Was it the time you were advocating the Party go with a pro-choice statewide candidate over a pro-life leader, or more recently when John Hager was working to advance the agenda of Democratic Governor Mark Warner, that you were counting on him? True, Jeff was too young to vote two decades ago when you started working with John, but is the old guard really getting things done? Republicans came to power on the backs of conservative, grassroots activists, and Jeff is a young leader who has shown he can motivate young voters to join those who have spent years doing the volunteer work necessary to elect conservatives.

Jeff is not going to march more in line with the establishment to earn their support; no thanks. It is amazing to me that the old guard has betrayed grassroots conservatives on so many issues, yet still feels it can dictate to the grassroots who they need to select as their Party leaders. As you recall, John Hager lost his 1992 bid for RPV Chairman running as a moderate. Then the Party was able to get back to its conservative principles on life, taxes and the 2nd Amendment and the result was us winning control of both houses of the General Assembly and sweeping all statewide offices.

On May 31, I believe the Republicans who attend the convention will vote to get back to winning elections and governing as conservatives -- and will defy you and the rest of the old guard to elect Jeff Frederick as RPV Chairman.

Sincerely,
Amy Frederick

P.S. Please take "Mrs. Amy Frederick" out of your contacts, and please don't send me anything further in the future about my husband.

Remembering Jefferson Davis' 200th Birthday

Calvin E. Johnson, Jr.
cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net

Is the "War Between the States" still taught in our schools?

The Jefferson Davis State Historic Site in Fairview, Kentucky marks the spot where Jefferson Davis was born on June 3, 1808. Plans are underway to celebrate Davis' 200th birthday on June 7th 8th, there, in the shadow of a 351-foot monument to Davis.

Earlier, an official dedication and grand opening of "Jefferson Davis Park" took place at beautiful Clark County, Oregon on Sunday, April 27, 2008. This project was made possible by the local Sons of Confederate Veterans and United Daughters of the Confederacy. http://JeffersonDavisPark.org

Many 200th birthday tributes are planned for Davis.....

But, what do our children know about Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) and Jefferson Davis (1808-1889?) These men were born nearly 100 miles of each other in Kentucky, served as War Between the States presidents and America will remember the 200th birthday of both men soon.

A news reporter wrote that the 200th birthday commemoration for Abraham Lincoln will take place on February 12, 2009, but many people would rather forget the bicentennial birthday of Jefferson Davis on June 3, 2008.

Why the negative slant on Jefferson Davis?

The Sons of Confederate Veterans are sending a positive message by proclaiming 2008 as the "Year of Davis" www.scv.org...And last February, Bertram Hayes-Davis, the great-great grandson of Jefferson Davis, recreated the 1861 swearing-in ceremony of his grandfather as Confederate President in Montgomery, Alabama. Bertram Davis told reporters:

"I stand here representing a family that is very proud of their ancestor."

The Davis event of the year might be the June 3, 2008 reopening of "Beauvoir" the last home of Jefferson Davis and his family. The Davis home was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Read more about Jefferson Davis and his Mississippi Gulf Coast home at: www.beauvoir.org. The birthday festivities begin at 10 AM.

Did you know that Jefferson Davis adopted a black child, Jim Limber, as his son? The Sons of Confederate Veterans are planning a Davis Memorial Statue, in Virginia, depicting the forgotten story of the Jefferson Davis family and Jim Limber.

Sons of Confederate Veterans Commander-In-Chief Christopher Sullivan said of this project "This will be our token of gratitude for what Jefferson Davis did and what he stood for."

Please ask your local newspaper, radio and TV for equal-time in covering the birthday of Jefferson Davis. Our American Media will no doubt cover the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln next February 12th but shouldn't they also cover the Davis birthday of June 3rd? This seems to me the "Fair and Balanced" thing to do as the USA remembers two American presidents.

Who was Jefferson Davis?

Jefferson Davis was born on June 3, 1808, in Fairview, Christian County, Kentucky that would become Todd County.

Davis' father, Samuel Emory Davis, served in the Revolutionary War and participated in the siege of Savannah. Three of Jeff's older brothers served in the War of 1812, two under General Andrew Jackson. His father was from Georgia and mother Jane Cook Davis, daughter of a noted Baptist Preacher, was from North Carolina.

Jefferson Davis, who would become the first and only President of the Confederate States of America, was a strong Unionist and a strong defender of the United States Constitution. Our founding Fathers believed in the sovereignty of the states and do did Jefferson Davis.

At the young age of 16, Jefferson Davis received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York by President Monroe. He graduated in 1828 with the commission of 2nd Lieutenant.

Jefferson Davis fought valiantly in the War with Mexico, served as the United States Senator from Mississippi, served as Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce and was the first to suggest the transcontinental railroad to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Jefferson Davis' last marriage is said to have been a good one to Varina, who gave her husband three sons and two daughters (Jefferson Joseph, Billy, Margaret and Winnie.) Joseph was killed in an accidental fall at the Confederate White House in Richmond, Virginia in 1864, and an abused black child named Jim Limber was adopted by the Davis family.

Jefferson Davis died in New Orleans, Louisiana in December 1889, and the New York Times ran a 2,000 word tribute to the funeral of Davis on December 12, 1889. The following is a small part of the news report from New Orleans, Louisiana:

"He suffered many and grievous wrongs. Suffered mostly for the sake of others, and those others will remember him and his unflinching fidelity with deep gratitude while the Potomac seeks the Chesapeake or the Mississippi sweeps by Briarfield on its way to the Mexican Sea."

A birthday ceremony will be performed on June 7, 2008, at 10 AM at the grave of Jefferson Davis at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.

Let's remember all those who helped make America great!!

History Revised by Political Correctness in Louisiana

Elm Springs, Columbia, TN

April 14, 2008

The news of the changes in long-standing proclamations declaring Confederate History and Heritage Month observances in Shreveport and Bossier City, Lou­isiana has prompted the following statement from Christopher M. Sullivan, Commander-in-Chief, Sons of Confederate Veterans:

"We learned with immense dismay of the mayors of Bossier City and Shreveport, Louisiana, departing from a long- standing tradition of issuing proclama­tions honoring Confederate History and Heritage Month.

"According to local news accounts they have taken it upon themselves to change the observance to ‘Civil War History Month’.

"This is a direct act of political correctness that takes on more serious proportions as it undertakes revising or eliminating true history in America.

"Cities, counties and states annually issue proclamations honoring the vari­ous cultures and events that have made the greatness of America. Confederate History and Heritage Month is one of the most widely known throughout the United States with hundreds of proclamations and observances each year which honor the Confederate soldiers who are recognized by the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs with the same rights and recognition as all veterans of U. S. service.

"It is indeed disheartening to see the success of this recognition distorted and intentionally eliminated by a small element whose agenda is to impugn or eradicate the history of the Confederate military."

"It is our hope the people of Shreveport and Bossier City will show a spirit of fairness and patriotism by effectively speaking out against censorship and historical revision."