Gettysburg Anniversary Event - No Confederates Need Show Up

By Valerie Protopapas
vaproto@optonline.net

Below are a series of e-mails between myself and the President of the Society of Civil War Surgeons, Peter D’Onofrio. This is an excellent group whose members have done service to me when I had questions regarding wounds received by Col John Mosby (this information was published in The Southern Cavalry Review, the newsletter of The Stuart-Mosby Historical Society) and Dr. D’Onofrio is a stand up fellow. The Society has a website and an e-mail for those interested in looking into membership. I do not publish this as any kind of criticism of the SoCWS, but rather of the Parks Department and its ongoing campaign of political correctness directed against Southern Heritage.

Peter J. D'Onofrio, Ph.D.
President
Society of Civil War Surgeons, Inc.
Subject: Gettysburg June 30 - July 4

To All Members

There has been a change regarding wall tents and CS uniforms. We can now have 7-8 Wall tents (one tent already being spoken for). As for the CS uniforms, as long as we can somewhat disguise them we can have them in camp. [my emphasis - vhp]

*The following indicated that they would not attend due to the wall tent regulation:
[2 names withheld for reasons of privacy]
*Apparently, others took this “request” in the same manner as myself - vhp

My response to the above e-mail:

Pete,

Why is it necessary to "disguise" Confederate uniforms? They are, after all, part of history and I assumed that's what the whole thing is about! If we have become so politically correct as to discard history, truth and facts in order to avoid "offending" people who should not be at such an event in the first place if they find history offensive, it would seem that this country truly is dead or at least brain dead.

Val

This is the request by the park service.[my emphasis – vhp] They are setting the rules, not the Society. Perhaps I used the wrong word in saying "disguise." They would like to see any Confederates to down play their uniforms as this is a Union camp. Yes, I know that there were captured Confederates even on the first day, and I think we can use that scenario if any one asks.

Pete

Pete

I understand that it is not the Society making these rules obviously! But the idea that this is a "Union camp" and therefore there should not be any Confederate presence is plain nonsense! Unless the Union fought the Battle of Gettysburg alone (and sadly it did not!), then the appearance of the other side at the event seems to be a "given."

I have seen enough of the ongoing efforts at cultural genocide against Southern history and heritage to know that this is a policy that would be in place by the Parks Department period. Even if the event had been a Confederate victory, the same would apply. They would simply not have such events surrounding First Manassas or Chancellorsville lest they do "honor" to those evil slavers. It's too sad to contemplate and that's why I will have nothing to do with Gettysburg at all for any reason.

Val