The Origin of Confederate Memorial Day

It is a matter of history that Mrs. Charles J. Williams, of Columbus, Ga., instituted the beautiful custom of decorating soldiers' graves with flowers, a custom which has been adopted throughout the United States. She married Maj. C.J. Williams on his return from the Mexican War. As a colonel of the First Georgia Regulars, of the Confederate Army in Virginia, he contracted disease from which he died in 1862, and was buried in Columbus, Ga.

Mrs. Williams and her little girl visited his grave every day, and often comforted themselves by wreathing it with flowers. While the mother sat abstractly thinking of the loved and lost one, the little one would pluck the weeds from the unmarked soldiers' graves near her father's and cover them with flowers calling them her soldiers' graves.

After a short time while the dear little girl was summoned by the angels to join her father. The sorely bereaved mother then took charge of these unknown graves for the child's sake, and as she cared for them thought of the thousands of patriot graves throughout the South, far away from home and kindred, and in this way a plan was conceived of setting apart one day in each year, that love might pay tribute to valor throughout the Southern States. In March 1866, she addressed a communication to the Columbus Times, an extract of which I give:

"We beg the assistance of the press and the ladies throughout the South to aid us in the effort to set apart a certain day to be observed from the Potomac to the Rio Grande, and to be handed down through time as a religious custom of the South, to wreathe the graves of our martyred dead with flowers, and we propose the 26th day of April as the day."

She then wrote to the Soldiers' Aid Societies in every Southern State, and they readily responded and reorganized under the name of Memorial Associations. She lived long enough to see her plan adopted all over the South and throughout the United States. Mrs. Williams died April 15, 1874, and was buried with military honors.The Legislature of Georgia set apart the 26th day of April is a legal holiday in obedience to her request.

Article by James W. King--SCV Camp 141 Commander Lt. Col. Thomas M. Nelson's Rangers Albany Georgia

In the spring of 1866 the Ladies Memorial Association of Columbus, Georgia, passed a resolution to set aside one day annually to memorialize the Confederate war dead. Mary Ann Williams, the association secretary, was directed to pen a letter inviting ladies associations in every Southern state to join them in the observance.^[4]

Their invitation was written in March 1866 and sent to all of the principal cities in the South, including Atlanta,^[5] Macon,^[6] Montgomery, Memphis, Richmond, St. Louis, Alexandria, Columbia,^[7] and New Orleans, as well as smaller towns like Staunton, VA,^[8] Anderson, SC,^[9] and Wilmington, NC.^[10] The actual date for the holiday was selected by Elizabeth Rutherford Ellis.^[11]She chose April 26, the first anniversary of Confederate General Johnston's surrender to Major-General Sherman at Bennett Place. For many in the South, that date in 1865 marked the end of the civil war.^[4]

In their book, The Genesis of the Memorial Day Holiday in America, Bellware and Gardiner determine that the national Memorial Day holiday is a direct offshoot of the observance begun by the Ladies Memorial Association of Columbus, Georgia in 1866. In a few places, most notably Columbus, Mississippi^[12] and Macon, Georgia,^[13] Union graves were decorated during the first observance. The day was even referred to as Memorial Day by the Baltimore Sun on May 8, 1866 after the ladies organization that started it. The name Confederate Memorial Day was not used until the northern observance was initiated in 1868.

While initially cool to the idea of a northern version of the holiday, General John A. Logan was eventually won over as evidenced by his General Order No. 11 of May 5, 1868 wherein he commanded the posts of Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) to likewise strew flowers on the graves of Union soldiers. The GAR eventually adopted the name Memorial Day at their national encampment in 1882.^[14]

Many theories have been offered as to how Logan became aware of the southern tradition he imitated in 1868. In her autobiography, his wife claims she told him about it after a trip to Virginia in the spring of that year.^[15] His secretary and his adjutant also claim they told him about it. John Murray of Waterloo, New York claims it was he who inspired Logan in 1868. Bellware and Gardiner, however, offer proof that Logan was aware of the southern tributes long before any of them had a chance to mention it to him. In a speech to veterans in Salem, Illinois on July 4, 1866, Logan referred to the various dates of observance adopted in the south for the practice saying “…traitors in the South have their gatherings day after day, to strew garlands of flowers upon the graves of Rebel soldiers..

Local Observances Claim To Be First 
Local springtime tributes to the Civil War dead already had been held in various places. One of the first occurred in Columbus , Miss. , April 25, 1866, when a group of women visited a cemetery to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in battle at Shiloh . Nearby were the graves of Union soldiers, neglected because they were the enemy. Disturbed at the sight of the bare graves, the women placed some of their flowers on those graves, as well.

Today cities in the North and the South claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day in 1866. Both Macon and Columbus , Ga. , claim the title, as well as Richmond , Va. The village of Boalsburg , Pa. , claims it began there two years earlier. A stone in a Carbondale , Ill. , cemetery carries the statement that the first Decoration Day ceremony took place there on April 29, 1866. Carbondale was the wartime home of Gen. Logan. Approximately 25 places have been named in connection with the origin of Memorial Day, many of them in the South where most of the war dead were buried. By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held on May 30 throughout the nation. State legislatures passed proclamations designating the day. The Army and Navy adopted regulations for proper observance at their facilities. It was not until after World War I, however, that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in* all American wars.* In 1971 Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, and designated as the last Monday in May.

Some States Have Confederate Observances 

Many Southern states also have their own days for honoring the Confederate dead. Mississippi celebrates Confederate Memorial Day the last Monday of April, Alabama on the fourth Monday of April, and Georgia on April 26. North and South Carolina observe it May 10, Louisiana on June 3 and Tennessee calls that date Confederate Decoration Day. Texas celebrates Confederate Heroes Day January 19 and Virginia calls the last Monday in May Confederate Memorial Day.

CSA Memorial Day & History Heritage Month in Georgia

   

In 1874 the Georgia Legislature created a public holiday denoting April 26 as Confederate Memorial Day and in 2009 they passed Senate Bill 27 which permanently designates  April as Confederate History and Heritage month. Governor Nathan Deal in 2015 ignorantly joined the Marxist Socialist revisionist movement which is attacking everything Southern and Confederate along with America's founding fathers. He removed the names of 2 state holidays-Robert E. Lee's Birthday and Confederate Memorial Day. They are now state holidays without names. Karl Marx is quoted "People separated from their heritage are easily persuaded".

   

After a long series of abuses by England the 13 American colonies declared independence on July 4, 1776 and seceded from England and were successful in achieving independence in 1783.  Likewise in 1860-1861, after years of political and criminal abuse by the Northern states, primarily New England, 11 Southern states constitutionally, legally, and honorably seceded from the United States of America and formed a new nation, The Confederate States of America (CSA). These Southern states sought Independence and peaceful separation from the increasing usurpation of unconstitutional Federal power. The Federal government of America had been taken over by radicals, fanatics, and criminals.

    

In 1848 the Socialist revolution in Europe led by Karl Marx had failed. In 1849-1850 about 2000 German Socialists were sent to New York City. They joined with American Socialists led by Horace Greeley owner of the New York Tribune newspaper. Prior to Southern secession 487 of Marx's articles were printed including the Communist Manifesto. The radical, fanatical, criminal, Socialist Atheist Republican Party was formed in 1854 and up until 1877 was similar to the modern Democratic Party. Abraham Lincoln was a member and 68 of 117 signed a resolution advocating terrorism against the South. The Southern states refused to be ruled by the Republican Party and seceded. After a four year war against overwhelming numbers and resources the Confederate Armed forces were forced to yield.

  

Lincoln's unnecessary war had claimed the lives of over 600,000 American soldiers North and South, and 50,000 Southern civilians.. It had been a culture war fought for the purpose of converting the American Republic established by America's founding fathers , who were primarily Southern gentleman from Virginia, to a Socialist Democracy. Northern soldiers were deceived by the clever "Save the Union" war cry. Socialism in America has developed in 3 stages: POLITICAL in 1865 following Southern surrender, ECONOMIC in 1913-1917-Federal Income Tax, Federal Reserve, and CULTURAL 1960 to 2017-Welfare Nanny state. Today many Northern citizens are connecting the dots back to 1848 and 1865 and are wishing their ancestors had wore Gray instead of Blue.

   

Recently the modern Republican globalist and big government advocate Newt Gingrich blurted out the truth "the war wasn't fought to free slaves it was fought to centralize and concentrate all power in Washington DC."  Slavery was already a dying institution and would have soon ended peacefully without a war as it did elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere. The New England colonies/states of MA., CT., RH., NH., and NY. were responsible for the development of slavery. They grew to prosperity on the nefarious slave trade and when it became unprofitable they hypocritically accused the Southern planters who had purchased slaves from them of 'Grave Moral Sin".

   

The Confederate flag and the Confederate States of America represent the same principles and values as the Betsy Ross Flag and the American Republic: Limited Constitutional Federal Government, States Rights, Resistance to Tyranny, and Christianity. The Confederate Battle Flag is an international symbol of Resistance to Tyranny and was chosen by the Polish Solidarity Movement in 1980 as their symbol of resistance to Russian Communism and it was flying over the Berlin Wall in 1989 as it was being torn down.

    

Lincoln and the Federal Government had no constitutional authority to coerce or invade a State for any reason. The States had formed the Federal Government and granted specific limited powers. The rest were reserved to the States and the people.   Lincoln, Sherman, Sheridan, Butler, Grant, Jennison, and thousands of other Yankees were war criminals. Crimes committed against Southerners included murder, torture, rape, arson, plunder, pillage, theft, vandalism, burning churches, destruction of graves, and turning women and children out in the cold.

  

Southerners have every right to be proud of and to remember and honor the brave men in gray who fought against the Yankee barbarians.

Article by James W. King---SCV Camp 141 Commander Lt. Col. Thomas M. Nelson's Rangers Albany Georgia