The Second Damnation: The Confederate Flag Issue
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I live in Lexington, Virginia; home to the Oldest State University in Virginia (Virginia Military Institute) and one of the premier schools for Lawyers (Washington and Lee University).
Lexington was founded in 1777, and is home to Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and Sam Houston, first Governor of Texas. Several movies have been filmed here: Brother Rat, which starred Ronald Reagan, Mardi Gras, which starred Pat Boone as a VMI cadet and actress Christine Carere, Sommersby, starring Richard Gere, Bill Pullman, James Earl Jones, and Jodie Foster, “Lee Beyond the Battles” and Gods and Generals, and finally director Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise filmed scenes for War of the Worlds here, with Dakota Fanning and Tim Robbins.
Lexington also has ties to (and I HATE using these words) the Civil War. In November 1859, a detachment of its resident corps of cadets from the Virginia Military Institute was deployed to Charles Town (in what is now West Virginia) to provide security at the execution of the infamous John Brown for his raid on Harper’s Ferry.
In May 1863, the body of Stonewall Jackson, who had died following Chancellorsville, was brought home for burial (his arm, however, remained in Chancellorsville). The VMI Corps of Cadets fought as a unit at the Battle of New Market, Virginia, on May 15, 1864. Two hundred fifty-seven cadets were on the field, organized into a battalion of four companies of Infantry and one section of Artillery. Ten cadets were killed in battle or died later from the effects of their wounds; 45 were wounded. The youngest participating cadet was fifteen; the oldest twenty-five. Union general David Hunter targeted Lexington in June 1864, as he marched his troops south through the Shenandoah Valley. Rushing to its defense were Confederate forces under John A. McCausland, who gave enough notice for frantic Lexingtonians to hide their valuables in attics, under floors, and in outhouses.
On June 11, McCausland burned the bridge over the North River (now Maury River) in an attempt to delay Hunter’s advance, effectively cutting it off from its main supply route. By mid-afternoon, Union shells were raining on the town, followed by three days of Union troops raiding and looting virtually every private home, business, and institution in Lexington.
On June 12, Hunter burned Virginia governor John Letcher’s home, the Virginia Military Institute, and several faculty houses. Hunter departed Lexington on June 14, leaving it to face a long, hungry winter. Lexington’s war-weariness was evident by the spring of 1865, but there was also one striking sign that its characteristic practical, energetic spirit was as lively as ever: a rebuilt bridge spanned the North River.
With all this going for it, the last thing you would think would rock this sleepy little burg would be issues over the Confederate Flag.
In September, 2011, “After a lively 2 1/2-hour public hearing, the Lexington City Council voted 4-1 to allow only U.S., Virginia and city flags to be flown.” The article on AOL went on to say, “Some speakers during the meeting said the ordinance was an affront to the men who fought in the Civil War in defense of the South. One speaker stayed silent during his allotted three minutes, in memory of the Civil War dead. But many speakers complained that the flag was an offensive, divisive symbol of the South’s history of slavery and shouldn’t be endorsed by the city of 7,000 people.“The Confederate flag is not something we want to see flying from our public property,” said city resident Marquita Dunn, who is black. “The flag is offensive to us.” Most residents who spoke, both blacks and whites, opposed the ordinance. But H.K. Edgerton, the former president of the NAACP chapter in Asheville, N.C., said he supported flying the Confederate flag because he wanted to honor black Confederate soldiers. Edgerton, who is black, wore a T-shirt emblazoned with images of those black soldiers. “What you’re going to do in banning the Southern cross is wrong. May God bless Dixie,” he said, amid some gasps from the audience.”
As you can see, the first thing brought up is SLAVERY. When you speak of the South, most people think of rampant incest, bucktooth guys and women with the IQ of a turnip who live in trailers and read nothing but the Bible. The South has been so maligned through the media, trying to tell someone about the South is akin to talking to the proverbial wall. Yes, we have a dark history, all Countries do and I am making no excuses for what happened. Yet, at the same time I would love to see the North take responsibility for having the largest Slave Trading State (Rhode Island) and for England to admit they were the one who introduced Slavery here. It won’t happen.
Lexington is part of the South and as such should be allowed to fly the Confederate Flag from its lamp posts and as such the Fraternities should be allowed to fly their flags and VMI should be allowed to fly theirs. The only time I have seen the City decked out in wall to wall Confederate Flags is on Lee-Jackson Day which can fall on or near MLK’s birthday. The rest of the time you see Confederate flags on the bumpers of Pick Ups or flown from porches of houses out in the County.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans have filed a lawsuit in the Federal Appeals Court in Roanoke, Va. The Judge has stated he will rule in two weeks whether the suit can move forward or not.
In the interest of History and to preserve the memory of those who fought and died in this terrible war, I hope the suit moves forward and the city council is told their ordinance is not in the best interest of a Historical City.
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Ok, I will admit you make valid points; HOWEVER, the United States had slavery before the South went their own way. Rhode Island was the largest Slave Trading State. 100,000 white people were slaves, not including indentured servants. The United States committed GENOCIDE on thousands of Natives. Now, how righteous are you? They fail to teach those points in school instead laying the entire blame on the South.
BTW, Julia Grant, the cross eyed wife of General Grant, had 22 slaves even as he fought the war. The Cross of Saint Andrews still flies. Until the North acknowledges they had slaves, and England acknowledges they started the whole mess, we will NEVER put this issue to rest.
BTW, I am from Cali, and sometimes you cannot see the Golden Gate Bridge because of the fog. The Mission District is not the nicest place to be….
The redneck mentality won’t let them go and they refuse to accept that they lost the war. A lot of people in the south get home schooled so their parents can fill their head with racist lies, and one of them is the south really won the war. The stars and bars are flying all over the place down there.
The Confederate flag, no matter what it started out as, which, by the way was a symbol of attempted secession, now stands for racism and white nationalism. Perhaps the “new” South can make amends, take it back from the Klan and Stormfront.org and others who have adopted it to symbolize their hate. The Confederate flag was created as an alternative to the American flag by states who no longer wanted to be part of this country. Why would anyone want to celebrate that? It’s not a state flag or a municipal flag, it’s a symbol of attempted secession.
I also live in the Deep South and have to agree with Bill, although the read was most enjoyable.
Since when does the loser of a war get to fly its flag? Tired of hearing about the heroics of traitors. We would not be what we are if “you” had won. smfh
Gary, as someone born and bred, and lived in the deep South for all my life I completely disagree with you. The Confederate Stars and Bars represent an attempted rebellion within against the United States that failed. There is nothing to be honored but those who supported an insurrection that supported the rights of states to keep people in involuntary servitude. You can pretty it up any way you choose and try to twist the blame any way you choose but it was the Southern states who chose to go to war over those very issues. I don’t care who stood up in your town and supported it, it was still wrong. Even today, to allow states to have unfettered rights to do as they wish operates to the detriment of certain people. The current anti immigration lawsuits are proving that. If you are short on good old boy red necks with their confederate flags, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, and gun racks in their pick ups I will be glad to refer some of these Alabama yokels to you.
Amazingly simplistic view. Odd that sovereign states can voluntarily join the Union, but can’t voluntarily leave it? There would have been no war if the remaining states had allowed them to leave and the federal government had vacated the territory that it wrongly occupied – but with approximately more than 80% of federal revenues coming from southern states, with the potential loss of countrol of the Mississippi, and the risk that territories might not become U.S. states and thus hinder manifest destiny, the Federal government couldn’t take that risk with its revenues or needs for territory and empire. Do you see anywhere in the Consitution that prohibits States from leaving that which they voluntarily joined? And your simplistic blather can be applied to the American Revolution – “There is nothing to be honored but those who supported an insurrection that supported the rights of states to keep people in involuntary servitude.” The Revolutionary War was, afterall, an insurrection against the UK and the Consitution DID keep people in involunatry servitude in both northern and southern states.
I believe you have lived in the deep South all your life – you’ve obviously been educated in its public schools. Also, here’s a nuance for you – the laws to which you refer are not “anti immigration” laws; they are laws designed to enforce federal laws regarding ILLEGAL immigrants. I know you like to dwell in the simplistic, but really – let’s be careful.
This is why I have as little to do with the southeast as possible. I won’t travel there or consciously spend money on things that were produced there. I wish they’d secede again, and good riddance!
Then Don’t buy a Mercedes or a Toyota or a VW. Don’t go to Duke for World Class Treatment. Don’t use anything developed from Space Exploration for NASA is in the South, don’t count on the Navy to protect you. Stay away from our beaches. In fact, just go away. You are a narrow minded leech who needs to get rid of all of their preconceived notions.
gwgreen
No worries about any of that. I live in San Francisco where a car-free lifestyle is practical, though a bit of a hassle when I have to get groceries. At least it keeps me in shape! We have world-class medical facilities less than a mile from my house, so I’ll pass on Duke. NASA is a national program no matter where most of the facilities are located, so I don’t take your argument there. Same with the armed services. And as I don’t want either skin cancer or tar-balls in my toes, you can have your beaches to yourself. Besides, I’ve got an AWESOME beach with an incredible view of the Golden Gate Bridge less than five miles away. Go secede and see how you do!
I have GOT to visit San Francisco!!