Fort Sanders Monument: Memorial for the Dead or Lost Cause Propaganda?

The national debate surrounding Confederate monuments came home for the city of Knoxville this past weekend. A planned rally took place in the city in support of a local monument dedicated to Confederate soldiers who died at the Battle of Fort Sanders. According to local news affiliate the Knoxville News Sentinel, the rally was relatively peaceful with no violence, one arrest, and a lot of shouting. A source (yes, I’m being vague, get over it) told me that the event was first advertised on Stormfront, a white supremacist website, and that the organizer has ties to Christian Identity Groups and Neo-Nazis. Some members of the counter protest showed up with an ANTIFA banner but there was not any sign of black masks or assaults.

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Descendants of Alexander Stephens Speak Out

Over the past few weeks I’ve written a couple of posts concerning the issue of Confederate monuments. Two of those posts dealt with the perspectives of Robert E. Lee and the descendants of a few prominent Confederates. Well, I can add one more to the list: the descendants of Alexander Stephens, Vice President of the Confederacy.

Hanging out with Unionists, Waiting on the Eclipse

I’m in Blue Ridge, GA waiting on the Eclipse. This cute little town is in the totality path. While waiting, I came across this.  

Happy Eclipse everyone! 

‘sons’ of Confederate Veterans Speak Out on Confederate Monuments

Not to be confused with the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV).

After the very unfortunate events in Charlottesville, many have come to the forefront to express their concerns and views on Confederate monuments. Opinions have come in from all corners of the political spectrum as well as the historical and the heritage communities. Out of this cacophony, a few more voices emerged with an interesting connection to he past.  The ancestors of Generals Robert E. Lee, Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson and Confederate President Jefferson Davis, some of the more prolific figures commemorated, have spoken out on Confederate monuments? 

Robert E. Lee Got it Right

Robert E. Lee is usually set upon a pedestal, both literally and figuratively, as an example of what one might call southern honor and manhood. His supporters typically whitewash his relationship with slavery in this portrayal of all things south opting to depict him as not a racist, just someone subjected to the time and practices which he was born into. The reality is far different but facts never seem to get in the way of these views of Lee. That includes his post-war years where he is held up us a figure of humility and reconciliation.

Welcome to My New Classroom

As some of you are aware I changed schools this past school year. I will now be teaching U.S. and World History (regular and AP for both) at Lumpkin County High School. I’m really excited for this excellent opportunity as well as the challenge of taking on AP level curriculum for both of these subject areas. I am currently in pre-planning mode and because I changed schools that means a heavy amount of classroom set-up. I’m about 95% finished but I went ahead and shot this video to give everyone a look inside.

From the Holler!: “I’M TECH DEPRIVED!!!”

 

Greetings! Unfortunately, my computer access is severely limited. My old computer is kaput. This is the primary reason for the lack of posts as of late. However, I hope to get things going soon. Until then, here are some tidbits. 

Nash Farm Battlefield Saga

News broke yesterday that the Nash Farm Battlefield Museum would close by June 1. This came after a request from County Commissioner Dee Clemmons to remove Confederate Battle Flags from inside the museum. Earlier stories indicated that Clemmons also requested all Confederate “paraphernalia” be removed. The news cycle has changed and even the story which included that quote yesterday no longer does. Now that the story has gained more traction, even more information has come to light. 

Removal of Confederate Flag Leads to Museum Closure

News broke today that the Nash Farm Battlefield Museum in Henry County, GA is going to close up shop. This came in apparent response to a request by Dee Clemmons, a County Commissioner, to “remove their Confederate flags and paraphernalia.” You can read about it here but I’ll give a brief summations. The museum is owned by Henry County. Nash Farm Battlefield Museum houses various artifacts and clothing exhibitions as well as history about the farm itself. According to the Henry Herald, much of the museums exhibitions are loans from private citizens. One such citizen pulled his collection. This prompted the County Board to close the museum. I plan to take a more in-depth look at this but I’m going to refrain from doing so at this time. WSB-TV is supposed to run the story at 4PM. This will hopefully provide a better look outlook on what happened.

Brief Comments on Monument Removal

Updates Below

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The news of the removal of various Civil War & Reconstruction monuments in New Orleans is certainly making its rounds. I have not devoted a lot of time or energy to commenting on the issue of monument removal thus far, outside of few statements on Facebook and Twitter. However, as someone who grew up in a South where these monuments blanket the countryside, I want to establish my position on this issue.