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A Sesquicentennial Celebration
You may have noticed recently an increase of civil war related posts here on the blog. There’s a reason for that. This year marks the Sesquicentennial of the war of northern aggression, a far more appropriate label since the term ‘civil war’ is not quite accurately descriptive enough for me, and let’s face it, there was nothing civil about it.
My beloved Virginia, the heart of the confederacy, is leading the way with events, some of which will be taking place in Blacksburg, and that’s a good thing. It draws awareness to an historically much abused event in our nations history – mostly from the winners of that late unpleasantness. After all, the winners get to write the history, and boy have they been telling some tall tales for 150 years and brainwashing the public in everything from myths of the Lincoln cult to Southern slavery and much, much more.
I first became interested in the history of the war in the early 1980’s during the shooting of the film The Blue and The Gray which was being made on and near the University campus I attended. Many of us had the privilege of taking part in the film as extras. Later, prior to the release of the much acclaimed film God’s and Generals, I had opportunity to have a brief discussion with Ron Maxwell, the film’s director, and managed at the same time to raise the ire of Virginia Tech civil war guru James Robertson, who apparently disagreed with my statement that the war was not fought over slavery, but revenue and power.
Well, as I’ve said before, history is important, and so is the truth of it. I intend to scatter some of that truth on occasional posts. I’ve already posted a few on that godly example for every Christian, Stonewall Jackson. There is a man who was a friend to the Negro, set up Sunday Schools and educated many slaves and freed men, helping them to learn to read the Bible.
There are reasons we Virginians celebrate the lives of Lee and Jackson you know. Both men were godly Christians, concerned for the glory of God both in and out of war. If you’re a Southron, you’ll be tickled I imagine; if not, you may get riled if you continue to read this blog, but at least I’ll have the opportunity to slip some actual education into your sub consciousness and that suits me just fine.
Now, just so there’s no misunderstanding, I am pro-South with family ties to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and the more I learn the stronger my convictions, so don’t bother trying to change my mind by trying to persuade me that Lincoln was a honorable President or other such nonsense.
‘Round here, that dog just won’t hunt.
President Obama based his “war” against Libya on the fact that the leader of that country had raised an army against his own people. Interesting isn’t it. Let’s face facts as noble as it sounds very few wars, if any, are fought for purely humanitarian reasons. Money and power is what motivates the world. Just as it did in the War of Northern Agression. The then president of the U.S. raised an army and invaded a part of his own country. Many who didn’t even own slaves had no choice but to defend their homes and states. Remember at that time the states had rights and the federal government was not the massive centralized power it is now and one’s identity was much more tied to their state.
So now we have a huge government that makes slaves of us all by keeping us dependent on (Social Security, welfare, even health care).
You may well imagine the education I, as a native Ohioan, received from the public system. Ohio, after all, sent more men into the fray than any other northern state. But all my people were still in Europe in those days, so I maintain the ‘war between the states’ as a sort of personal neutrality title for the conflict.
When I was a boy, there lived in my neighborhood a woman who was rumored to have been a slave and who had once seen Lincoln. July fourth and Armistice Day parades always featured ‘civil war’ veterans (the last union vet was outlived by a number of his southern counterparts). I am surrounded by landmarks– Morgan had been imprisoned at, and had escaped from the Ohio State Penitentiary, a few miles from my boyhood home, and a little further away was (still is) the cemetery of Camp Chase, where southern POWs were interred.
Most notable to me, however, are the numerous landmark sites of the ‘underground railroad’, testifying that slavery, however one may choose to address it, was not an altogether noble institution. Blacks did not risk their lives and those of their families in fearful and daring flights to freedom because of their contentment with their lot as property. One must be careful to always bear in mind that geography and political ideals can never equate to righteousness– the south, as the north, was populated with sinners, their sinfulness varying only in manner of expression. Neither was the north particularly kinder to the displaced negro than the south had been. But Christ’s disciples in both locales showed the kindness and love due to their fellow creatures and soujourners.
This comment may seem like an aimless wander down memory lane, but its point is to say that neither idealism, geography, nor any other factor contributes anything to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, whom alone “of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1Cor.1:30-31).
Not suggesting that you have implied otherwise– just attempting to exercise the arthritic ache out of my typing fingers with some worthwhile end in view: that Jesus Christ be praised.
Thanks for the post.
I am a southerner by birth and heritage. I struggle with how to address the fact that many of my ancestors participated and some died fighting for the Confederacy.
At the risk of being forward, I wouuld submit a blog entry I made recently in hopes that it would add to the discussion.
http://judson2history.wordpress.com/2010/08/18/is-morality-relative-to-time-and-place/
— Judson
Submission received, and may be answered.