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Re: Flag News
In Response To: Re: Flag News ()

I like the Battle Flag, the Second National even better! Most soldiers signed up under the First National, (or their State Flags)

I’m different from most “Southern Heritagist’s though: I have read the speeches, letters and articles of the Secession leaders and newspapers who were helping to lead the South to disunion. I have a pretty good idea where they were heading.

Texas Congressman John Reagan stated in a letter, (Oct. 19th, 1860) the reoccurring theme that I have heard over & over from other speechifiers and secession monger’s…
“The Constitution of the United States was made by white men, the citizens and representatives of twelve slaveholding and one non-slaveholding State; and it was made for white men. It denied the right of citizenship to the Negro race whether bond or free, and recognized them as property when they are held in bondage. The people of the Southern States now own near five millions of these Negroes, and they are worth to them near three millions of dollars. They constitute an important element in society as well as the wealth of the Republic, and are the chief producers of more than two-thirds of the foreign exports of the Union. They are and ever have been, under all circumstances, and probably ever will be, incapable of free self-government. They are now more intelligent, better fed, better clothed, and more contented and happy than any other equal number of that race in any other part of the world, whether bond or free. The success of the republican doctrines would liberate among us this large number of Negroes, would strike down our agriculture and commerce, involve us inevitably in a war of races, which would result in the murder of many of the white race of all ages and of both sexes, and in the burning and destruction of a large amount of property, and in the ultimate extermination of the Negro race among us. The success of those doctrines would also subvert the Federal Constitution, change the character of the Federal Government, and destroy our rights in respect to slavery. And all this would be done to gratify the passions, and prejudices, and malice of the party of which Mr. Lincoln is the head and representative in this contest, and not because of any pretence even that they have any material or political rights involved in the question.”

The Southern folk in seceding and firing on FT. Sumter did more to bring death and destruction upon themselves than ANY of the evils from emancipation the Southerner’s feared would come about from the slaves. No matter how wrong the North may have been in their treatment of the seceding States, that’s what happened.
A harsh statement, but I can clearly see how racist many in the South were in their thinking. (Again, I’m talking about the Southern attitude)

The South secedes, to make sure their right to Slavery is kept guaranteed. (Reagan speaks well of the Constitutional right to slavery) The North is fired upon by the South, so now there is no turning back from war.
The Battle Flag is created to be different from the opposition’s flag, to help align troops into battle as the tactics of the day prescribed. It was to look conspicuous to its troops, so there would be no confusion WHO it belonged to.
Again, the South split to keep slavery as they wanted it, protecting it from real, or imagined enemies. Without the issue of the South insisting on slavery, there would have been NO war.
Where I have the problem is too many flying the Battle Flag will pound their proverbial chest exclaiming the war was never about slavery & racism. I know different. I have read what was said before the war and what they were preaching, and a lot coming from the South back then is not real pretty to understand in today’s context.

This has had some of the best discussion I have ever read yet on this BB, and much I will agree with, probably to the surprise of some. I just don’t have time to pick thru it all right now.

But, at the same time I know there was a lot to do with white supremacy and racism coming with having slavery, and the secession crisis was over that very issue. The war was brought on by that issue. Folk on this BB will not give credit to that fact, neither will many flying the flag in question.

I understand that the Confederate Soldier fought bravely to follow that flag into battle, to sacrifice themselves if need be to keep it out of the enemies hands. To fight an invader of what they thought to be a lawful country. I look at the picture of the torn remnants of the 39th Georgia Flag that I keep in my toolbox at work, and think, “Wow what it and my ancestors went through.

But I also know that many rightfully know today that it was leading troops to fight a war that was brought on to keep slavery alive, and I have to remind myself of that fact. Too bad that in many instances, it’s a big “up yours” by those who are going out of their way to be antagonistic about it. I know for a fact it’s true with some folk here in Texas, and I shun them.

If someone at work thinks so badly of my Battle Flag picture and raises a protest, I’d take it down, not worth losing a job over. No one has yet, and many of my Black co-workers know my WBTS LH/Reenacting interests, and they have yet to raise a fuss. But I will never tell them slavery had nothing to do about the war, they are smarter than that.

I choose to be more candid about flying the Battle flag than many would like me to be. It would be an abomination to me to fly it out there as a big “Up Yours” as many do now.

I prefer to use it in a respectful manner, and think many are abusing it, and should take it down.

Kevin Dally

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