Confederate Memories

Would that be the one on Steinwehr Ave? It's a place where it's occasionally easy to think you've had too much even when you haven't, as when two Gen. Custer's (stuttering Custer and sutler Custer) were sitting at the bar, copying one another's every move. They had more than one person convinced they were seeing double.

Mailagnas, that is the very one! I think its called Rooneys or something now. I was with an Irish regiment, and we thought it was our duty to close the place every rememberance day! Many a song sung and a Guinness hoisted in that place!

Who did you march with?

Eamon

I was there with the Civil War Heritage Foundation,
http://www.geocities.com/gentrimble/
Sons of Confederate Veterans, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, and BSA Venturing Crew 355.
For Remembrance Day, I march with the SCV, as Commander of the Guy-Thurman Camp, Rochester, NY.

Mailagnas, good stuff! Keep the History alive! We were probably within a couple of yards of each other, at onetime or another!

Eamon

I have tried to read each and every post on this thread.
So here goes (gulp) this is about thinking not stirring
Today is Dec, 23, 2003 and this topic will go on forever I'm sure, here or somewhere else.

Here are some of my loose ends Id like to mention.

The Emancipation Proclamation was not written until two years into the war for the purpose of strenthening the resolve of Northerners who were tired of getting bodies sent back in boxes.

Arlington National Cemetary was property owned by General Robert E. Lee. General Lee had went home to defend his home in the South.

Regarding Reparations - If the descendants of southern slaves get reparations will the decendants of the owners of the slaves get reparations for property taken?
Personally for me the issue of reparations is a dead issue.

Would Blacks who fought for the South be considered evil? ( they fought to keep a system of slavery, although they were promised their own freedom if they fought)

I work with Black Americans everyday. I have Black American friends. The similiar chord about America i hear them mention is the pervasive way they are slighted, somtimes individually and sometimes corporately by people who sometimes don't have a clue they are being offensive. I saw President Johnson sign the Civil Rights Act in 1965. It has been 38 years since that signing.The Uncivil War has been more than 100 yrs since the end,


The last thing Id like to add. Any military commander knows you should not humanize your enemy. You should vilify him to your troops to be effective.
When you "give him a face" it is harder to fight. The problem is the enemy of both sides already had a face. There were people who met on the battlefield the people they loved, their brother, neighbor, uncle. This Uncivil War tore up lives and hearts. I say Confederate Soldiers are owed their due. They fought with smaller numbers, often outmaneuvered their counterparts to do what? Keep their legal way of life and protect their homeland.

I realize my post show definite conflict, thats America

Merry Christmas

Knightly Knight, great summation! I'm clapping here!

I don't know if anyone saw it but there was a good program on the history channel yesterday about Abe Lincoln. I did discuss the war and discussed all the attempts on Lincolns life. They brought forth the side of life where a wife (Mary Todd Lincoln) discussed her role in her husbands life and her worry about the attempts on her husbands life. This program made you see them more as a regular family with all the concerns for each other not as a PRESIDENT.
Very good program.

Annabelle

Sorry to butt in this late, but this is the first time I actually seen this threat.. else I'd have been in further.

As a German most of the Generalisations done about WW2 together with Nazis and Germans are .. to say it tamely.. annoying me a great lot.

Nazis were the Government and those that stood to it. That is NOT the majority of people in Germany at that time.
The Military was brought up under the German Empire (as small as it was), and most that joined later did so under the Weimarer Republik.
It was independent from the Government, but had to do what those sitting on top said.

One of the most serious Hitler assassination attempts came from within the Military. For those that are interested: read something about Stauffenberg.

The German government DID NOT try to kill everyone non-aryan. Hitler wasn't even there when the "Endlösung" was discussed in the Hotel at the Wannsee in Berlin. The idea was to put Aryans on top of everything else.

The war was started in order to get more land for the "Volk ohne Raum" (People without room). Hitler had the great plan to expand Germany to the east, enslaving the slawish people in that turn because they were Slawen, destined to be slaves under the Aryan race. They simply wanted to conquer Russia.

In a conference in München before the war, the British, French and Russians decided to give the Germans a big piece of Czechia in order to avoid war (Chamberlain was the prime minister of GB at that time).
Some time later the sad attack on Poland began ("Seit heute morgen, 6 Uhr, wird zurückgeschossen" - Since this morning, 6 o'clock, we're firing back)

The German army fought because they had to do what they were told. As does every army in this world I dare say.

I honor those of my family that fell in both World Wars, they fought because it was their job. My Great Grandfather had the command over a submarine in WW2 and since he never did anything to actually support the Nationalist Government, he was cleared by the allies to help building up a new German Navy. He became an Admiral later in his life and he was proud of what he accomplished. They didn't fight for ideals, but for their lives, because once war started, only victory, loss or truce can stop it.

I am going to name my child in his memory, he was a dear old man and I miss him sorely.

If American's get annoyed by the fact that what we learn in School about the Civil War, I can understand that.
But I get annoyed with people that don't want to understand that WW1 as well as WW2 are very very much misunderstood all over the world.

I will add one of my favourite quotes here and that it is of Hermann Goering adds even more historical value to it.

http://www.snopes.com/quotes/goering.htm

AD,

Unfortunately, most American schools teach history as simply memorizing names, places and dates. They teach 4 of the 5 "W's": Who, What, Where and When. They usually gloss over the most important one: Why. That gets filled in by Hollywood, and we all know how "accurate" they are. And this goes for American as well as world history.

I agree with you. Honor the poor guys who are told where to go and whom to fight, regardless of their uniform.

Just my tuppence.

Andy

Very interesting! WWII now?

I think it basically goes for every war.. I might not honor the cause but I will always think of the poor souls that have to experience war.

Alike for what side/cause they fought, they should be remembered for the fact that they fought for their lives.


In the historic view of wars the common soldiers are too often forgotten.

Exactly right, AD!!

This is why I love reenacting. It enables me to teach people about what the daily life of a lowly private soldier in the British Army in the 1770's was like. Not the generals, colonels or ministers of various offices. The lowly grunt, the infantryman who soldiers for a living. It always amazes me that people know so little about the miserable life that soldiers led.

For example, when I explain that 5 men shared my tent with me, they look at it and shake their heads in disbelief. It is 7 ft long, 6 ft wide and 6 ft tall. They just can't picture it. So, my mess mates and I demonstrate. They leave with a little bit better picture of the travails of the common soldier.

Just my tuppence.

Andy

hehe, reminds me of the "Dackelrennbahn" of the German Army (German Dachshund Race Track). It's the standart issue tent, barely big enough for 1 person, two are meant to sleep in it *grins*

Annabelle, thanks for the applause. I hope i can still bow LOL


Heres a thought
a few wars are fought for freedom, most are fought by the poor for the rich.
by Knightly Knight

and who isn't aware of that should actually try to think once in their lives...

it isn't always though, my great grandfather was drafted even though he had no interest in war, nor was he poor...

War, sad but necessary sometimes.

A