On Memorial Day, do we honor the confederate soldiers?

Civil War Reenactment Regiments:

Union: 75 (5 of those are in Michigan)
CSA: 55

You may not think about it, but plenty of Northerners are still living it.

BTW: My great-great Grandfather was a Captain in the 94th New York Volunteer Infantry (Belles Jefferson Rifles) just so's there's no ad hominem aspersions tossed around.

 

Reenacting isn't the same thing as the deep seated cultural resentment found in the south. Reenactors like to dress up and pretend to be soldiers. They enjoy the history, pageantry, and camaraderie of reenactments. Often they take turns being soldiers from either side. It's all good fun, but it is history. In some parts of the south, the War Between the States is still an open wound.

As for relatives serving in the war, I had a great-great grandfather who was a cavalry officer in the NY Volunteers, another great-great grandfather who was an artilleryman, and a great (one great) grandfather in the infantry. All were Union, and all survived the war.

Tom

 

I think you have watched Easy Rider or The Beverly Hillbillies too many times. I have never met anyone from the south (SC, NC, VA, MD, GA, mostly) who has ever even mentioned the Civil War - except one guy in GA who was born in Cuba, anyway. Does MD count? A. Lincoln said it did.

That's just my humble experience, anyway.

 

Or maybe just walked around downtown Atlanta.



Tom

 

Just because someone was for the confederacy does not mean they all believed in slavery. Some lived in the south or in a southern state, others were told by family which side to fight on. Lets see I own a japanese car, anyone heard of pearl harbor,Bmw, Mercedes Benz, volkswagen, Audi, Adolf Hitler ? The past is the past move foreward. I honor all soldiers not the political leaders but those who have been in the trenches and know battle, victory and defeat.

 

War is a dirty business - Hell as Gen Sherman said.

Do you think for a moment the vast majority of the Union soldiers were not racist? It just was not quite as bad as the Confederate soldiers that believed in slavery.

You can go to WWII and question firebombing Tokyo, Hamburg, etc.

Just the same, I think the vast majority of Americans serving in our Armed Forces did so honorably. Yes, I know the Confederacy will be brought up, but their descendants have different values.