Saturday, December 5, 2009

Black Confederate, Dr. R. A. Gwynne, among the last Confederate Veterans of Alabama



This photo is of eight Confederate veterans on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery, attending the last known Confederate veterans reunion in the state, September 27-28, 1944.

Standing, left to right: General William Banks of Houston, Texas; General W. W. Alexander of Rockhill, South Carolina; General J. D. Ford of Marshall, Texas; General T. H. Dowling of Atlanta, Georgia; General James W. Moore of Selma, Alabama; Colonel W. H. Culpepper of Atlanta, Georgia; and General W. M. Buck of Muskogee, Oklahoma. Seated in front is Dr. R. A. Gwynne of Birmingham, Alabama, the only African American to attend the reunion. This image was used and identified in the Alabama Historical Quarterly, Volume 6, page 6 (1944).

Here is a link to the photo in the Alabama Department of Archives and History:  http://216.226.178.196/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/photo&CISOPTR=3185&CISOBOX=1&REC=11

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Posted by at 12:35 PM

7 comments:

  1. Interesting picture. I wonder why the good Dr. is not standing with the rest of them if he was such a good confederate?

    Do we know anything about his service...ie: records, pension info, or is this just a picture you found to continue to promote a myth that has been broken numerous times?
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  2. Corey, why are you so angry? Is it because the irrefutable historical evidence proves you are wrong in your denial that there were many black Confederates? This photo is from the Alabama State Archives and has been verified and posted by the state. They do not say whether or not Dr. Gwynne had trouble standing. After all, he was very old at the time this photo was taken. Are you suggesting that he was unwillingly set in the picture against his will? How absurd!

    Also, why don't you ask about the service records of the white Confederates in the photo? The myth that there were NOT black Confederates is in your own imagination. All of your hatred, denial and wishful thinking does not change the indisputable fact that thousands of blacks, both slave and free, willingly served in the Confederate armed forces, defending their homeland against a brutal, invading northern army.
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  3. "Billy Yank" (aka Corey Meyer) gets zapped! Excellent. Let's hope it's the beginning of a trend. This fellow is merely a troll; an annoying fly.
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  4. The article in the Alabama Historical Quarterly (Vol. 06, No. 01, Spring Issue 1944, available from the same online source) has a several-pages long description of the event, and makes a clear distinction between the white veterans and Dr. Gwynne:

    --quote--

    Commander-in-Chief of the Confederate Veterans, Homer L. Atkinson, of Petersburg, Va., was unable to attend on account of illness. The first Veteran to arrive was Brigadier-General W. M. Buck, of Muscogee, Oklahoma, who has already reached the age of 93 but is remarkably active and came from Muscogee to Montgomery unescorted. The Georgia delegation was sent through the courtesy of Governor Ellis Arnall in a beautiful car escorted by the Georgia State Highway Patrol in charge of Corp. Paul Smith. In the delegation were Col. W. H. Culpepper, 96 years of age and Gen. W. L. Bowling, 97. Other Veterans present were: Gen. J. W. Moore, of Selma, 93 years of age, who was elected at the close of the Reunion to be Commander-in-Chief of the Veterans; J. D. Ford, Marshall, Texas, 95 years of age; W. W. Alexander, Rock Hill, S. C., 98; Gen. William Banks, Houston, Texas, 98; J. A. Davidson, Troy, 100 years of age. All Veterans except Gen. Buch were accompanied by attendants.

    -- end quote --

    A long description of the reunion activities follows, then at the very end:

    -- quote--

    In the group of seven Veterans [sic., eight men total, seven white and one black] that posed for a photograph was one Negro man slave 90 years of age who served in the war as a body guard to his master. This man, Dr. R. A. Gwynne, lives in Birmingham where he is a well known character.

    -- end quote --

    It seems clear from the context that Dr. Gwynne was, even in 1944, considered separate and apart from the white veterans. That's been shown elsewhere, with other Confederate reunions. Images like this of reunions are often presented as evidence of blacks having served as soldiers in the Confederate army, and it is implied that they were considered co-equals with white veterans at the reunions. But when one digs deeper, the actual circumstances of these mens' status -- both in 1861-65 and decades later -- is much more complex.
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  5. More Information found on Dr. Gwynne...

    http://deadconfederates.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/an-update-on-the-last-confederate-reunion/#comment-744
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  6. Well golly gee Andy, he was unique, as the only black in the photo, he deserved to be mentioned separately.

    Heck it isn't like he served in the United States Colored Troops was as we all know a segregated unit from the regular Union forces.

    BTW I notice you trolling the web and all you post in negative comments about the CSA. I honestly cannot say I have ever saw you post any facts. Would it reasonable to think you are somewhat biased in your posting???

    George Purvis
    http://southernheritageadvancementpreservationeducation.com/page.php?4
    ReplyDelete
  7. Being a Brit, I've been interested in the CSA for many years, having "played" at "Rebs and Yanks"(like "cowboys and Indians"-aka Native Americans) from about 8 years of age,later reading what I could about the Civil War of 1861-65,while in the British Army collecting/making diaramas of various battles.There were'nt any movies about the black troops of the Confederacy made at all to my knowledge.The only one I've seen was the 80's "Glory" which followed the Union Army's 54th Infantry.
    ReplyDelete

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