Planting the Confederate Flag at Shuri Castle, Okinawa

By LCDR Joseph D Haines, Medical Corps, USN

Only the Normandy D-Day invasion surpassed Okinawa in its scope, preparation, and forces employed. More than 548,000 Americans participated in the Okinawa invasion on 1 April 1945, an Easter Sunday. Curiously, there was virtually no resistance as they stormed the beaches. They soon discovered that the Japanese Imperial Army and Navy had literally gone underground, having spent a year forcing Okinawan slaves to dig their underground defenses. Eighty-three days of fierce combat were required to finally defeat the Japanese.

The newly organized American 10th Army conducted the invasion of Okinawa. The 10th, commanded by LTG Simon Bolivar Buckner, was composed of the XXIV Corps, made up of veteran Army units including the 7th, 27th, 77th, and 96th Infantry Divisions, and the III Amphibious Corps, with three batde-hardened Marine divisions, the 1st, 2d, and 6th. LTG Buckner's tactics were summarized by his statement, "The main thing is to lick the Japs. It doesn't much matter where or how we do it."

One of the most significant milestones in the Okinawan campaign was the taking of Shuri Castle, the underground headquarters of the Japanese Imperial Army. After 2 months of fighting the Japanese, the 6th Marines and the Army's 7th Division were moving south, nearing Shuri Castle. MajGen Pedro del Valle commanded the 6th Marines. Following a hard fight at Dakeshi Town, del Valles Marines engaged in a bloody battle at the improbably named Wana Draw.

The draw stretched 800 yards and was covered by Japanese guns from its 400-yard entrance to its narrow exit. The exit provided the key to Shuri Castle. The Japanese were holed up in caves the entire length of the draw and had to be eradicated in man- to- man combat.

While the Marines batded through the mud and blood up the draw, the Army's 77th Division was approaching Shuri from the east. To the west, the 6th Marines were pushing into the capital city of Naha. Faced with this overwhelming force, Japanese GEN Ushijima's army retreated to the south.

On 29 May, Able Company, Red Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, commanded by South Carolina native Capt Julius Dusenberg, approached to within 800 yards of Shuri Castle. The castle lay within the zone of the 77th Infantry Division, known as the Statue of Liberty Boys. However, GEN Ushijima's rear guard had stalled the 77this advance.

Impatient, MajGen del Valle ordered Capt Dusenberg to "take that damned place if you can. I'll make the explanations." Dusenberg radioed back, "Will do!" Dusenberg's Marines stormed the stone fortress, quickly dispatching a detachment of Japanese soldiers who had remained behind. Once the casde had been taken, Dusenberg took off his hel- met and removed a flag he had been car- rying for just such a special occasion. He raised the flag at the highest point of the casde and let loose with a rebel yell. The flag waving overhead was not the Stars and Stripes, but the Confederate Stars and Bars. Most of the Marines joined in the yell, but a disapproving New Englander supposedly remarked, "What does he want now? Should we sing 'Dixie?'"

MG Andrew Bruce, the commanding general of the 77th Division, protested to the 10th Army that the Marines had stolen his prize. But LTG Buckner only mildly chided MajGen del Valle saying, "How can I be sore at him? My father fought under that flag!"

LTG Buckner's father was the Confederate BG Buckner who had surrendered Fort Donelson to then-BG Ulysses S. Grant in 1862. The Confederate Battle Flag flew only 2 days over Shuri Castle before the Stars and Stripes were formally raised on 31 May. Dusenberg's flag was first lowered and presented to LTG Buckner as a souvenir. LTG Buckner remarked, "Okay! Now, let's get on with the war!" Tragically, on 18 June, just days before Okinawa fell, an enemy shell killed LTG Buckner on Mezido Ridge while he was observing a Marine attack.

Author's Note: Supporting facts may be found in Iving Werstein's book, Okinawa: The Last Ordeal, Crowell Company. New York, 1968.

Sources here:  http://freenorthcarolina.blogspot.com/2011/07/wwii-okinawa-confederates-storming.html

and here: http://www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck/confederates-shuri-castle-november-2009

Thanks to Marshall Hester for suggesting this story.

The Code of Confederate Flag Etiquette

From www.ConfederateColonel.com

T H E   C O D E  OF

C O N F E D E R A T E  F L A G  E T I Q U E T T E

A  G U I D E  T O  T H E  R E S P E C T F U L  US E  A N D  DI S P L A Y  O F  T H E
F L A G S  A N D  S Y M B O L S  O F
T H E  C O N F E D E R A T E  S T A T E S  O F  A M E R I C A

PREAMBLE
The flag and other symbols of the Confederate States of America represent the dreams of a Southern nation for which our ancestors sacrificed their lives and their fortunes, and for the high and noble standards that we should once again strive for. The flags and other symbols of the Confederate States of America should be treated with the highest respect and never used or modified in a manner that diminishes the image of a great and noble South. Use of the Confederate flag should be held to the same high standards as any other national flag.

DEFINITIONS
The Flag is defined as any of the flags used by the Confederate States of America. This includes:
a. First National or Stars and Bars
b. Second National or Stainless Banner
c. Third National
d. Bonnie Blue Flag
e. Confederate Battle Flag
f. Confederate Naval Jack
g. Any object which the average person seeing the same without deliberation may believe the same to represent the flag, colors, standard, or ensign of the Confederate States of America.

MODIFICATIONS AND USE OF THE FLAG
The flag should never be modified in any way. It should be displayed as originally designed without alteration.
The basic flag design my be incorporated into the logo of an organization only if it is done in such a manner as to hold the Confederate States of America in the highest respect.
The flag, or design elements of the flag, should never be used to associate The South or the Confederate States of America with any other political or social agenda.

Examples of ACCEPTABLE incorporation into a design are:
a. Sons of Confederate Veterans logo
b. United Daughters of The Confederacy logo
c. State flags

Examples of UNACCEPTABLE incorporation into a design are:
a. Images of the Confederate flag, or design elements of the flag, combined with images of skulls, motorcycles, or other objects that detract from the honor and respect due the flag.

Examples of UNACCEPTABLE use of the flag:
a. The Confederate flag with images of skulls, motorcycles, or any other object.
b. The Confederate flag incorporated into any article of clothing. An exception to this is neck ties and lapel pins that have traditionally been used to respectfully display patriotic symbols.

Examples of ACCEPTABLE use of the flag image:
a. Bunting or similar material used for patriotic decoration which includes design elements of the Confederate flag, or images of the flag such that it is clearly not being used as a flag. Examples would be the flag: depicted furled, on a staff, carried in battle, in a memorial arrangement.

DISPLAY OF THE FLAG
No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the Confederate States of America; the flag should not be dipped to any person or thing.
(a) The flag should never be displayed with the field down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.
(b) The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.
(c) The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.
(d) The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free.
(e) The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way.
(f) The flag should never be used as a covering for a ceiling.
(g) The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature. An exception to this is unit markings on the flag when used by historical re-enactors.
(h) The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.
(i) The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the flag is flown.
(j) No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations. The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing. Therefore, the lapel flag pin being a replica, should be worn on the left lapel near the heart.
(k) The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.

FOLDING THE FLAG
To fold the flag, two persons face each other and hold the flag waist high and horizontally between them. They fold the lower half of the flag lengthwise over the upper half; then fold it again in the same manner. The person holding the fly end folds the lower right corner to the upper edge to form a triangle, folds the outer point inward to form a second triangle, and continues to fold the flag in triangles until the entire length of the flag is folded, ending with the hoist end to the outside.

OCCASIONS FOR DISPLAY
(a) Display on buildings and stationary flagstaffs in open.
Night display: It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed twenty-four hours a day. It is preferred that the flag be properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.
(b) Manner of hoisting
The flag should be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously.
(c) Inclement weather
The flag should not be displayed on days when the weather is inclement, except when an all weather flag is displayed.
(d) Particular days of display
The flag should be displayed on all days, especially on:
January 19 – Robert E. Lee Birthday – Confederate Heroes Day (TX)
January 21 – Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson Birthday
February 22 – Confederate Independence Day (Founding of the C.S.A. / Jefferson Davis inaugurated)
March 4 – Confederate Flag Day
March 27 – Confederate Day of Prayer, designated by President Jefferson Davis in 1863 as a day of “fasting, humiliation, and prayer” in the Confederate States
April 26 – Confederate Memorial Day (AL, FL, GA, MS)
May 10 – Confederate Memorial Day (NC, SC); “Stonewall” Jackson died
May 30 – Confederate Memorial Day (VA)
June 3 – Confederate Memorial Day (KY, LA, TN); Jefferson Davis Birthday
October 12 – Robert E. Lee died
December 6 – Jefferson Davis died

---

Notes and References

1. The Code of Confederate Flag Etiquette was compiled by Stephen Clay McGehee (ConfederateColonel.com) in April 2008 and was adopted by the Military Order of The Stars and Bars in July 2011.
2. This document is intended to be international in scope; the display of the Confederate flag in conjunction with the flag of a sovereign state is not addressed.
3. This document is based on the following:
a. UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 36, CHAPTER 10
b. UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 18, CHAPTER 33
c. UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 4, CHAPTER 1
d. Florida Statutes 256.10 and 256.051
e. UDC Flag Code (http://www.hqudc.org/ info/flag_code.pdf)

---

Revisions
05/30/2008 – Display Section (g)

---

© 2008 Stephen Clay McGehee
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
For distribution details, see: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Attribution link to www.confederatecolonel.com

(PDF version of the document)

Learn more at this link to Confederate Colonel:  http://www.confederatecolonel.com/resources/flag-etiquette/

Middle School Student suspended for wearing Confederate Flag Shirt

By Lisa Coryell,

The Times of Trenton

Newspaper photo courtesy of the West family.

 A Kreps Middle School parent who says her daughter was suspended for wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the image of the confederate flag says the school overstepped its boundaries and violated her daughter’s right to free speech.

Jane West says she’s thinking about withdrawing her daughter, Torri Albrecht, from the school even as district officials insist that the flag — viewed by many as a racially charged symbol — was not the reason the girl was suspended.

“They’re saying that now because they know they really went too far this time,” West said. “If there wasn’t a problem with the sweatshirt, why did the vice principal call at 10 after 8 on Monday to demand that I bring a change of clothes for my daughter?”

“He told me he had a bunch of students and a bunch of teachers come into his office to say they were disturbed by it,” she said.

West said she told the assistant principal, Jermaine Blount, he was crazy if he thought she was coming out with a change of clothes for the eighth-grader.

“The Indian kids wear their turbans. The Jewish kids wear their yarmulkes. That’s their birthright,” she said. “I told him that Torri was born in Virginia. That flag is her heritage and I’m not telling her to take it off. He said ‘I guess she’ll have to suffer the consequences.’”

West said before heading to the school she called her daughter’s cell phone to tell her not to follow any orders to turn the sweatshirt inside out.

When she got to the school she was told that her daughter had been given a one-day suspension, she said.

No stranger to run-ins with school administrators at Kreps over issues involving her daughter, West said she’d had enough. She told her daughter to clean out her locker because she wasn’t coming back to school.

District Superintendent Edward Forsthoffer III disputed West’s account.

“No student was suspended for wearing an inappropriate shirt,” he said. He declined to say why Albrecht was suspended, citing student confidentiality policies.

Speaking in generalities, he said the district has a dress code that bans any clothing that causes a substantial disturbance in school.

“We’d rather be proactive than reactive,” he said. “Ninety-nine times out of 100, when asked, students say ‘OK, I’ll change.’ Some want to make an issue of it for ulterior motives. If there’s defiance involved, if there’s profanity involved (in the refusal to change clothing), certainly we’d have to respond appropriately.”

The battle flag of Confederate forces in the Civil War is widely regarded as one of the most controversial symbols from American history. Many see it as a symbol of racism while others consider it a part of familial and cultural heritage.

West says she and her daughter are in the latter group.

“We are so far from prejudiced,” she said. “My older daughter is biracial. For Torri this was about expressing herself. It was about saying ‘I’m from the South and I’m proud of it.’ She didn’t do it to cause hurt feelings.”

There's more.  See the full story here: http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2011/11/east_windsor_teen_suspended_ov.html

Texas Sons of Confederate Veterans file Lawsuit against the DMV



Image from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles

The Texas Division Sons of Confederate Veterans has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, asserting  that the DMV infringed on the Confederate's free speech rights by refusing to issue a specialty license plate which would have featured a Confederate flag. Below is a press release from the Texas SCV which was issued in conjunction with the filing of the lawsuit: 

On  December 8th, 2011 a complaint was filed in pursuant of 42
U.S.C. §1983 to vindicate the rights secured to the “Texas Division Sons
of Confederate Veterans” by the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the
Constitution.

The Texas SCV is a non-profit organization that works diligently to
preserve the memory and reputation of the Confederate soldiers,
emphasizing the virtues of their fight for the preservation of liberty
and freedom. Like many other non-profit organizations in Texas, the
Texas SCV sought from the State of Texas, through the Department Motor
Vehicles Board, approval of a specialty license plate, both to raise
awareness of their endeavors and to raise additional money to fund their
activities.

This action is in regards to the recent denial of the specialty license
application presented to the Department of Motor Vehicles Board by the
Texas Division Sons of Confederate Veterans. Currently, the SCV has
specialty automobile license plates available to vehicle drivers in
Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, Maryland, Mississippi, Louisiana,
South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

The Texas SCV initially applied for a specialty license plate in Texas
with the Department of Transportation, the proper agency at the time, in
August 2009. That application was denied by the Department of
Transportation.

In 2009, the Texas Legislature amended the Transportation Code to
provide that the Department of Motor Vehicles, rather than the
Department of Transportation, was charged with issuing specialty license
plates. The license plate function moved to the new Department of Motor
Vehicles on November 1, 2009. At the time the Texas SCV reapplied with
the new governing department, to hopefully have a specialty plate in
advance of the Civil War Sesquicentennial, April 12, 2011. The official
public comments were heavily in favor of the Texas SCV’s application for
a specialty plate. Following commentary by both proponents and
opponents, the Board rejected the SCV plate at the hearing by an 8-0
vote without any discussion. At the same hearing, the Buffalo Soldiers
plate, without any discussion, was approved by a 5-3 vote. Since the
Department of Motor Vehicle Board has been charged with issuing
specialty license plates, the Sons of the Confederate Veterans plate is
the first, and only, to be rejected.

Through the members of the Department of Motor Vehicles Board, the State
of Texas has discriminated against the Texas SCV based on the ideas and
message that the Texas SCV supports, in clear violation of the First
Amendment. The Board seeks to bar the Texas SCV from expressing their
viewpoint while allowing all other groups to express their viewpoint:
this type of restriction is exactly the type which the First Amendment
is designed to erase. The only guideline that the Transportation Code
has to offer, which the Board referenced as its reason for rejecting the
plate, is that the Board can reject a plate “if the design might be
offensive to any member of the public…” This, however, cannot be the
standard. It is vague and indeterminable. Essentially, it is no
standard at all to say that the Board can discriminate based upon a
viewpoint if such speech is offensive to anyone. The First Amendment
clearly protects controversial speech. Additionally, even if simply
being “offensive to any member of the public” was sufficient to allow
for rejection, the State has approved numerous plates that are
“offensive to any member of the public.” In fact, the plate approved the
very same day as the Texas SCV plate was rejected – the Buffalo Soldier
plate – is offensive to Native Americans because the all-black cavalry
helped fight Native Americans in the Indian Wars from 1867-1888.

Accordingly, the Texas SCV seeks appropriate injunctive relief,
requiring the State of Texas to approve the Texas SCV’s application and
implement the specialty plate.

Granvel J. Block
Commander Texas Division
Sons of Confederate Veteran

Georgia Power backs down over Confederate Flag

Atlanta - Earlier this year, Georgia Power twice removed Confederate flags from the graves of veterans buried in the Yellow Dirt Baptist Cemetery located within the grounds of Plant Wansley.  When Georgia Power failed to respond to concerns of family members of the veterans buried in the cemetery, the families decided to contact the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans for help.  Following several weeks of activity by members of the local SCV camp, the Haralson Invincibles Camp #673, as well as support from the entire Georgia Division, Georgia Power spokesman Mark Williams finally acknowledged the families' concerns and admitted that Georgia Power and it's parent company, the Southern Company, do not have authority to control the cemetery where veterans are buried.

Family members have expressed their appreciation to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the largest heritage preservation organization in the state and across America.  Georgia Division Commander Jack Bridwell spoke on behalf of the SCV, "We are happy to see that Georgia Power has finally acknowledged that it has no authority to remove flags from the graves of these veterans, and we are happy to have been able to provide help to these families who wished to honor their ancestors.  It is unfortunate that Georgia Power refused to honor the requests of the family members until our organization became involved.  We will continue to fight for the preservation of Southern heritage and the respect of veterans across Georgia whenever such violations as these by Georgia Power occur; and we appreciate the outpouring of appreciation shown to the SCV by local residents and elected officials of Heard County.

Defenders of the Confederate flags that decorate grave sites at the Yellow Dirt Baptist Church cemetery - photo from article by Josh Lindenbaum.

Despite acknowledging their errors, however, neither Georgia Power nor the Southern Company have issued an apology to the families for removing the flags; nor have they restored the flags that were originally taken by Georgia Power employees.  Georgia Power spokesman Konswello Monroe previously admitted that the company took the flags in a statement to the media: "Yes, we did remove those flags that were put up October 8, and we will be monitoring. If they are put back up we will remove them once again."  The families of the veterans buried in the cemetery have not yet decided whether or not to press charges for the theft of the flags or the violation of the state and federal laws which protect the graves and flags of veterans.  Family members and SCV leaders will be meeting within the next several days to discuss whether or not to have warrants issued for the arrest of Georgia Power officials.

For more information about Georgia Power's decision to restore the Confederate flags at the Yellow Dirt Baptist Cemetery, please contact Jack Bridwell, Division Commander of the Georgia Sons of Confederate Veterans at 1-866-SCV-in-GA or online at www.GeorgiaSCV.org . 

Thanks to Marshall Hester for submitting this story.   

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Confederate Symbols become issue in U.S. Presidential Race

This image provided by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles shows the design of a proposed Sons of Confederate Veterans license plate. Eleven years ago, when the NAACP stepped up a campaign to remove the Confederate battle flag from statehouses and other government buildings across the South, it found an opponent in then Lt. Gov. Rick Perry. Perry argued that states should honor their history and decide on appropriate displays. A related issue may rise this fall when Texas decides whether to allow specialty license plates featuring the Confederate flag. Photo: Texas Department Of Motor Vehicles / AP       

WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press 

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Eleven years ago, when the NAACP stepped up a campaign to remove the Confederate battle flag from statehouses and other government buildings across the South, it found an opponent in Rick Perry.

Texas had a pair of bronze plaques with symbols of the Confederacy displayed in its state Supreme Court building. Perry, then lieutenant governor, said they should stay put, arguing that Texans "should never forget our history."

It's a position Perry has taken consistently when the legacy of the Civil War has been raised, as have officials in many of the other former Confederate states. But while defense of Confederate symbols and Southern institutions can still be good politics below the Mason-Dixon line, the subject can appear in a different light when officials seek national office.

For Perry, now Texas governor for 11 years and in the top tier of Republican presidential candidates, a racial issue is already dogging him.

He took criticism over the weekend for a rock outside the Texas hunting camp his family once leased that had the name Niggerhead painted on it. Perry's campaign says the governor's father painted over the rock to cover the name soon after he began leasing the site in the early 1980s and says the Perry family never controlled, owned or managed the property. But rival Herman Cain, the only black Republican in the race, says the rock symbolizes Perry's insensitivity to race.

A related issue may rise this fall when Texas decides whether to allow specialty license plates featuring the Confederate flag. The plates have been requested by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, a nonprofit organization Perry has supported over the years. A state board he appointed will decide.

The NAACP says its initiative against "glorification" of slave-state symbols remains ongoing. "The romanticism around the Old South," said Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP's Washington Bureau. "It's a view of history that ignores how racism became a tool to maintain a system of supremacy and dominance."

Perry campaign spokesman Mark Miner did not return messages seeking comment on the matter. But Granvel Block, the Texas Division commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, said the organization appreciated Perry's position on such issues.

Read the rest of the story here:  http://www.chron.com/news/article/Perry-once-defended-Confederate-symbols-2201378.php

Confederates in North Dakota

Earlier this summer, while on a road trip through the northwestern United States, I was tickled to see the Confederate Bar and Grill, proudly displaying the Confederate Battle Flag, in McClusky, North Dakota.  Confederates, and Confederate sympathisers, are not confined to the Southern states. In my travels I've seen many other businesses and individuals proudly displaying the Confederate flag throughout the United States and even in many other countries of the world. 

I would have enjoyed talking to the owner of the bar to hear the story of how the establishment got its name, but unfortunately it was early in the morning and the place was not yet open for the day.

Interestingly, McClusky is the county seat of Sheridan County, North Dakota, named for the notorious Yankee war criminal and Union General Philip Henry Sheridan.  After the War Between the States was ended, and Sheridan couldn't slaughter any more innocent Southerners, he still had a sadistic, unquenchable lust for blood.  He turned his attention from the Southern States and directed his sick fury against the Plains Indians, being credited with the saying, "The only good Indian is a dead Indian."  Sheridan had first gained notoriety by raping, robbing, and ransacking Virginia's beautiful Shenandoah Valley and its inhabitants  Now he continued his infamy by committing genocide against Native Americans - most of whom, like the Confederates, only wanted to be left alone.

As a reward for his murderous deeds, all done in the name of "defending" the United States of America, Sheridan had several towns and counties named in his honor by the grateful European settlers who were only too eager to help steal the Indian's land from them - treaties be damned.  The Indians that couldn't be killed were imprisoned in internment camps called "reservations" where many of their impoverished descendants live to this day.  Since so many Indians from various tribes joined in the noble Confederate cause, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that a freedom loving Native American owns the Confederate Bar and Grill.

Historic Hertford Mural features Confederate Solider saluting Flag

While visiting the coastal city of Hertford, Perquimans County, North Carolina, was intrigued to see this historical mural along Church Street in the downtown area.  The mural was painted in 1983 and is comprised of many images of Hertford's History.  The feature which first caught my eye was the large Confederate battle flag in the upper right hand corner, being saluted by a soldier in gray.  Other images include Indians, Pilgrims, seagulls, local landmark buildings and the town symbol, a turtle on a log.  I was a both puzzled and a bit amused to see that a New York Yankees baseball cap is at the lower left hand corner of the Confederate flag.  Is there some significance to this, of was it just put there by the whimsy of the artist?    If you know more about the mural, please leave a response.

Howard County, Maryland, Confederate Monument

This Confederate Memorial, prominently placed  in front of the Howard County Courthouse, Ellicott City, Maryland, was dedicated on September 23, 1948.  It honors the brave men of Howard County who defended their sovereign state of Maryland from Abraham Lincoln's invading Yankee army during his illegal  War to Prevent Southern Independence, 1861-1865. 


The embellished bronze relief plaque, on a gray granite tablet, makes for an outstanding example of a tablet style monument.  Three edges of the plaque are embellished with a border of twining foliage. The plaque is decorated with a low relief composition of overlapping elements: laurel wreath, drum, bugle, saber, rifle with bayonet, and flag.


Below the design the inscription reads:  

BY THE

 HOWARD COUNTY CONFEDERATE MONUMENT ASSOCIATION

 IN HONOR OF THE BRAVE MEN

 WHO FOUGHT SO COURAGEOUSLY IN THE CONFEDERATE ARMY 

Beneath the inscription is a listing of 92 names of the Confederate soldiers of Howard County.  A miniature Confederate Battle Flag, which was apparently placed in front of the monument not long before I captured this image,  shows that those soldiers and their honorable cause have not been forgotten.

Confederate Flags on Parade in Brandon, Florida

The Sons of Confederate Veterans Gen. Jubal A. Early Camp 556, Tampa, carried the Colors forward with a vanguard position at the Brandon, Floirida Independence Day Parade, July 4, 2011.  Early Camp's colour guard, led by camp Lt. Commander Wayne Sweat, advanced in front of a camp-sponsored Dixie-themed float.  Camp members and friends gave away 1,400 miniature Confederate Battle Flags to the 50,000-plus spectators.  Early Camp, commanded  by Mike Herring, is home to one of the largest Confederate Battle Flag displays in the United States, a massive banner towering above the I-75 and I-4 junction near Tampa.

Thanks to Marshall Hester for submitting this story and photo.

Confederate Flag Display in Millen, Georgia

Confederate Monument and Flag Display, Jenkins County Courthouse, Millen, Georgia

On a recent visit to Millen, Georgia, I was very pleased to see this display of Confederate flags in front of the Jenkins County Courthouse.  The flags, with history and descriptions posted at the base of each, were placed in commemoration of Confederate History Month, which is offically observed each April throughout the state of Georgia.

Millen lies directly in the line of Union General William T. Sherman's infamous March to the Sea during the War Between the States.  The town held a special significance to the murderous general as he is said to have rated is as one of the top three sites for destruction in Georgia. From his headquarters on the Myers Farm just south of downtown Millen, Sherman gave orders to burn the town and railroad station and to destroy the railroad tracks to Savannah.

The monument, dedicated June 3rd, 1909, bears inscriptions which include these eloquent words:

Front:  

IN HONOR OF OUR
CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS,
WHOM POWER COULD
NOT CORRUPT
WHOM DEATH COULD
NOT TERRIFY,
WHOM DEFEAT COULD
NOT DISHONOR.

THOSE WHO SERVED.
THE
CONFEDERACY.

Rear:

 THESE WERE MEN WHO
BY THE SIMPLE MANHOOD
OF THEIR LIVES.
BY THEIR STRICT ADHERENCE
TO THE PRINCIPLES OF RIGHTS,
BY THEIR SUBLIME COURAGE.
AND UNSPEAKABLE SACRIFICE,
EVEN TO THE HEROISM OF DEATH,
HAVE PRESERVED FOR US,
THROUGH THE GLOOM OF DEFEAT,
A PRICELESS HERITAGE OF HONOR.
FOR EACH SINGLE WRECK
IN THE WAR PATH OF MIGHT,
SHALL YET BE A ROCK IN
THE TEMPLE OF RIGHT.

HOW I SEE IT: The Truth about the Confederate Flag

By Christopher H. Ezelle

Five Confederate flags flew between 1861 and 1865. The Confederate Battle Flag is the one most people know best. Some believe this flag is a sign of hate, racism and repression; but the truth is that it’s a symbol of honor, valor, truth, heritage and faith in Jesus Christ.


After confusion of flags during the Union and Confederate engagement of First Manassas, Brig. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard charged his aide, Col. William Miles to design a battle flag.

Accepted was an adapted Scottish Cross of St Andrew-based flag, the famous battle flag known today.

St. Andrew, a disciple of Jesus Christ, was martyred by crucifixion at Patras, Greece, ordered by the Roman governor. He deemed himself unworthy of being crucified and nailed to a Latin cross like Jesus Christ. He requested crucifixion on an “X”-shaped cross and to be bound, not nailed. He preached the word of God to all that passed until he died. His martyrdom was during the reign of Nero, A.D. 60. Latin and Greek churches keep Nov. 30, his death date, as a day of feast. St. Andrew is honored as chief patron by Russia and Scotland.

Here are some more interesting facts surrounding the flag:

» In the 1860s, two-thirds of the country’s population was Scotch or Scotch Irish. This flag design was a carryover of the Scottish National Flag and ancestry.

» The Confederate States of America was a nation from 1861-65.

» The battle flag was the flag of common soldiers for only four years.

» No historical document exists to support that this flag represented hate, slavery, racism, deceit, infamy or repression. Not one flag of the Confederacy was ever described in its placement to represent anything other than the Confederate States of America.

» No Confederate ship ever ran slaves.

» The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) adopted the battle flag as part of its logo in 1896, long before “hate” groups began to abuse the flag, and they condemn misuse of any Confederate flag.

» The KKK and other “hate” groups didn’t use the flag until late 1950/early 1960s.

In his book “What They Fought For, 1861-1865,” historian James McPherson, after reading more than 25,000 letters and over 100 soldier diaries from both sides of the War for Southern Independence, concluded that Confederate soldiers "fought for liberty and independence from what they regarded as a tyrannical government."

See the original "HOW I SEE IT" piece in the Star*Exponent:  http://www2.starexponent.com/news/2011/mar/14/how-i-see-it-truth-about-confederate-flag-ar-903740/

Father Ryan, Poet-Priest of the Confederacy



Confederate Battle Flag


The first Confederate national flag, known
as the “Stars and Bars,”  often proved
indistinguishable from the Stars and
Stripes in the thick of  battle.
The battle flag, created in 1861, 
 became the icon of the Confederacy.

 THE CONQUERED BANNER

by Abram Joseph Ryan
(1838-1886)

Furl that Banner, for 'tis weary;
Round its staff 'tis drooping dreary;
Furl it, fold it, it is best;
For there's not a man to wave it,
And there's not a sword to save it,
And there's no one left to lave it
In the blood that heroes gave it;
And its foes now scorn and brave it;
Furl it, hide it--let it rest!

Take that banner down! 'tis tattered;
Broken is its shaft and shattered;
And the valiant hosts are scattered
Over whom it floated high.
Oh! 'tis hard for us to fold it;
Hard to think there's none to hold it;
Hard that those who once unrolled it
Now must furl it with a sigh.

Furl that banner! furl it sadly!
Once ten thousands hailed it gladly.
And ten thousands wildly, madly,
Swore it should forever wave;
Swore that foeman's sword should never
Hearts like theirs entwined dissever,
Till that flag should float forever
O'er their freedom or their grave!

Furl it! for the hands that grasped it,
And the hearts that fondly clasped it,
Cold and dead are lying low;
And that Banner--it is trailing!
While around it sounds the wailing
Of its people in their woe.

For, though conquered, they adore it!
Love the cold, dead hands that bore it!
Weep for those who fell before it!
Pardon those who trailed and tore it!
But, oh! wildly they deplored it!
Now who furl and fold it so.

Furl that Banner! True, 'tis gory,
Yet 'tis wreathed around with glory,
And 'twill live in song and story,
Though its folds are in the dust;
For its fame on brightest pages,
Penned by poets and by sages,
Shall go sounding down the ages--
Furl its folds though now we must.

Furl that banner, softly, slowly!
Treat it gently--it is holy--
For it droops above the dead.
Touch it not--unfold it never,
Let it droop there, furled forever,
For its people's hopes are dead!

The Catholic Church of the Most Holy Trinity, on Telfair Street in downtown Augusta, Georgia, was constructed from 1857-1863. It is one of the oldest Catholic church buildings in Georgia.

The edifice was designed by J.R. Niernsee, who was also the architect of the South Carolina State Capitol in Columbia, South Carolina. The original church building, constructed in 1814, served as the Sisters of Mercy hospital and orphanage during the Yellow Fever epidemics of 1839 and 1854. It was again pressed into service as a hospital during the War for Southern Independence (1861-1865).

Father Abram Ryan (1838-1886), the "Poet-priest of the Confederacy," was pastor of the church during the War for Southern Independence. He also served as editor of "The Banner of the South," a Catholic weekly.

Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church photo by J. Stephen Conn

Battle Flag photo from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History