In Defense of the Confederate Flag

Recently, I read a scree against the honor and dignity of the Confederate battleflag by a Eureka, California newspaper reporter named Glenn Franco Simmons, entitled "Confederate flag represents ungodly suffering". the article appeared in the January 26, 2008, issue of The Eureka Reporter. (See http://eurekareporter.com/article/080126-confederate-flag-represents-ungodly-suffering#comment-1332 ). Below is my response to his diatribe:

I am proud to be the second woman to uphold the honor and dignity of the Confederate flag. I was born in "Land of Lincoln" Illinois where Lincoln is worshipped as a demi-god. I grew up with the northern version of history. For its antidote, I also highly recommend reading DiLorenzo's excellent THE REAL LINCOLN.

Fortunately, an American History teacher in Colorado taught me in high school to question and examine what I thought I knew. Doing so, I set out in my senior year to research and write a term paper on "The War Between the States: the Southern Viewpoint." I came to understand that most of what I had been taught about the causes and origins of this terrible conflict was wrong.

Today, I live in Northeast Florida. I have continued to study this era in history and have visited many of the sites where this great conflict occurred. One of the things that fascinates me is the number of blacks who owned slaves in the South.

Did you know that the largest slave-holder in Jacksonville, for example, was a former black slave woman, Anna Kingsley? Interestingly, despite her obvious economic interests in preserving slavery on her multiple plantations, she supported the Union during the war. Why did she side with the supposed enemy of slavery? Because she feared that if the South was a separate country, the North would impose stiff tariffs on the production of her plantations, and she was dependent on those New England markets for her sugar, rice, and indigo. As with all wars, it was primarily about economics.

Of course, to attempt to ban or denigate the Confederate flag because it was the supposed flag of slavery is silly. More U.S. flags flew over slave markets than any C.S.A. flag ever did. The flag in question was a battleflag. Actually, it was originally a naval flag for Confederate boats only. As another commentator pointed out already, the U.S. flag was the banner of the exterminators of many Indian civilians. True, the KKK and other such groups display the Confederate battleflag. However, their own rules require them to have an American flag and the Bible at every official event. Should we, therefore, ban the American flag and the Bible from display because they misuse them?

The War between the States was the first modern war of attrition. The Confederate generals were men of honor and character. They did not target civilians; their goal was to engage rival military forces. Sherman, with the complicity of Lincoln, deliberately targeted civilians and introduced the concept of "total war." Today, under the Geneva Conventions, they could be brought up on charges of war crimes and would be found guilty.

Today, the Confederate flag represents the desire for self-determination and freedom from tyranny to those of us who proudly display it. For those who wish to learn more about these issues, I recommend THE SOUTH WAS RIGHT by the Kennedy brothers.