Posted on 01/19/2006 11:20:56 AM PST by sheltonmac
You probably won't find anything special printed on your calendar for the 19th and 21st of January. In case you are wondering, those are the respective birthdays of Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
As a nation we have already honored Martin Luther King, Jr., and will commemorate the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln next month, but Lee and Jackson are especially dear to my heart. They were great men who embodied the inspiring courage, uncompromising honesty, principled conviction and moral fortitude we no longer see in our leaders today.
Both Lee and Jackson were men of action who fought valiantly to defend their homes and families. Jackson made it clear that if it were up to him, the South would "raise the black flag" and show no quarter to the enemy invading their homeland. They realized that while war was sometimes necessary, it should never be entered into lightly. As Lee put it, "It is good that war is so terrible, else we should grow too fond of it."
Lee and Jackson were Southern gents through and through. Consider Lee's Definition of a Gentleman:
The power which the strong have over the weak, the employer over the employed, the educated over the unlettered, the experienced over the confiding, even the clever over the silly—the forbearing or inoffensive use of all this power or authority, or a total abstinence from it when the case admits it, will show the gentleman in a plain light.
The gentleman does not needlessly and unnecessarily remind an offender of a wrong he may have committed against him. He cannot only forgive, he can forget; and he strives for that nobleness of self and mildness of character which impart sufficient strength to let the past be but the past.
A true man of Honor feels humble himself when he cannot help humbling others.
Jackson's wife, Mary Anna, wrote of her husband that he "was a great advocate for marriage, appreciating the gentler sex so highly that whenever he met one of the 'unappropriated blessings' under the type of truest womanhood, he would wish that one of his bachelor friends could be fortunate to win her."
Both Lee and Jackson believed in principle over pragmatism. Lee once said, "I think it better to do right, even if we suffer in so doing, than to incur the reproach of our consciences and posterity." Jackson summed it up this way: "Duty is ours; consequences are God's."
Jackson never lived to see the fall of his beloved South, but Lee was gracious even in defeat. When approached by those who wished to remain bitter after surrendering he said, "Abandon your animosities and make your sons Americans." It was his position that "we must forgive our enemies. I can truly say that not a day has passed since the war began that I have not prayed for them."
Above all, Lee and Jackson were men of God. Lee loved to pray. He would be sure to let people know that he was praying for them, and he felt encouraged when he was remembered in their prayers. Once, upon hearing that others had been praying for him, he remarked, "I sincerely thank you for that, and I can only say that I am a poor sinner, trusting in Christ alone, and that I need all the prayers you can offer for me."
Jackson was the epitome of a life devoted to prayer. No matter was too insignificant that it did not warrant communion with the Father: "I have so fixed the habit in my mind that I never raise a glass of water to my lips without asking God's blessing, never seal a letter without putting a word of prayer under the seal, never take a letter from the post without a brief sending of my thoughts heavenward. I never change my classes in the lecture room without a minute's petition for the cadets who go out and for those who come in."
Jackson had an intimate knowledge of the sovereignty of God and rested in the promises of his Heavenly Father. Following the loss of his first wife, Ellie, who died almost immediately after giving birth to a stillborn son, he wrote to his sister-in-law, "I have been called to pass through the deep waters of affliction, but all has been satisfied. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord. … I can willingly submit to anything if God strengthens me." It was this unshakeable faith that taught him "to feel as safe in battle as in bed."
The more I see what passes for leadership today in our government, in our churches and in our homes, the more I am convinced that we need men like Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. Jackson. I guess it's time for me to watch Gods and Generals again.
Interesting.
Makers Mark.....or Woodford Reserve. I prefer the Woodford myself.......Since my dear friend from Kentucky introduced me to the fine beverage....in my experience, it is made with bourbon.
I've been told, by this same dear friend, a son of Kentucky, that "the mint must be picked by a virgin philly while the morning dew is yet upon it." He swears that makes the best libation.
If I bring the mint to the Kentucky Derby party....he has to settle for mint picked by an old brood mare, washed in tap water. He swears that the mint loses something in the process.....;-)
And thank you for the tip on the sugar!!!!
Yes, it is a wonderful thing, how you can just ignore that whole war as if it didn't dissolve the Union, when the fact is that the Union has been dissolved since 1861. The thing in place since is a bastardization of the Founders' intent, no Union of States, but a mongrel fusion of rule by oligarch and rule by mob. You may pretend otherwise all you wish. But however the Constitution may be flawed, it's a whole lot better than what we have now.
Thank you sheltonmac. God bless Dixie.
Lincoln?
fondness for marx?
I'm listening...especially in light of the venom directed at Lincoln by Marxist historians.
There is much to admire about Dr. King. It would not be inaccurate to say that he may have been the "indispensable man" of the civil rights movement. But ANY historical figure MUST be subjected to the sort of legitimate analysis that is critical to establishing context and perspective. For instance, it is my opinion that the greatest political philosophers of liberty in the history of mankind were those men that this nation was blessed to have at its inception, the Founding Fathers. Notwithstanding this opinion, I am constantly being exhorted by leftist deconstructionists to never forget that many of them were slaveowners, sexist, and slaughterers of innocent Indians. None of this changes the totality of my opinion of them in the great good they accomplished by founding this nation.
I simply say that a similar yardstick should be applied to Martin Luther King in assesing the impact that his legacy has on the modern-day civil rights movement.
A new factor has been introduced into modern-day discourse and that is what has become the intellectual scouge of our time, political correctness. This leftist attempt to stifle honest intellectual inquiry does serve to obsfucate and shield those counterproductive aspects of Martin Luther King's legacy and so prevent us from seeing what we need to retain and to reject of it, so that we might move forward to a full realization of the blessings of liberty that this great nation offers for all of its citizens.
MLK was a man of enormous charisma and courage and certainly a pivotal figure in the civil rights movement. There is much about him that I admire. An assesment of his life could creditably yield the adjective of great. Despite that, he does not deserve to be the ONLY American with his own holiday named after him. That honor should be reserved for only one person in American history, the greatest of all Americans, George Washington. More so than any other SINGLE figure in our history, he was the "indispensable man." Without his courage, acumen,honor, and integrity, the United States would simply not exist, and if it did, it probably would have been as a monarchy and certainly not as a constitutional republic.
MLK's birthday was a sop to PC and a reflection of the DemocRAT Congress that voted it. The depth of MLK's association with (ironically, given MLK's emphasis on freedom) the most anti-freedom and murderous ideology (Communism)of our time will prove to very embarrassing when it is fully revealed. Additionally, MLK's legacy to the modern day civil rights movement is a socialist bequeathment, that of looking to big government solutions for many of the behavioral problems in today's black community. MLK continues to cast a long shadow over most of the modern day civil rights establishment and black politicians who largely reject free market, educationally based solutions to the unique problems plaguing the black community.
I prefer No. 8 myself.
He made a mistake for sure. But nobody is perfect. Even General Lee.
He made a mistake for sure. But nobody is perfect. Even General Lee.
Since my ancestors fought for states-rights, and to save their homeland from invasion, and didn't own slaves, then I have NO reason to be ashamed. You need to watch your phraseology.
You are entitled to your opinion, but I disagree. Lincoln was a consummate politician, and he knew just how far to push the South.
Why would a good Southron boy want to travel North? Nobody wants to have to burn a good pair of boots....:)
I've seen a figure of 2,179 Texans who served in the Union Army (Source: Lone Star Blue and Gray by Wooster). That figure includes some 443 Hispanics and 500 Anglo Americans (Germans, Irish, etc.) recruited in the Rio Grande Valley. Don't know about your knowledge of Texas geography, but the Valley is not the Hill Country.
The Texas German community, largely concentrated in the Hill Country, provided almost 2,000 men for the Confederacy per the following words from a plaque in New Braunfels, a German town in the central Texas Hill Country.
They proved their loyalty to their adopted country by fighting for the independence of Texas at the Alamo, Goliad, and San Jacinto, by participating in the war between the United States and Mexico, and by raising twenty one companies of nearly two thousand men for the defense of the Confederacy.
"Southron" is in The Oxford Dictionary. (English)
It isn't "neo" anything, just as I am not. You need to seriously get a life. You see "rebels" lurking behind every tree. (racist too!) I wonder are you a member of the "Nation of Islam"? You write like one of those looneys.
I've seen a figure of 2,179 Texans who served in the Union Army (Source: Lone Star Blue and Gray by Wooster). That figure includes some 443 Hispanics and 500 Anglo Americans (Germans, Irish, etc.) recruited in the Rio Grande Valley. Don't know about your knowledge of Texas geography, but the Valley is not the Hill Country.
The Texas German community, largely concentrated in the Hill Country, provided almost 2,000 men for the Confederacy per the following words from a plaque in New Braunfels, a German town in the central Texas Hill Country.
They proved their loyalty to their adopted country by fighting for the independence of Texas at the Alamo, Goliad, and San Jacinto, by participating in the war between the United States and Mexico, and by raising twenty one companies of nearly two thousand men for the defense of the Confederacy.
Hey...that jerk doesn't represent MY state! There are fruitcakes in every state. Don't judge us by him. Please.
I've seen a figure of 2,179 Texans who served in the Union Army (Source: Lone Star Blue and Gray by Wooster). That figure includes some 443 Hispanics and 500 Anglo Americans (Germans, Irish, etc.) recruited in the Rio Grande Valley. Don't know about your knowledge of Texas geography, but the Valley is not the Hill Country.
The Texas German community, largely concentrated in the Hill Country, provided almost 2,000 men for the Confederacy per the following words from a plaque in New Braunfels, a German town in the central Texas Hill Country.
They proved their loyalty to their adopted country by fighting for the independence of Texas at the Alamo, Goliad, and San Jacinto, by participating in the war between the United States and Mexico, and by raising twenty one companies of nearly two thousand men for the defense of the Confederacy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
