Remarks of James Webb at the Confederate Memorial

James Webb Website ^ | 6/3/90 | James Webb

[BnBlFlag]

A man that stands up for his Southern and Scots-Irish Heritage can't be all bad.

[napscoordinator]

I believe that the only reason he ran as a Democrat is because Senator Allen was running as a Republican. I think he is going to surprise the democrats alot over the next two years when he votes against many of the issues that they love so much. I of course could be wrong, but I don't believe he is going to play follow the leader much. He just does not seem the type.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Kudos for his standing up for his Confederate heritage, but the Scots-Irish are a group of foreigners across the ocean.

The South put up a good fight considering they had less people, less railroads, less manufacturing, and a more export dependent economy than the North. They also did not strongly go on the offensive into the North until late in the war. Had they proceeded to Washington, DC in the Battle of Manassas/Bull Run, the Confederacy could have gotten foreign backing and could have won the war.

[James Ewell Brown Stuart]

Well, hopefully this thread will not descend to the level of other threads when the Civil War is mentioned.

Before it does thou, I wan to give a heart felt salute to all the men Virginia who did their duty those four years. Your sacrifice was not in vain and your memory will be kept alive in our hearts.

[BnBlFlag]

"The Scots-Irish are a group of foreigners across the ocean"
No, the Scots-Irish are Americans descended from immigrants to the Colonies of Scottish origin who came from Northern Ireland (Ulster) in the 1700's. They were Scots from Ireland,hence Scots-Irish.
They have been highly overrepresented in our Armed Forces since the Revolutioary War. Both Washington and Lee considered them their finest soldiers. To this day, they serve in disproportionate numbers.

[zbigreddogz]

Webb would stand up for the gay nazi environmentalist yougurt eaters club if he thought it would help him advance himself.

[Van Jenerette]

If all things related to the Confederacy are 'bad' then:

SHOULD WE CHANGE the names of FEDERAL MILITARY FORTS AND POSTS NAMED TO HONOR CONFEDERATE GENERALS

If the flag flown to honor our dead soldiers is racist, bigoted, wrong, and a painful reminder of slavery then isn't it logical that it would be 'racist, bigoted, and a painful reminder of slavery' for to continue to honor the names of Confederate Generals above federal military installations in this country?
With places like Fort Bragg named for Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg and Fort Benning named in honor of BG Henry Benning and Fort Rucker, Alabama, Fort Polk, Fort Hood, Fort Lee, Fort A.P. Hill; all named in honor of Confederate officers who led these soldiers - what is the standard?
Will these same voices demand the Secretary of Defense to change the names of the Federal military installations named in honor of the Confederacy and its leaders?
Every soldier that is stationed and serves at one of these forts, is in a sense honoring a Confederate General and the Confederacy every day; even when they write their addresses on a letter home to their families. What is the standard; is there one set of rules for the federal government and another for the states?
The truth is that the American Civil War is not so simple to slice it into a black and white issue. Brothers fought brother, Irish fought Irish, Jewish Confederates fought Jewish Union soldiers, there were Confederate Native American units as well as Hispanic Confederates and Black Americans served on both sides of that war. Complexity is central to the issues that led to that terrible war and complexity continued right into the conduct of that war. And it remains complex to this day.
The fact is, we as a people have become a new American that is not simply black or white or yellow or brown and millions of Americans today, of all races and colors, are descendants of soldiers who served on both sides in our Civil War. We have a common history and a shared heritage and it is time we move on.

One of the largest and most impressive sites at Arlington Cemetery is the Confederate Memorial Monument...

Of course there is a Confederate Monument at Arlington - a very very large monument. Remember, it has only become Politically Incorrect to honor our fallen Southern heros and our Battle Flag for about the past 10-years. By the turn of the last Century (1900) the soldiers who fought the war, and the Federal Government had a great deal of respect for each other and in 1900 a section in Arlington was authorized for the exclusive burial of Confederates soldiers and their wives.

The Memorial Monument was sculpted by Moses Ezekiel who also made a famous statue of George Washington. Ezekiel served as a Sergeant of Company C of the Cadets, Virginia Military Institute during the Civil War. After that service, he graduated from VMI in 1866 - he is buried near the base of the Memorial. He was also a Jewish Confederate. Yes, there were many of them along with Native American Confederates, Hispanic Confederates and even Black Confederates.

The cornerstone of the Monument was laid in 1912 and one of the speakers was James Tanner, Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic(Union Veterans Organization). The Monument was dedicated on June 4, 1914 with President Woodrow Wilson making the principal address before a crowd which included thousands of former Union and Confederate soldiers.

Anyway, there is pretty good site which contains some great pictures and information of the Arlington Confederate Monument itself at the following: http://www.arlingtoncemetery.com/csa-mem.htm

More information on specific Confederate burials at Arlington National Cemetery is at: http://www.arlingtoncemetery.com/csa.htm

A few that may be of particular interest is a Canadian Confederate Jerry Cronan one of 40,000 Canadians who had fought in the American Civil War, Joseph Wheeler
Lieutenant General, Confederate States, Major General, United States Army and a Member of the United States Congress, and Juliet Ann Opie Hopkins Nurse, Confederate States of America who was wounded in battle and was called the "Florence Nightingale of the South." and many others.

For additional information check out the official US Government Arlington site at: http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/visitor_information/Confederate_Memorial.html

Even President George W. Bush has kept alive the tradition of the wreathat the Confederate Memorial at Arlington:
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/csa-mem-bush.htm

Map of Confederate Memorial: http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/interactive_map/Section16.html#17

Images from Google: http://images.google.com/images?q=confederate+memorial+arlington&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

 

NOTE: I'm sorry for the History Lesson, but I have to repress a head-shake when someone buys into the Neo-History of the South and the Politically Correct attitude towards Confederate names. How many people realize that there are dozens of FEDERAL MILITARY INSTALLATIONS today that are named in honor of Southern Generals? I suppose these same people would take issue with Ft. Bragg - home of our Special Forces and Delta Force - etc. Bragg was a Confederate General....just go down the list and see for yourself. Ft. Benning, Fort Lee, Fort Polk...etc....maybe we need to rename these Federally Funded 'Confederate Honoring' Military Bases to something more PC?! Fort Jane Fonda? Fort Bill Clinton - Fort Lincoln....oy vey!

Katherine & Van Jenerette

www.jenerette.com

www.jenerette.com/desertstorm

Arlington Cemetery Main Page & Information

Images from the Monument

The South Carolina State & National Flag

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Scots-Irish is a term for people from, as you mention, Ireland who were of Scottish ancestry.

However, there should not be any Scots-Irish Americans any more than their should be English, African, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, or Cuban Americans. There should only be one American ethnicity: American. That is why the previous comment suggested that he should not stand up for his Scots-Irish heritage.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

their there (this happens a lot).

[BnBlFlag]

Thank you for your intelligent and thoughtful response.

[Van Jenerette]

DEO VINDICE

[BnBlFlag]

What you say is true but there are certain "ethnicities" who will not allow that to happen.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Agreed. Although people should do some things, they won't necessarily do them. Americans who concur with the concept of a single American ethnicity for all Americans should still promote it though.

[barb-tex]

Some of my ancestors were Scots Irish, coming to Texas after the Civil War. If you wan't to confound your "the civil war was about slavery" friends, ask how many slaves in the United States, were freed by Lincoln. The answer is easy to remember, like Zero.
barbra ann

[BnBlFlag]

"Like zero"
Bingo! You get a Gold Star!

[GoLightly]

With the melting pot, we can recognize the varied flavors, which blend to make the rich hearty American stew. Multiculturalism is more akin to the child complaining about different foods touching each other on their plate.

Ethnicity is different than nationality. Scots-Irish is generally not stated as Scots-Irish-American, as the American part is assumed.

[Paige]

That thing turned on President Reagan. This man will "NOT" get my support. He is a Democrat. When one takes a long look at this whole sordid picture, this nation is in trouble in more ways than one.

[GoLightly]

I wan to give a heart felt salute to all the men Virginia who did their duty those four years. Your sacrifice was not in vain and your memory will be kept alive in our hearts.

Well said & I agree.

[BnBlFlag]

Had a female ancestor named Golightly.

[Lovebloggers]

You must have missed his "Class Struggle" article.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110009246

He's a Democrat.