Posted on 06/21/2016 8:34:50 AM PDT by Kaslin
In 1862, a man named Lt. Charles H. Colley of Gray, ME was killed during the Battle of Cedar Mountain. When his grieving family opened up the casket that was supposed to contain their son, they were stunned to discover that a fully uniformed Confederate soldier had been shipped to them instead. Having no way to identify the soldier, and also lacking the means to ship him back to Virginia, Lt. Colley's family decided to bury him in Gray Village Cemetery alongside the Union soldiers who had been killed in the war. They figured that this unknown Confederate's family would appreciate the gesture, even though they'd never find out about it. The Ladies of Gray, a group of mothers whose sons were either missing, injured, or killed in the war, paid to put up a headstone for this unknown Confederate.
The headstone's inscription is simple and gut-wrenching: "Stranger. A soldier of the late war. Erected by the Ladies of Gray."
For the first 90-something years after Stranger's most unexpected arrival in Maine, his headstone was treated the same as all of the other veterans buried at the cemetery. Since 1956, however, a Confederate battle flag has been placed next to Stranger's gravesite each Memorial Day--a pop of solid red amidst a sea of American flags.
This past Father's Day, while visiting family back in my home state of Maine, I had the chance to pay a visit to the Confederate Stranger's grave, and seeing the stone was a very sobering experience. Gray sent more people to fight for the Union Army per capita than any small town in Maine, and nearly 200 of them didn't get to come home. The people of Gray, especially mothers whose sons could have been shot at or killed by Stranger, had every right to have simply buried Stranger in an unmarked grave in a field somewhere in the town. It would have been completely understandable--this person was, after all, an enemy soldier during a time of war. Instead, they recognized their shared humanity with this unknown man, and buried him alongside local heroes and treated him like one of their own.
Which brings me to today. While the nation certainly isn't as polarized as it was during the 1860s, the situation is pretty bad. People are going out of their way to isolate themselves in a bubble of only their own views. Take a look at what people are saying on Facebook about people they once called their friends: (language warning)
We've come a long way from 1862, but not entirely in a good way. People are quick to use a person's political beliefs to define them as a person, when in reality, politics are just a piece of the puzzle that makes people, people. We're all different, and somehow in the last 150 years it has become acceptable to completely remove someone from your life (or ask them to remove themselves) because of political differences. That's insane.
As a society, we should look to the actions of the Ladies of Gray for inspiration on how to behave with decency and respect in times of fighting and conflict. In 1862, America was at a war with itself--it doesn't get more polarized than that. If the Ladies of Gray could find it within themselves to create and maintain a dignified memorial to a man who was quite literally trying to kill their sons before he died, there's no excuse for the rest of us to not get along.
This election cycle has been a doozy, there's no denying that. The rhetoric being spewed by both sides is borderline nasty, and we're a nation divided once again. Despite this, it's important to remember that we have more commonalities than differences--and that through it all, we're all still human beings...regardless of who receives our vote in November.
The people of Gray and New Gloucester remain a wonderful and caring group.
The crappers arrived at #13 rlmorel. Up to that repugnant post the comments were appreciative of the thread and approving of the story told within.
Oh, and yes - my name is on warpussy’s notorious list (didja ever know anyone outside of middle school who kept enemies lists?!). I made the list because I stand on the side of the union in WBTS threads (Oh no!). But enough of that foolishness.
My Grandad was born in Montana but died in Alabama and is buried in Huntsville. Every Memorial Day we would honor his memory with flowers and two flags - the CBF and the American flag. We did it because it was the respectful thing to do.
Let’s call a truce between the Blue and the Gray for a while. I am as much to blame for even making an issue at all about it. It was a good article on its own.
Most conservatives can agree men on both sides of that conflict fought hard and valiantly. Like most soldiers in most wars, when the bullets began to fly, it wasn’t about slavery or secession, it was about the man next to them and their families back home.
We can honor them, even if we disagree.
I rest my case
He is one of the most egregious
It’s 95% of what he posts on here
It used to surprise me 16 years ago when I first came here to witness the vitriol having spent a big chunk of the previous 17 years out of the country .....even in Manhattan I never met folks like this
But after seeing how utterly politically correct the majority of GOP brass are and the punditry as well
South bashers here are an extension of the NRO Jonah Goldberg Charles Krauthammer Paul Ryan gang of pseudo conservatives
Even Mark Levin drinks from the chalice.....the primaries proved that
Identity politics and white guilt and minority redress killed America as sure as anything and demonizing my culture was just the lowest hanging fruit
These parasites who suck up JRs oxygen for free are disgusting
There is a direct line between south bashing and open borders and the denigration and rejection of American history in particular and western civilization in general
And ignore their strawman like if I admire Stonewall Jackson darn I must be calling for the reinstatement of slavery
It’s personal for them ....they are too big a coward to ever admit but they hate the South because they have a personal stake in liberal social engineering or they are pretend freepers
Ten years ago someone was sending kkk inflammatory stuff to a black female freeper and acting like it came from a southern freeper
Nolu Chan and others traced it to a black homosexual freeper who belonged to a black GOP Lincoln admiration club in Maryland....
Check out the story of #3fan.....same crap
Sinkspur and Non sequitur and Dane.....they were not geuine posters ....
Now they don’t all do it but there is a cadre that works in conjunction and always have
Rumour has it Jonah Goldberg is one of them
Many of them joined the Klowns back when they were making sport of JRs food favorites and fundraising like they do on anti freeper sites
Btw....look at the wall of serious donors and compare that wall to my south basher list
There may be one....maybe
I appreciate you being amenable but you don’t know how low these asshats are
One sad fact I found out here: embarrassing people on a homepage works with trolls. I don’t know why, their own posts should embarrass them! So keep your list, check it once or twice, revise as necessary with deletions and additions. Sad one has to do that.
These parasites who suck up JRs oxygen for free are disgusting
There is a direct line between south bashing and open borders and the denigration and rejection of American history in particular and western civilization in general
Indeed the South is convenient. What they don't realize is that this is just an inroad because if the South and 'slavery' were/are the ultimate evil then by natural extension so was/is America's founding, almost all founders, the American flag, and most history up until at least 1965. They are complicit in the nations destruction by aligning against the evil South in general and whites in particular.
Stainless banner used to keep one
I did mine from memory and more recent observation , I think I put it up about two years ago
It’s more than just south bashing
its usually race baiting and PC race based blurts too
I try to clarify about them especially if they have any redemption or are particularly egregious
Folks who haven’t been here much don’t know much back story really
If you or anyone sees something needs amending just Freep me and I’ll tend to it
One thing
Does anyone here know anything about these people
Quips and smears but nobody knows them
That is classic trollism
You know a lot about me and vice versa but these trolls ....nada zip
I tell ya ...you would know their name if it got out
Which might explain the get out of jail free cards they get
Headed to point clear Bama tomorrow!
Live oaks with moss
Home
I see I made his list too, twice!
But the only comment is: "cut and paste seminar type", meaning what, exactly?
"Seminar type" meaning that I try to be educational?
"cut and past" meaning that I provide references from recognized sources?
In my experience on this subject, which goes back more than ten years, nobody has ever posted "anti-South" remarks except in efforts to refute false anti-North accusations from the "Southern Pride" folks.
Most of those on the Union side studiously avoid returning insult for insult from pro-Confederates.
The major focus from pro-Union posters is to make certain the real facts are made known and explained.
So none of that is, in wardaddy's words (post #13), "race baiting south bashing".
Most of us love our Southern relations, and here in small towns of central Pennsylvania, you often see Confederate flags flying on homes and pickups, usually beside US flags.
If that gets us put on wardaddy's list, I'd call it a badge of honor.
“warpussy”?
Wardaddy simply has to quote you all without comment to make his point.
You must not have read previous Civil War threads, or you'd well understand by now that Civil War did not start over either secession or slavery.
Nor did it start over any of the other reasons often listed by pro-Confederates: tariffs, trade restrictions, "haughty northerners" or even John Brown's raid.
None of that.
Civil War only began after months of Confederate provocations, in seizing dozens of major Federal properties -- forts, ships, arsenals, mints, etc -- threats against Union officials & firings on Union ships.
Civil War only began after the Confederacy launched a military assault on Union troops in Union Fort Sumter (April 12, 1861) and the Confederate Congress formally declared war on the United States (May 6, 1861), sending military aid to pro-Confederates in Union Missouri.
All of that happened before a single Confederate soldier was killed in battle with any Union force and before any Union army invaded a single Confederate state.
The Confederate assault on Fort Sumter served the same purpose as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941: an unequivocal act of war which united the United States in response to a fully recognized existential threat.
You wish me to answer for rockrr's words?
Does that mean you're willing to answer for wardaddy's words?
If I look up where wardaddy first insulted rockrr, you're willing to defend wardaddy for it?
Sorry, but I think those two have a "thing" goin' on, and I'd just as soon not get between them.
Wouldn't be prudent... ;-)
You chose to quote him without comment.
I've seen nothing remotely matching your words here.
Oh, I know all that and more. My wife was a history major and taught high school for ten years. I could go on and on.
I don't think rockrr's words qualify as either, in wardaddy's words, "south bashing" or "race bating" or "PC race based blurts ", do you?
Beyond that, rockrr will have to defend himself.
I revise my list on a regular basis. One drop of the F bomb and you’re on it. I’m amazed how many people now use that language openly here. Twice I had somebody use it on me; once for daring to suggest women shouldn’t be drafted and the other by a Cruz nut.
I am still a student of life in the south particularly during the Civil War and post Civil War. I do have a romantic notion about it. I dare anyone to visit Oak Alley, the Delta plantations, the James River plantations or Margaret Mitchell’s grandmother’s old farmhouse (it still stands in Jonesboro, GA) and come away not having an admiration for the hot-blooded rebelliousness of those men and women. Of course, I also love some of our Union leaders and just bought a big book on Sherman. (Sorry about that, wd!)
Thanks for weighing in on this BroJoek. My daddy once told me, “You shouldn’t try to reason a person out of something they were never reasoned into”. I think that it applies here.
There is little use in attempting to find common ground with these people - they appear to be hard-set on a course that includes demonizing people they disagree with and character assassination. How many FReepers do you know that keep (and publicize) an enemies list?
I have ZERO need to “defend” myself - especially against the likes of them. There are so many here that one can disagree with without resorting to being disagreeable there is no point in bothering with them.
So, once again, I will echo rlmorel’s sentiment to refrain from the internecine warfare and enjoy the story for its own merits.
Life is too short for a-holes.
How was your stay at the eastern shore? Sure is growing over there.
Wonderful
Wish I could afford to live there
If you retired there..it is great...Folks that commute across that bay way....well it’s heck! Maybe in my lifetime they will build a huge crossing...it’s getting tough on the guys that live in Baldwin county.....wrecks and general traffic is getting worse.
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