Memorials

This is a monument that I've shared before. (I hope Tom does not mind me showing this in his Tuesday linkup!)  This depicts Robert E. Lee and it's at Antietam, where I think it is appropriate because he commanded an army there. Well, except that (a) the statue is facing the wrong direction, and (b) it depicts Lee on horseback on an occasion when he spent little time on his horse due to injured wrists. But overall, it doesn't bother me because Lee was in command during this important battle, although his army did not win it.

Another statue of Lee has been in the news lately, one in Charlottesville that the town is planning to remove. Now that one does bother me. Lee did not fight in Charlottesville. The only battle there was a small cavalry skirmish on Rio Hill, and Lee was not there. And he did not live there, or work there. So why is he there now?

The answer lies with the Lost Cause, a set of beliefs about the old south and the soldiers who fought for it. The people who survived the war in the southern states wanted to make sense of their losses and honor their loved ones. The wrote books and erected monuments espousing a myth-infused version of history. Their myths persist today, serving to confuse people instead of enlightening them. And the symbols of the very-racist Confederacy are uncomfortable for many people to see.

Some localities want to remove the Lost Cause memorials, but when Charlottesville decided to remove Lee's statue, a controversy erupted. Protests became a focus of white supremacists (mostly from other places), and resulted in violence and tragedy his weekend. No doubt I have oversimplified this story, but I want to get to the point. Our memorials and monuments are not always accurate, and it is wise to question them. In some places, it is fitting to simply put up a sign explaining what the real history is. But localities have the right to move these memorials if they see fit, especially if they feel the monument is causing harm to the community.

By the way, I am interested in Civil War history and there are currently 586 posts about it on this blog. My degree is in American History and Photography. To be clear, I have no doubt that the Civil War started because of slavery. But it was started by politicians, and many of the soldiers who fought were barely aware of the cause. They signed up due to loyalty to their own communities and the desire to be seen as brave and patriotic. Their descendants defend their ancestors, most of whom did not own slaves. People still argue about this war and let it divide them. I realize that anything I say about it will offend someone and I regret that. But we need to understand each other.

Disclosure: My ancestors fought for the United States of America. I have lived my entire life in Virginia and absorbed some of the Lost Cause version of history as a child. I fear this is still being taught and fostering misunderstandings.