Happy Decoration Day

[Rustyinfla]

   As I grow older my memory grows a little dusty, but as I remember it this day that we celebrate as Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. It was the day when Southern Ladies went to the cemetery to place flowers and bunting on the graves of those who died in the War for Southern Independence.

[SouthernByGrace]

The United States actually adopted the South's "Memorial Day" as an official Holiday. The North had no such commemoration until they adopted the South's Holiday on May 30, 1868, to basically commemorate the end of the War,  two years after the South started observing it. In the North, it was only for those Union soldiers killed during the Civil War, and never honored the Southern dead. It was not until WWII that the U.S. decided to expand the Holiday to honor ALL those killed, or wounded, or those who served in the military.

In 1874, the Georgia General Assembly approved legislation adding as a new public holiday "The 26th day of April in each year--commonly known as Memorial Day." April 26 marks the anniversary of the end of the Civil War for Georgia, for it was on this day in 1865 that Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston's surrender to General William Sherman in North Carolina became official. Johnston had been in charge of Georgia's defense, so this day marked the end of the war for Georgia.

Exactly when Georgians began commemorating April 26 as Memorial Day is unclear, but the language of the 1874 act clearly recognizes that April 26 was already being celebrated as an unofficial holiday. The day of observance may trace to the women of Columbus, Georgia, who on April 12, 1866 organized a memorial association and began a campaign to have a special day for "paying honor to those who died defending the life, honor and happiness of the Southern women." Three days later, the Atlanta Ladies' Memorial Association was organized, and on April 26, 1866, the association held a Confederate memorial observance at Oakland Cemetery.

So, the whole country has the state of Georgia to thank for this very deserving holiday. 

THANK YOU, ONE AND ALL, FOR YOUR SERVICES AND SACRIFICES

SBG

DEO VINDICE

[Rustyinfla]

 Thank you for making that clear.

   As an aside I think I also heard that Obama send flowers to be placed on a Confederate grave or memorial today as well. I was so shocked that I missed the details and only heard it once on the radio. someone might want to confirm or deny this.

 Bed time for me now,

[Ga.windbreak]

A thumbs up to the President!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/25/obamas-memorial-day-celeb_n_207294.html

Obama laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, a customary presidential undertaking on Memorial Day. He also had one sent to the Confederate Memorial there, a traditional practice but not well publicized. Obama also took the unprecedented step of sending a wreath to the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington's historically black U Street neighborhood.

[SouthernByGrace]

In addition to what GW said, from that same news report, I found the following to be extremely interesting, indeed:


WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama avoided a racial controversy on his first Memorial Day in office by sending wreaths to separate memorials for Confederate soldiers and for blacks who fought against them during the Civil War.

Last week, a group of about 60 professors petitioned the White House, asking the first black U.S. president to break tradition and not memorialize military members from the Confederacy, the group of Southern states that supported slavery.

"The Arlington Confederate Monument is a denial of the wrong committed against African-Americans by slave owners, Confederates and neo-Confederates, through the monument's denial of slavery as the cause of secession and its holding up of Confederates as heroes," the petitioners said. "This implies that the humanity of Africans and African-Americans is of no significance."

The White House ignored the request.     


Sounds like the President realizes there really are some nuts out there... these people have absolutely NO clue as to the truth. I guess these "professors" don't really care how the Northern slave owners, like ummm..., Ulysses S. Grant, treated their slaves, not to mention the BLACK slave owners!!! What a bunch of KOOKS!


SBG

DEO VINDICE

[SouthernByGrace]

...And you know what the worst part about the action of these "professors" ? They don't even realize that by NOT commemorating the Confederate memorial at Arlington, the one's being DISHONORED would actually INCLUDE Blacks! The following images clearly show blacks on the Confederate Monument at Arlington National Cemetery:

This image clearly shows a Confederate soldier entrusting the care of his children to a Black woman as he goes off to war. Do these "professors" believe she should NOT be honored?

Here we have yet another Black woman being given the trust of caring for the children of a Confederate soldier.

This image clearly shows a Black Confederate soldier (2nd from right). Should he not be honored, along with his fellow soldiers? Not according to these ever so learned "professors."



One little tidbit of information these "professors" might want to look in to before they go spouting off at the mouth about the President honoring the Confederate dead during a Memorial Day celebration;
This Confederate monument at Arlington National Cemetery is actually the very FIRST national monument to include blacks! The second one was the Vietnam War Memorial, more than 100 years later! And it was started by a Southerner!

Oh, the irony... such hypocrites!

SBG

DEO VINDICE   X 2

[Rustyinfla]

  Thank you SBG, that REALLY makes one proud.

[Oldtimer]

I spent the day at Fort Moultrie in South Carolina.  It is located on Sulivan's Island on the north side of the Charleston Harbor.  Sulivan's Island was the quarantine station for the Port of Charleston.  If a shipowner could not or would not verify that no one on board carried a disease, the whole lot was sent to a pest house for several weeks.  With all the marshes, the place must have been hell to serve on.  What would make it worse was that you spent your time looking over the ramparts at the lights of Charleston.  The lot of the soldier was never an easy one.

On a more positive note, Stella Maris Catholic Church is right next to Fort Moultrie.  It is beautiful inside and it has an English-type set of bells and rings in the English fashion.  I saw a plaque that indicated it rang a change of Plain Treble Bob.  If you want to know what I am talking about, and have a great summer read, try The Seven Tailors by Dorothy Sayers.

Also, as you turn south to go to Fort Moultrie, you pass Dunleavy's Pub.  Be sure to stop in for some refreshment, liquid or solid.  Both are great!

We went on the jail ghost tour in Charleston that evening.  The old city jail is being restored and is worth a look.  It was on the edge of the marsh and the bodies of those who were executed or died of disease were thrown into the marsh.  It was used as a military prison during the Civil War.  The lifespan of a HEALTHY Union soldier sent there was about five weeks.  Makes a Minie ball in the gut seem merciful.  Like I said, the lot of the soldier was never an easy one.