Controversial Confederate Soldier Memorial
by JC Findley
Title
Controversial Confederate Soldier Memorial
Artist
JC Findley
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Controversial is probably a mild way of putting what these tributes to confederate soldiers have become.
The controversy as best I can tell stems from one side of the political arena views these memorials as a tribute to the evils of slavery while the other views them as simply history. My take is a little different.
I come from a military family and a Findley has served their country as far back as I can trace my family tree and that is to Magilbry Findley who fought for Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812. I still own land that was deeded to him by the US government. Not one of my ancestors that I know of has ever owned a slave yet I have grandfathers that fought for the Confederacy. They did not fight to preserve the institution of slavery anymore than the soldiers fighting in Desert Storm fought to keep oil cheap. They simply fought because their country called them to battle.
What is lost in the arguments about these tributes to Confederate soldiers is that they are memorials to the soldiers and sailors that gave their lives for their country or in this case their states. Do we fail to recognize the sacrifices of those that fought in Vietnam or Korea because we do not agree with the cause of the war? We as a country have done that before at least in the case of Vietnam and went so far as to scorn many who fought.
Whether these memorials stay or go it will remain my opinion that they are a tribute to those that fought for and with their brothers in arms and not in any way a tribute to the causes of the war. The soldier on the field is rarely political and does not analyze what the other side's motivations are. We merely fight to stay alive and to keep those around us alive.
Uploaded
August 23rd, 2017
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