Federal laws hold that soldiers who fought for the Confederate States of America during the Civil War are American heroes
During this Memorial Day period I thought it would be appropriate to mention a couple of laws that have been enacted by Congress.
Public Law 85-425 was enacted May 23, 1958. This law recognizes all members of the armed forces of the Confederate States of America the same as veterans of the Union during the Civil War. The act also provided pensions to the widows of veterans who served in the army and navy of the Confederacy.
Public Law 85-811 was enacted August 28, 1958. This law directed the Secretary of the Army to furnish Government headstones or markers at the expense of the U.S. for the unmarked graves of “soldiers of the Union and Confederate Armies of the Civil War.”
These two laws hold that soldiers who fought for the Confederate States of America during the Civil War are American heroes, the same as those who fought for the Union.
Accordingly, shame, shame on those who are removing the statues of Confederate war heroes or renaming schools and parks bearing their names just because those heroes might offend a few African Americans.
And to think that the Houston school board is spending 1.2 million taxpayer dollars to change the names of seven schools bearing the names of Confederate heroes who, with the possible exception of Robert E. Lee and “Stonewall” Jackson, 99 percent of blacks never heard of.
The law recognizes Confederate soldiers as American heroes and they deserve to be treated as such!
Howie, I don’t know if those laws do what you say they do but it is food for thought. Here is a thoughtful piece on the laws you mention:
Editorial/Think Piece: Are Confederate Veterans United States Veterans? http://www.civildiscourse-historyblog.com/blog/2015/10/10/editorialthink-piece-are-confederate-veterans-united-states-veterans
The democratical party is reduced to fighting out the Civil War again. The party of slavery has merely found another method to control their people. Make them dependent on the government they are told will take of them. And LBJ cemented that concept at just about exactly the 100 year anniversary of the end of the fighting.
So, Howie, you have no issue at all using public spaces to celebrate those who took up arms against the United States, an act commonly called “treason”?
Ross, that’s right, and for these reasons.
First, these statues and school names have existed for generations without controversy. It wasn’t until rather recently that a few rabble rousers made the statues and school names politically incorrect.
And if the government provides headstones and grave markers to the fallen Union and Confederate soldiers alike, then the Confederates are American heroes too.
This controversy is similar to the Native American controversy over names like the “Washington Redskins.” Most American Indians could care less. It’s only a few PC agitators that have raised the issue.
As I said, 99 percent of blacks never heard of those Confederates. Again, it’s only a few agitators that have raised the issue. Most blacks don’t give a shit about those statues and school names, so why should you?
Ross, let me add this. You call the Confederates traitors. They were not traitors. A traitor is someone who betrays his country to an enemy. I am sure there were traitors both in the North and in the South, but those who fought for the Confederacy were not traitors, they were rebels fighting for a cause, albeit a very poor cause.
By Ross’s standard, anyone seeking independence is a traitor. So, we were traitors in 1776, Mexicans were in 1810, and Texans were in 1836. This “traitor” harangue is a tool of the clueless. Why wasn’t Jeff Davis prosecuted for treason? He wasn’t because the US Attoney general and US President in 1868 Andrew Johnson weren’t sure he could be convicted. The right of self determination is enumerated in our declaration of independence and the 13 state’s that formed the United States almost universally believed they had a right to leave the new union if they wished. You can argue they were wrong to do so, but you can’t argue they committed treason. Jerry Patterson
As to 1776 and 1810 it all depends on who wins the war. At to 1836 most of those were not traitors they invaders as they did not have the right to be in Texas, William Travis, David Crockett and many that died in the Alamo were not here legally, but that is history and as the saying goes “he who wins the war gets to write the history”.
Howie is correct about federal law recognising Confederate soldiers and the VA providing grave markers for them. I know, I’m in the process for getting one for my Confederate ancestor who lies in the Texas State Cemetery. Jerry Patterson