I’ve been asked, along with a bunch of other folks, to contribute to an editorial piece for Civil War Times magazine. The topic – the Governor of Virginia’s Confederate History Month proclamation, his apology for the wording of same, and the sometimes thoughtful, sometimes bizarre reactions they prompted – is a hot one just now. I decided not to discuss it here, because as a commenter on Robert Moore’s blog correctly points out the controversy is a lot more about the present than it is about the past. And I think no one can deny that modern politics, which are taboo here, play a big part in the discussion. The other contributors are mostly big shots and mostly real historians (and doubtless scratching their heads wondering who the Harry guy in the e-mail cc list is), so I don’t anticipate my contribution will stand out in any positive way, and may even wind up on the cutting room floor. I’ll give it a shot, but every time I think about it I go off in different directions.
Harry Smeltzer
Bull Runnings 
Sounds like a pretty cool problem to have, my friend. Congrats!
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Congrats, Harry!
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I’m not sure congratulations are really in order. Robert, I know you’ve put a lot more thought into this controversy than have I. Right now I’m of the opinion that my comments will be…concise.
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Hey Harry,
Dana will no doubt place our entries under the heading: “Other” :D I look forward to reading your entry.
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Kevin, you and Robert led the way in commentary on this topic, and I think your comments anticipated to be more than filler. I’m torn on the whole thing, and every time I try to organize my thoughts I get pulled in a different direction. Whatever one thinks of the thought process behind the issuance of the proclamation and the apology, we can agree that we are in the Governor’s debt for having made them if only because of the exposure they’ve given to what has heretofore been a relatively obscure debate.
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Looking forward to what you have to say about the issue. I consider commenting on the issue to be like going through a huge minefield with no mine detector. I like the comment, that the controversy “is a lot more about the present than it is about the past”. That captures my thoughts quite well. But I guess that is what you can expect when it comes to the American Civil War and American memory.
Thanks,
Chris
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[…] also sent in my two cents on the Virginia Confederate History Month controversy as discussed here. I don’t know if it’s exactly what they were looking for, but it’s what I […]
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