“Then the Lord said unto me, out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.”  Jeremiah. 1:14.

Harvard University has a memorial to all its students who were killed in military service, including several Nazis. The only omission is of  some Americans—Confederates. I know of about a dozen Confederate generals who attended Harvard, at least four of whom were killed in action. This is not even to account for others below general’s rank.

It is no surprise that the recent act destroying all Southern recognition from the U.S. military was spearheaded by a silly Senator from Massachusetts. Massachusetts has always been noted for its combination of lack of integrity and fanaticism. The same Senator lied about being a Native American. Another Massachusetts Senator lied about his Vietnam service, claiming wounds he never received.

A book could be written about that commonwealth’s misbehavior. President John Adams had people thrown in jail for criticising him. Massachusetts leaders during the war of 1861-1865 and after advocated actual genocide of the Southern people.

Cancelling all Confederate names from forts and ships and destruction of the Arlington Reconciliation Monument, passed into law by our Republican and Democratic Congresspersons, is not simply an attack on the South, it is the cultural cleansing of American history. It benefits not African Americans, the alleged excuse, but installs New England control of American discourse.

The Reconciliation that North and South agreed to in the late 19th century, and which we carried out faithfully for over a half a century, has been abolished. For the other side, you cannot expect shallow, self-righteous people to respect agreements. Could they suffer from suppressed envy?

This is a direct insult to Southern people and their history. It cancels out the great Southern contribution to American fighting since.

At least four Confederate generals saw service in the Spanish American War. In World War II the colleges that contributed the most officers to the forces were West Point, Texas A & M, and Clemson University in South Carolina.  Harvard was not conspicuous in its contributions.

What about George Patton, proud kin of Confederates? What to make of Major General Nathan Bedford III, killed in the air over Germany? Of Major General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr, actual Confederate son, KIA on Okinawa?  Admiral Nimitz, descendant of Texas Confederates? General “Chesty” Puller of the Marines? Of Arkansan Darby, founder of the Army Rangers? Why did Japs shout insults to Roy Acuff? Why did Brits refer to the American air arm as “the Royal Texas Air Force.”

In fact, the forts that were named for Confederates were deliberately done so in World War II in recognition of large Southern presence and support for the war. Southern soldiers commonly carried and displayed Confederate flags at all times, at least through Vietnam, and I expect even later.

Confederates were great Americans and the war of 1861-1865 was a world historical event between Americans. So, my fellow Southerners, you have been cleansed from American identity with hardly more than a meek protest. Many of your “conservative” “representatives” in Congress voted aye on the destruction, while going about their normal business of making themselves rich, pretending to be patriots by supporting dubious foreign wars, and following orders from the Republican leadership.


Clyde Wilson

Clyde Wilson is a distinguished Professor Emeritus of History at the University of South Carolina where he was the editor of the multivolume The Papers of John C. Calhoun. He is the M.E. Bradford Distinguished Chair at the Abbeville Institute. He is the author or editor of over thirty books and published over 600 articles, essays and reviews and is co-publisher of www.shotwellpublishing.com, a source  for unreconstructed Southern books.

18 Comments

  • Matt C. says:

    It’s very common for scripture to be used to say something, to make a point. The practice of doing that is understood. But, at the same time, understanding the scriptures, understanding what is going on in the Bible, is sorely needed today among Christians. In a May 4, 2024 column (LRC). Pastor Chuck Baldwin said, “…the remnant of Biblical Israel in Jerusalem and Judea was completely destroyed in 70 AD by the Roman army in fulfillment of both Old and New Testament prophecies.” Pastor Baldwin doesn’t know what he’s talking about about. It’s true that Titus began the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD (it wasn’t completed until the 2nd century), however, the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD was not prophesied in the O.T. or in Matthew 24:2 as is commonly taught. How can this be? Because this dispensation of grace we’re in today and which began with Paul in Acts 9, had been a “secret” (See Eph 3:1-9). The things that happened after Paul’s conversion and everything after Paul’s life, like the events in 70 AD were not seen or foretold by any prophet.

    Using Jer. 1:14 to make a point about what the American North has done to the American South is understood. However, hopefully it’s understood by Christians that Jer. 1:14 had to do with the capture of the southern kingdom of Israel by the Babylonians. That began “the times of the Gentiles” and the 5th course of punishment of Israel laid out in Leviticus 26 (very important).

    Thank you for this article, Mr. Wilson. It’s very sad what the North has done to the South here in the USA. Do many Southerner’s also realize a memorial statue to Confederate soldiers in little Tappahannock, Va had been removed not too long ago? The memorial statue to Confederate soldiers in the St. John’s Church Cemetery in Hampton, Va, they’ve left alone so far.

  • R R Schoettker says:

    “At least four Confederate generals saw service in the Spanish American War.”

    “……pretending to be patriots by supporting dubious foreign wars, and following orders from the Republican leadership.”

    • scott Thompson says:

      partially agree….but What ciriteria gets one a monument now?

      • R R Schoettker says:

        The criteria ever changes with the ever changing whims of society. Monuments are essentially just like ‘bookmarks’ in history that reflect this situation at their time. Removing them is an attempt to re-write and obliterate history rather than acknowledging and learning from history

  • Paul Yarbrough says:

    “Many of your ‘conservative’ “representatives” in Congress…”
    These do not exist any more than honorable and honest Southerners in Congress exist. Those in Congress left the farm because they are ashamed of it. They are no better in character than the faux injun you alluded to.
    Our Southern forebearers knew the true meaning of the word “scalawag.” It wasn’t just thrown out by chance.

  • Billy P says:

    Young southerners should turn their back on the US and let them recruit from the northeast and elsewhere. I imagine the open border plan is a Washington DC acknowledgement (among their other more pressing racial goals) that they expect to need to recruit creatively knowing the damage they’ve done to the normally reliable patriotic pool in the south. Imagine a foreign, now uniformed and militarized, horde with no ties to the land, its history, its values or its people. Think they will not willingly serve the interests of a tyrant when ordered?
    If the bravery and sacrifices of our ancestors weren’t good enough for you and they are, as General Beauregard predicted, ripe for derision, then good luck. The divide has been reopened and the wound is very real. The supposed conservatives that did not stand up against all of this destruction and offense are traitors in my book….and as Mr. Yarbrough correctly said, “scalawags”.
    How any true southerner can still feel anything other than continuous subjugation in this alleged “union”, I just do not know.

    • scott Thompson says:

      recruit from what is crossing the border, if true, by the millions….with a fresh voting block?

  • William Quinton Platt III says:

    All of the ships were built in the yankee States…nearly all of the lines of credit…they have to bury the truth…it’s too damning.

    Just keep poking holes in whorevard’s curtain…they’ve already admitted to thousands of black volunteers fighting for the Confederacy…soon they’ll admit tens of thousands of former slaves snatched off the streets and put into blue uniforms…it’s coming…the truth train is out of the barn.

    BTW, I am re-reading Battle Cry of Dumb-down…MacFearsometruth omits any reference to the Corwin Amendment…but I don’t wonder why.

    • David Sweatt says:

      Is that really a book? Where could I order it?

      • Earl Starbuck says:

        Pretty sure that’s a derogatory nickname for James McPherson’s book “Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era.”

        • William Quinton Platt III says:

          Yes sir…still looking for that guy to mention the Corwin Amendment in any of his writings. There were only 33 proposed Amendments sent to the States…27 of them were ratified…leaving only SIX outstanding…you would think a historian would include the only UNAMENDABLE AMENDMENT which was sent to the States to protect slavery in the union MINUS THE 7 COTTON STATES in ONE of his writings…at the least…but he probably thinks it’s not important since Fedgov doesn’t enforce amendments it finds troublesome. Slavery wasn’t the cause of the War…failure of Fedgov to follow the Constitution was the cause of the War. Fedgov was supposed to protect the States from invasion…fedgov failed with John Brown. Just as fedgov is failing to enforce US law on our borders today…

  • KSterling says:

    Let’s not forget Stonewall Jackson’s grandson, a graduate of West Point, who was killed in the Normandy invasion, his body never recovered.

  • So many new arrivals to the US seek to enlarge themselves by siding with the North – people who have no ancestral skin in the game. Huge people, like MacPhearson who I refuse to read. Am reading Clifford Dowdy now “The Land they Fought for”, and so far, so wonderful. My previous wife had a book in her library of Whittier poems. Being completely ignorant at the time, I saw what I thought would be a wonderful poem “From Massachusetts to Virginia”. Turned out to be not so wonderful. Will be in Boston for a few days coming up. The last time I was there, the freedom trail actors, one portraying Ben Franklin, were just looking for free drinks. I don’t think anyone ordinary in Boston has a clue either, or cares, about American History – from what I can tell.

  • David LeBeau says:

    Dr. Wilson is excellent. Do yourself a favor and get a copy of Defending Dixie by Clyde Wilson. The book is kind of pricey, but it’s worth having in your collection (library).

  • Rita Siler Gaither says:

    History repeats itself. We have a President who wants to let aliens vote. Lincoln let German Communists come in during the “the war” and allowed them to vote if they joined the Union Army. Some of them could not speak English. This is nothing new. How is that for the “virtuous Yankees”?

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