Keeping the legacy of Old Dixie alive

A call for smaller government and a continued focus on education about the "real" values of The Confederacy was the theme of the annual Lee/Jackson Banquet, held Saturday night by the Pvt. E.F. Arthur Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp #1783.

Guest speaker Tommy Rector, a long-time member of Gen. Roger W. Hanson Camp #1844 in Winchester, lamented the loss on the field of battle by the Confederacy during the American Civil War, called the "War of Northern Aggression" by SCV members, as the beginning of the end for small, localized government and a high degree of individual freedom.

"All one has to do is look at present day Washington, D.C. to see what our Confederate forefathers fought against," Rector said to the gathering at David’s Steakhouse. "Close to 300,000 Confederate soldiers gave their lives to prevent having this mess we have today."

This year marks 150 years since the start of the Civil War. Eleven states in the south made up what became known as the Confederate States of America. The war started in April 12, 1861 and ended in 1865. Thirty-percent of all white males between the ages of 18 and 40 in the Confederate States died as a result of the war.

Rector forcefully denied the notion that Confederate soldiers fought to preserve slavery or that the Confederate Battle Flag, often called the Stars and Bars, represents oppression.

"Many people, including many in the south, have come to accept those lies as truth," he said. "Our flag is not the rebel flag. It is not a Civil War flag. It is not a symbol of slavery. "The Confederate flag is a Christian flag and it represents those that are opposed to unlimited federal government."

Rector said soldiers from both sides in the war owned slaves and that most of the slave trade was conducted from New England ports. He said the war was fought over forcing the southern states that had seceded into rejoining the union. He said the SCV rejects any groups that endorse the idea of racial supremacy or slavery.

Rector said the cultural war over the legacy of the Confederacy continues today, and said history is often relative.

"When they ask in the school, who was the President during the Civil War … I submit to you as a southerner that you challenge that question and tell your children because it is relative."

Abraham Lincoln was President of the northern states during the war. Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederacy.
Camp Commander Moses Hamblin, who also serves as the Cumberland Brigade Commander, started off the evening by saying he thinks many SCV members are forgetting why they joined the organization in the first place.

"I do it for my great grandpa and two great uncles," Hamblin said. "The citizens that fought for the Confederacy personified the best qualities of America."

SCV membership is only open to male descendants of any veteran who served honorably in the Confederate armed forces. There are hundreds of local SCV camps in the U.S.

Following the dinner, new members were inducted into the organization and took a formal oath. The new members are: Richard Cox, Oscar "Bubba" Hall, Willie Martin and Doug Hinkle. A silent auction capped the evening.