Confederate monuments in Gettysburg spark debate among historians

[Fishrrman]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/confederate-monuments-in-gettysburg-spark-debate-among-historians/ar-BB16y5dO?ocid=spartan-dhp-feeds

Confederate monuments in Gettysburg spark debate among historians
July 10, 2020
Katie Byrne

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is home to more than 40 Confederate monuments. The park is roughly 6,000 acres, attracting nearly a million visitors each year.

Are the Confederate monuments educational or do they glorify slavery? It depends on who you ask.

“This is the largest of the Confederate monuments on the Gettysburg battlefield,” said Jason Martz, an acting public affairs officer for the Gettysburg National Military Park.

The statue of Robert E. Lee stands about 41 feet tall on the Gettysburg battlefield, a pivotal site of the Civil War.

Martz says Lee’s statue and other monuments of Confederate leaders in Gettysburg will likely stay because of their historical value.

“In many cases, these monuments have been here for so long. They are now historically intrinsic to the battlefield story as much as the battlefield is,” Martz said.

Still, not everyone has seen it that way.

More at URL above...

[Fishrrman]

You knew this was coming.
Only a matter of time before these monuments are attacked or defaced.

Who's going to stop them...?

[Hoodat]

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is home to more than 40 Confederate monuments. The park is roughly 6,000 acres, attracting nearly a million visitors each year.

Expect that number to fall by two-thirds if they tear down the monuments.  Most visitors come from the South.

[verga]

Can't wait for the pendulum to swing in the opposite direction.

[mountaineer]

Hey, I know! Let's eliminate all the statues of and monuments to Confederates! Then it will be like they never existed! Yay, rewriting history is so much fun.

[Smokin Joe]

Hey, I know! Let's eliminate all the statues of and monuments to Confederates! Then it will be like they never existed! Yay, rewriting history is so much fun.

Yes! Those Yankees just fell over dead from the excitement of doing all that shooting at nothing.

Really makes 'em heroes for their cause, doesn't it?

[catfish1957]

Can't wait for the pendulum to swing in the opposite direction.

Amen.  Haven't done any grafitti since we painted a message on the roof of my college dorm in 1977.

[Night Hides Not]

Based on what I saw at Gettysburg, most (if not all) of these monuments were donated by citizens from states that had units at Gettysburg. Those statues are now property of the US Park Service, and help to tell the story of the most consequential, and bloodiest battle of the American Civil War.

IMO, Gettysburg is one of those moments that changed world history, just like the Trinity Site, Armstrong on the Moon, etc. This mad rush into sanitizing history must be stopped, yesterday.

[Night Hides Not]

Amen.  Haven't done any grafitti since we painted a message on the roof of my college dorm in 1977.

I was never artistically inclined, though I could make an exception for statues like Margaret Sanger's. I would like to outlive Hillary, so that I could express my First Amendment rights by urinating on her grave.

[catfish1957]

Based on what I saw at Gettysburg, most (if not all) of these monuments were donated by citizens from states that had units at Gettysburg. Those statues are now property of the US Park Service, and help to tell the story of the most consequential, and bloodiest battle of the American Civil War.

IMO, Gettysburg is one of those moments that changed world history, just like the Trinity Site, Armstrong on the Moon, etc. This mad rush into sanitizing history must be stopped, yesterday.

Strangely silent in all this matter is the SCV and SUVCW.  These are huge organizations who are tasked to protect this heritage and history.
Felt like sending SCV a nasty note, but figured it would be counter-productive.

[Night Hides Not]

Strangely silent in all this matter is the SCV and SUVCW.  These are huge organizations who are tasked to protect this heritage and history.
Felt like sending SCV a nasty note, but figured it would be counter-productive.

Thanks for posting...I went to the websites searching for those with my last name. It'll add more meaning to my genealogy searches.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/confederate-monuments-in-gettysburg-spark-debate-among-historians/ar-BB16y5dO?ocid=spartan-dhp-feeds


Are the Confederate monuments educational or do they glorify slavery? It depends on who you ask.

Like a headstone in a cemetery, the monument represents someone who lived and died.  Those killed are relatives of those still living today.

Rip them up there, and it will not stop until all cemeteries will be ripping out all graves of any considered 'undesirables'.

[Hoodat]

Rip them up there, and it will not stop until all cemeteries will be ripping out all graves of any considered 'undesirables'.

Sounds like something the Nazis would do.  Oh, wait  .  .  .

[Smokin Joe]

Strangely silent in all this matter is the SCV and SUVCW.  These are huge organizations who are tasked to protect this heritage and history.
Felt like sending SCV a nasty note, but figured it would be counter-productive.

Are they silent, or just having trouble getting their message out?

[catfish1957]

Are they silent, or just having trouble getting their message out?

Both their national websites are dead silent on the matter.  I think at least on the SCV side there have been a smatter of support on statues being held on private property.  No defense of statues on public though.    Otherwise, more than anything, IMO, it is kind of "deer in the headlights" scenario, with them having no idea how to respond.

[mountaineer]

Rip them up there, and it will not stop until all cemeteries will be ripping out all graves of any considered 'undesirables'.

This is one of my ancestors. Gee, I hope no one rips off this marker.

[catfish1957]

This is one of my ancestors. Gee, I hope no one rips off this marker.

Thank you for sharing.  And for Mescalone's benefit, that is a U.S. Government prepared and sanctioned grave marker.  Even though he fought for the Confederacy. 

[berdie]

Most of the people doing this insane carp don't even know who the people are or what they did.

There was a beautiful statue of R. E. Lee on Traveler in Dallas that I passed every day on my way to work. It had stood there for many years. Pressure on the powers that be caused them to remove it to the tune of $500,000. Great plan...you folks don't have enough money to pay your police, but can dig up the bucks for this? It may have been best. If that statue was defaced I might have gone ballistic. Not due to Lee...but it was a beautiful piece of art. Yes...I'm still p.o.ed about it.

I would have given a kidney to be able to afford it. It would have looked beautiful in my back pasture coming thru the trees.

[Hoodat]

I would have given a kidney to be able to afford it. It would have looked beautiful in my back pasture coming thru the trees.

I doubt they would have sold it to you.  Already tried to put in an offer for the Charlottesville statues.  Got a buddy that works for the city.  They're not selling.  They don't want the monuments to exist at all on anyone's property.

If these cities were smart, they would auction them off.  Bet they could raise a pretty penny.  But this isn't about that.  It is all about following the Orwell 1984 playbook and shoving these monuments down the memory hole.  Once complete, any future mention of the Confederacy will warrant a rat cage around your head.

[catfish1957]

I doubt they would have sold it to you.  Already tried to put in an offer for the Charlottesville statues.  Got a buddy that works for the city.  They're not selling.  They don't want the monuments to exist at all on anyone's property.

If these cities were smart, they would auction them off.  Bet they could raise a pretty penny.  But this isn't about that.  It is all about following the Orwell 1984 playbook and shoving these monuments down the memory hole.  Once complete, any future mention of the Confederacy will warrant a rat cage around your head.

My hope would be that someone like SCV would secure a few hundred acres and make a statue park out of them.  Placing all the statuess along a path or road for viewing picnicing, and relaxation....   AND SECURITY for full prosecution under the law for vandals  Heck, an individual area wanting the tourism could enact a local ordinace putting huge fines any offenders.  Possible huge income producer.

[Smokin Joe]

I doubt they would have sold it to you.  Already tried to put in an offer for the Charlottesville statues.  Got a buddy that works for the city.  They're not selling.  They don't want the monuments to exist at all on anyone's property.

If these cities were smart, they would auction them off.  Bet they could raise a pretty penny.  But this isn't about that.  It is all about following the Orwell 1984 playbook and shoving these monuments down the memory hole.  Once complete, any future mention of the Confederacy will warrant a rat cage around your head.

Start a Museum of commemorative statuary or something. Every one of those is a work of art.