Category: history

bookmark_borderNew Raphael Semmes statue unveiled!

Posted on by Marissa

The statue of Admiral Raphael Semmes that I blogged about here has officially been unveiled!

Here are a few pictures from the days leading up to the unveiling (all posted by the Raphael Semmes SCV Camp #11 unless otherwise noted):

Here are some pictures of the ceremony from the Semmes SCV Camp.

Here is a beautiful photo of the statue from Monuments Across Dixie.

Here is a post by the Virginia Flaggers with more photos.

This excellent post by Dixie Forever contains more info about the history of the Semmes statue.

bookmark_borderDon’t be someone who simply destroys and tears down…

Posted on by Marissa

An excellent post from Monuments Across Dixie:

 
 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Monuments Across Dixie (@monumentsacrossdixie)

Indeed, although writing and reading about history are meaningful pursuits, something even more meaningful is making history, specifically creating new statues and monuments. Nothing compares to the sense of pride that I feel when looking at statues like these:

Additionally, as the post states, it is indeed more honorable to build and create than to destroy and tear down. This is a fact lost on the “woke” bigots who think that destroying as much beauty and good as possible somehow gives them a claim to the moral high ground.

bookmark_borderRest in peace, Charlie Kirk

Posted on by Marissa

“The left claims that destroying a century-old Robert E. Lee statue by a great American artist represents ‘healing.’ The truth is the exact opposite. Letting the South publicly honor its experience during the Civil War was a major part of the nation’s post-war healing, and allowing different political factions to celebrate their own heroes is a key part of political harmony. Destroying the Lee statue isn’t about healing. It’s an act of aggression, a show of dominance and hatred by people who want America’s history, its historic values, and yes, its historic people wiped out.”

– Charlie Kirk

(source here)

I’ve written numerous times that the atrocities perpetrated against statues and monuments are the exact opposite of healing. Charlie Kirk thought so as well, and articulated this idea perfectly. This quote shows that Charlie truly understood. He had the courage to speak out for what is right, and he paid with his life.

Thank you, Charlie.

bookmark_borderMini Lee statues, old and new

Posted on by Marissa

The project of recreating the Charlottesville statue of Robert E. Lee that was so cruelly destroyed is coming along. The full-size replica of the statue is physically in existence, but a pedestal is not, and neither is a location.

So, Monuments Across Dixie and the Alamo City Guards SCV Camp are joining forces to raise money for a base for the 14-ft statue.

You might recall that miniature Lee statues were sold to raise money for the creation of the statue, and a new batch of these is currently available to raise money for the pedestal. Monuments Across Dixie posted a reel showing them, here. While the first batch of mini Lee’s was green to resemble oxidation, the second batch is dark gray / black.

You can find more details at the Alamo City Guards’ website here – there are three donation levels which support both the Guards and the Lee statue’s base, with the highest level including a mini statue.

bookmark_borderExcellent post from Fame Preservation Group about the true significance of Confederate monuments

Posted on by Marissa
An excerpt:
 
When Lincoln’s War ended in April of 1865, chaos consumed the collapsing Confederacy as Richmond burned, Atlanta was reduced to rubble, and the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered to prevent additional loss of life under strained supplies and manpower … those civilians and survivors of the conflict formally apart of the Confederate States were forcibly occupied by a foreign military, cast aside as prisoners of war, treated as chattle until they pledged allegiance to the United States, and like many, imprisoned without trial.
Southerners were not allowed to vote in the following years under Reconstruction, they were forbidden from partaking in politics, and were treated as second class citizens as Uncle Sam held his steel boot on the necks of Dixie…
 
Southerners were forbidden from publicly mourning their Confederate dead, where anything considerable to the “lost cause” would be confiscated and destroyed.
Confederate Monuments didn’t go up until the end of Reconstruction when US troops left the streets of Southern cities and shipped out from occupying our war ravaged lands for elsewhere, and even then, Monuments wouldn’t be erected until they were individually fundraised for by locals. And the remainder of Confederate Monuments that went up specifically between the years of 1960 and 1965 were done so in the Centennial of the War….
 
Do your part, honor your local history, and preserve what you can in a destructive world
 
And these are the monuments being singled out for destruction and removal. How does that make any sense? How can this not be considered bullying, kicking someone when they’re down, beating up on the underdog? How can it not be considered cruel, mean, intolerant, and lacking in empathy? And how can the people who do this be perceived as holding the moral high ground?
 
Read the rest of their excellent post here.

bookmark_borderUpdate from Lee-Jackson Park

Posted on by Marissa

Last week, the Stonewall Brigade posted some good news about Lee-Jackson Memorial Park, the privately owned and operated park in Virginia that provides a new home for removed statues. The park raised the $10,000 needed to receive a matching grant from an anonymous donor, funds which will help to develop the park and eventually open it to the general public.

In their Facebook post, the Stonewall Brigade wrote:

“We’re taking a stand against WOKE right here in the community where Lee and Jackson are buried and where they desecrated Lee’s tomb and closed his museum and chiseled Jackson’s name off of everything. The message of Lee Chapel and the VMI Parade ground will be front and center right here in the future and safe from Woke politicians… It may just be a dream, but this place will become a great education center, outdoor museum, and even a summer camp for youth if you help us build it.”

Amen to that. The creation of this park is one of the most significant bright spots of the hellish last five and a half years, and its existence gives me hope.

bookmark_borderUpdate from Fancy Hill

Posted on by Marissa

The organization, The Generals Redoubt, which is dedicated to defending and honoring George Washington and Robert E. Lee at Washington & Lee University, is restoring a historic home called Fancy Hill to serve as their headquarters. The organization purchased the home to serve as a permanent presence near campus, housing libraries, exhibits, artifacts, event spaces, and even a podcasting studio. Earlier this year, the office portion of the building opened for student and alumni events, and the main building is scheduled to open to the public at some point this month. The Generals Redoubt recently posted an update on the renovations, with a photo showing a portrait of General Lee on the wall. I am glad for the existence of this new site honoring two deserving historical figures, and am looking forward to seeing what the future holds.

bookmark_borderSpanish American War Memorial at Valor Memorial Park

Posted on by Marissa

Last month, Valor Memorial Park acquired the Spanish American War Memorial from Asheville, North Carolina. Valor, a privately owned park in North Carolina dedicated to honoring all veterans, made a Facebook post showing the pieces of the monument arriving on site via truck. It’s not exactly clear why the monument was removed in the first place – as far as I know, it didn’t involve the Confederacy or Christopher Columbus, the statue genocide perpetrators’ favorite targets – but one commenter on the post stated that the city simply felt that the monument was too difficult to maintain. Sounds a bit strange to me, but regardless of the reasoning, I’m glad that the monument has a new home where people will cherish and take care of it.

bookmark_borderNew Raphael Semmes statue to be unveiled

Posted on by Marissa

A brand new statue of Admiral Raphael Semmes has been created and will officially be unveiled soon.

The statue is located at the Fort McDermott Confederate Memorial Park in Spanish Fort, Alabama. A dedication ceremony will take place on Saturday, September 27.

Here is a picture of the statue at the foundry, shortly after being made, with some other statues slightly visible in the background.

Here is a picture of the statue still in his crate, shortly after his arrival.

Here are a couple more pictures, including a close-up.

Here is a reel with various pictures of the statue.

And here are a couple of full-length shots, all courtesy of the Raphael Semmes Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp #11, which commissioned and will maintain the statue.

The creation of a new statue is always a beautiful thing to see, and I’m looking forward to the official unveiling.

If interested, you can donate to the statue’s maintenance and upkeep here.

bookmark_borderExcellent post from the Confederate Cleaner

Posted on by Marissa

I follow and strongly recommend the Facebook page titled, The Confederate Cleaner. And I love this recent post in which he explains the motivation behind his work:

“As I started to discover just what the Southern soldier was truly made of, I wanted a way to tell their story. This page was created to do just that. In a way, I felt I was giving a voice to the Confederate soldier in a time where they were being constantly slandered.”

This is very similar to my motivation for my artwork and statues. I want a way to tell the stories of the historical figures, and to give them a voice, in a society that has decided that their stories should be erased and their voices silenced. The historical figures cannot stand up for themselves, so I feel a responsibility to stand up for them.

“Sometimes it’s easy to think we’re fighting a losing battle,” he writes. “That’s how they want us to feel! But, charge forward we must! Keep honoring those who fought so bravely in protecting the land we love so dear, Dixie!”

Amen to that.

Read the rest here.