23 June, 2020
Dear Sen. Blackburn:
Greetings. Thank you for taking the time to talk with Hugh Hewitt this morning. Poor Hugh. I love him, but he's such a radical Lincoln-loving Unionist that he fails to understand the sentiment of our country after that war. When the war was over, there were many efforts made to reunite the country. Each side was allowed to have their heroes, but in addition, these heroes were owned by the whole country. Why? For all those generals were Americans - especially if the Northern view of the politics of the war was correct. America was proud to have been the homeland of several of the greatest military geniuses in history, who were praised around the world: Generals Lee, Jackson, and Forrest. The American history textbooks written for our schools not only praised the Northern generals but the Southern as well - for we were all Americans. Many of these Confederate officers had stirling records in the U.S. Army before the war. Indeed, before Lincoln invaded Virginia, Gen. Lee was asked to be the head of the U.S. Army! The U.S. Army did not forget that, nor did they forget the brilliance with which they - fellow Americans - fought, and they continued to honour these gentlemen - as they would honour them even on the battlefield - by naming U.S. Army institutions after them, along with Grant, Sherman, et. al.
Hugh doesn't understand this. His understanding of the war is overly simplistic ("They took up arms against our country! They wanted to destroy this country!") and he doesn't know the pride with which America has owned all its past heroes, whether they fought for the North or for the South.
The present movement against the naming of our military institutions after Confederates is not really anti-Confederate. It is anti-American. This becomes increasingly obvious with the defacing and destruction of ALL historical monuments in our country, all the way back to Christopher Columbus. We need leaders who will stand up against this tide of ignorance and hate. Maybe those 3 years of deliberation [in a Senate committee] about our military tradition will help raise up such leaders.
Respectfully, your servant
Rev. David Beckmann
Comments