The first Memorial Day weekend after we moved to Shepherdstown a few years ago, we drove by the local cemetery and there were Confederate Flags displayed on many of the graves. (Antietam National Cemetery is only a couple of miles away, but because it is a “national” cemetery, confederates weren’t allowed to be buried there, so a significant number are buried here in Shepherdstown.) Claire was appalled that they should be displaying Confederate Flags…
It made perfect sense to me because that was the flag they fought and died under. Anyhow, I got to thinking…
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday and is celebrated every year on the last Monday of May. It is set aside as a day to remember the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day and it originated after the Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century, Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service.
So let’s see, the day that we now now call Memorial Day was originally created to honor both the Union and Confederate soldiers that died in the Civil War. Today, “Confederate Memorial Day” is still celebrated in a number of southern states.
For some reason, the Confederate Flag has come to refer to racist policies or other undesirable traits, but the fact is that that flag was bravely carried in many battles and those fighting for for and under it were fighting for what they believed in. One argument is that the Confederate graves should display the American Flag, because they were Americans.
In my opinion, there is nothing dishonorable, disrespectful, or racist in placing Confederate Flags on the graves of Confederate soldiers — it’s the flag under which they fought and died. There are probably many reasons that those who fought for the Confederacy did so. I’m sure many chose sides only because of where they were born, but some made the choice for reasons of patriotism, or love of family and even love of the nation. Both Union and Confederate soldiers died in the Civil War, but in the end they all died for the same belief — the freedom to be governed by a form of government of one’s choosing.
It’s unfortunate that the Confederate Flag has become to many a racist symbol —it never was any more than the Civil War was a racist war. Those that died in that war lost their lives for their beliefs; they were all true Americans — those that fought for the Confederacy shouldn’t be dis-honored because of the flag they waved….
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