The argument has been made in the past that Southerners should "Put away the Confederate flags and the pictures of Jefferson Davis" because "The heritage that Southerners so desperately cling to is one of racism, ignorance, and religious fanaticism" and that we are trying to create a "backward looking, close minded nation"
I was born, raised and educated in the South. I am looking toward the future, not trying to re create the past, but I know the past is an important part of our lives because without it we wouldn't be here. I am proud of the fact that my forefathers stood up for what they believed in, and passed that trait down to me. Racism is something I don't agree with and will not tolerate, Ignorance I feel I am trying to address and correct by teaching and learning the Truth that I was taught by my elders in spite of the version of history taught in our public schools, if I am a fanatic because I am from the South and believe in God, so be it.
I will continue to teach the truth of my ancestors, and remember where I came from while looking to the future. If this makes me backward looking and close-minded, I'm sorry you feel that way but that’s just me. You have to know where you came from to know where you are going. You have to believe in and Love God because without him we would not be here.
There is always more than one side to any story and wars are no different, in any war the history of it is the one written by the winning side and in the War Between the States the Union side of the story is taught in our schools, I have heard from students writing papers on the Civil War that Abraham Lincoln had to declare war on the Southern states to Free the Slaves, and how Southerners fought so hard to keep them, and that after the war the South had nothing left but wounded pride and that Lincoln had to force The South to treat the slaves with respect. OK this is one side but what about the Southern side, Are we not allowed to teach this side? The Confederate states are in effect a part of the USA today, occupied states in my opinion but still we are living by the laws of the land and celebrating the history of the states but what if your heritage is from the Confederacy? This is the truth I speak of in my articles the lessons learned from my elders is where I see this truth. Slavery was a big part of life during this time but as I see it was an issue of the time but not the cause of the Civil War, slavery would have ended with or without this war, Lincoln himself stated, "The war is being fought for the Union, not slavery".
We allow our schools to teach their versions of history but we are supposed to keep the Southern side to ourselves. Our children being called down in school for showing pride in their heritage, a while back a boy in Ohio and one in Tennessee were made to feel wrong because they were proud, One for wearing a lapel pin of the Confederate Battle Flag, and one for wearing a t-shirt displaying the Confederate Flag with the statement "If this Flag offends you, You need a History lesson", he had wore it on Veterans Day, he explained that he has Confederate ancestors. So as I see it he has a right to be proud, and it was wrong to make him feel otherwise.
Why do we teach our kids to stand up for what they believe in and at the same time allow others to make them feel ashamed for doing so? Why can't people from the South be proud of where they are from without being accused of racism? Why is our history distorted to the point that our children are not learning the Truth of our forefathers at school? And why are we the ones that are "out of line" when we stand up for our kids by teaching them the truth? We should be able to do this without fear of being accused of something we are not
Our Children are the Leaders of the future. If we don't teach them the truth and the proper way to lead now in a Godly manner, then how can we expect them to lead and teach the truth to their Children without fear of confrontation from people trying to teach them otherwise?
Tuesday
LW Lusk, 1st SC Cavalry
My third Great Grandfather Leroy Worth Lusk was born in Oconee County, South Carolina to Nathan and Rosannah Capehart Lusk on Tuesday May 10th 1831 at about four in the morning according to his Family Bible. Leroy farmed in and around Salem, Oconee County, South Carolina, he married Jeanette A Rogers daughter of James and Mary Swafford Rogers on February 5th 1856 and had three children before the start of the Civil War. Jeanette was born June 16th 1840 in Oconee County, SC.
Leroy Worth Lusk mustered into Company F, 1st Regiment South Carolina Cavalry as a Corporal and was a 2nd Lieutenant by the end of the war.
The First South Carolina Cavalry Regiment as formed in October 1861, and served in South Carolina until it was assigned to Gen. Wade Hampton's Brigade, under Maj. General JEB Stuart and moved to Virginia in the fall of 1862, this regiment fought in numerous battles including Chambersburg, Fredericksburg, Brandy Station, Upperville, Gettysburg, Bristoe Station, Kelly's Ford, and Mine Run. Ordered south to defend their native state and surrounding areas in the fall of 1864, the First South Carolina Cavalry was prominent in the defense of Savannah and the Campaign of the Carolinas. After four years of honorable and gallant service, the First South Carolina Cavalry was included in the surrender of the Army of Tennessee in April of 1865.
In the midst of the war on March 9th 1863 my Great Great Grandmother Mary Roseanne Lusk was the first of seven more children born to Leroy and Jeanette. They lived and raised their family in Oconee County on the same land where generations of Lusks have lived. Jeanette died on March 16th 1905 and was laid to rest in the Henry Lusk Family Cemetery; Leroy died about 4 years later on May 9th 1909 and was also buried in the Lusk Family Cemetery.
Leroy’s Grave was marked with only a stone and funeral home marker until Tom a cousin of mine obtained a memorial stone for Leroy W Lusk from the Veterans Affairs Dept., he and a couple more cousins chipped in money to provide a stone for Jeanette also and set the stones in September 2008.
Thank You Tom
Leroy Worth Lusk mustered into Company F, 1st Regiment South Carolina Cavalry as a Corporal and was a 2nd Lieutenant by the end of the war.
The First South Carolina Cavalry Regiment as formed in October 1861, and served in South Carolina until it was assigned to Gen. Wade Hampton's Brigade, under Maj. General JEB Stuart and moved to Virginia in the fall of 1862, this regiment fought in numerous battles including Chambersburg, Fredericksburg, Brandy Station, Upperville, Gettysburg, Bristoe Station, Kelly's Ford, and Mine Run. Ordered south to defend their native state and surrounding areas in the fall of 1864, the First South Carolina Cavalry was prominent in the defense of Savannah and the Campaign of the Carolinas. After four years of honorable and gallant service, the First South Carolina Cavalry was included in the surrender of the Army of Tennessee in April of 1865.
In the midst of the war on March 9th 1863 my Great Great Grandmother Mary Roseanne Lusk was the first of seven more children born to Leroy and Jeanette. They lived and raised their family in Oconee County on the same land where generations of Lusks have lived. Jeanette died on March 16th 1905 and was laid to rest in the Henry Lusk Family Cemetery; Leroy died about 4 years later on May 9th 1909 and was also buried in the Lusk Family Cemetery.
Leroy’s Grave was marked with only a stone and funeral home marker until Tom a cousin of mine obtained a memorial stone for Leroy W Lusk from the Veterans Affairs Dept., he and a couple more cousins chipped in money to provide a stone for Jeanette also and set the stones in September 2008.
Thank You Tom
Saturday
Southern Heritage, No Hate, No Apologies
The Confederate Battle Flag and the cause for the War Between The States has different meanings for a lot of people, Southerners who were raised with the true teachings passed down from family who stood for the cause feel a sense of pride and comfort knowing the Confederate Flag is a symbol of our heritage with no hate, Hate Groups of all races are either waving it in folks faces in a hateful and degrading manner or trying to remove and condemn it because of this hate stigma, Most of us were taught in school that the Civil War was fought because of slavery and the South was defeated to free the slaves.
I don't agree with hate towards anyone nor do I think slavery is good thing, I also don't agree with judging our ancestors on today’s values, slavery was an accepted practice of the time not only in the South but also in the Northern States, the Civil War was not fought to preserve or end this practice, slavery was already on it's way out and if the WBTS had never happened slavery would be right where it is now, a part of our past.
A lot of Southerners are made to feel they should apologize for the act of slavery, those of us alive today had nothing to do with this practice and as I said before slavery was an accepted practice of the time. I’m not making excuses for slavery and I also don’t think we should judge our ancestors for something that was part of their lives at the time, I also don’t feel it is right for the South to be the only one to be accused of the practice and that we should be the ones to apologize for our ancestors actions. The Confederacy today is made up of all races just as it was 150 years ago it has never been a white only group, the South is Black, White, Hispanic, Indian and more I am sure I failed to mention, my point is the Confederate Battle Flag and the Confederacy is made up of all races and their heritage comes from Confederate stock no matter what color you are.
True Southerners do not wave our Confederate Battle Flag in hate, and will not apologize for or connect themselves with the actions of those who do. Hate and racism is not a Southern thing it is a mindset that lives up North too, those of us who actually care about our heritage and where we came from will continue to teach the truth as we were taught by our elders in spite of the version taught in our schools. You should be able to show pride because you were raised in the South without being accused of racism, you should be proud to speak with your Southern accent without being thought stupid, our media and television programs show us in a different light but that is a whole other post.
I don't agree with hate towards anyone nor do I think slavery is good thing, I also don't agree with judging our ancestors on today’s values, slavery was an accepted practice of the time not only in the South but also in the Northern States, the Civil War was not fought to preserve or end this practice, slavery was already on it's way out and if the WBTS had never happened slavery would be right where it is now, a part of our past.
A lot of Southerners are made to feel they should apologize for the act of slavery, those of us alive today had nothing to do with this practice and as I said before slavery was an accepted practice of the time. I’m not making excuses for slavery and I also don’t think we should judge our ancestors for something that was part of their lives at the time, I also don’t feel it is right for the South to be the only one to be accused of the practice and that we should be the ones to apologize for our ancestors actions. The Confederacy today is made up of all races just as it was 150 years ago it has never been a white only group, the South is Black, White, Hispanic, Indian and more I am sure I failed to mention, my point is the Confederate Battle Flag and the Confederacy is made up of all races and their heritage comes from Confederate stock no matter what color you are.
True Southerners do not wave our Confederate Battle Flag in hate, and will not apologize for or connect themselves with the actions of those who do. Hate and racism is not a Southern thing it is a mindset that lives up North too, those of us who actually care about our heritage and where we came from will continue to teach the truth as we were taught by our elders in spite of the version taught in our schools. You should be able to show pride because you were raised in the South without being accused of racism, you should be proud to speak with your Southern accent without being thought stupid, our media and television programs show us in a different light but that is a whole other post.
Tuesday
Black Confederate History
Black Confederates? This shouldn’t be a question but seems something hard for a lot of people to believe true. How many Black soldiers actually served the Confederacy in the War for Southern Independence? Sources show anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000, even if we estimate about 65,000 Southern Black Confederates with upwards of 13,000 in the face of the enemy during combat goes to show the importance of these men for the Confederacy.
The Victors version of history gives us a different story and if we believe their version then we fall into the impression that the war was fought over slavery and the blacks that stood on the Confederate side were forced into a situation they didn’t want to be in, well I believe that all Confederates were forced into a situation they didn’t want to be in and the Cause of the War Between the States was more economic rather than to free the slaves.
Black Confederates were made up of both free blacks and slaves; the Confederate Congress did not approve blacks to be officially enlisted as soldiers (except as musicians), until late in the war. But in the ranks it was a different story. Many Confederate officers did not go along with the mandates of the politicians they enlisted black men with the answer to a simple question "Will you fight?" this was an easy answer as the reason they wanted to fight was the same as any other Confederate Soldier, they were from the South and defending their homeland was a must.
The Victors version of history gives us a different story and if we believe their version then we fall into the impression that the war was fought over slavery and the blacks that stood on the Confederate side were forced into a situation they didn’t want to be in, well I believe that all Confederates were forced into a situation they didn’t want to be in and the Cause of the War Between the States was more economic rather than to free the slaves.
Black Confederates were made up of both free blacks and slaves; the Confederate Congress did not approve blacks to be officially enlisted as soldiers (except as musicians), until late in the war. But in the ranks it was a different story. Many Confederate officers did not go along with the mandates of the politicians they enlisted black men with the answer to a simple question "Will you fight?" this was an easy answer as the reason they wanted to fight was the same as any other Confederate Soldier, they were from the South and defending their homeland was a must.
In 1861 noted black abolitionist Frederick Douglass reported, “There are at the present moment many Colored men in the Confederate Army doing duty not only as cooks, servants and laborers, but real soldiers, having musket on their shoulders, and bullets in their pockets, ready to shoot down any loyal troops and do all that soldiers may do to destroy the Federal government and build up that of the rebels.”
Historian Ervin Jordan, explains that "biracial units" were frequently organized "by local Confederate and State militia Commanders in response to immediate threats in the form of Union raids". Dr. Leonard Haynes, an African-American professor at Southern University, stated, "When you eliminate the black Confederate soldier, you've eliminated a part of the history of the South."
Black History Month celebrates the importance of blacks in American history, let’s not forget the importance of the black men and women who also sacrificed for their homes and families as much as the white, Hispanic, Indian and other races who also stood with them on the side of the Confederacy during the War Between The States.
Sunday
The Confederacy Still Exists
General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox, VA. On April 9, 1865, Lee only surrendered this army, the rest of the Confederate forces decision to surrender was left up to their commanders. Lee and the rest of the commanders only had authority over these commands not over the Confederate States Government.
CSA President Jefferson Davis never surrendered, and no articles for surrender of the Government were ever drawn up. Jefferson Davis was not a citizen of the United States at the time nor did he ever accept his citizenship to the U.S. back because doing so would have been surrendering the Confederate Government. Now if the U.S. was fighting a war against non-U.S. citizens (The Confederacy) then how could it have been a Civil War as a Civil War is an uprising of people within their own country? The War For Southern Independence began when Lincoln sent troops to block our ports and refused negotiations to surrender a Federal Garrison at Ft. Sumter forcing Confederate Forces to fire on them.
After the surrender Southerners were forced to sign an oath of allegiance to the Union, which is an individual act and not one that reflects on the Confederate Government. The South was occupied by Federal troops then and the only way to survive for a lot was to sign the oath. The only people who had the authority to surrender the Confederate Government were the people in power such as the non U.S. citizen President Jefferson Davis, so if he wasn't a citizen how could he have been over a Government fighting their own country and if he never regained citizenship, how could he have given up on the Confederacy and why would he make statements such as "The contest is not over, the strife is not ended. It has only entered upon a new and enlarged arena", some sixteen years after the war was over?
The Confederacy is still in existence, we have no officials in office because we are an occupied country at this time. Our Armies did surrender but the Government never did, our passions and beliefs in the Cause of The Confederacy are still strong and we will continue to teach the truth as we have learned in spite of the victor's version of history. This contest is not over and we will never bow to the Political Correctness that is fighting hard to erase our Confederate Heritage.
The Confederacy still lives in the hearts and minds of true Southern minded folks, this issue can be debated from now on but end result is "Too many of our Nobel Forefathers stood for the Cause of The Confederacy for it to have been unjust" and as President Jefferson Davis stated "All we ask is to be let alone". The Confederate States of America would be fully staffed and thriving as a nation had Lincoln only allowed us to go in peace, we are now an occupied nation and no matter how you look at it the Confederacy does exist.
CSA President Jefferson Davis never surrendered, and no articles for surrender of the Government were ever drawn up. Jefferson Davis was not a citizen of the United States at the time nor did he ever accept his citizenship to the U.S. back because doing so would have been surrendering the Confederate Government. Now if the U.S. was fighting a war against non-U.S. citizens (The Confederacy) then how could it have been a Civil War as a Civil War is an uprising of people within their own country? The War For Southern Independence began when Lincoln sent troops to block our ports and refused negotiations to surrender a Federal Garrison at Ft. Sumter forcing Confederate Forces to fire on them.
After the surrender Southerners were forced to sign an oath of allegiance to the Union, which is an individual act and not one that reflects on the Confederate Government. The South was occupied by Federal troops then and the only way to survive for a lot was to sign the oath. The only people who had the authority to surrender the Confederate Government were the people in power such as the non U.S. citizen President Jefferson Davis, so if he wasn't a citizen how could he have been over a Government fighting their own country and if he never regained citizenship, how could he have given up on the Confederacy and why would he make statements such as "The contest is not over, the strife is not ended. It has only entered upon a new and enlarged arena", some sixteen years after the war was over?
The Confederacy is still in existence, we have no officials in office because we are an occupied country at this time. Our Armies did surrender but the Government never did, our passions and beliefs in the Cause of The Confederacy are still strong and we will continue to teach the truth as we have learned in spite of the victor's version of history. This contest is not over and we will never bow to the Political Correctness that is fighting hard to erase our Confederate Heritage.
The Confederacy still lives in the hearts and minds of true Southern minded folks, this issue can be debated from now on but end result is "Too many of our Nobel Forefathers stood for the Cause of The Confederacy for it to have been unjust" and as President Jefferson Davis stated "All we ask is to be let alone". The Confederate States of America would be fully staffed and thriving as a nation had Lincoln only allowed us to go in peace, we are now an occupied nation and no matter how you look at it the Confederacy does exist.
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Rebel With A Clue is dedicated to the brave men and women of the Confederacy who sacrificed to make a stand for what is right.
Men like 2nd Lieutenant Leroy W Lusk (my 3rd Great Grand Dad) of Company F,1st Regiment South Carolina Cavalry, passed down their lessons and traits to us, we need to
continue standing for the Cause they fought for as it is all about honor and truth and not hate and racism. Help teach the truth behind our Southern Heritage, Life is too short for hate.
My name is Jimmy, I was born and raised in South Carolina and have lived most of my adult life in Eastern NM and West Texas, my wife and I are now living in Southern California and as they say "You can take the boy out of the South but you can't take the South out of the boy”. I'm just a hardheaded Southern Boy who is proud of his Family and Heritage. I love my Family and Friends, I love to laugh, and I do love the South. My Confederate Flag waves proudly and I will brag about it.
