The Confederate Battle flag with the St. Andrews Cross was copied from the Flag of Scotland which is the St. Andrews Cross which is also incorporated in the Union Jack of Great Britian, New Zealand and even Hawaii,Alabama,Florida,and in the Mississippi State Flag.Only Northerns call our flag a Rebel Flag we the southerns prefer the Confederate Battle Flag when you refer to the Saint Andrews Cross with the 13 stars of the Confederacy.Which represents the States of S.Car,N.Car,Fl,GA,AL,MS,TX,LA, TN,VA,AR,and Mo and Ky who were under martial law and not allowed to leave the union but sent representatives to serve in the Confederacy anyway. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, the nation had about 80,000 war veterans. By the end of the war in 1865, another 1.9 million veterans had been added to the rolls. This included only veterans of Union forces. Confederate soldiers received no federal veterans benefits until 1958, when Congress pardoned Confederate service members and extended benefits to the single remaining survivor. That is why today all Veterans of the War Between the States are considerd US Veterans eligible for all customs and courtesies afforded veterans today.To state disparaging comments against a Confederate Soldier today is in effect the same as the way Vietnam Veterans were treated by the Learned people of Berkley and other bastions of the educated elite.It wasn't fair today, then or ever ! Soldiers for what ever cause they fought for should be respected.For they are someones' son or Daughter, Father or Mother, Sister or Brother. On the Subject of being proud to be "American" in the conflict/war in South Vietnam the majority of conscripts/draftees that served were 19 yr old kids from the poor intercity and poor Southeastern farm kids. Like all the wars before if one was smart/rich one could get a deferment for college or get into the national guard/reserves. In the Civil War i.e. War of Northern Aggression if you didn't want to serve in the Union Army you could pay someone else to serve your enlistment for you if you had the money. Except for deaths incurred by Union Soldiers who fought in the War down South could you please tell me where these atrocities occurred north of the Mason Dixon Line? Generals Sherman and Sheridan(GAR) did more damage to America then Lee and Jackson,Forrest,Gordon, and Shelby combined. General Order 11 by General Lyons(GAR)in the western counties of Missouri (an occupied union area) had farms, homes, and churches burned to keep southern sympathizers from supporting the Confederacy. Whole families were torn apart and separated never to find each other even after the war was over, families couldn't locate their relatives. In Georgia General Sherman authored several General Orders to include the famous "40 Acres and a Mule" proclamation that stated all land from Savannah,GA to the St.Johns River in Florida and 30 miles from the coast was to be given to freed slaves and free blacks from the US Government. It was rapidly overturned by the US Congress "do to it being an illegal dispersion of private property" to a third party by a Government agent.If his law had been supported by Congress today Jacksonville, Florida to Savannah,Ga also St.Simons Isle,GA would all be inside a African-american state that would be larger then the state of Delaware. General Sherman was noted to state that all Women,Children and slaves in confederate territories were liken to native American Indians and should be wiped off the face of the earth. My Ancestors for example were forced marched from N.Georgia to Oklahoma on the trail of tears by War Hero Andrew Jackson when he became President he owed favors to his political supporters and the Cherokees had some prime land in N.GA,TN and the Carolina's. Until 1980 if you were of Cherokee descent you were not allowed in the State of Georgia with out permission of the government(US Flagged) . by the way all us southerns are proud to be Americans thats' why we volunteer to serve in the US Armed Forces in Larger numbers than any other region of the US. And unlike Northerns and some Canadians we realize that we all live on the Continent Named America after Amerigo Vespucci. So, Yes we are proud of our American heritage thats why we get so mad when our ancestors get dissed by other groups. When they demand that our flags come down, street names get changed, school names and anything confederate has to go. Next thing they will demand Ft.Hood, Ft.Gordon, Ft.Stewart, Ft.Bragg,and Ft.Polk all US Army Bases Named after respected Confederate Generals.
James in short the whole Confederate battle flag can be simply stated as a family heritage issue. Do you complain to your friends of different faith and backgrounds if they do something different then you I bet Not.If tomorrow it was considerd bad form to acknowledge George Washington and all the other revolutionaries who fought against British Rule because the British Owned Company deemed it offensive to them would you take any and all symbols of the American Revolution off your car,lunch pail, or clothing i.e. the US Flag to continue working there ? How about if Toyota ,Sony, or any other Japanese Company did the same or how about any other foreign owned company? Well today at Harley Davidson, Dupont, and many other companies have deemed your personal car, lunch pail, and clothing can not have a Confederate Battle Flag on it if you wish to continue working there.Even though the Constitution protects free speech and expression these companies now say to keep your job there you can't offend anyone with your automobile parked in their parking lot with a Confederate Battle Flag decal on it.Now I don't know about the rest of you all but a decal on someone else's car never did me any harm . Seems this diversity thing only works one way now days .If your Southern American you can be discriminated against and your Human Resource manager will not back you up but any other group has an issue and they jump over themselves to not appear racist or insensitive. I agree Lincoln should have used Diplomacy to mend the Union. Insted he took action while congress was adjourned and declared war on the Southern States of America for deciding to leave the Union after their state legislatures followed the same rules that they used to enter the Union to Leave.The States even were willing to pay for the Federal Property that was confiscated i.e. bases and equipment.But Lincoln decided the errant states were unruly children that should be disciplined and punished for taking their ball and going home!In my family I have three Known Ancestors that fought for the GAR and three that Served the Confederacy. I am proud of them all. My Father told me at a young age when I attended a family reunion and I said I was bored he asked me "Don't you love your Grandparents?" and I said "Yes, that I did" and he told me "we go to family reunions not for the goal of having fun and playing but to Honor and respect our parents" (like in the 10 commandments Honor your Parents) its the same with the Confederate Battle Flag! My Great Great Granpa James Hut Watkins (Pvt. Co.D,4th Mo Cav CSA) thought the cause was just that he served. I honor his memory by being in the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the oldest hereditary organization for male descendants of Confederate soldiers. Organized at Richmond, Virginia in 1896, the SCV continues to serve as a historical, patriotic, and non-political organization dedicated to insuring that a true history of the 1861-1865 period is preserved. I have no need to Join the Sons of Union Civil War Veterans since no one is attacking the heritage of my Brown family Union ancestors today. I myself am a 20 year veteran of the United States Airforce and served in deployed locations to include Turkey,Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other wonderful vacation spots
during Desert Storm. I am also A Disabled Veteran with a 40% rating for injuries and illness accrued while in military service. And like all disabled Retired Veterans without concurrent receipt I pay my own disability out of my Retirement Check at a 1 for 1 ratio. This situation is because over 130 years ago the Congress refused to recognize Confederate disabled veterans equally with their Union counterparts and the Southern Congressmen feeling slighted by their compatriots added the rider to a defense authorization bill and today we have the current problem with deserving veterans having to pay their own disability out of their retirement. In Texas there are hundreds of Mexico flags flying and Texans don't complain that mexicans fought a war with them. In Hawaii there are a few Japaneese flags flying on several islands and nobody is complaining today that the Country of Japan dropped bombs on Pearl and destroyed many lives. and protest their flags. You see many German Flags in the US specially around Wisconcin and Missouri but we don't protest their flying their ancestors flag either.Then their is the Spanish flag,the British Flag, And the Cuban Flag.Many an Immigrant to our great country are proud of their heritage and fly their ancestors or their flag they were born under before immigratting to the US.But., no one protest their right to fly the flag of their ancestors. Today in many places they are protesting the rights of the Majority to decide which Flag flys over a State i.e. Mississippi which allowed it's citizens to Vote . Here in Georgia we didn't get to vote it was decided by poloticians in Atlanta and their corporate lobbiest. In Missouri the Govenor had removed from a Confederate Cemetary and battlefield site the Battle Flag of the Confederacy.How would you have felt if during the talks between France and the US on the Iraq war if the French would have taken down the US Flags at Omaha Beach and the Cemetaries our brave soldiers are buried at. Because they were offended by our involment in Iraq? I don't think many Veterans here would have liked that situation at all me included. I think all veterans in their respective Cemetaries should always be honored by having thier flag flying over their Graves 24/7 365days of the year. Here in Waynesville Georgia I have taken it upon myself to clean up a WW1 soldier Pvt Musgrove Field's grave and trim the bushes away from his Headstone in order for his memory to be respected I purchase at my own expence, since it seems his family doesn't live near him anymore, a US flag for his grave on Memorial day and again this Veterans day.BTW this WW1 soldier was a black man in the US Army while it was still a segregated force. Also he is buried in a cemetary that is over 140 years old with over 30 suspected unmarked Confederate Graves. As Stonewall Jackson was know to say here in the southland we were family both Black and White. It was the Union Army that tore us apart. I hope this helps every one that asks that question WHY? and some of you can "get IT" A famous Confederate LT once stated"In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man brave, hated, and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot"
- Mark Twain AKA "Sam L. Clemons" LT MO Rangers CSA
In the 60's early 70's Merle Haggard wrote " fightin' side of me" here is the lyrics it sums up how some feel about their country and symbols.:
I hear people talkin' bad
About the way we have to live here, in this country
Harpin' on the wars we fight
An' grippin' 'bout the way things oughta be
An' I don't mind 'em switchin' sides an'
Standin' up for things they believe in
When they're runnin' down my country, man
They're walkin' on the fightin' side of me
Yeah, walkin' on the fightin' side of me
Runnin' down the way of life
Our fightin' men have fought and died to keep
If you don't love it, leave it
Let this song I'm singin' be a warnin'
If you're runnin' down my country man
You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me
I read about some squirrely guy
Who claims, he just don't believe in fightin'
And I wonder just how long
The rest of us can count on bein' free
They love our milk an' honey
But they preach about some other way, of livin'
When they're runnin' down my country, hoss
They're walkin' on the fightin' side of me
Yeah, walkin' on the fightin' side of me
Runnin' down our way of life
Our fightin' men have fought and died to keep
If you don't love it, leave it
Let this song I'm singin' be a warnin'
When you're runnin' down my country, man
You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me
Yeah, walkin' on the fightin' side of me
Runnin' down our way of life
Our fightin' men have fought and died to keep
If you don't love it, leave it
Let this song I'm singin' be a warnin'
If you're runnin' down my country, man
You're walkin' on the fightin' side of me
Fighting Side Of Me