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Floyd's Opinion
Why a Memroial Day Parade?I found this old letter while sifting through my file cabinet one day. I had forgotten about it until then. This one goes back a few years. It was submitted but not published. May 13, 1987 Editor of the Editorial Page Richmond Times-Dispatch 333 E. Grace St. Richmond, VA 23219 Dear Sir, In the May 8 issue of the Times-Dispatch there appeared, on the editorial page, a letter from one Lynne R. Brookfield regarding the Memorial Day Parade that is to take place in Richmond on May 24, 1897. I wish to respond to her letter and attempt to answer her question. My first reaction to her letter was one of anger. "How dare her question our attempts to honor our ancestors and war dead!". But after much thought I began to realize that perhaps, as a ‘transplanted northerner’, she asked the question out of a genuine ignorance of why such a parade would, and should, take place. First let me say that I am a member of one of those re-enactment/living history units that will participate in the parade. I feel confident that I speak for most of those who will take part in the parade on May 24. I would like to point out to Ms. Brookfield that Memorial day was first observed in the south at least two to three years before the federal government decided it was a good idea and made it a national holiday. Therefore, it is more than fitting that such a parade take place in Richmond. It is not our intention to glorify war. We, because of our study of history and warfare, know, more so than most, of the carnage and waste that war can bring. While there may be such a thing as a justifiable war, I dare say there is no such thing as a fun war. What we attempt to do, in our own small way, is to honor the memory of those who went before us. Those who believed in and were willing to fight for a cause. Particularly those who made the ultimate sacrifice, the loss of their life. Whether the cause for which they fought was politically justifiable, or not, is not the point, nor should it be. The political issues can be argued at some other place and time. The people of the south, as much as the people of any nation, made sacrifices for what they perceived to be their fight for independence from outside aggression. Is not that very same ideal what caused the American Revolution of the 18th century? I dare say that there are those who would argue that the Colonies were wrong to fight against their motherland, England. I can only guess, but I venture to say that the reason some, perhaps most, people have a problem with seeing a group of people portraying Confederates, is that they associate us with other organizations which are undesirable, to say the least. Yes we fly a Confederate battle flag, but we are not the KKK, we are not a white supremacist organization, and we are not Nazis. We are simply people of southern ancestry, or those who respect that lineage, who are proud of that bloodline. So proud that we wish to pay tribute to our forefathers. Just as a black man is proud of, and wishes to remember, his ancestors from Africa, or an Irishman wishes to remember his homeland and forefathers. or a Scotsman, or a Swede, etc. Why is being proud of our southern heritage so repulsive to some people? Perhaps thinking of southerners brings up thoughts of slavery. This always, and unjustly, associated with all southern people. The fact is that at the outbreak of the American Civil War, less than five (5%) percent of the total white population of the south owned slaves. LESS THAN 5%! Are we then to believe that everyone who lived below the Mason-Dixon line was fighting to maintain that ‘peculiar institution’? I think not. What they were fighting for was a principle. I’m sure some of you have heard the word principle used before. In recent years it has had words of derision heaped upon it by those who think that principles are archaic and outdated. We, those of us who attempt to keep alive that period of our country’s history from 1850-1865, believe that it is still possible to live our lives according to principles. We take the lessons learned by those we honor and try to emulate those principles. Honesty, pride, family, morality, and hard work. These are terms which are considered cute, but old fashioned. I, for one, believe that they still apply. Today more than ever. When I find myself trying to get through a rough day or week, I sometimes ask myself, "What would my forefathers have done? How would they have handled this problem?". Then I remember the hardships they overcame by simply adhering to the principles by which they lived their lives. It is easy to let one’s values decay. It takes a person of strong will and convictions to do the right thing when all else is against them. This is one of the lessons learned from those we honor. I could go on about this topic, but that is not the main point of this letter. We will march in the Memorial Day Parade because we are proud of the heritage we honor. The sacrifices that our southern ancestors made, as much as anyone’s, helped to make this country the great bastion of freedom that it is today. I would invite Ms. Brookfield to come out to Meadow Farm Museum/Crump Park in Henrico County on May 23 and look up my unit. I, among others, portray F Company, 21st Regiment of Infantry, Virginia Volunteers. We would be more than glad to answer any questions she may have about what it is we do or hope to accomplish. In closing allow me these last few words. At the surrender at Appomatox Courthouse, Virginia, on April 12, 1865, the Union officer in charge of receiving the formal stacking of arms was Brevet Major General Joshua Chamberlain. He commanded the 20th Regiment of Infantry, Maine Volunteers. Among his many military accomplishments Major General Chamberlain was wounded six times (once, it was thought, mortally), cited for bravery four times, and once awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. He had spent three years of his life fighting against and being shot at by the soldiers of the Army of Northern Virginia. As the Army of Northern Virginia marched past Chamberlain’s men he had his regiment do something that would anger many in the north, but which he knew he could justify. He had his regiment salute the fallen foe to show respect for their devotion to duty. His justification was simple, yet eloquent, and says all that need be said; "Before us in proud humiliation stood the embodiment of manhood: men whom neither toils and sufferings, nor fact of death, nor disaster, nor hopelessness could bend from their resolve; standing before us now, thin, worn, and famished, but erect, and with eyes looking level into ours, waking memories that bound us together as no other bond; -was not such manhood to be welcomed back into a Union so tested and assured?". Chamerlain goes on to describe the scene in greater detail. Detail which would make a lasting impression on any who read it. It would bring a tear to even the most stoic eye. This, Ms. Brookfield, is what we are honoring. This is why we are marching in a parade. The resolve and dedication to a cause which is all too rare in this country today. We hope that by remembering the hardships and sacrifices of those who went before us, that we can avoid having such a tragedy befall this great nation ever again. I sincerely hope that this letter, in some small way, helps to create a better understanding of what we, as re-enactor/living historians and southerners try to emulate. I am proud to be an American, and even more so to be a Virginian. But in no way do I, or any of my colleagues, mean any disrespect toward those who fought for the union. If anything, we respect them just as much for their dedication. I am, Your humble servant, Floyd C. Bayne p.s.(to the editor): I realize that this is a long letter. However, I feel that it’s contents needed to be stated. I feel that to shorten or edit this letter would lessen it’s impact. I hope that you agree. Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.
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