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In a move that’s sure to ignite controversy, Sampson County NAACP President Larry Sutton has spearheaded an effort to exclude the names of Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War from being read aloud and acknowledged at forthcoming Memorial Day services.
Technically, Sutton has a point, because North Carolina was one of the states that seceded from the Union; therefore, during the Civil War, these men did not actually die for the United States of America, but for the Confederate cause. True, history tells us that not everyone fighting for the South was in favor of slavery; nor was everyone fighting for the North an abolitionist. As is always the case, there were good people on both sides of the war, who were doing what they felt was right at the time. There were also people who did terrible, abhorrent things that no one would dare to defend — on both sides. While it often brings out the best in people, war also brings out the worst in us as well.
It’s highly likely that in some cases, the men who donned the uniforms didn’t really have a say in the matter, but felt it was their duty to fight for the place they called home, whether that be in what is now Clement or Ivanhoe, or Boston or New York City.
However, is it really the fair thing to do to essentially erase these men from history? Isn’t it, in essence, the same as the Trump Administration removing any mention of slavery from national parks? Both are efforts to erase history, which is never a good idea. If we do not acknowledge the mistakes and wrongdoing of the past, there is nothing to stop us from repeating those same actions in the future.
While we do agree, in theory, that perhaps these Sampson County soldiers did not give their lives for the United States, but rather for the Confederacy, we’re not sure it’s a good idea to ignore their sacrifice. They were, in fact, men who lived, worked and worshipped in this community, and ultimately met the same unfortunate fate as countless other young men, and now women, since the dawn of time who have fought and died in military conflict.
The fact is, the South lost the war. And, while Confederate flags are still allowed to fly on private property, we do not think they belong on public property nor on any government-owned premises. So, while removing Confederate statues en masse throughout the Southeast might have been necessary, perhaps removing the soldiers’ names who died in the Confederate army might be a bridge too far. After all, they still fought valiantly to protect their homes, even if it was for the losing side. Using that argument, do we then not honor Vietnam veterans because the U.S. lost that war? Surely, no one would champion that idea. We think, rather, it’s the idea that Confederate soldiers were, for lack of a better word, traitors to the United States. Their goal was to create their own, entirely separate country — a goal that ultimately, and thankfully, failed.
We hope, that in a time where division is so rampant throughout the U.S., that same sense of discord does not make its way to Sampson County, either because of this issue or any other. After all, as Jesus Christ Himself said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”