A Bailout for Bowling?

Looks like the stand-off between the Virginia Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans and the American Civil War Center at Tredegar will continue over the statue of Jefferson Davis and Jim Limber. You may remember that the SCV spent $100,000 on a new statue of Davis holding hands with his “adopted black son” Jim Limber to be placed next to the Lincoln-Tad statue at Tredegar. The statue is close to completion; however, the ACW Center stipulated that the donation of the statue would be accepted with no preconditions attached or even a guarantee that it would be displayed at all. At the time I argued that this placed the SCV in a very difficult position since they could not pull out of the deal and blame the museum for failing to acknowledge their heritage, and even if they did go along with the deal it would be unlikely that the display of such a statue would prove to be satisfactory to the SCV.

Cristinia Nuckols, who is an editorial writer for the Virginian-Pilot, suggests that the funds spent on the Davis-Limber statue could have been allocated much more effectively on the maintenance of Confederate monuments throughout the city, which are in serious need of maintenance. Keep in mind that Richmond is already home to five Davis statues:

There’s the bronze statue on Monument Avenue, a life-sized version at his grave in Hollywood Cemetery, and three busts in the White House of the Confederacy, the Valentine Richmond History Center and the state Capitol. The latter is placed, in an ironic non sequitur, over a plaque that reads “Capitol Disaster.”

As Nuckols notes in the article, every year the Richmond community scrambles to raise funds to maintain these important historical. To spend $100,000 on another Davis statue when the SCV could have led the charge in maintaining those beautiful statues along Monument Avenue and elsewhere is not only reflective of mismanagement on the part of Brag Bowling and others, but a sign that the organization is losing its way. This is about as silly as the placement of massive Confederate flags along major highways throughout the South. One hundred thousand dollars spent and now Bowling and the SCV are scrambling for a home for their paean to the Lost Cause and bad history.

The news isn’t much better for the UDC and SCV in Maryland, which recently learned that they will not be able to use a room on the Johns Hopkins University campus for an upcoming Lee-Jackson Day event. According to the SCV’s blog, a Hopkins representative stated that they were being denied because they are a “Confederate organization.” It’s hard to know what to make of this given that the university has rented out the building to the SCV since 1988. Perhaps there is more to this story than what is currently being shared? Well, it hasn’t prevented the usual suspects from crying PC and every other chant in their repotoire. No surprise that our good friend Richard Williams sees it as a sign of the political corruption and liberal bias that has infiltrated college campuses throughout the country. Of course, Williams conveniently ignores the fact that for the past twenty years the university has welcomed the SCV to their campus. That seems like a pretty good track record for a leftist leaning/revisionist/anti-Southern [and whatever else you want to throw into the mix] university.

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2 comments… add one
  • Kevin Levin Nov 17, 2008 @ 17:51

    Robert, — I would also like to see the letter as it is difficult to believe that a representative of the school would reject the SCV for the reasons stated. Than again, who knows. As for what Richard is getting at…well…given that he filters everything through his personal morality play between good and evil anything is possible.

  • Robert Moore Nov 17, 2008 @ 12:48

    “The sole reason given, per a Johns Hopkins representative, was that WE are a ‘Confederate’ organization.” (note that the emphasis on “WE” is made by me)

    First, I’d be curious to see the letters of denial, keeping in mind that Hopkins is a private university… and second, if a representative of President Brody’s office said this, if I were Brody, no matter what the reasoning was behind the decision, I’d be curious to know the name of this “representative.”

    Noting Richard’s comment about the Sons of Union Veterans, I’m feeling an attempt in his use of words to make this situation even more all-encompassing than what it is. Please keep in mind, there are cordial relationships between some SCV and SUVCW camps in different areas, but make no mistake, this Lee-Jackson Day event is sponsored by the Harry Gilmor Camp, SCV and therefore, that is the organization that applied for permission to use the Johns Hopkins Univ. facility. The focus of the day’s events is, after all, on two Confederate icons.

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