Please Accept Our Statue

February 7, 2009

in Civil War Culture, Civil War Memory Class, Lost Cause, Slavery, Southern History, Teaching

0_61_statue_320The Sons of Confederate Veterans is still trying to find a home for their statue of Jefferson Davis and Jim Limber.  The statue, which cost $100,000, was originally planned for the grounds at Tredegar in Richmond next to the statue of Lincoln and his son Tad.  The American Civil War Museum accepted the statue, but made no promises as to whether it would be displayed and how.  Apparently, the SCV doesn’t know the first thing about how museums operate.  Now they are offering the statue to the state of Mississippi.  Good luck boys, but in this political climate my guess is that you don’t have a chance.  My offer still stands to use it in my classroom as an interpretive piece to help my students better understand the continued influence of the Lost Cause.  What do you say? We will take very good care of it.

Between the statue, their big ass Confederate flags flying over Southern highways, and their endorsement of a NASCAR driver, the SCV has demonstrated their commitment to wasting money and their inability to take Southern heritage seriously.

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  • I honestly don't know who is who. I assumed the one on Davis's left is Limber since he seems to be reaching for his daddy's coat.
  • Woodrowfan
    Is that Jim Limber on Davis's right? Because I keep thinking that the kid on Davis's right is looking for some Yankee troops to run away and join...
  • Sean Dail
    Craig,

    The problem is that the radicals have infiltrated the organization so thoroughly that they are running the good folks off. My understanding is that a group called Save the Sons of Confederate Veterans was formed a few years ago by some disaffected members in an effort to defeat the radical agenda of SCV's national leadership. I don't believe they've made much progress.

    Sean
  • I guess I'm just willing to listen to all sides of the issue and keep an open mind regarding the SCV. Now, mind you, I've actually been escorted OUT of an SCV event for suggesting that William T. Sherman was an honorable man (gasp!). Still I would not classify the majority of the SCV members I've crossed paths with as "ultra radical conservative" nor "neo-Confederate." There are some odd balls out there, to be sure. But describing the organization as a whole under those terms is a bit reaching.

    Now I must agree that the SCV is not on itself a big force for preservation. But then again, I know a lot of its members who are.

    Personally, I'd think the statue would fit in well at Irwinville, Ga. Of course, they'd have to redo the statue to depict him in a dress..... ;-)
  • I have no doubt that there are plenty of SCV members who are committed to preservation. The post is meant as commentary in regard to the organization as a whole. I don't think I would have suggested that Sherman was anything but a scoundrel in the presence of such company. lol
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  • James F. Epperson
    "$100,000 for a statue! Do they know how many core acres of threatened battlefield land that sort of money could afford? Isn’t battlefield preservation a more fitting tribute anyhow?"

    Unfortunately, the SCV has never been very interested in battlefield preservation. They are more interested in making sure the "correct" interpretation is given at existing battlefields.
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  • Jimmy Price
    Having worked at the American Civil War Center during this whole statue controversy, I can assure you that the "offering" of the statue was nothing more than an attempt at a "gotcha" moment from the SCV. That this coincided with the hiring of an African American female president makes one pause and wonder -- what REAL legacy was this group attempting to glorify?

    How very, very depressing.
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  • Sean Dail
    Unfortunately, many SCVers know very little about the service of their ancestors. The SCV has apparently (my knowledge is, admittedly, completely second-hand) become so thoroughly dominated by radical ultraconservatives and white supremacists that many (fairly conservative) members are now staying away. It's sad that a group that might otherwise be front and center in the preservation movement has destroyed its reputation and in the process done a great disservice to the soldiers it was created to represent.

    But times change, and perhaps as the old die out the SCV may yet be revived as a positive force in
    the Civil War community. I'm not holding my breath, though.
  • Nicholas,

    You make an excellent point. Perhaps what their choices reflect is very little interest in honoring the service of their ancestors.
  • Nicholas Redding
    Kevin,

    $100,000 for a statue! Do they know how many core acres of threatened battlefield land that sort of money could afford? Isn't battlefield preservation a more fitting tribute anyhow?

    I know its ridiculous to hold the SCV to a logical standard, but really this is sickening.

    What a waste.
  • While it's not the best way to spend historical preservation dollars and has absolutely nothing to do with even the SCV's own goals, don't be so hard on NASCAR! :)
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