Comments on: Calvin E. Johnson’s Neo-Confederate Fantasy Land

By: Andy Hall

Andy Hall — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 03:44:31 +0000

The original pamphlet from 1914, giving the history of the monument's development and construction, explicitly identifies the African American man as a body servant:

Then the sons and daughters of the South are seen coming from every direction. The manner in which they crowd enthusiastically upon each other is one of the most impressive features of this colossal work. There they come, representing every branch of the service, and in proper garb; soldiers, sailors, sappers and miners, all typified. On the right is a faithful negro body-servant following his young master, Mr. Thomas Nelson Page’s realistic “Marse Chan” over again.*

"Marse Chan" refers to a popular short story about a slave who follows his master to war. Your interpretation and the comments here all peg it correctly, but I thought the original (and official) description would be useful. Sorry if it's been covered elsewhere; I'm still digging through your old posts.

By: Kevin Levin

Kevin Levin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:25:08 +0000

Excellent essay and dynamite book. I actually wrote a few posts about the Levine essay which you can easily find.

By: Leonard Lanier

Leonard Lanier — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:10:00 +0000

As Bruce Levine points out "In Search of a Usable Past: Neo-Confederates and Black Confederates," Arlington National Cemetery's website labels the figures in the monument's frieze as "a black slave following his young master." http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/visitor_inform...

Citation:
Bruce Levine, "In Search of a Usable Past: Neo-Confederates and Black Confederates," in Slavery and Public History: The Tough Stuff of American Memory, ed. James O. Horton and Lois E. Horton (Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 2006), 187.

By: Kevin Levin

Kevin Levin — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 09:36:12 +0000

Jim,

“Lashed out”? Now that’s pretty funny.

“Yet when blacks are included in a monument to the Confederacy (gasp), Kevin attacks their presence as if some were both not really there or never went to war along with the Confederacy, even though blacks represented 40%+ of the South’s population. It’s time to weigh the levity of Kevin’s opinions against the gravity of empirical evidence and law of probability and reach our own likely conclusions.” Well…whatever makes you feel better. What empirical evidence? By all means, feel free to conclude anything you want, but please don’t call it serious history.

By: Jim

Jim — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 02:25:22 +0000

In previous posts regarding artwork depicting Robert E. Lee alone on his estate (which was comprised of 1,100 acres), Kevin laments the absence of slaves. “After all he lived with these people”, Kevin lashed out. Yet when blacks are included in a monument to the Confederacy (gasp), Kevin attacks their presence as if some were both not really there or never went to war along with the Confederacy, even though blacks represented 40%+ of the South’s population. It’s time to weigh the levity of Kevin’s opinions against the gravity of empirical evidence and law of probability and reach our own likely conclusions.

By: Sherree Tannen

Sherree Tannen — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:54:04 +0000

Thanks Karen and Kevin for the suggestions. Karen, I would like to see the monument both for its artistic beauty, and for its importance in the history of how the Civil War has been remembered in our society, and will do so on one of my trips North! Thanks again. Sherree

By: Kevin Levin

Kevin Levin — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:04:28 +0000

Sherree,

I also highly recommend Karen’s book on the UDC which is titled Dixie’s Daughters (University Press of Florida, 2003). Another book that is worth reading is Caroline Janney’s, Burying the Dead but Not the Past: Ladies’ Memorial Associations and the Lost Cause (University of North Carolina Press, 2008).

By: Karen Cox

Karen Cox — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:40:19 +0000

Hi, Sherree. Book essays are usually not online. You’ll have to check out the book and then look up the essay within it. And, if you ever get a chance to visit it, the monument is really incredible. Karen

By: Sherree Tannen

Sherree Tannen — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 08:34:31 +0000

Thanks, Kevin. I will pursue the books you mention. Also, is Karen Cox’s essay online? I found references to the book, but not to Karen’s essay. I would like to read the essay. Finally, this is a question of logistics that local librarians are unable to answer. Is there some sort of interlibrary loan system in place between academic libraries and public libraries? It is difficult to get quality information. Thanks again, Kevin.

By: Kevin Levin

Kevin Levin — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:09:33 +0000

Sherree,

I highly recommend Bruce Levine’s Confederate Emancipation (Oxford University Press, 2007) as well as Joseph Glatthaar’s Robert E. Lee’s Army (Free Press, 2008). You can peruse the bibliography for additional references. The relevant literature on this topic includes slavery and race relation studies. Relevant historians include Bertram Wyatt Brown, Eugene Genovese, and Leon Litwack.

Karen Cox,

It is indeed an incredibly beautiful monument. Thanks for adding that detail about Wilson as well as the reference for your article.

Brooks,

Well, given the fact of interracial sexual contact in the antebellum South you wouldn’t be too far off at all.

By: James F. Epperson

James F. Epperson — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:32:43 +0000

Brooks, you should remember to use a smiley when making a joke

By: Brooks Simpson

Brooks Simpson — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 21:50:22 +0000

How do you know for sure who is the mother of that child?

One could read the monument as celebrating multiracial relationships.