Silas Chandler on Voice of Russia Radio

Yesterday Myra Chandler Sampson and I spent about 45 minutes with Voice of America radio host, Ric Young, to discuss our recent Civil War Times article about Silas Chandler and related topics.  I thought the interview went well.  It was nice to have the opportunity to talk for an extended period of time and I was particularly interested in Myra’s reflections on a number of topics related to Civil War memory.  Have a listen.

I know I mentioned it before, but it bears repeating that I absolutely love the fact that Silas is pictured alone on the cover of the magazine.  That was a great move by the design staff.

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8 comments… add one
  • Lyle Smith Jan 16, 2012 @ 16:21

    Good interview. You don’t sound like a babbling idiot on the radio. Your interview on Civil War talk radio with Gerry Prokopowicz way back when was good as well (thank goodness for the podcasts).

    Ms. Chandler’s childhood/teenage memory of Mississippi captivated me the most.

    I’m glad you got a word in on the monuments in Richmond as well. Not everything Confederate needs to be destroyed. The names of highways, I’m not so sure about, but that is one way to remember our history, for better or worse, I guess.

    • Kevin Levin Jan 16, 2012 @ 16:39

      Thanks, Lyle. I guess it’s just one of those things of not being able to listen to my own voice. I hope to make a return appearance on Gerry’s show once the book comes out.

  • James F. Epperson Jan 16, 2012 @ 15:59

    Kevin, I enjoyed this very much, but it wasn’t TNT that exploded under Elliott’s Salient, but simple black powder.

    • Kevin Levin Jan 16, 2012 @ 16:03

      Of course. You can probably sense that I am bit anxious when doing radio and I really don’t like talking on the phone.

  • Andy Hall Jan 16, 2012 @ 13:12

    Great interview for both of you. This is great:

    The earliest references I can find to this “black Confederate” narrative come right at the time of the release of the popular series Roots, and I believe that was in ’76. And in the wake of Roots – and gotta remember, Roots told a very powerful story of first the horrors of slavery, [of] emancipation – and I found a number of correspondence between officers in various chapters of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and they talked back and forth about the need to counter these stories. They don’t like the way in which the South is portrayed, questions about how the Confederacy is portrayed, and one way to counter this will be, as they say, to uncover stories of loyal black slaves. And the “black Confederate” narrative sort of fits that agenda perfectly.

    Take “faithful slaves,” add filter it through Glory, and you’ve “black Confederates.”

    None of this stuff happens in a vacuum, does it?

    • Kevin Levin Jan 16, 2012 @ 13:16

      Thanks, Andy. I really appreciate that. I still think that I sound like a babbling idiot on the radio. Myra stole the show. She gave me quite a bit to think about.

      • Myra Chandler Sampson Jan 16, 2012 @ 19:12

        Thanks Kevin, I was thinking that you need to be a talk show host. I was very nervous.

  • Ray O'Hara Jan 16, 2012 @ 7:34

    That you were interviewed by the Voice of Russia will set your Lost Cause detractors off.
    Their reaction should be quite funny.

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