You Don’t Really Have to Wave That Confederate Flag

I always get a kick out of those people who are committed to waving the Confederate battle flag in public, regardless of how it makes others feel. For descendants of Confederate soldiers and others who are still, for whatever reason, committed to defending the cause it reflects a lack of creativity. It’s either the flag or nothing.

Earlier today I came across this reference while conducting a little research at the Gettysburg National Military Park. It is an account of the 1938 reunion by Annette Tucker, who accompanied her husband to Gettysburg and describes as the “only surviving Confederate veteran of Manatee County [Florida].” It’s a very emotional account of her experience while in town. She was clearly overwhelmed by the displays of camaraderie between former enemies and her own feelings of national pride.

Mrs. Tucker apparently brought along a Confederate battle flag and was prepared to display it, but chose not to:

At that time I felt so loyal to the Government for making this meeting possible and for all the favors they were bestowing upon us that it didn’t seem the proper thing to do—to display the Confederate flag, not even at the Reunion, even if we were permitted this privilege, so I folded mine to bring home for a souvenir and perhaps use at our own U.D.C. Meetings.

This wife of a Confederate veteran likely hoped to honor her husband at the reunion with the flag, but she chose not to and likely found another way to display her pride. Others did as well.

Something to keep in mind next time you are confronted by someone who demands to be able to wave the Confederate battle flag in places and at times that are inappropriate.

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11 comments… add one
  • Matt McKeon Apr 21, 2017 @ 7:26

    “eracism” That’s the funniest thing I’ve read in a long time. Don’t ever change, Dave.

  • David McCallister Apr 21, 2017 @ 0:28

    Kevin,
    Ms. Tucker prefaced her remark by saying that she felt loyal to the government for making the meeting possible and for all the favors being bestowed, etc. That was during the Era of Reconciliation epitomized by President McKinley.

    Well, the opposite is true now. The governments – local, state, and national are revoking and denying Confederate honors – even Manatee County, Florida tried to move its local monument a few years ago. The Florida Senate removed the Confederate flag from its seal of historical flags, in an act of despicable eracism.

    Do I need to mention the US National Park and VA attempts at removal of flags on Confederate gravesites, the removal of monuments in Washington DC, New Orleans, and elsewhere, the removal of the flags over state capitols (even the “compromise” one in Columbia SC), the banning of flags in California, and in patriotic day parades all over?

    I submit that the civil and civic atmosphere Ms. Tucker seems to have felt a part of, and grateful for, in 1938 has turned to outright hostility in 2017. The SPLC, NAACP, BLM and other “movements” for a perversion of “social justice” are stirring up discord and disharmony, and disturbing the peace which obtained in 1938. Academia is not above reproach. Removing the flags from Lee Chapel in W&L, and attempts made at the Citadel, are cases in point. Would these outrages have been contemplated in 1938?

    Perhaps Ms. Tucker would be the first one out on the streets carrying a Confederate flag now. Many of her UDC sisters are. The UDC itself was respected in 1938, Now, the haters have had their Congressional charter revoked. Would Ms. Tucker have been grateful for that? Enough is enough,

    Just something for the disingenuous to “keep in mind”…

    David McCallister, Tampa

    • Kevin Levin Apr 21, 2017 @ 0:56

      These “haters” are voicing their protests as taxpayers, which they have every right to do. You seem to ignore the fact that many of these monuments were erected at a time when large chunks of the community were prevented from sharing their thoughts about how history is represented/commemorated in their own neighborhoods. That has certainly changed.

      Perhaps Ms. Tucker would be the first one out on the streets carrying a Confederate flag now.

      I doubt it. The UDC has actually been very quiet over the past few years compared with other heritage groups. Thanks for the comment.

      • Sally HemingsKid Apr 25, 2017 @ 14:35

        I’d like to know more re: the revoking of UDC’s Congressional charter.

      • bob carey Apr 29, 2017 @ 6:27

        Correct me if I’m wrong, but I recall reading somewhere that this reunion was segregated. Perhaps the physical separation of black and white veterans made the reconciliation among the Confederates more agreeable.

  • Eric A. Jacobson Apr 20, 2017 @ 16:56

    I think the kind of person who waves a flag, or any other kind of unnecessary behavior, is not nearly as much to do with someone else’s feelings as it does with the person who is causing the ruckus having no sense of decorum. Frankly, I would love to scream and yell when I’m at a football or baseball game, but I don’t because I don’t want to look like a fool. If people exercised some more personal restraint we would all be better off. 🙂

    • Kevin Levin Apr 21, 2017 @ 0:06

      Can’t disagree with that.

      • bob carey Apr 29, 2017 @ 6:04

        Kevin,
        Ironically I was in Gettysburg this week and I came upon a situation which relates to decorum. My wife and I were on LRT conversing with a re-enactor near the Hazlett Battery (this fellows character was Horace Porter) when this man comes up dressed up in a full CBF shirt and hat and butts into our conversation to tell the re-enactor that he is wearing the wrong uniform. My wife knew what was coming and started to walk hastily toward the monument of the 44th NY. As diplomatically as possible, I informed this fellow that the CBF never made it to the top of LRT and that his shirt was in the wrong place. This guy just wanted to start an argument over the current status of the CBF.
        BTW I never did ask why Horace Porter was on LRT.

  • M.D. Blough Apr 20, 2017 @ 13:43

    That is what bothers me about them the most, the utter disregard for anyone else’s feelings. The negative reaction to the “Confederate Flag” is not a matter of PC, or being hypersensitive. It’s a reaction that white supremacists in modern times have deliberately used to harass, intimidate, and even terrorize blacks/supporters as part of an effort to protect and promote white supremacy. In fact, their rejection of any consideration for the feelings of others is what makes me reject their claims that their display of the “Confederate Flag” is a matter of heritage not hate.

    • Sea Skimer Nov 15, 2017 @ 10:32

      I interested to know do you think people should be able to wave around the US flag in public in the name of heritage not hate? After all that is the flag of slave owners, terrorists, people who committed genocide and so on. Should people who see the US flag on par with the CS flag not be given the same “respect”?

      • MARGARET D BLOUGH Nov 15, 2017 @ 15:07

        Are you finished erecting and knocking down straw men? Nothing you say even tries to address my point. Indeed, you prove it. You show an utter lack of respect for or even interest in the what motivates opposition to the so-called Confederate flag. The biggest problem it has is its modern usage as the symbol of Massive Resistance by proponents of white supremacy to federal civil rights laws and enforcement of the 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution. You simply don’t get the same reaction to either the First National Flag of the Confederacy or to the South Carolina state flag which has its roots in the initial banner of secession. Try reading John Coski’s book on the Confederate flag in modern times and you might learn something.

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