Lee The Matchless Hero

"If Congress can do whatever in their discretion can be done by money, and will promote the General Welfare, the Government is no longer a limited one, possessing enumerated powers, but an indefinite one, subject to particular exceptions."
--James Madison
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A venerated American hero, General Lee’s abilities are legendary and even his adversaries would praise him. General Granville Dodge of the Northern military said that Lee’s “unfailing equipoise and sturdy courage prolonged the life of the Confederacy from month to month [and a] dispassionate judgment places Robert E. Lee among the greatest generals of modern times.”

Bernhard Thuersam, Director
Cape Fear Historical Institute
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Lee the Matchless American Hero:

“In discussing Pompey’s greatness on the field of battle, Cicero, a master of ordered thought, asserts that four qualities are united in supreme military chieftains. These, as he thinks, are…Military knowledge…Valor…Authority…Good fortune. No soldiers will long fight whole-heartedly for an unlucky chief. Did Lee possess these traits?

Knowledge? How otherwise, with an army necessarily diminishing, did he compel President Lincoln to try McClellan, Halleck, Pope, Burnside, Hooker, Meade, Grant in an effort to match him in the field, and this, too, when these capable officers excelled him in every material equipment of war?

Valor? It is needed only to recall how, with McClellan still lying at the doors of Richmond, Lee sent off Jackson to jar Pope’s complacency and then followed himself with the larger part of his army to complete Jackson’s task, or how, when fighting in the ratio of only two to five, he divided his army at Chancellorsville and overthrew the self-sufficient Hooker.

The last quality mentioned by Cicero, good fortune, is a relative term. Although Lee was fought to a standstill at Sharpsburg, and baffled at Gettysburg, the admiration, even veneration, of his soldiers was undiminished. They still believed that, while circumstances might prove too much for him, no skill of an antagonist would ever surpass his battlefield strategy.

Such was the chieftain the North Carolina troops, in common with the soldiers of the South, were henceforth to follow until Appomattox came. Bomb-proof critics might assail him with shallow criticisms, but the “hardiest troops that ever laughed at hunger, cold or danger,” never wavered in their conviction that their leader was matchless.”

(The History of North Carolina in the War Between the States, Volume II, Bethel to Sharpsburg,
Daniel Harvey Hill, Edwards & Broughton, 1926, pp. 91-92)
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Lee The Matchless Hero

Moses Ezekiel

Confederate monument designed by Moses Ezekiel and dedicated in 1914 by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson.

The tombstone of Moses Ezekiel, Sergeant of Company C,
Battalion of Cadets of the Virginia Military Institute.

Moses Ezekiel
My Talk to the John Hunt Morgan SCV Camp

SCV Camp on December 11, 2010

Good Morning. I am Nancy Hitt and the subject of my talk this morning is a Jewish American sculptor who spent the last 40 years of his life living in Rome, Italy.

Most of you who are in attendance here today probably know something about the life of Moses Ezekiel, as he was one of the young Cadets at VMI who Confederate Gen. John C. Breckinridge brought forward in order to fill a gap in his lines during the Battle of New Market, Virginia, on May 15, 1864.

You have probably read that Moses Ezekiel became an artist and is buried in Arlington Cemetery at the base of the Confederate Soldiers’ Memorial which he had designed.

That is about all I actually knew about Moses Ezekiel until this October when an Italian Confederate descendant by the name of Peter Rossi contacted me. Peter has been quite active in honoring Confederates and their European allies buried across Europe.

In April, SCV Europe Camp #1612 organized a memorial service and a Cross of Honor grave marking with Peter’s help for Thomas Jefferson Page and Thomas Jefferson Page, Jr., father and son who are buried in the Non-Catholic Cemetery in Rome.

In an e-mail to several individuals, Peter requested information about the exact location of Moses Ezekiel’s residence in Rome and his Roman burial site. I am sure that Peter is doing this research in order to plan a future Confederate ceremony honoring Ezekiel, a former long-time resident artist of Rome.

Peter lives in Lucca, Italy, which is outside of Rome; therefore, he enlisted an American, Susan Whitman Fiorentino, who lives in Rome to make this research one of her first UDC projects.

As you may have read on the John Hunt Morgan Camp listserver, I sent out a request for any information that your members might have about Ezekiel. Mr. Leland Bell responded to that request. Mr. Bell is a former John Hunt Morgan camp member and a graduate of VMI. He gave me valuable information and advice.

This is the message from Mr. Bell to me: “Hi Nancy. According to the bio in the New Market book he resided in his studio in the Baths of Diocletian for thirty years until the city wanted it back. He was then given the tower of Belisario on the Pincian Hill overlooking the Borghese Gardens. He took a studio and work rooms in the Via Faustus just off the Piazza Populo. Hope this may help. You can also contact the VMI museum. They have a great exhibit on Sir Moses. Regards, Leland.”

I took Mr. Bell’s advice and telephoned Ms. Diane Jacob, the Archivist at VMI. She generously answered some important questions for me. Yes, his long-term studio was in the Baths of Diocletian, and he was forced to move to a studio in the Tower of Belisario located on the Roman walls.

Ms. Jacob sent me the following material along with an extract from a lengthy letter written in English by Adolfo de Bosis’ wife to Ezekiel’s sister, Hannah, after his death. The fact that Ezekiel had been buried in the de Bosis crypt was found in various reports, but we still did not know his connection to this particular family.

It seemed likely that the de Bosis family was Catholic and the question remained of how a Jew would have been allowed to be buried in a Catholic Cemetery. We even considered the possibility that he was later moved into a Jewish Cemetery.

Ms. Diane Jacob of VMI sent me the follow reply:

In response to our telephone inquiry yesterday, I have the following information from our records.

Correspondence Ezekiel to VMI from the 1911 to 1917 period shows a return address of No 2 Via Campania, Torre di Belisario, Rome.

The only account we have of the temporary burial site is from an essay called “Moses Jacob Ezekiel” by Rabbi David Philipson, published by the American Jewish Historical Society, No. 28, 1922. It contains the transcription of a letter from Ezekiel’s good friend Lilian de Bosis (Mrs. Adolfo de Bosis) to his sister Hannah E. Workum in Cincinnati, in which she describes his last days. The letter is dated April 4, 1917. There is every indication in this that the vault was the only burial place before the move to Arlington, and that this temporary site was chosen carefully and because of Ezekiel’s connections to the de Bosis family.

“…It was then decided to place him temporarily in the vault which he had himself built for the Family of Adolfo de Bosis in the city cemetery of San Lorenzo at Varnis. There our little son Manlio and Adolfo’s brother Arturo, whom he had so dearly loved and cherished, awaited him…I am confident that not having left any instructions as to religious rites, simply stating he wished to be buried in the Southern Soldiers’ Cemetery, with the Masonic rites, we succeeded in interpreting the true spirit of his religious feeling essentially Jewish, yet appreciative of the beauty and helpfulness in all other religions. We simply felt that here his friends should gather round him and express each in their own way, their love and devotion. So a young rabbi from the Roman synagogue recited the ritual prayers on the day of his death; Catholic friends prayed by his side in their own way; Mr. Nathan representing the Free Masons and his Jewish friends, Mr. Lowrie his numerous Protestant friends. We wanted the rabbi to accompany the hearse to the cemetery, but that it seemed he could not do.”

This information actually answered both of Peter Rossi’s questions. The letter records his exact mailing address and gave a name to the cemetery where Ezekiel was buried. It also related that Moses Ezekiel had been the designer of the de Bosis crypt.

Adolfo de Bosis was a famous Italian poet married to an American wife, Lilian Vernon, who was the daughter of a Methodist minister. Moses Ezekiel and the de Bosis family were close friends over many years. This letter written by an American woman answered important questions, but the name of the cemetery was still vague and it needed to be identified.

Susan in Rome has been dedicated to finding that cemetery and the de Bosis crypt and it was only recently located due to her diligence. Clearly, Ezekiel had always stated his desire to be buried at Arlington. I believe this is the reason he was allowed to be buried in the de Bosis crypt in the Catholic Cemetery of Verano since his burial was always considered to be temporary and he was a well-known and highly respected artist of his day.

Moses Ezekiel died on March 27, 1917, during World War I and this is likely the reason his remains were not moved until 1921. His funeral service at Arlington Cemetery was the first ever to be held in the Memorial Amphitheater.

Moses Jacob Ezekiel was born in Richmond, Virginia, on October 28, 1844. He was the sixth of fourteen children born to Jacob and Catherine de Castro Ezekiel.

According to Ms. Jacob at VMI, Moses Ezekiel is the first recorded Jewish Cadet at VMI. He served as a Sergeant of Company C of Cadets. In spite of the fact that Yankees burned most of VMI, studies were able to continue in the Richmond Almshouse which allowed Moses Ezekiel to graduate in 1866.

He followed his graduation from VMI with the study of anatomy at the Medical College of Virginia. Ezekiel moved to Cincinnati in 1868 to study art. In 1869, he traveled to Berlin, Germany, where he studied at the Royal Academy of Art. He was admitted into the Society of Artists in Berlin and was the first foreigner to win the Prize of Rome based upon his bust of Washington.

Ezekiel spent the remainder of his life in Rome. He was a prolific artist and produced some 200 works of statuary. Ezekiel created busts of Lizst, Eve, Homer, David, Christ in the Temple and Robert E. Lee. One of the many honors he received was to be knighted by the King of Italy.

Today, I wish to talk about several of his works closer to home. Our own Bill Hayes sent me some Bernheim family material to help in my research.

The Brothers Isaac and Bernard Bernheim were German Jewish immigrants to Kentucky. They made their fortune in whiskey distilling and were very philanthropic. They donated the 14,000 acre Bernheim Forest to the people of Kentucky. They commissioned the Abraham Lincoln statue in front of the Louisville Free Public Library on York Street. Oh well….

The Bernheim brothers were responsible for the Thomas Jefferson statue that stands in front of the Jefferson County Court House at 5th and Jefferson Streets. They commissioned Moses Ezekiel to design this magnificent bronze work of art.

Ezekiel designed Thomas Jefferson standing upon the liberty bell holding a copy of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson is surrounded by four symbolic winged female figures while the base is inscribed with Jefferson’s own words. It was completed in 1901.

In 1910 a reproduction was cast for the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, Virginia, without the Jefferson inscriptions engraved upon the base.

Edna Macon of Owensboro informed me of another Ezekiel work located in Kentucky. Ezekiel was the architect for the Confederate Memorial Gateway at the Hickman Cemetery.

There is so much more that can be said about Sir Moses Ezekiel and his work as a sculptor, but this brief presentation is not able to cover all of his many accomplishments. Books and the internet contain additional information for the curious among you.

I want to especially thank Raphael Waldburg-Zeil for his encouragement in this project. He is the editor of the European SCV newsletter and co-editor of the S.C. SCV division newsletter.

I hope you all will take a closer look at my poster board which contains photographs of the two different Thomas Jefferson bronze statues, the Hickman Gateway, and Ezekiel’s famous statue of Stonewall Jackson at VMI.

I have included two photographs taken by Susan of the Adolfo de Bosis crypt at the Verano Cemetery. Unfortunately, the crypt which was designed by Ezekiel and was his first resting place is badly in need of cleaning and repair.

Also you will find a photo of Ezekiel as a young VMI cadet and his Arlington grave marker under the Confederate Soldiers’ Memorial which he designed.

The next time you are arrested and taken in ball and chains past the Court House, just ignore your predicament and remember that unreconstructed rebel who designed our own Thomas Jefferson bronze work of art. Many thanks and God Save the South!

“Students Would Rather Shoot Themselves Than Appear Before Lee In Disgrace”

"There are certain social principles in human nature, from which we may draw the most solid conclusions with respect to the conduct of individuals and of communities. We love our families more than our neighbors; we love our neighbors more than our countrymen in general. The human affections, like solar heat, lose their intensity as they depart from the centre... On these principles, the attachment of the individual will be first and for ever secured by the State governments. They will be a mutual protection and support."
--Alexander Hamilton, speech at the New York Ratifying Convention, 1788
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(I looked for years until I found one that I thought truly looked like General Lee and when I saw this one, I immediately bought it. I believe he used the picture Lee standing on the porch at his home in Richmond after his return for the likeness. Very similar.BT)

During his tour of the postwar South in 1867-68, Scottish missionary David MacRae visited with General Robert E. Lee in Lexington. He found a college president who was venerated throughout the South, and as one of the professor’s reported, “students would rather shoot themselves than appear before Lee in disgrace.”

Bernhard Thuersam, Director
Cape Fear Historical Institute
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Lee’s Standard of a Man’s Worth:

“I knew from report that Lee was reticent on political subjects, and wisely so, his position in the country since the war was demanding the utmost prudence. I, therefore, made no attempts during the interviews I had with him to “draw him out”; at the same time I spoke freely on all subjects that came naturally in the way. Political topics were, therefore, referred to; but Lee was on his guard, and I could not but notice the admirable delicacy and tact with which, as often as the conversation threatened to become political, he contrived to turn it into another channel.

At his home I met some of the professors, and conversation went on briskly; but I noticed that whenever they introduced political topics, Lee became silent, and allowed the conversation to go on without him.

One of his sons told me that his father’s answer to direct inquiries on vexed questions was that he was a soldier, not a politician. In speaking of the war, reference was made to the odds against which the South had fought, and the want there was of accurate statistics. I told Lee it was understood he was preparing a history of the conflict himself. “I have that in view,” he said, “but the time is not come for impartial history. If the truth were told just now, it would not be credited.”

Speaking of Lexington and its neighbourhood, he said, -- “You will meet with many of your countrymen here. The valley of Virginia is peopled with Scotch-Irish…They are a fine race. They have the courage and determination of the Scotch, with the dash and intrepidity of the Irish. They make fine soldiers.”

He said it was an old wish of his to visit this country…Stonewall Jackson had been in Scotland before the war. He had heard him speak of it. When he spoke of Jackson I was struck with the emphasis he placed on his piety. One cannot indeed be long with Lee without finding his Christian character revealing itself almost unconsciously in his manners and conversation. I remember with peculiar distinctness the solemnity with which, at table, standing before his family, he asked God’s blessing on the food. Also, when he referred to a gentleman whom he wished me to see in Richmond, his saying that he had rarely met “with a nobler or more Christian man.” It was only a word, and yet it showed by what standard he gauged a man’s worth.”

(Robert E. Lee as College President, David MacRae, America Through British Eyes, Allan Nevins, editor, Oxford University Press, 1948, pp. 344-345)

LEE-JACKSON DAY Lexington, Virginia

SATURDAY JANUARY 15TH

Lee-Jackson Day is a celebration of the lives of two great heroes and most noteworthy citizens of Lexington, Virginia. Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. 'Stonewall' Jackson were both born near this date which became a longstanding state holiday across the South. While neither man was born here, both spent the final years of their lives as residents of Lexington. 'Stonewall' Jackson arrived here prior to the War Between the States and became an integral part of the community as a church leader and professor at the Virginia Military Institute. Robert E. Lee arrived in Lexington following the war and rescued a destitute college that was later renamed Washington and Lee in his honor. Both men are buried here which makes the town a fitting venue to commemorate their lives. We welcome you to join us as we honor not only their military genius, but their personal lives, faith, and character. We also encourage you to walk the streets and explore the town upon which both men left their permanent mark and legacy.

2011 Event Updates

Kenny G. Rowlette, Associate Professor of English at Liberty University has been selected as our featured speaker for the 2011 Memorial Services to be held January 15th. Professor Rowlette is the Director of the National Civil War Chaplains Research Center and Museum in Lynchburg, Virginia and the Co-Chair of the Liberty University Civil War Seminar.

See the Roanoke Times article on the 2010 Event: Click Here

2011 Event Schedule:

10:30 am - Wreath Laying and Military Salute in the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery at the gravesite of General Thomas J. 'Stonewall' Jackson. Come witness a solemn military ceremony at Jackson Circle in front of the grave and life-size statue of the General. SCV, UDC, OCR, and other participating groups are encouraged to lay a wreath at the general's grave.

11:00 am - Lee-Jackson Day Parade through downtown Lexington from the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery to the Virginia Military Institute. (Visitors are welcomed to join in the procession or watch)

Noon - Memorial Service in Lee Chapel featuring guest speaker Kenny G. Rowlette. Topic: Opposites in Command - The Legendary Partnership of Lee and Jackson. Lee Chapel was built under the direction of Robert E. Lee while he was president of Washington College. The Chapel houses an addition that was designated as the Robert E. Lee Memorial. The memorial houses the recumbent statue of Lee by Edward Valentine and the Lee family crypt. (Note: no weapons, period replicas or otherwise, are allowed in Lee Chapel)

1:30 pm - Lee-Jackson Day Luncheon at the historic Hampton Inn - Col Alto featuring live music and good Southern hospitality. Cost: $21 per adult / $15 per child. Pre-payment must be received by January 10th. Send payment to:
Lee-Jackson Day PO Box 466 Lexington, VA 24450 or call (540) 461-0389 (No credit cards accepted)

We recommend the Hampton Inn-Col Alto for those who wish to stay in Lexington Call (540) 463-2223
$89+tax room rate available until January 4th. Ask for the Lee-Jackson Day rate.

Event Sponsor:

THE STONEWALL BRIGADE CAMP #1296 SCV LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA

For more information please [click] Email Us or call (540) 461-0389 or write to us at PO Box 466 Lexington, VA 24450. Camp Website

For a MAP of the event locations, , please send an email request or Click Here

Additional Lodging Options

The Best Western - Inn at Hunt Ridge - For reservations call (540) 464-1500. The Inn at Hunt Ridge is a nice hotel a little further from the action, but the accommodations are good.

(DEVELOPING PRESS COVERAGE BELOW:)
Confederate flag flap alive again in Lexington

City council and the Sons of Confederate Veterans locked horns over public displays.

from
ROANOKE TIMES
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/269662
By Duncan Adams

981-3324

The Civil War ended in 1865, but a skirmish about the display of the losing side's flags returned Thursday to Lexington, burial ground for both Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

A local group of the Sons of Confederate Veterans wanted to fly Confederate flags from lampposts on downtown streets from Jan. 10 to 15 to celebrate Lee-Jackson Day, a state holiday set for Jan. 14.

Lexington City Council weighed the request Thursday night and voted unanimously in favor of a different plan.

The council's response stirred a vigorous protest from Brandon Dorsey, the commander for Camp 1296 of the Stonewall Brigade of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. He said city officials continue to demonstrate "a longtime antagonism against" public display of symbols of the Confederacy. Camp 1296 has about 60 to 70 members, Dorsey said.

Specifically, the council ruled Thursday that the flags requested by the camp can fly from Jan. 10 to Jan. 13 but not on Jan. 14 or 15 -- when flags of the United States and Virginia will line the streets for Lee-Jackson Day on Friday and the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday Monday.

The brigade plans to fly three flags, Dorsey said, including the Second National Confederate Flag, Lee's Headquarters Flag and a period state flag. He said the camp, as a gesture of good will, did not ask to fly the Confederate Battle Flag, which seems to stir the strongest negative reactions.

Dorsey's reaction to the council's alternative plan included a charge that officials continue to exhibit "prejudice against the flying of Confederate flags." He described the council's response as a cagey way to skirt a permanent federal injunction issued in 1993 that prohibits the city from denying the rights of individuals or groups to display Confederate flags.

In a memo dated Nov. 23, City Attorney Laurence Mann warned the council that the brigade's request "will generate some conflict" because of the 1993 case.

But Lexington Mayor Mimi Elrod said Friday the council's decision followed a standing, if apparently unwritten, policy about flying state and U.S. flags on state and federal holidays.

"We're aware of our duties under the injunction, but we have not discriminated against the symbols of the Confederacy," Elrod said.

Mann told the council he had not found a record of formal action on a flag policy. But he said it appears there was informal approval at some time of flying only state and U.S. flags on state and federal holidays.

City Manager Jon Ellestad said he believes the policy has been in effect "since around 2002."

Dorsey said the brigade suggested a compromise Thursday that would have allowed weekend placement of Confederate flags only in the first couple of blocks leading from the cemetery where Jackson is buried. He said the council rejected that alternative.

Elrod declined to comment when asked whether officials worried that prominently flying the flags of the Confederacy from lampposts on downtown streets might reflect poorly on the city.

She said the council's decision was not motivated by "feelings of discrimination or hostility."

Elrod said the city has allowed Washington and Lee University and the Virginia Military Institute to fly school flags downtown on occasion but that both also have been precluded from displaying them along city streets on state and federal holidays.

The Rev. Rayfield Vines, president of the Virginia State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he believes the city council acted appropriately by limiting the prominent public display of Confederate flags to the days preceding Lee-Jackson Day and the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

"There are certain symbols that bring back divisiveness," Vines said. "We have enough things to divide us. We need things to bring us together."

The flags of the Confederacy remind many of old wounds, he said.

Dorsey disagreed. And he said those who contend the flags represent hate and racism are misinformed.

Instead, he said, they represent sacrifice, heritage and history, including family history.

"We're a history group," Dorsey said. "We're all de-scendants of the soldiers who fought this war. Our ances- tors bled and died for this state, at its request, and ought to be remembered and honored."

He said Lexington's demographics have changed and that the city's politics lean now toward "progressive, Democratic, liberal." He suggested many tourists who visit Lexington are drawn by its rich Civil War history.

The brigade will fly the flags on the days specified by the council, Dorsey said. He is not sure how many flags will be displayed along downtown streets but believes there are more than 70 brackets available.

Dorsey said the Sons of Confederate Veterans might file another lawsuit against the city.

___________________________________________________________

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


The Stonewall Brigade Camp #1296
SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS December 03, 2010

On December 02, 2010 The Stonewall Brigade Camp SCV made a formal request to the City of Lexington for the placement of period specific flags for the upcoming Lee-Jackson Day state holiday and for the memorial services and parade the camp hosts in the city. The flags requested were Robert E. Lee’s Headquarters Flag, Second National Confederate Flag (aka Stainless Banner), and period Virginia State Flags. The time frame requested was from Monday, January 10 through Saturday, January 15. City Council denied the request upon the advice of the City Manager, Jon Ellestad. The stated reason was that the request conflicted with the city’s plans to fly US flags beginning Friday, January 14.

The city is under a permanent Federal injunction preventing it from discriminating against the symbols of the Confederacy and SCV as the result of a 1993 lawsuit brought by the ACLU. The city attorney cautioned in a memo, that as other groups have been allowed to fly flags for specific events, a denial of the SCV request would be in violation of the injunction which could result in monetary damages.

The city council made a legal maneuver and proceeded to approve the flying of the Confederate flags on Monday thru Thursday, but refused all offered compromises from The Stonewall Brigade SCV to allow at least a few flags in a very narrow corridor to fly in honor of Robert E. Lee and “Stonewall” Jackson in their last home and final resting place on the state holiday and for the Lee-Jackson Day events sponsored by The Stonewall Brigade on Saturday.

Several statements were made in writing and at the meeting which indicated that the intent of the city’s action was not to uphold the city’s policy, but was rather a careful exhibition of prejudice against the flying of Confederate flags in place of what was termed “American” flags. Had the city completely denied the request, The Stonewall Brigade would have immediately filed a lawsuit on the grounds that the city violated the Federal injunction.

The Stonewall Brigade SCV will fly the flags on the approved dates, but will seek to bring this matter to litigation because we believe the city has a long history of seeking to deny us our rights, and now seeks to hide its prejudices behind an informal and apparently unadopted flag policy. The Stonewall Brigade requested a copy of this policy, should it exist, in November, but did not receive a copy.

For additional information and copies of documents contact:
Brandon Dorsey
540-461-0389
sbcamp1296@comcast.net

Via Nancy

"What Do You Do With Good Ole Boys Like Me?"

Don Williams Music Video

Lyrics

When I was a kid Uncle Remus he put me to bed
With a picture of Stonewall Jackson above my head
Then daddy came in to kiss his little man
With gin on his breath and a Bible in his hand
He talked about honor and things I should know
Then he'd stagger a little as he went out the door

CHORUS:
I can still hear the soft Southern winds in the live oak trees
And those Williams boys they still mean a lot to me
Hank and Tennessee
I guess we're all gonna be what we're gonna be
So what do you do with good ole boys like me

Nothing makes a sound in the night like the wind does
But you ain't afraid if you're washed in the blood like I was
The smell of cape jasmine thru the window screen
John R. and the Wolfman kept me company
By the light of the radio by my bed
With Thomas Wolfe whispering in my head

When I was in school I ran with kid down the street
But I watched him burn himself up on bourbon and speed
But I was smarter than most and I could choose
Learned to talk like the man on the six o'clock news
When I was eighteen, Lord, I hit the road
But it really doesn't matter how far I go
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Couldn't be better.

Ghosts On Parade

"History by apprising [citizens] of the past will enable them to judge of the future; it will avail them of the experience of other times and other nations; it will qualify them as judges of the actions and designs of men; it will enable them to know ambition under every disguise it may assume; and knowing it, to defeat its views."
--Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, Query 14, 1781
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VMI
When the adjutant calls for the report, instead of the usual, "A Company, all present or accounted for, Sir," the names of the 10 cadets killed at New Market are called.
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"Corporal Atwill," goes the call.

"Corporal Atwill died on the field of honor, Sir," comes the reply.

"Private Haynes."

"Private Haynes died on the field of honor, Sir."

And so on, until all 10 names have been called. And remembered in the truest sense.

It seems to take a very long time, and in the hush that has fallen over the parade ground, you can hear that some of the visitors have not been able to bear it. They are crying. There is more crying still, when the bugler blows taps.
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Union Of The Pine And Palmetto

The following is taken from the February 1875 issue of “Our Living and Our Dead,” written by Johnstone Jones. The author was a former Confederate soldier who in 1885 introduced the bill in the North Carolina Legislature to re-create the original State flag of 1861, though with a blue field and white star reminiscent of the Bonnie Blue flag. The Citadel-like building of the old Institute are no longer present in downtown Charlotte, the grounds are said to be occupied by a YMCA building. General Daniel Harvey Hill was the Superintendent of this Institute when war broke out in 1861.

Bernhard Thuersam, Director
Cape Fear Historical Institute
www.cfhi.net
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The Carolina Military Institute in Charlotte

In the suburbs of the City of Charlotte stand the buildings of the Carolina Military Institute. These buildings are large, commodious and substantial. They fully answer the purpose for which they were originally designed. The main edifice is of brick. It is built in the castellated style of architecture – the style that is now almost universally adopted for Military Academies. The appearance of the building is quite imposing, with its towers and turrets, its parapets and battlements.

From the main tower there usually floats a blue flag. It is the banner of the Institute – an emblem of the progress of Education in North Carolina. I wish the banners of this character floated over every town and village in the State! It is painful to behold the educational needs of the boys and girls who are growing up in our land. Whatever tends to supply that great want should receive the encouragement of every patriotic citizen. The year in which Education begins to receive in North Carolina that attention which it merits, will be a year fruitful of blessings for the State.

In these days of progress and enlightenment, ignorance and stupidity will do more to retard the growth and development of our country than anything else. The great need of the times, with us, is educated men for the industrial pursuits, as well as for the forum, the bar, and the pulpit. All the institutions of learning, within our borders, should be fostered and encouraged.

The location of the Carolina Military Institute is singularly advantageous. It is an elevated site, commanding a wide and interesting view of the city and surrounding country. The grounds are particularly attractive. They comprise twenty-seven acres of smooth, green lawns and slopes, shaded by a beautiful grove of oak trees. Thus, ample space is afforded for recreation, and for military and gymnastic exercises. The location is remarkably healthful, being open to the breezes from all sides, and blessed with the purest and most wholesome water. So much for the external appearance of the Institution, and the advantages and beauty of its location.

The period of existence of the Institution may be measured by a few fleeting years. But however brief, it is replete with interest. It was founded several years prior to the late war; in 1858 the corner stone was laid; and was first known as the “North Carolina Military Institute.” I am told that the buildings were originally planned by General Stonewall Jackson, who was then unknown to fame, and ignorant of the glorious future that awaited him. I am further informed that Jackson then entertained an idea of uniting with Gen. D. H. Hill, his brother in law, in the effort to establish a military school at Charlotte – one that would rank with the academies at Lexington, Va., and Columbia and Charleston, S.C. But he finally gave up the idea, and returned to the Virginia Military Institute where he remained until the out breaking of the war.

The Institute was finished in 1859, and the company of citizens who owned it tendered the position of Superintendent to Gen. D. H. Hill, who was then a professor at Davidson College. General Hill accepted the position, and in ’59 opened the school, assisted by General Lane, Col. Charles Lee, and one or two others.

The “North Carolina Military Institute” became one of the most flourishing seats of learning in the Carolinas. The war found it so. The war broke it up. Its brave and patriotic Superintendent was called to a high station in the army. He was among the very first to buckle on the sword and march to the front to fight the battles of his country. Many gallant youths whom he had trained followed him to the field.

Several efforts were made, after the close of the war, to revive the institution, but none succeeded, mainly because of the unsettled and impoverished condition of the country. The buildings remained unoccupied and unused most of the time until the autumn of 1873, when the “Carolina Military Institute” was established by Colonel John P. Thomas, who had conceived the project of founding a school which would embrace within the scope of its aims and influence the youth of both North and South Carolina. Figuratively speaking, it was a union of the Pine and Palmetto. It was designed for both the Carolinas. Hence the change of the name of the Institution from the “North” Carolina Military Institute to “The Carolina” Military Institute – a name which is entirely appropriate.

That Col. Thomas met with many difficulties in the beginning of his enterprise, it is hardly necessary to mention, as it is a well-known and very lamentable fact that educational enterprises meet with little encouragement from the public, in this time of trouble, and distraction, and poverty and hardship. He persevered’ pressed boldly and unswervingly onward; overcame each obstacle in turn, and finally achieved the object at which he aimed.

His labors have been crowned with gratifying success. The first academic year which began October 1st, 1873, and ended October 1st, 1874, saw 102 cadets on the rolls of the Institute. And to-day, early in the second academic year, there are 104 names on the list of boys, now matriculated at the Institution. This exhibit indicates a remarkable degree of success. Few institutions of learning in either of the Carolinas can boast so large an attendance during any one academic year.

The Carolina Military Institute is now established beyond peradventure. It is a permanency – fixed upon a sure foundation, and capable of much larger growth and expansion. It has become the pride of Charlotte, and no doubt the time will come when the people of North Carolina generally will feel an abiding interest in its welfare and prosperity.

The object and scope of this enterprise deserves a more extended notice than I am able to give at this time, but I will briefly allude to its salient points.

The grand primary object is to educate the cadet, mentally, morally, and physically; to develop the body as well as the mind, and to train and cultivate the moral as well as the intellectual faculties. So that the boy should leave the walls of the college, an able-bodied, learned and virtuous young man, ready for the performance of all the duties of life. The curriculum of academic studies is an admirable one. It is full and comprehensive, logical in order, and harmonious as a whole. It is formed after the most advanced ideas regarding education; and is a decided improvement upon the course already pursued at military institutions.

The judicious combination of the scientific and the esthetic element is especially commendable. The purely military studies, those which relate solely to the art and science of war, are made to give way to the studies that relate to the civil and general pursuits of life. This military element is extensively used, but not unduly magnified; nor is it allowed to infringe upon the scholastic and more essential exercise of the Institute.

The relation of the military to the scholastic features of this Institute, is best explained in the language of the Proprietor himself. In one of his circulars, he tells us that the grand object of the discipline of the school is “to impress upon cadets the idea of duty and responsibility. The military arm is employed not so much to compel an unquestioning obedience to a rigid code as to strengthen appeals to the moral sense and to enforce ethical propositions. Whilst the military power is employed, the usual appeals are made to the moral sense and the whole discipline, though resolute, is considerate and discreet in character.” The military feature when thus properly subordinated and regulated, is always full of excellencies, and benefits.

The studies pursued and instruction given at the Carolina Military Institute are comprised under these heads: Mathematics, Physical Science, History, Belles Lettres and Ethics, Modern Languages, Ancient Languages, Commercial Department, Physical and Military Department. Instruction by lectures, in all the departments, is freely and systematically pursued.

Among the new and progressive features of the Institution are lectures upon all the matters of importance in connection with the history and spirit of the immediate present, and upon all the questions of ethics and duties; and also the practical illustration of the principles of Agricultural Chemistry. It is designed to have a farm in connection with the Institute, where these illustrations may be made, and where the cultivation of the leading products of the South may be scientifically carried out before the eyes of the cadets.

Altogether, the course of instruction is thorough, practical, and liberal in an eminent degree; and the aim of it all is to make the graduate both polished and practical, virtuous and manly, and vigorous in both body and mind.

Col. John Peyre Thomas, the founder of the “Carolina Military Institute,” and its present Superintendent, is a South Carolinian by birth. He was educated at the Arsenal and Citadel Academies of that State. He afterwards was appointed Superintendent of the Arsenal Academy, a position which he filled with credit to himself for many years. The Academy was destroyed by fire at the burning of Columbia, in 1864.

Subsequently to the war, Col. Thomas became prominent in the public affairs of South Carolina, as an editor and a leader of the Democratic party in that unfortunate State. He distinguished himself and won the gratitude of all true people in South Carolina by his zealous devotion to the State’s true interests, and his bold, persistent, and unflinching exposure of the corruption of the Radical party.

The short time he was editing the “South Carolinian” Col. Thomas made a proud record for himself. No man ever exhibited greater daring in journalism. It was not until the bankruptcy of his paper that he ceased his efforts to redeem the fallen fortunes of his State.

Col. Thomas has been an instructor of youth since early manhood. He was always connected with military institutions, during his career as teacher. He is a thoroughly educated man, a ripe scholar, and an enthusiast in the cause to which he has devoted so much of his life. He is an excellent teacher, possessing in a large degree those qualities of firmness, readiness, courtesy, sense of justice, and aptness for imparting knowledge which are necessary in a good instructor.

He is in the prime of his life; full of the spirit and energy and enterprise, and gifted with the fine powers of mind. He is withal an estimable gentleman and a true Christian. Col. Thomas is assisted by an able corps of Professors – Messrs. Lynes, Cain and Hutson. They are each thoroughly qualified for the positions which they occupy, are young men of high moral character and zealous in devotion to their profession.

Under its excellent management, the Carolina Military Institute is rapidly advancing to the front rank of military colleges in the South. Already it takes a high stand among the educational institutions of the country, though it has been in existence but sixteen months. Its brief career so far has been one of remarkable prosperity, and a bright future lies before it.

(The Carolina Military Institute, Johnstone Jones, Our Living and Our Dead, Volume I, Number 6, Official Organ, North Carolina Branch Southern Historical Society, February 1875. pp. 625-628)

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