Confederate Memorial Day, Charleston, SC

Touching.
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H.L. Hunley Funeral/Parade (HK & My Dixie)

Night Time Cannon And Musket Demonstration

Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation Christmas Celebration 12-03-10 and 12-04-10 Slideshow.

Via T

President Jefferson Davis, Died 6 December 1889

Jefferson Davis Funeral Richmond, Virginia - May 31, 1893
Richmonders lined the streets to watch the procession and over twenty thousand gathered at Hollywood Cemetery to witness the burial
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“The lamp of life waned low as the hour of midnight arrived; nor did it flicker into the brightness of consciousness at any time. Eagerly, yet tenderly, the watchers gazed at the face of the dying chieftain. His face, always calm and pale, gained additional pallor, and at a quarter to 1 o’clock of the morning of the 6^th day of December death came to the venerable leader.

There was nothing remarkable about the death-bed scene. The departure of the spirit was gentle and utterly painless. There were no dry eyes in the little assembly about the bed, and every heart bled with the anguish which found vent in Mrs. Davis’s sobs and cries.”

The Times-Democrat gave the following account of the closing scene: At 12:45 o’clock this morning Hon. Jefferson Davis, ex-President of the Confederate States, passed away at the residence of Associate Justice Charles E. Fenner. Only once did he waver in his belief that his case showed no improvement, and that was at an early hour yesterday morning, when he playfully remarked to Mr. Payne: “I am afraid that I shall be compelled to agree with the doctors for once, and admit that I am a little better.” At 7 o’clock Mrs. Davis administered some medicine, but the ex-President declined to receive the whole dose. She urged upon his the necessity of taking the remainder, but putting it aside, with the gentlest of gestures whispered,

“Pray, excuse me.” These were his last words.”

The Daily States said in its editorial:

“Throughout all the South there are lamentations and tears; in every country on the globe where there are lovers of liberty there is mourning; wherever there are men who admire heroic patriotism, dauntless resolution, fortitude, or intellectual power and supremacy, there is sincere sorrowing. The beloved of our land, the unfaltering upholder of constitutional liberty…is no more…” “Jefferson Davis is dead; but the principles for which he struggled, for the vindication of which he devoted his life, for which he suffered defeat, and unto which he clung unto death, still live. The fanatical howlings of the abolitionists, the tumult and thunders of civil war, the fierce mouthings of the organizers of reconstruction, and reconstruction itself, that black and foul disgrace of humanity, are all departed, sunk into silence like a tavern brawl, but the constitutional principles upon which the Confederacy was founded and for which Jefferson Davis spoke and struggled, for which he gave life and fortune, still survive in all their living power; and when they shall have been, if ever, really destroyed, this Republic will be transformed into one of the most oppressive and offensive oligarchies that has ever arisen amongst the civilized nations of the earth.”

The Times-Democrat of the 10^th had this editorial:

“If there was ever the shadow of doubt in the minds of the people of the United States of the hold of Jefferson Davis upon the hearts of the Southern people that doubt has been removed. From city and country, from every nook and hamlet, have come expressions of profoundest sorrow over his death; of grief at the passing away of the great Confederate chieftain. They turned to him as the Mussulman to his Mecca---the shrine at which all true Southern-born should worship. There has never been any division of sentiment as to the greatness of Jefferson Davis. He has always been the hero of his people---their best beloved. From the day that Lee laid down his arms at Appomattox to the hour of Jefferson Davis’s death the Southern people look upon the ex-President of the Confederacy as the embodiment of all that was grand and glorious in the Lost Cause. Standing alone as a citizen without the power to exercise his citizenship, the last surviving victim of sectional hate and malevolence, he was an exile while on the soil of his native land and in the midst of his own people. Jefferson Davis will go to the grave bathed in a people’s tears.”

(The Memorial Volume of Jefferson Davis, J.W. Jones, 1889, pp.473-509)

Via Bernhard

Toombs Speech

The Florida Sovereign Nation Flag

Via Jamey Creel, SDYC

"Physically Speaking, We Cannot Separate......"

Cant' separate, huh?

Third War For American Independence, Revolutionists' Guide

"Y'all know that we have begun the Third War for American Independence. The first being concluded successfully, and the second fought valiantly, to the bitter end, without success.

Here's a tradition that would be nice to see revived........"

Jefferson Davis: Premonition At Vicksburg

Vicksburg, Miss., Nov. 3, 1860

"If Mississippi in her sovereign capacity decides to submit to the rule of an arrogant and sectional North, then I will sit me down as one upon whose brow the brand of degradation and infamy has been written, and bear my portion of the bitter trial. But if, on the other hand, Mississippi decides to resist the hands that would tarnish the bright star which represents her on the National Flag, then I will come at your bidding, whether by day or by night, and pluck that star from the galaxy and place it upon a banner of its own. I will plant it upon the crest of battle, and gathering around me the nucleus of Mississippi’s best and bravest, will welcome the invader to the harvest of death; and future generations will point to a small hillock upon our border, which will tell the reception with which the invader met upon our soil"

Via Ann, BelleGrove
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Belle Grove in ruins

Via John, BelleGrove

The Last Ordinary Day, November The First........

........1860 and 2010?

North Carolina Civil War (Sic) Sesquicentennial

HERE.

Catalunia: What the Southern States need to copy

Spain is a great "experiment" to say the least. It's a "nation-state" only in certain senses. It has many nationalist/secessionist movements. Really, only the center and south of the country have allegiance to Madrid. The north and east are very pro-secession. Plus the islands, which tend to lean pro-secession despite the large military presence there.

I think there are two examples from Spain we can examine and learn from here in Dixie. First would be the Catalunian example. Catalunia has a long history of independence and speaks a different language (though it is closely related to both Spanish and French). Anyhow, the government there is run by parties which are pro-business, pro-middle and upper class and pro-sovereignty. I won't say pro-independence, though there is enormous support for total independence. For example, at the football games there you'll never see even a single Spanish flag - only the Catalunian flag. They regularly burn pictures of the monarch before and after the games in the streets, fly secessionist's flags and create a very militant atmosphere for independence. If you go in a store there as a foreigner they'll try to speak your language, whatever it is. But if you are Spanish and go into a store there they will only speak Catalan, making a point to make Spanish people feel unwelcome. In their schools they teach almost exclusively in Catalan. Understand that under Franco until the mid-70s it was illegal to speak in any language other than Spanish throughout Spain - that was a regime that violently oppressed the secessionists/nationalists. Even though there is a radical edge to the movement there in Catalunia, it's middle-class driven and peaceful over-all. Spanish military people almost never come from the region (they come from the center, south and northwest of the country generally), hate to be based there (because they feel unwelcome and their children are taught Catalan, not Spanish, in their schools). They have been getting more and more rights and sovereignty of late. They basically totally control their internal affairs and are much more independent than are the US States. Last year, even though the Spanish Constitution prohibits secession and votes on secession, they held a referendum across Catalunia on secession. It was unofficial and sponsored by the pro-secession parties there but the people voted over 90% for independence from Spain. It wasn't binding but it sent a huge message to Madrid. I used to teach the government people in Madrid (the national capital) and they pretty much hate Catalunia while the Catalans pretty much hate the people of Madrid.

Another example is the Basque country. The Vascos (Basque people) are perhaps the oldest people in Europe. They descend from the original Med. people, not the Celts, Germans or Slavs. They fought the Romans, long ago, for independence, and the Romans never really controlled them, while they controlled the rest of Iberia. The Vascos are divided ideologically. They have a violent left-wing, pro-independence movement (ETA) which has been bombing and killing Spanish police, military and gov't people for the last 40 years or so. They only have about 10% support but make headlines all the time and scare the Spanish. Then there is the broader mainstream, which is much more conservative but also pro-independence. Their ruling party most of the time is a right-wing, pro-business, pro-free market, pro-independence party. They use all the traditional Basque symbols and speak Vasco. They are virtually independent. The Spanish military can't come into Pais Vasco (the Basque Country) without huge public protests and backlash and maybe violence. If you are from Madrid and drive your car into Pais Vasco it will likely be "keyed" when you leave it (the license plates gives away where you are from). So the Vascos have both a huge peaceful (right-wing) movement and also a much smaller but very visible violent movement (left-wing).

These are two examples we (the Southern States) could consider: the Catalans and Vascos. Both are successful. Both regions are autonomous and virtually independent. I don't think either will be part of Spain for very much longer. The Catalans welcome foreigners and try to make them Catalan. The Vascos discourage immigration and have driven out many of the Spanish people there who support Madrid and not independence - their population has actually fallen a lot since many military and government people have left the region.

PalmettoPatriot, SWR

Kennesaw Cannons: Field And Garrison Salute

Field Salute

Garrison Salute

Quotes On The War

Read them HERE.

Family Fun At Fort Fisher “Living Our Civil War (Sic) History” Aug. 14

News Release

2^nd Saturdays Family Fun at Fort Fisher “Living Our Civil War History” Aug. 14

KURE BEACH – Music, crafts and costumed interpreters will illustrate 19^th-century living at the Fort Fisher State Historic Site event “Living Our Civil War History” on Aug. 14 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Crafts people and vendors will demonstrate and sell mid-19^th-century crafts

This free event is part of “2nd Saturdays,” a statewide summer initiative at State Historic Sites and museums that combines arts, history, culture and fun for all ages. Visitors will be able to visit artists’ booths, tour Fort Fisher with a costumed interpreter, watch a blacksmith in action and see small arms and weapons demonstrations. Author Jack Travis will present a talk on his book “Men of God, Angels of Death: Maj. James Reilly and the fight to save Fort Fisher.”

“We’re planning a summertime experience with a nice blend of entertainment, crafts and hands-on fun,” said Assistant Site Manager Amy Manor Thornton. “Bring a camera and come see just what 19^th-century living was all about.”

State Historic Sites and museums of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (www.ncculture.com) will have special programs combining heritage and arts on Aug. 14, so pack a picnic and have a great day out. Selections from the 37 venues include coastal woodworking at Historic Edenton, a free evening concert at the State Capitol, or a day with Dr. Stan South, the famous archaeologist, storyteller and author who did original excavation work at Brunswick Town.

Partners with the Department of Cultural Resources in 2^nd Saturdays include “Our State” magazine, the Division of Tourism within the N.C. Department of Commerce, and the Tourism Extension Program in N.C. State University’s Parks Recreation and Tourism Management program; with grant support from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

Fort Fisher, the largest earthen fortification in the Confederacy, once protected the port of Wilmington and the vital blockade-running trade on the Cape Fear River. After two massive bombardments, the Fort fell to a Union infantry assault on Jan. 15, 1865, and the port was closed to foreign trade.

Visitors to Fort Fisher can tour the remaining portions of the historic earthworks. A shaded scenic trail winds around a portion of the Fort’s land face and provides excellent views of the Cape Fear River. Exhibits in the visitor center include the fiber-optic battle map of the 2^nd Battle for Fort Fisher and artifacts from the shipwreck of the blockade-runner Modern Greece.

Fort Fisher State Historic Site is located at 1610 Fort Fisher Blvd. South, Kure Beach, N.C. 28449. For information on this program or the site, call (910) 458-5538 or visit www.nchistoricsites.org/fisher/.

Fort Fisher State Historic Site is part of the Division of State Historic Sites in the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina’s social, cultural and economic future. Information on Cultural Resources is available 24/7 at www.ncculture.com.

Small arms and artillery demonstrations will be part of the free 2^nd Saturdays program on Aug. 14 at Fort Fisher State Historic Site, when fun, heritage and arts will meet. This is the final program in the summer series at Fort Fisher and other State Historic Sites. (Photo courtesy of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources)