The Difference

Via Ninety Miles From Tyranny

Rediscovering Old Perspectives: North Carolina’s WBTS Sesquicentennial

North Carolina History Explorations (NCHE) in late November 2013 interviewed Bernhard Thuersam, Chairman of the North Carolina War Between the States Sesquicentennial Commission, and editor of the Commission’s official North Carolina War Between the States Sesquicentennial website: www.ncwbts150.com.  Mr. Thuersam’s remarks are below and are transcribed as spoken (BT):

NCHE:  With almost three years of the war’s observance behind us, what would you say the North Carolina Sesquicentennial Commission has accomplished to date?  

BT: “First, I need to thank the fine North Carolinians who volunteered to serve on the Commission and all those who have donated their time, research and ideas to help record the people, events and places of 150 years ago – without them all that we have done would not be possible as it is a voluntary endeavor and we receive no public funding.  Our Commission rightfully represented people from all over North Carolina, all interested in their heritage and history. 

By the way, you are using the Northern term for the war and I must correct you as gently as I can – ours is a North Carolinian view of that conflict and it was no civil war.  Many make this mistake, but of course this is one of the reasons the Sesquicentennial effort is so important – to offer an accurate view of the past.  The most common explanation of the use of “civil war” is its brevity – though “War Between the States” easily rolls off the tongue if one is willing to use it.  Small point, but important as we must use our language correctly.  

Our website is not a simple chronological listing of battles, generals and important dates, but an overview of the War as it affected North Carolinians including their heroism, valor and sacrifices – and very often in their own words.  Most importantly, we are rediscovering the old perspectives on the war as told by those who lived it – through their diaries, recollections and authors who were close to the experiences and used primary sources.  Authors we highlight bring much lost history and understanding to light today, and hopefully we make people think.

Unfortunately, many contemporary accounts of the war utilize perspectives and authors too far removed, who lack a sense of intellectual context with what and who they write about, and simply have a modern ideological bias built into their comments. One learns little or nothing of our shared history from this narrow point of view, and we wanted to offer a better source. 

My feeling too is that we have well-accomplished our goal of providing a proper observance of North Carolina’s role in that period, and related those people, places and events to those living today so that they can appreciate and honor those that fought for North Carolina’s independence a second time.  Our title “Unsurpassed Valor, Courage and Devotion to Liberty” says it all,” and we can better understand our history when viewed through a clear lens.”

NCHE:  Who are your Commission members and how are they appointed?

BT: “We simply began with a small group of historians interested in this effort and website project, led by Dr. Clyde Wilson who is an eminent historian, author and well-recognized authority on Southern history. Not to mention a native Tarheel as well.  We then invited, gathered and constructed the Commission as it stands today, virtually from Currituck to Cherokee and we wanted to properly represent as much of the State as possible.  

We are still adding to that today and I am very proud to announce that several prominent North Carolinians have recently joined the Commission to include past North Carolina Division SCV Commanders Bruce Tyson and Frank Powell.  Having the leadership of the North Carolina SCV on the Commission was very important to me as we are telling the story of their ancestors, and the ancestors of the many member they lead today across North Carolina.

Also joining the Commission is author Brenda Chambers McKean whose two-volume “Blood and War at My Doorstep” is a deeply-researched and timely look at the experiences of civilians during the War, and Kelly Atkins Hinson whose vivid living history portrayals of Mrs. Stonewall Jackson has brought the grief and human losses of the War to many in North Carolina.  I have witnessed her program several times and note nary a dry-eye in the audiences.  We appreciate them being part of this effort.”  

NCHE:  No public funding for such an impressive effort? Was this offered to the Commission?

BT:  “No public money or grants were pursued, and today I am not sure if we would accept any public funding due to the constraints it may entail.  We are free to determine our editorial direction, what research we include and do not include, and most importantly, we want to keep this a North Carolina-focused endeavor.  And quite frankly, I don’t think this is something public funds should be expended for as there is no official story of our history – it is a something handed down from past generations and much of it in written form.  Without this, the primary sources, we would have nothing to include on our website to tell this story.”

NCHE:  Any surprises or unique developments so far?

BT:  “Not really, but the unexpected outpouring of support from not just North Carolina, but the entire country and from as far away as Europe has surprised me in a way.  But not really, as we on the Commission sensed that there was a hunger for the information we have placed on the website to date.  

Also, the generous financial support many have provided to this Sesquicentennial website effort has been surprising; this has enabled us to hire a part-time transcriptionist who assists me in the daily research and updating on the website.  It must be remembered that ours is an all-volunteer effort and we receive no State of federal funding – it is all privately supported and “grassroots” you might say.  As to developments, I can say that we have developed an interesting following across the globe and this make it a rewarding experience when we receive kind and supportive emails and donations. 

NCHE:  What new information since the last update several months ago?

BT: “We have added two significant web pages of information, one entitled “Running the Blockade,” and just added recently is “The Confederate Framers and Their Constitution.” The former includes wonderful and insightful passages regarding the need for foreign supplies to the Confederacy, the amount of success of the blockade-running, and the individual efforts, courage and heroism of the blockade-running captains and crews.  We of course focus mostly on Wilmington as it was a major, if not most important, port of entry and export.  

The “Confederate Constitution” page recently added we thought was needed to better explain something little mentioned in our history books – what was this new constitution -- actually the fourth if you count the Continental Congress, Articles of Confederation and Union of 1787 – that North Carolina ratified and joined in 1861?  We have used Professor Marshall DeRosa’s excellent “Confederate Constitution of 1861” (University of Missouri, 1991) for dispassionate and clearly analyzed commentary on how the Confederate framers altered the US Constitution as the basis of their new nation, and why certain changes were made after the experiences of 1787 through 1860.
 

Of course North Carolina joined the American Confederacy after this was adopted, but it was the “law of the land” in this State until 1865 and needed to be part of our narrative.  There is no question too that Dr. DeRosa’s fine book on this topic should be required reading in our educational institutions. 

NCHE:  Any public outreach programs regarding North Carolina’s Sesquicentennial?

BT:  Actually, quite often – I have addressed groups all over the State about our Sesquicentennial efforts and website information, including South Carolina and most recently, Savannah, Georgia.  Usually this includes a Powerpoint overview of our website content and individual webpages, and how we tell the story of the War and how it affected North Carolinians – men, women and children.  My schedule of talks will take me to Wake, Duplin Forsyth and Hoke counties soon, and often address Lee-Jackson and Memorial Day audiences across the State.  Every stop is an opportunity to talk about the Sesquicentennial and distribute our handouts to all – especially young people hungry for a sense of people, place and history.”

NCHE:  What programs are planned for 2014?

BT:  “We will continue to research, transcribe and add appropriate pages and content which continue to tell the story through the eyes of North Carolinians, that is our charge.  I can state now that we will have an interesting program in late 2014 with a unique living history featuring portrayals of Generals William H.C. Whiting, Robert F. Hoke, Johnson Hagood, William J. Hardee, and Colonel William Lamb.  Our plans include several programs featuring these men and their roles in the Fort Fisher through Bentonville Campaign.  The details and locations are being worked out, watch for further information.”

NCHE:  A final question – this effort must be time consuming and you have a full-time design practice that commands your attention? 

BT:  “Indeed, very time-consuming but very rewarding.  I am busy daily working for a living but what motivates me most as an historian is two things: one, the Sesquicentennial will occur only once in my lifetime; and two, the Sesquicentennial will be over in early 2015 – and not much time is left.  The Commission anticipated, and anticipated correctly, that the North Carolina’s War Between the States participation would be compromised and revised by our public institutions and decided upon this path to give our citizens a more comprehensive and North Carolina-focused source for information, research and suggested further reading.  I think we made the right decision.

The Commission is blessed to have many dedicated historians aboard who have helped provide direction, support and ideas for telling this story.  I am truly fortunate to work with these fine people and appreciate all that they have done to help make this effort a reality. Time-consuming, yes, rewarding, very much so.  I know we’ll all be able to look back at the efforts and smile contentedly.”

White Students File Complaint Against Anti-White Professor; Professor Calls It Racist

 

Justice is a glorious thing, especially when it comes down hard on a social Marxist.

Minneapolis Community and Technical College professor Shannon Gibney, a black woman, has received a formal reprimand from her supervisor for being racist against white students. (She blames her reprimand on racism, by the way.)

Here’s what happened, according to Gibney:

[One of the white students asked,] ‘Why do we have to talk about this in every class? Why do we have to talk about this?’ I was shocked….His whole demeanor was very defensive.

It probably really was a shock that a white college male would stand up in defense of his whiteness, being that most college males have been castrated and are expected to take professors’ mental abuse.

He was taking it personally. I tried to explain, of course, in a reasonable manner—as reasonable as I could, given the fact that I was being interrupted and put on the spot in the middle of class—that this is unfortunately the context of 21st-century America.

Poor professor, not wanting to be put on the spot in class. It’s not as if being confronted and answering students’ questions is part of her job description or anything.

More @ Last Resistance

Inconceivable.

A Retired Mathematician Found A Rotting Cabin From 1830. What He Did With It Is Perfection.

Via Kirk 

 

This is the original cabin from the 1830s. A lot of it was rotting, but he labeled and transferred as much of it as possible to the family’s land.

More @ Viral Nova

Issa: FBI impeding inquiry into IRS targeting of conservative groups

Via avordvet

 

The House’s chief investigator says the FBI is stonewalling his inquiry into whether the agency and the Internal Revenue Service targeted conservative group True the Vote for special scrutiny, and Rep. Darrell E. Issa is now threatening subpoenas to pry loose the information from FBI Director James B. Comey Jr.

Mr. Issa, California Republican, and Rep. Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican, are leading the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s IRS inquiry. They also said the FBI is refusing to turn over any documents related to its own investigation into the IRS, which began in the days after an auditor’s report revealed the tax agency had improperly targeted tea party groups for special scrutiny.

More @ The Washington Times

New product shuts car engines off with a radio pulse

Via watchful

 

The company E2V has developed a prototype device that uses a radio-frequency pulse to shut down a car’s engine at range, according to a report from the BBC. While the range of the device is fairly short, it worked on a handful of cars and motorbikes and could also potentially be used on boats.

The product, named the RF Safe-stop, works by sending an RF pulse to a car at up to 50 meters (164 feet) away. The pulse “confuses” the car’s electronic systems, which the BBC said made the “dashboard warning lights and dial [behave] erratically.” The engine then stalls, and the car comes to a stop. How safely and quickly the vehicle would stop depends on the vehicle, and this technique would not work on older vehicles.

More @ ARS Technica

NC: Pope, Barber exchange words over money, politics

Via Cousin John

 

State budget chief Art Pope came face to face with one of his most vocal critics Monday morning while responding to a planned picketing campaign targeting his family's chain of discount stores.

The state chapter of the NAACP and several left-leaning groups held a news conference outside the state budget office to announce the campaign targeting Variety Wholesalers, which includes Roses, Maxway and other stores.

Pope is chief executive of Variety Wholesalers, and he also is a major political donor to conservative causes, both on his own and through third-party groups such as Americans for Prosperity and Civitas Institute.

More @ WRAL

$1,000.00 Finders Fee: Rail job in Transportation

 

For a  friend of ours.

NC SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS FUNDS CONSERVATION OF BATTLE FLAGS AT MUSEUM OF HISTORY

Via Carl

 

  

An exhibit highlight features a battle flag associated with the death of Lt. Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. The banner was carried by the 18th Regiment North Carolina Troops, which accidentally shot the Confederate general at Chancellorsville on May 2, 1863.

On Nov. 9, 2013, the N.C. Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans unveiled four newly conserved Civil War flags during a rededication ceremony at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. These historic banners, the colors of the 24th, 34th, 38th and 39th N.C. Troops, are part of the museum’s Confederate flag collection, one of the largest in the nation.

  

The N.C. Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, with 90 camps (chapters) across the state, spent years raising funds for the expensive textile treatment required to conserve the banners. This specialized treatment ranges from $7,000 to $30,000 per item. The group also helped the museum purchase a much-needed storage unit that holds 10 conserved flags.  

“The Museum of History owes a debt of gratitude to the North Carolina Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans for its generous contribution to conserve these important artifacts,” said Jackson Marshall, Associate Director at the N.C. Museum of History. “Without the support of individual citizens and private organizations, few, if any, of the museum’s Civil War flags would be preserved for future generations to see and appreciate.”

    John Campbell, the museum’s Collections Section Chief, is grateful for the new storage unit. “Each banner is mounted on a pressure mount inside a sturdy metal frame, so the heavy-duty shelving system allows us to safely store the flags flat when they are not on exhibit.” 

 A brief description of the conserved flags follows.  

            ● The 24th Regiment N.C. Troops was originally mustered into service as the 14th Regiment N.C. Volunteers in July 1861. The regiment’s third bunting Army of Northern Virginia-pattern battle flag was captured at Five Forks, Va., on April 1, 1865.

● The 34th Regiment N.C. Troops was one of many Tar Heel regiments in the Army of Northern Virginia that fought under Gen. Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg. The regiment’s third bunting Army of Northern Virginia-pattern battle flag was captured at Cemetery Ridge during the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863.

● The 38th Regiment N.C. Troops carried this third bunting Army of Northern Virginia-pattern battle flag at the end of the Civil War. It was surrendered at Appomattox on April 12, 1865, and then sent to the U.S. War Department.

● The 39th Regiment N.C. Troops, unlike most Tar Heel regiments, did not serve in the Army of Northern Virginia. It fought in the western theater and earned fame during the September 1863 battle at Chickamauga in Georgia with it capture of Federal artillery. This banner’s pattern is a variant of the McCown battle flag, which is modeled after the Scottish national flag, and is distinctive of other flags flown by the Confederate Army. 

            The Sons of Confederate Veterans is not a group to rest on its laurels. It has already raised funds to begin conservation of two more artifacts: a third bunting Army of Northern Virginia-pattern infantry battle flag attributed as the headquarters flag of Brig. Gen. Rufus C. Barringer and the frock coat of Lt. Col. Francis Wilder Bird of Bertie County. He was mortally wounded at the Battle of Reams Station in Virginia on Aug. 25, 1864.  

            “The North Carolina Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans is honored to help the Museum of History preserve artifacts from our Confederate heritage and ancestry,” adds Craig Pippen, Communications Officer, N.C. Division of the Sons of Confederate 

Veterans. “Our organization is proud to work with the museum to preserve and educate others about the history of our great state. We will continue to support and grow our relationship with the museum and its staff whenever possible.”  

  For details about the Museum of History, call 919-807-7900 or access www.ncmuseumofhistory.org or Facebook. For information about the N.C. Civil War Sesquicentennial, access www.ncculture.com.