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Group asks Jonesborough to reconsider Confederate veterans' status

Published June 5th, 2009 | 4 Comments

Frustration and disappointment that have arisen out of the town of Jonesborough’s decision to not allow bricks honoring Confederate soldiers to be placed in the Veterans

Memorial Park have spread beyond the town limits.

The Southern Legal Resource Center, a nonprofit organization based in Black Mountain, N.C., that advocates in matters involving Southern history, heritage and culture, has contacted Jonesborough officials cautioning them about excluding the Confederate soldiers and urging them to reconsider the town’s current policy.

The town decided nearly a decade ago, when the park was originally built, that the park would honor soldiers who served in the U.S. military from the Revolutionary War to present.

Members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans in East Tennessee contacted the SLRC with their concerns Washington County’s Confederate soldiers would not be memorialized in Jonesborough.

In a letter to Mayor Kelly Wolfe, SLRC Executive Director Roger McCredie said that “considering that bricks honoring several Union soldiers are present in the memorial area, the town of Jonesborough’s exclusion of bricks honoring Confederate veterans from that area is blatantly discrimination and abridges the civil rights of their descendants.”

He goes on to urge the town to revise its position in the matter and to do the “legally and morally correct thing by admitting memorials to the Confederate dead to their rightful place in a municipal area set aside for honoring all of Jonesborough’s veterans.”

The letter references an excerpt from the Web site of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs showing that in 1906 the U.S. government began making headstones available for the graves of Confederate soldiers who died in Union captivity and also that in 1929 such headstones were furnished to Confederates who were buried in private cemeteries as well.

Attached to the letter was a copy of Public Law 85-425 as adopted in 1958, which defined the status of Confederate veterans and established for them federal pension rates exactly the same as those afforded to Union veterans.

Wolfe said town staff are working to ensure no laws are being violated.

“I’ve asked our town attorney, Mr. Jim Wheeler, for an opinion ... on our legal status with this issue,” Wolfe said. “The town of Jonesborough has no desire to unfairly discriminate against anyone, veteran or otherwise.”

Wheeler is looking into the situation and researching laws pertaining to the status of Confederate soldiers. Wolfe said he will present his opinion to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen at Monday evening’s meeting at Town Hall.

Because the memorial park is a town facility, the board could choose to revise the policy to allow Confederate soldiers to be included among those honored there.

“I’m sure the board will take steps if necessary to rectify this situation,” Wolfe said.

The Veterans Memorial Park has been in place outside the Visitors Center for about a decade. The park was rededicated at this year’s Memorial Day ceremony following nearly a year of renovation. Wolfe said the timing of the controversy surrounding the memorial is unfortunate as it follows the culmination of a great deal of hard work, time and dedication of those who contributed to the park’s renovations.

“I hope this whole debate doesn’t cause us to lose sight of just how wonderful the improvements to our recently completed veterans park are and how grateful we are to our Veterans Committee and especially to Mr. Marion Light for all their hard work.”

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Slavery was just one issue of the Civil War. Many of the causes were linked together. Was not another main cause of the war states' rights vs Federal control? As a result, the Confederate states wanted to secede and the Northern states wouldn't let them. If the Confederates won, there probably would be no United States, and thus the mission and purpose of the memorial park would be compromised with the admission of confederate soldiers. Therefore, perhaps it would be best if the purpose of the park would not be to memorialize just U.S. military, but all soldiers from all territories and states who fought for their beliefs.

Mark M | 6/5/2009 - 4:09 PM - ( Comment

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My great-great grandfather was a free Confederate soldier, and he was also a quadroon, one quarter black.

I'm not looking to get him a memorial brick, but I see no reason other than political correctness to deny others a brick if they wish one.

Jeremiah Jones | 6/5/2009 - 2:47 PM - ( Comment

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My great-great grandfather drove a wagon from Bristol down the (Old) Jonesborough Road and delivered the first clock for the Washingon County courthouse. He was a confederate and never owned anyone. They were just good southern folk who were true to their state. Confederate soldiers died fighting for many beliefs, not always or just about slavery. When are the folks of this nation going to wake up and realize, not everyone in the south believed in slavery? Many folks were not well educated and just did what their State Governor asked of them. Please let them rest in peace and honor them for their convictions.

martin ferguson | 6/5/2009 - 9:38 AM - ( Comment

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I agree with the SLRC in urging the Jonesboro officials to reconsider their stand on allowing memorial bricks to honor Confederate soldiers. I feel sure their original decision was based in trying to do what they perceive is politically correct. Unfortunately, like many things that are born out of goodwill gestures and trying to do the right thing (the original purpose of political correctness), they are overcompensating by denying local residents or natives their true heritage. I fully support not allowing any government entity (local, state or federal) to fly the accepted “Confederate flag” (which was actually the Virginia state battle flag) on their grounds, as it does not represent all southerners and has evolved from what some may call true southern heritage into a symbol of oppression and racism, although I would fully defend any individual’s right to display it as they saw fit. However, I do not believe that memorializing individual Confederate soldiers with one brick apiece could possibly be interpreted by even the most defensive or paranoid among us as racist or oppressive. It is just a way to honor one’s ancestors without any intention of offending others, and that is truly the heritage of which we should be proud. Anything else would be a misguided attempt to rewrite history.

Susan Harrington | 6/5/2009 - 7:56 AM - ( Comment

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