Monday, October 27, 2014

It Couldn't Have Happened!

It Was Against the Law!!!

From a comment thread at the X-Roads Flog (click to see full-size):


LOL! (Pssst... it's "if-then," perfesser, not "if-than." And btw, the other floggers don't "write about the Civil War full-time," either. They write about "memory" and "era" and "other stuff"; but they spend an inordinate amount of time writing about Confederate heritage, and the SCV and the UDC and the Virginia Flaggers and the SHPG, and hot-headed kids who post on Facebook.)

Do y'all suppose Mr. Historian Ruminski believes that there was no drinkin' during Prohibition because there was AN ACTUAL US LAW -- indeed, AN ACTUAL US CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT -- against it?

Does he imagine there were no abortions performed in the United States before January 22, 1973 because they were PROHIBITED BY LAW?

Does he believe there are no foreigners illegally in the US of A because there are LAWS AGAINST it?

Does he think that nobody in the US of A smoked marijuana before it got  legitified (for medicinal purposes, don'tcha know)  in some states?

Detail of Confederate Memorial
Arlington National Cemetery
License: Creative Commons
Does he believe nobody ever drives faster than the speed limit because those limits are AUTHORIZED BY LAW?

I'll bet he believes there's no rampant voter fraud, either, since it's PROHIBITED by LAW.  No rippin' off Medicare. Nobody drives drunk. Nobody commits kidnapping, theft, rape or murder because there are ACTUAL US AND STATE LAWS against these things....

If you're going to make the case that no blacks served the Confederacy in war, you're going to have to do it on some other basis than there was AN ACTUAL CONFEDERATE LAW prohibiting it....
________________

For those who are interested, here is my position on black Confederates, dating back to June and July 2011 (it is patently NOT what floggers say the "heritage" position is):

The Black Confederates Controversy
Black Confederates Redux

12 comments:

  1. A well reasoned and thought out response. Logical as usual Connie.
    Of course it will go over their pointy little heads.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It wasn't against the law...

    I have found many non-whites serving in the Confederate army - enlisted and on the rolls. So many that it would make flogger heads spin and rattle.

    And for a long time I wondered- how did this happen when Confederate regulations say 'whites only?'...

    To make it short and sweet-

    Most units were raised by the states -by state regulations (some states allowed blacks to serve)- and then later transferred to the Confederate army.

    The decision of the Confederate War Department was to accept those units as organized.

    If a unit was raised directly by the Confederate government (and Confederate regulations) it would be 'whites only.'

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hmm, interesting. So if it was a State Army, then it would depend on which State if that Army had "official" black soldiers or whatever you want to call them. However, if it was the Confederate Army, then "officially" they were not allowed to join, but the State Army that had blacks enlisted would be allowed to stay intact once integrated with the Confederate Army. It was sort of like a loop hole, is this correct?

      That's not even to mention commanding officers who looked the other way or just simply didn't care about "official" enlistment qualifications.

      Delete
  3. "The act of Congress of March 6, 1861, provided for the organization of the volunteer troops then called for by adopting the State regulations."

    http://ebooks.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=moawar;cc=moawar;idno=waro0128;node=waro0128%3A2;view=image;seq=685;size=100;page=root

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am not sure why those haters explicitly state that blacks were "prohibited:. Seems the me the regulation calls for white males, not "prohibiting" blacks. According to their "logic" regarding the regulation, no Indians, no women, etc served. --

    1399. Any free white male person above the age of eighteen and under thirty-five years, being at least five feet four and a half inches high, effective, able bodied, sober, free from disease, of good character arid habits, and able to speak and understand well the English language, may be enlisted. The regulation, so far as respects the height and age of the recruit, shall not extend to musicians, or to soldiers who may "re enlist," or have served honestly and faithfully a previous enlistment in the army.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "... and able to speak and understand well the English language"

      That right there was thrown out the window with Mexican recruits and especially Heros Von Borcke, who upon arrival to the Confederate States could barely speak a lick of English, but just as well rode as an Officer at J.E.B. Stuarts side.

      Delete
  5. I have a folder full of black Confederates. If I could post them on here, I would.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Logan,

      Please email your list. I woiuld love to post them to Negroes In Gray.

      gpthelastrebel@att.net

      Delete
    2. I sent it, tell me if you got it and everything's there.

      Delete
    3. Received could not reply due to mail error

      Thanks
      GP

      Delete
  6. Corey, you didn't happen to notice that my depiction of the black man on the Confederate Memorial at Arlington has no comment whatsoflippin'ever, beyond identifying info. Read the links to my position on black Confederates. Not that truth matters to you, but do something useful with your time.

    ReplyDelete

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