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Had no internet yesterday, but on 1 July 1862, my 3x great grandfather, a non-slave holding rural schoolteacher, drafted into the Confederate Army after NC seceded, was shot at the Battle of Malvern Hill. In the spring of the next year, he wrote a letter on behalf of the
men of his unit to the adjutant general of the Army of Northern Virginia, requesting a new commander, because the men were convinced that BG Iverson would get them killed.
On 1July 1863, one year to the day he was shot, Iverson led his boys into an ambush on the first day of
On 1July 1863, one year to the day he was shot, Iverson led his boys into an ambush on the first day of
Gettysburg, just as grandaddy had feared. Grandaddy was shot in the face. His brother, a bachelor who still farmed with their daddy, was also shot.
Later, at a hospital in Richmond, the brother died Grandaddy's war record is unknown after this, but he was knocked from Sgt to Pvt
Later, at a hospital in Richmond, the brother died Grandaddy's war record is unknown after this, but he was knocked from Sgt to Pvt
and ended the War a private. Maybe he left the hospital in Richmond and went AWOL & the Home Guard caught him, maybe something else, who knows.
The family lost everything after the War, went from owning about 30 acres, being propseous enough to get grandaddy educated enough to
The family lost everything after the War, went from owning about 30 acres, being propseous enough to get grandaddy educated enough to
do something other than farming, to losing all our land and working as tenant farmers until the 1960s, when my daddy's daddy left the farm, with daddy in tow.
Every July 1st, I think of that story. This year, I especially thought about it.
I'm not interested in rehashing
Every July 1st, I think of that story. This year, I especially thought about it.
I'm not interested in rehashing
arguments about the Confederacy, and I'm not even interested in arguing pro or con Confederate memorials on twitter dot con. But I will say that, when I saw that footage from a week or so ago when the CSA soldier statue was pulled down from the obelisk on Raleigh, it felt like I
was seeing my 3x great grandfather hanged in effigy. And frankly, it made me angry. And then, a moment later, quite sad, in a myriad of ways.
History is ultimately also the story of people acting within contexts much bigger than themselves, not just the Great Men. Tolstoy says
History is ultimately also the story of people acting within contexts much bigger than themselves, not just the Great Men. Tolstoy says
as much, brilliantly and beautifully, at the end of War and Peace.
Anyways, if a Michigander's minie ball would have hit a few cm away from where it did, I would not be tweeting this to you, because my 3x great grandfather would have never begat his son, who begat a son, who
Anyways, if a Michigander's minie ball would have hit a few cm away from where it did, I would not be tweeting this to you, because my 3x great grandfather would have never begat his son, who begat a son, who
begat a son, who begat daddy, who begat me.
When daddy took me to Gettysburg as a boy, we stood upon the soil that could have meant neither her nor I existed. And on these three most sacred days of our Republic, I think about all this, every single year.
When daddy took me to Gettysburg as a boy, we stood upon the soil that could have meant neither her nor I existed. And on these three most sacred days of our Republic, I think about all this, every single year.
*neither he nor I
Stupid autocorrect
Stupid autocorrect
