The Liberal Gun Club Forum

Today is the official state holiday in Florida celebrating the birth of Robert E. Lee --- so.... umm... happy.... holiday?

We missed the well wishing for folks in those other states who combine Lee's birthday celebration with MLK day. Irony?

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/ ... e-birthday


UPDATE: Someone in my office just told me that today is also the offical Lee holiday in NC as well. So... happy holiday to you guys as well. I am sure everyone is out enjoying the holiday doing whatever one might do to celebrate the beloved leader of an insurrection.

Mark, should we start a contingency fund in case you get arrested by SLED for sedition?

In Texas: "Confederate Heroes Day. In 1973, the Texas legislature combined the previously official state holidays of Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis' birthdays into a single "Confederate Heroes Day" to honor all who had served the Southern Cause. In some years, this date may coincide with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. State offices are partially staffed in recognition of this day." (wikipedia)

A few places give you the option of taking off Confederate Heros Day or MLK Day. I knew a guy who worked at the state hospital. He said it was not a written rule but everyone was encouraged to choose MLK as their day off.

we also have 'confederate memorial day'. Mywife's boss never gives anyone 'normal' Memorial Day off becauseits a'yankee holiday'

It's true, John A Logan, my ancestor founded it, it was originally called Decoration Day because the graves of the veterans were decorated. Logan was with Grant at Vicksburg, with Sherman at Atlanta, and saved Sherman's butt when Hood managed to turn his flank, and Logan brought up his corps and flanked the flankers and ended the threat. He was widely regarded as the best 'non-professional' (not West Point or regular army) Union General of the war. After Atlanta he left to go back to Illinois to campaign for Lincoln in the 1864 election. Elected to the Senate after the war. Logan Square in Chicago and Logan Circle in Washington DC are named after him.

After the war Logan always wanted Confederate graves honored also, but things were too bitter for a few generations.

The most interesting thing about him I think is where he started, and where he ended up. He was a southern Illinois Democrat and a bigot first class. While serving in the state legislature, he tried to get passed a bill outlawing blacks from residing in Illinois. However when the south seceded, he immediately volunteered to go back into the army resigning a seat in the House. Clearly, he didn't at that point feel the war was about slavery, but gradually during the war, like a lot of northern soldier, he began to believe the nation could not be reunited with slavery in the mix. The last part of his conversion was witnessing black troops in action, and admiring their courage. After the war he became close friends with Frederick Douglass, asked his forgiveness for previous actions that hurt blacks. In 1884 he was the vice-presidential nominee with Douglass's endorsement.

He rose up through the ranks like a lot of political generals, but unlike most he was actually a capable commander. He was given the privilege of leading the first Union contingent into Vicksburg, and at the end of the war when the Army of the Tennessee marched past in the Grand Review in May 1865, he was at it's head. He should have commanded it after it's commander was killed in front of Atlanta the same day he turned the attack, but Sherman didn't have the courage to give an entire army to a 'civilian' and appointed a mediocre West Pointer instead. But at the end of the war made it up to Logan.

Say, we should observe William Tecumseh Sherman day in the north.....