Aug 24, 2017 2 min read

As I have watched, listened and read about the recent events in Charlottesville, Va., and the potential removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, it made me stop and remember our American history.

We cannot look at the Civil War, and try to understand its meaning, through 2017 glasses. Let me be very clear: I do not support, nor do I agree in any way whatsoever, with the hate groups. There are no good Nazis, and there are no good Klansmen, as many have recently said. But, what we must remember is that in 1861, when the war started, no one referred to themselves as an “American.” We proudly claimed we were Virginians, or Pennsylvanians, or Marylanders. Loyalty was to the state not the national government. It was a time when many believed, no matter what the Constitution stated, states’ rights were superior to the federal government. Lee was greatly saddened when told Virginia left the Union. Right before that, President Abraham Lincoln had offered Lee the command of the Union army, but Lee declined, saying that, “Save in the defense of my native state, I never desire again to draw my sword.”

Lee, who was in fact loyal to both his nation and his state, did what so many men at that time did – they did what they thought was the right thing to do, at that time, and their loyalty was with their state. It was the Civil War that created what we call today an “American.”

Gary L. Ford

Washington