J.D.R. Hawkins

One bullet can make a man a hero… or a casualty.

Archive for the category “Confederate”

08 Feb 2024
2 Comments

Black Confederates

In honor of Black History Month, I thought it appropriate to talk about the part African-Americans played during the Civil War. Everyone knows that President Lincoln signed into law the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. What you might not know is that he had no intention to free slaves in northern states, or states that he had jurisdiction over. In fact, in his home state of Illinois, freed slaves were disallowed, and Lincoln did nothing to reverse the fact.

On February 20, 1865, Confederate Congress authorized the arming of slaves. As we all know, it was too little too late, and the Confederacy crumbled months later.

During the War Between the States, the Union army enlisted black soldiers. However, most of them were forced to perform hard labor and didn’t engage in battles. By the war’s end, African Americans comprised less that one percent of the U.S. population, yet they made up 10 percent of the Union army. Altogether, 180,000 black men enlisted, which was more than 85 percent of those eligible.

On the Confederate side, General Patrick Cleburne advocated enlisting slaves to fight for the cause in return for their freedom. But after he was killed in 1864, the idea fizzled until it was again raised in November 1864 by President Jefferson Davis. The Confederate Congress authorized enlisting 300,000 black soldiers in March 1865, but the war ended the following month. Speculation arises that if the war had ended sooner, Lincoln probably would not have signed the Emancipation Proclamation into law. The Confederacy missed the opportunity to tap into their largest source of manpower, and were thus so outnumbered that they were doomed to fail.

My novel, A Beautiful Glittering Lie, discusses the events that took place during the War Between the States from the onset of the war up through December 1982. This book is based on a journal written by R.T. Cole, who served with the 4th Regiment, Alabama Volunteer Infantry, and gave his first-hand accounts of the battles, camp life, and descriptions of the soldiers who served.

Posted by jdrhawkins in books, Civil War, Confederate and tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
27 Sep 2023
2 Comments

This is Disturbing

As an author, I subscribe to many publications and newsletters that pertain to the Civil War in order to conduct research for my books. I came across one article which I thought was distressing. It seems the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee offered a theology workshop to its clergy titled “Confronting Confederate Monuments: Preaching, Liturgy, and Leadership for Change.” I have to wonder just what was taught in this workshop, especially with a title like “confronting Confederate monuments.” Really? Since when is a Confederate monument confrontational? Anyway, the article went on to say that the workshop was for three days and two nights, and was designed to equip clergy with tools for confronting Confederate monuments in their churches and communities. The cost was only $150!

https://theology.sewanee.edu/

I find this appalling, to say the least. What are they teaching our kids, not to mention our pastors? Bizarre! Let me set the record straight – monuments are not racist, they do not represent or depict racism, and anyone who believes otherwise is, in my opinion, a racist. Monuments were erected all over the country after the war to honor heroes, and those who defended their homelands with their lives. It is written in our Constitution that any state has the right to secede, so Confederates were not traitors by any means, but patriots in their own right. I hate to say it, but I’m just waiting for the next wave of destruction to sweep across the nation in the form of monument desecration. I really hope that doesn’t happen.

Posted by jdrhawkins in Civil War, Confederate, Monuments and tagged , , , , ,
26 Apr 2023

A Rebel Among Us Has Received Another Five-Star Review!

My novel, A Rebel Among Us, has received numerous reviews lately. (This book is the third one in the Renegade Series.) Here is a five-star review I received recently. Thank you, Mr. Grady Harp, for your flattering review!

Grady Harp

5.0 out of 5 stars A very fine Civil War novel!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 11, 2023

Verified Purchase

Author/singer/songwriter JDR Hawkins writes novels and articles for newspapers, magazines, e-zines and blogs about the Civil War from the Confederate perspective. Her RENEGADE Series is rapidly winning multiple awards and there are four volumes – DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD, A BEAUTIFUL GLITTERING LIE, A BECKONING HELLFIRE, and this volume A REBEL AMONG US. These novels relate the story of a family from northern Alabama who experience immeasurable pain when their lives are dramatically changed by the war.

At this particular time in our history, when questions are being raised about the validity of statues and memorabilia of the Civil War, creating heated discussions and confrontations, this book offers a fresh view of the Civil War from the Southern, and Confederate, stance. Hawkins makes this revisit to the Confederate South lively with her eloquent prose as she opens this volume: “Anna!” She dropped the darning in her lap. Her sister called her name again, this time with more urgency. Springing form the rocker, Anna ran from the room and scurried down the wooden staircase. Maggie clung to the newel post. “There’s someone in the barn!” That degree of dramatic intensity makes this novel ring.

The plot is outlined as follows: ‘David Summers never expected any of this…not in a million years. He thought for sure he was a goner. After leaving Alabama and enlisting with the cavalry, his delusion of chivalry was suddenly quashed when he saw for himself the horrors of battle. Now, after being shot and ending up at a strange farmhouse, he’s found himself being nursed back to health by four beautiful girls, and has learned that his Confederate brethren have deserted him in Pennsylvania after fighting at Gettysburg. It’s more than he can fathom. On top of that, he’s been presented with an even bigger dilemma. He knows he’s falling in love with the older sister, Anna, and she has enticed him with an interesting proposition. However, her scheme goes against his principles, and the reasons why he enlisted in the first place – to avenge his father’s death and defend his sacred homeland. To David’s dismay, he must make a decision. Should he stay and help Anna with her underhanded plan, deceiving everyone around him by pretending to be a Yankee? If discovered, he would be considered a traitor to the cause, and she could be in jeopardy of treason. Or should he leave the farm, say goodbye to her, and risk certain capture? Either way, his perilous situation doesn’t seem to offer an encouraging outcome. If that isn’t bad enough, Anna’s neighbor, a Union officer, is in love with her, too, and he would stop at nothing to have David arrested … or worse.’ This is a timely novel that will hopefully add new dimensions of thinking about the Civil War and its persistent scars.

Posted by jdrhawkins in book review, books, Civil War, Confederate and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
27 Sep 2016

More Ridiculousness

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Sometimes I come across stories and articles I find so absurd that I wonder if they’re true. Unfortunately, this one is. Read for yourself and tell me what you think.

Feds fund study on health risks of looking at Confederate flag
 
The U.S. government is funding research to show that Confederate symbols prompt a negative physiological response in black people, information some believe will be helpful in lawsuits aimed at removing them.
Jackson State University received $420,000 in grant funds, some from the National Science Foundation, to delve deeper into the physiological responses of black people to Confederate imagery after initial research allegedly revealed negative reactions, the Jackson Free Press reports.
Political science professor D’Andra Orey concocted a study that blends biology and politics by measuring the heart rate of participants, and how much they sweat, when shown different images like a t-shirt with the Confederate flag, or the Mississippi state flag that contains the Confederate flag. The reactions are compared to responses to “happy images” like penguins or exposure to blank images, and an initial pilot study of black faculty and students at JSU allegedly showed the Confederate images produce a negative physical reaction.
“When you see the flag, and you start sweating, that fits with the sympathetic nervous system,” Orey said. “When people have a negative response to these particular images, that means that it impacts them negatively, which is physiologically.”
Most recently, Grenada-based attorney Carlos Moore sued Gov. Phil Bryant over the Mississippi State Flag, claiming it is both unconstitutional and negatively impacted his health by raising his blood pressure. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves threw out the case, but Moore appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Free Press reports.
The lawsuit was dismissed mostly because Moore could not prove harm from the flag, but Orey’s research could change that.
“We’re actually trying to see if this negative physiological response can be measured into an injury or can be captured as an injury,” he said. “They can say it bothers them, and then it doesn’t register in their physiological response while others (can) say, ‘it doesn’t bother me, I’m immune to it … but I get (physiologically) pissed off every time I see it,” Orey said.
In Moore’s case, Judge Reeves ruled that he did now show a “cognizable legal injury” as a result of viewing the state flag, but acknowledged ties between the Confederate battle flag symbol and the state’s history of slavery. The ruling makes it clear that regardless of whether the flag makes Moore uncomfortable, there’s no constitutional protections for anxiety from state symbols.
“Moore’s arguments are phrased as constitutional claims, yet his allegations of physical injuries suggest that he is making an emotional distress tort claim,” Judge Reeves wrote. “To succeed in constitutional litigation, however, Moore needs to identify that part of the Constitution which guarantees a legal right to be free from anxiety at State displays of historical racism. There is none.”
(Article courtesy of Dixie Heritage Newsletter, Sept. 23, 2016 ed.)
Posted by jdrhawkins in Confederate, News, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment
07 Jun 2016

J.E.B. Stuart’s Cavalry

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Tomorrow marks a significant event in American history. On June 8, 1863, a Grand Review was held by Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry at Brandy Station, Virginia. The event was reportedly a magnificent display of military tactics and cavalry maneuvers. Unfortunately, the dust the horses stirred up caught the attention of Union General David McMurtrie Gregg, whose cavalry was nearby. Early the following morning, on June 9, 1863, Stuart’s cavalry was taken by surprise when Gregg’s troopers attacked, and a fierce battle ensued, raging all day. The Battle of Brandy Station was the largest cavalry battle to ever take place on North American soil.

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The outcome was that, even though the Yankees now displayed their ability to compete with Confederate cavalry, Stuart managed to ward them off and keep General Robert E. Lee’s infantry screened as they made their way north. You can read more about this in my novel, A Beckoning Hellfire.

http://www.amazon.com/Beckoning-Hellfire-Novel-Civil-War/dp/0595435319?ie=UTF8&keywords=a%20beckoning%20hellfire&qid=1465328752&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Stuart is one of my favorite Civil War personalities. Not surprisingly, his name is under the current politically correct attack to change all things Confederate and eradicate Southern history.

A school bearing General Stuart’s name is under scrutiny and the PC are trying to force its removal. This goes against what the polls and petitions show: that the vast majority do not favor this institutional vandalism. However, it doesn’t seem to matter or make any difference what the people want.

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The Stuart-Mosby Historical Society, on the other hand, has scored a major victory with the restoration of the statue of General Stuart on Monument Avenue in Richmond. Thanks to this project, as well as a maintenance program which will be launched soon, the statue will be a gleaming tribute to General Stuart for years to come.

http://www.stuart-mosby.com/

Posted by jdrhawkins in Civil War, Confederate, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
27 May 2016
56 Comments

Shame on You, Louisville

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And shame on you, Judge Judith McDonald-Burkman. Yesterday, this judge decided that the 120-year-old Confederate monument near the University of Louisville should be removed. Regardless of numerous protests from the Sons of Confederate Veterans and Louisville residents, Judge McDonald-Burkman decided that the monument should be moved, despite the fact that it could be seriously damaged and that the city does not own it. The monument has been at its location since 1895, but suddenly, political correctness dictates that it should be removed from sight.

Burkman lifted a temporary restraining order preventing the city from removing the monument. She also denied a motion for a temporary injunction that would have blocked the monument’s removal. Burkman asked the city not to take any action until she issues a written ruling later on.

Former congressional candidate Everett Corley spoke in support of keeping the monument at its current location. He said that he is a descendant of a Kentucky Civil War soldier and a former University of Louisville student.”This monument could have been here for the next 200 years and no harm would have been done to anyone,” he said.

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Apparently, the monument has no historical protections, which makes it an easy target. Louisville’s Mayor Fischer and the University of Louisville President James Ramsey promised to relocate the monument to “an appropriate historical venue in the near future,” whatever that means. In the meantime, the monument, or what is left of it after it is displaced, will be stashed away in storage. Out of sight, out of mind, right Mayor?

The cultural cleansing of the South is becoming a very real, very scary problem. It doesn’t matter that the monument was a gift to the city way back in 1895, which should afford it some sort of historical protection. The monument includes three bronze statues of Confederate soldiers. Its inscription reads: Tribute to the rank and file of the armies of the South.” How this is racist is beyond me. In my opinion, it’s just plain disrespectful.

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http://www.theeagle.com/news/nation/louisville-judge-clears-way-for-confederate-monument-removal/article_fbc1d5f8-b635-5deb-acbc-8b6b6c492eed.html

Posted by jdrhawkins in Confederate, History, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , ,
18 May 2016

Good News!

With all the attacks on anything related to the Confederacy, there are some things that are still being held intact. The following letter describes one of these instances. Although J.E.B. Stuart’s birthday anniversary was last week, I just received this letter, and I think it’s a wonderful victory. What do you think?

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JEB Stuart Portrait Returns to Display in Patrick County Building
Shortly after Patrick County Judge Martin Clark committed the disgraceful  act of having a portrait of Patrick County native and Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart removed from the Patrick County Courthouse, and following a swift and very vocal outcry of disgust with Judge Clark’s action by her citizens,  the Patrick County Board of Supervisors voted  to display the portrait on the “Wall of Honor” on the second floor of the Patrick Veterans Memorial Building. The portrait has been restored and encased in special glass, and a new bronze plaque has been installed.
Tomorrow, Thursday, May 12th, the J.E.B. Stuart Birthplace Preservation Trust will host an official and public unveiling of the portrait, on the anniversary of his death.  The ceremony will take place at 10:0 a.m. and will include Patrick County and town of Stuart officials, Stuart family members, and JEB Stuart re-enactor Wayne Jones, who organized and led a rally to protest the removal on the Courthouse steps shortly after the portrait was removed, and who will be a guest speaker at the event.
The ceremony is open to the public. The Patrick Veterans Memorial Building is at at 106 Rucker St. in Stuart, Virginia.
In this case, the PC attempt by Judge Clark to remove a beloved hero and Patrick County son from public view failed miserably, and has led to the portrait being restored and put on display in another public building where it can be seen by even more citizens.
Please take a moment to thank the members of the Patrick County Board of Supervisors for their efforts in having the portrait installed on the Wall of Honor, and their courage in going against the popular trend to dishonor our veterans.
Contact info here:  http://www.co.patrick.va.us/county-supervisors
God bless the memory of Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, and God Save the South!
Virginia Flaggers
(Courtesy of Southern Heritage News & Views, May 16, 2016 ed.)
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11 May 2016

A Battlefield Victory

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It’s always amazing when something like this happens. A few days ago, I received an email from the Civil War Trust, stating that they had secured 10 acres of the battlefield at Brandy Station. The area is known as Fleetwood Hill, where Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart had his headquarters before the surprise battle took place.

The Battle of Brandy Station was the largest cavalry battle to take place on North American soil. It happened on June 9, 1863, following  a Grand Review by Stuart’s troops. Union General Gregg saw the dust that was stirred up and surprised the Confederates early the following morning. The Rebels managed to reign the day and fulfill their mission, which was to mask General Robert E. Lee’s infantry as they made their way north. Brandy Station was a prelude to the Battle of Gettysburg.

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Last year, the CWT secured 56 acres of the battlefield. This is significant, because housing developments had been encroaching on the area for years. It doesn’t make sense how this could have been allowed to happen, since it is hallowed ground in my opinion, but it isn’t the only Civil War battlefield that has been neglected or destroyed. The CWT has now secured over 1,900 acres at Brandy Station.

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Other significant battlefields that the CWT has been working on include Antietam and Gettysburg. A few years ago, I visited the Wilderness Battlefield, and was appalled to see how many houses were built on the hallowed site. Hopefully, the CWT can secure more land in that area as well.

Read more about the Battle of Brandy Station in my novel, A Beckoning Hellfire.

http://www.amazon.com/Beckoning-Hellfire-Novel-Civil-War/dp/0595435319/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462942766&sr=8-1&keywords=a+beckoning+hellfire

 

Posted by jdrhawkins in Civil War, Confederate, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
05 Apr 2016

How Confederate Heritage Month Got Started

Confederate-HeritageMonth

After the end of the War Between the States, Southern women decorated graves of their fallen loved ones. It was the start of the first Memorial Day. Following WWI, the day was spread nationwide and changed to Armistice Day. After that, it evolved into what is Memorial Day today. Originally, the day of observance was held in April, and hence, Confederate History/Heritage Month has sprung from it. The Civil War also started and ended in the month of April, which are other reasons why April is so special in the remembrance of Confederate veterans. During the month of April, members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and United Daughters of the Confederacy decorate graves and hold special ceremonies in honor of their relatives. The following is an article published in The Southern Comfort. (Credits are listed below the article.)

Confederate Decoration Day

This went on all across the South, and began IN the South.

“A chaplain who remained with our wounded who were left at Murfreesboro, when we retired from that place, has arrived here. Before returning to our lines he went to Louisville, and describes, in touching language, a visit to Cavehille Cemetery, near that city. He was carried to that lovely city of the dead by a noble hearted citizen of Louisville, whose liberality and energy have given a proper burial to every Confederate soldier
that has died in the city. Here, on the Northern border of Kentucky, he beheld a sight that should put to shame many who inhabit cities farther South. The grave of every Confederate was raised, sodded, and not a few surrounded with flowers.

The name of the soldier, his State, and regiment, was lettered in black on a neat white head-board, around which hung a wreath of myrtle, the Christmas offering of the true Southern ladies of Louisville, to the noble dead.”

THE SOUTHERN WOMEN OF THE SECOND

 AMERICAN REVOLUTION

1863

Confederate Decoration Day

Photo-Confederate Decoration Day

(Courtesy The Southern Comfort, Private Samuel A. Hughey Camp 1452 SCV, Vol. 40, Issue 4, April 2016)

Posted by jdrhawkins in Civil War, Confederate, History and tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment
01 Apr 2016

April is Confederate Heritage Month

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Today marks the start of Confederate Heritage Month. April was originally chosen because Confederate Memorial Day is usually celebrated during the month. Seven Southern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Virginia) historically designated the month as a time to honor their Confederate ancestors, but due to recent racial climates, some states have rescinded from acknowledging this designation. Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant recently signed a declaration proclaiming April as Confederate Heritage Month.

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This designation has been in place for years, but this year, it has become even more controversial, due to the murderous rampage of one lunatic who shot innocent black church goers and had the audacity to wave the Confederate flag beforehand. Since then, the media circus has decided to blame the Confederate battle flag for this atrocity. The hysteria has spread to attacking monuments and other artifacts honoring Confederate veterans and heroes, some of which have been in existence for over a century. Is it a scapegoat, or a sign of the times of how dumbed down this society has become?

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Let me set the record straight. Confederate soldiers did not fight to preserve slavery. Most could have cared less. They were fighting to save their homes. The war became an issue of slavery only after President Lincoln knew the North was losing the war and decided to make it about a moral issue. In other words, it was about politics. Those statues you see of General Lee, Jefferson Davis and Nathan Bedford Forrest are there to honor the men who tried in vain to preserve the Confederacy. Forrest’s ex-slaves so adored him that they fought under his leadership. Lee set his inherited slaves free prior to the war. And Davis never wanted to become president of the Confederacy because he had the foresight to see the bloodbath that was about to happen. They all fought in honor of the South.

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In lieu of the assaults now taking place on Confederate flags, memorials, and monuments, I would like to stress that these items do not belong in dusty museums, hidden away from the modern world. They also do not belong to random citizens who think they have the right to vandalize them. These are memorials to America’s war veterans. Sorry if some don’t agree with what they perceive was the reason for the war. I don’t agree with every reason this country has ever gotten involved in a war or conflict, but you don’t see me spray painting the Vietnam Wall or the Korean War Memorial (BTW, my father was a veteran of that war). Compassion, understanding and knowledge are what is needed to accept why soldiers fought for the Confederacy. Times have changed. We must take that into account in order to comprehend what they believed in and realize how honorable they truly were.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/25/politics/mississippi-confederate-heritage-month/

Posted by jdrhawkins in Confederate, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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