I have allowed the wonderful people at the Southern Heritage Preservation Group, also known as “the gift that keeps on giving,” to proceed along their merry way for some time without commentary, because, frankly, they had become boring and predictable. However, a recent comment merits attention as a demonstration of the distance the SHPG maintains away from reality. It appeared in a conversation about whether the SHPG should pursue efforts to try United States leaders for war crimes committed during the Civil War (this from a group that contains members who embrace Nathan Bedford Forrest). Here’s the comment:
It would be interesting to file a suit to try several of the Union military leaders and politicians for war crimes. By today’s standard, I think they would probably be convicted. Lincoln, Grant, Sheridan, Butler come to mind. Unfortunately, it would be costly. A more interesting suit may be for the recovery of the financial loss due to emancipation which was clearly illegal. Can you imagine receiving a check for the cost of your family’s slaves in todays money?
No William T. Sherman? What’s wrong with these people? No David Hunter? Goodness!
I thought very few white southerners owned slaves … and certainly very few members of the SHPG admit to having slaveholding ancestors … until the question of slaveholder reparations came up. Then everyone wants to cash in on the slaves their ancestors supposedly didn’t own.
Just one question: will these people then compensate the descendants of the people their ancestors enslaved, sold, exploited, raped, and so on, for the work that they failed to pay for so long ago?
I doubt it.
Crossroads 