They fought not for conquest,
but for Liberty and their own Homes.
Preserving the True History of the
CONFEDERATE OFFICER CORPS
Confederate Officers distinguished themselves conspicuously by gallantry, bravery, and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty
Officer’s Oath PRIOR to the War.
I do solemnly swear that I will bear
true allegiance to the United STATES of America,
and that I will serve THEM honestly and
faithfully against all THEIR enemies
and opposers whatsoever.
Our Mission is to preserve the history and legacy of our Confederate Officer Corps,
so that future generations can understand the motives that animated the Southern Cause.
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gENERAL rOBERT eDWARD lEE
Lee had the courage of his convictions and selflessly sacrificed his own peace and prosperity for the cause of independence, a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Lee should not be remembered solely as a Southern icon, but like Washington and Jefferson, as an American hero. The greatest indication of Lee’s sterling leadership was the undying devotion and dedication of the men under his command. This is something that can only be earned.
QUOTE:
“If I had foreseen the use those people designed to make of their victory, there would have been no
surrender at Appomattox Courthouse: no sir, not by me. Had I foreseen these results of subjugation, I would have preferred to die at Appomattox with my brave men, sword in my right hand”.
General Lee’s statement to former Governor of Texas, Fletcher Stockdale after the war..
gENERAL nATHAN bEDFORD fORREST
Calvary General Nathan Bedford Forrest was greatly feared by Union Generals Sherman, Grant and Sheridan. Forrest’s tactics and strategies are still studied by military cadets today. Forrest was the most remarkable man produced by either side.
Despite the lies in edited Wikipedia accounts,
Forrest had many Blacks in his Calvary and they could have changed sides at any time. Marxists, today lie about legacy of Forrest because he nearly
defeated the Armies of the Northern Industrialists.
Read more about the other side of Forrest, as an early Black civil rights advocate here.
After the Civil War, General Forrest made a speech to the Memphis City Council (then called the Board of Aldermen). In this speech he said that there was no reason that the black man could not be doctors, store clerks, bankers, or any other job equal to whites. They were part of our community and should be involved and employed as such just like anyone else. In another speech to Federal authorities, Forrest said that many of the ex-slaves were skilled artisans and needed to be employed and that those skills needed to be taught to the younger workers. If not, then the next generation of blacks would have no skills and could not succeed and would become dependent on the welfare of society.
Forrest’s words went unheeded. The Memphis & Selma Railroad was organized by Forrest after the war to help rebuild the South’s transportation and to build the ‘new South’. Forrest took it upon himself to hire blacks as architects, construction engineers and foremen, train engineers and conductors, and other high level jobs. In the North, blacks were prohibited from holding such jobs.
When the ‘War of Northern Aggresion’ began, Forrest offered freedom to 44 of his slaves if they would serve with him in the Confederate army. All 44 agreed. One later deserted; the other 43 served faithfully until the end of the war. Though they had many chances to leave, they chose to remain loyal to the South and to Forrest. Part of General Forrest’s command included his own Escort Company, his Green Berets, made up of the very best soldiers available. This unit, which varied
in size from 40-90 men, was the elite of the cavalry. Eight of these picked men were black soldiers and all served gallantly and bravely throughout the war. All were armed with at least 2 pistols and a rifle. Most also carried two additional pistols in saddle holsters. At war’s end, when Forrest’s cavalry surrendered in May 1865, there were 65 black troopers on the muster roll. Of the soldiers who served under him, Forrest said of the black troops: Finer Confederates never fought.
Forrest was a brilliant cavalryman and courageous soldier. As author Jack Hurst writes: a man possessed of physical valor perhaps unprecedented among his countrymen, as well as, ironically, a man whose social attitudes may well have changed farther in the direction of racial enlightenment over the span of his lifetime than those of most American historical figures.
When Forrest died in 1877 it is noteworthy that his funeral in Memphis was attended not only by a throng of thousands of whites but by hundreds of blacks as well. The funeral procession was over two miles long and was attended by over 10,000 area residents, including 3000 black citizens paying their respects.
gENERAL P. G. T. Beauregard
General P.G.T. Beauregard entered the ‘War for Southern Independence’ as the Confederacy’s first brigadier general and was placed in command of the defenses of Charleston, South Carolina.
In this role he ordered the first shots of the Civil War during the bombardment of Fort Sumter (April 12-14, 1861)
gENERAL sTONEWALL jACKSON
“My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me.”
Quote by General Stonewall Jackson
gENERAL pATRICK cLEBURNE
CSA General Patrick CLEBURNE ON WHY SOUTHERNERS WERE FIGHTING…
It is said slavery is all we are fighting for, and if we give it up we give up all. Even if this were true, which we deny, slavery is not all that our enemies are fighting for. It is merely the pretense to establish sectional superiority and a more centralized form of government, and to deprive us of our rights and liberties.”
– Gen. Patrick Cleburne C.S.A. Jan 2 1864.
Cleburne was killed during an ill-conceived assault (which he opposed) on Union fortifications at the Battle of Franklin, just south of Nashville, Tennessee, on November 30, 1864.
He was only 36 years old.
gENERAL Jeb Stuart
Debonair and dashing, J.E.B Stuart cut an unmistakable figure on and off the battlefield during the Civil War. Regarded as the Confederate Army’s most accomplished cavalryman, he proudly looked the part, typically adorned in flamboyant military garb as he sat atop his warhorse Skylark. Stuart made his mark leading successful reconnaissance missions, which in part helped him gain the undying friendship of Robert E. Lee. However, dubious strategic decisions made by Stuart in the prelude to the Battle of Gettysburg strained that relationship and caused some to question his fitness for command. Ultimately, the “Knight of the Golden Spurs” was heralded as a true Confederate hero.
gENERAL KIRBY-SMITH
florida confederate general
“Surrender” wasn’t in Edmund Kirby Smith’s vocabulary. He is the only officer to both refuse to surrender to the Confederates while serving as a Union officer and refuse to surrender to the Union while serving as a Confederate officer.
As a Major, Edmund Kirby Smith refused to surrender the 2nd US Cavalry at Camp Colorado, Texas to secessionist forces at the start of the war. It wasn’t until his home state, Florida seceded in 1861, did Smith resign to join the Confederacy. {Note: Florida only had only joined the Union in 1845}
In 1863, Smith took command of the Trans-Mississippi Department. With the capture of Vicksburg & Port Hudson by US forces, the Confederacy was split in two. Smith became, in effect, governor of the western Confederacy. Despite lacking manpower & supplies, he successfully defended “Kirby-Smithdom” from several Union attacks.
The surrender of Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee and Joseph Johnston in the spring of 1865 didn’t impact Smith’s actions. He continued to resist with his small army in Texas. Smith insisted that Lee and Johnston were prisoners of war and decried Confederate deserters.
On May 26, 1865, General Simon Buckner, acting for Smith, met with Union officers in New Orleans to arrange the surrender of Smith’s force under terms similar to Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, Virginia. Smith reluctantly agreed, and officially laid down his arms at Galveston on June 2, 1865. His Confederate troops were some of the last in the field.
Unionist politicians also saw secession as a State’s right.
Rep. Jacob M. Kunkel of Maryland said,
“Any attempt to preserve the union between the states of this Confederacy by force would be impractical and destructive of republican liberty.”
New York Tribune (Feb. 5, 1860): “If tyranny and despotism justified the Revolution of 1776, then we do not see why it would not justify the secession of Five Millions of Southrons from the Federal Union in 1861.”
The Detroit Free Press (Feb. 19, 1861): “An attempt to subjugate the seceded States, even if successful, could produce nothing but evil — evil unmitigated in character and appalling in extent.”
The New York Times (March 21, 1861): “There is a growing sentiment throughout the North in favor of letting the Gulf States go.”
Confederate generals fought for independence from the Union just as George Washington fought for independence from Great Britain.
Those who label Robert E. Lee and other Confederate generals as traitors might also label George Washington a traitor.
Great Britain’s King George III and the British parliament would have agreed.
