Last Sunday, I had the privilege of attending a ceremony in honor of Nathan Bedford Forrest's 188th birthday anniversary, which was held at Nathan Bedford Forrest Park in Memphis. The park was decked out in flags from each state of the Confederacy. Members of the SCV and UDC were on hand, some dressed in period attire. The crowd was entertained by members of the 52nd Regimental String Band, who played several songs, including "Dixie." Nathan Bedford Forrest's great-great grandson, Kevin Bradley, was present, as was the great-great grandson of Jefferson Davis, Bertram Hayes-Davis.
Mr. Davis spoke about how he has had difficulty bringing recognition to his ancestors' memory. He has approached Congress, the War Department, and several museums, trying to obtain acknowledgment for his great-great grandfather's accomplishments. Most of his efforts took place last year in celebration of Jeff Davis' 200th birthday. It's a shame that racism has tarnished the truth, and that these government institutions fail to honor Jefferson Davis for all that he did for this country.
The ceremony was concluded with a musket salute and benediction, during which time some idiot who was driving by thought it would be funny to scream out an expletive. Lucky for him Tennessee hasn't passed the law allowing firearms to be used in parks! It just goes to show how ignorant some people are to the cause. I'll write more on this subject later, but the gist of it is this: these ceremonies are performed to honor our ancestors, who fought and died for their country, regardless of their beliefs. Regardless of whether we believe in them now. Regardless of what is politically correct. Forgetting that is forgetting important pieces of history, and heaven forbid they should be lost forever.
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