MikeMarortta: Denial is not becoming. Extracted from PUBLIC LAW 85-426-MAY 23, 1958, the following is provided:
(3) Section 432 is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new subsection:
"(e) For the purpose of this section, and section 433, the term 'veteran' includes a person who served in the military or naval forces of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, and the term 'active, military or naval service' includes active service in such
forces." The url to the Public Law is: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-... so it makes no difference whether a person "likes" or "dislikes" that Confederate Soldiers are now U.S. Veterans, it remains a fact that they are. Just for the record the last Confederate soldier died in 1958 -- and he died as a U.S. Veteran.

The opportunity to put the past behind us after the Civil war was lost with the assassination of Lincoln. The President had envisioned the Reconstruction as an opportunity to rebuild the southern states and help former slaves bridge the gap to independent employment and property ownership, much like we did in helping Japan and Germany recover from the destruction of WW II. Unfortunately, after Lincoln's passing, the militant abolitionists saw it as an opportunity to punish the southern states, and ran the conquered territory as a police state. At the same time, the former slaves were abandoned, victimized by the "carpetbaggers" (Northern companies hired to handle the economic interests of former slaves).

Had the post-war efforts played out as Lincoln intended, the issue of resentment toward Washington in the south, and an attachment for the states rights represented by the Confederate flag would have died out long ago. Trying to patch up the feelings of anger and resentment more than a generation after the war was difficult, resulting in awkward gestures honoring Confederate figures.

My family had four brothers who fought for the Confederacy, one of them riding with Jeb Stuart, but past is past. The 1st amendment was intended to protect speech that is offensive to some (especially when the powerful are offended), so the idea of tearing down all the symbols of the Confederacy because some are offended bothers me, even though I have never displayed any flag but that of the United States.

I just hope that we don't have another civil war, this time
over the slavery of the people to the government. -- j
.

If we ban all history perhaps we can just repeat it all sooner rather than later. Civil War II, Vietnam II, WWIII (we actually had WWI & II already), Hitler II, Cold War II, Iraq II, Afghanistan II, Iran I, 911 II, etc. We ignore natures messages, like fires and earthquakes, even the big ones. Are we just too ignorant to care, or just not aware of history? We need to keep and teach Confederate history, and perhaps even start telling the truth that the south actually was protesting the high taxes being imposed on them. In reality it was not much different than the American Revolution. I'm still astounded by the numbers that died in the Civil War. Apparently we're more committed to killing our own than we are to killing others. History will actually repeat itself whether we keep it and learn it or not, so really what difference does it make? Eventually man will destroy himself and the earth will just wipe history clean and become green again. If man doesn't destroy himself perhaps nature will.

Resistance is Liberty
http://docsouth.unc.edu/commland/monu...
http://www.wilmington-nc.com/confeder...

Confederates blend your recollections
Let memory weave its bright reflections
Let love revive life's ashen embers
For love is life since love remembers
PRO ARIS ET FOCIS (For Altar and Home.')
This monument is a legacy of Gabriel James Boney
Born Wallace, NC 1846-Died Wilmington, NC 1915
A Confederate soldier

Interesting how history gets warped for either a political agenda or political correctness. Even the portrayal of Lincoln as "The Great Emancipator" is fallacious. The civil war happened. The issue of slavery was a major aspect of it, but should we drop it from the history of the country because it offends some people to see, talk, illustrate, or portray it? Should "Gone With The Wind" be banned? Why must what appears to be a good cause get carried to ridiculous extremes?

I am surprised how people lose context. We are trying to judge 19th Century events using 21st Century "ethics" and to which I use the term loosely. Granted, in 2015, it's easy for us to condemn the actions of 150+ years ago, but we're in a different country now than then. People stood up for what they believed in more than now. Look at how many people jump on the bandwagon just because TMZ considers something to be fashionable or unfashionable.

If the colonists had lost the Revolutionary War, would George Washington be considered a British veteran?

Interesting article and interesting facts. Thanks, I cut and pasted it into a Word document for my own archives. That being as it may, the fact remains: No, they are not.

They fought for independent states that had withdrawn from the federal union. The first of them fired on a federal fort built to guard their harbor from foreign invasion. Those states formed a different confederation of their own. The very legality of that attempted mass coups d'etats is to be questioned. It is not clear whether a majority in every or any "confederate" state actually supported secession. Here in Texas, the putschists arrested Sam Houston who refused to support secession. Though Houston openly wept when the Texas legislature voted to end the Republic and join the Union, he was opposed to secession. Houston was a man of principle, and he must not have been alone.

What principle explained the attempted Confederacy?

Work the equation in the other direction and see if you get the same results. Like this:
Since the revolt was never legal, the so-called CSA never existed, and all the soldiers and sailors must therefore have all been in the army and navy of the federal Union.

A third analysis is to reject the appeal to authority. It is true that Congress passed these acts. Are you willing then to endorse everything that Congress does? No. You just point to this one that you like and elevate it to authority for a point you want to make.

The revolt of the southern secessionists was an anti-industrial reaction. Old times there are best forgotten.