PJB - Letter to Sons of Confederate Veterans, for the big vote coming up on 17 April 2001.  

April 10, 2001 

Earl Faggert
EX-Commander, Mississippi Division
Sons of Confederate Veterans
P.O. Box 505
Heidelberg, Mississippi 39439

Dear Earl:
As the great-grandson of two Mississippi veterans of the War Between the States -- one of whom did not survive Vicksburg -- let me commend you for the good fight you are waging.  We are hoping and praying for victory on the 17th of April, to send a message that the good people of Mississippi do not turn their backs on their heroic ancestors, to ingratiate themselves with those who cannot abide our history, heroes, beliefs, and traditions. 

The other day I was rereading The Southern Tradition at Bay by the late Richard Weaver, in which he relates the story of the "Burial of the Guns."

"This is the story of an artillery regiment which, upon receiving word of Lee's surrender, finds itself holding an impregnable position in the mountains.  Rather than give up the guns, which they have served through four bloody years, they resolve to roll them over a cliff into a river.  First, however, they prepared a statement of the unit's record, which is rammed into a muzzle.  It read in part: 

"'We're all volunteers, every man; we joined the army at the beginning of the war; and we've stuck through to the end; sometimes we ain't had enough to eat and sometime we ain't had nothin', but we fought the best we could 119 battles and skirmishes as near as we can make our in four years, and never lost a gun. Now we're agoin' home.  We ain't surrendered; just disbanded; and we pledge ourselves to teach our children to love the South and General Lee; and to come when we're called anywhere and anytime, so help us God.'" 

The dignity, character, honor, courage and defiance of men like these is what the old battle flag will forever symbolize.  God bless you for standing by it when so many are running away.  With my admiration and respect, 

Patrick J. Buchanan, SCV

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)