In 1898, 34 years after Sherman’s army burned
Atlanta to the ground, a Union veteran visited the city. The veteran
addressed the Georgia legislature, praising the valor of the Confederate
dead and offering federal aid in the care of their graves.
Georgia rose up to welcome him and with Georgia the whole South. It was
a magnificent gesture by President William McKinley, who had been a
teenager at Sharpsburg. The scene has been recreated by biographer
Margaret Leech in her book, In the Days of McKinley:
"He sprang
to his feet when the band played 'Dixie' and waved his hat above his
head. He reviewed the marching ranks of gray-clad troops....His voice
was fervent as he said that the old disagreements had faded into history
and the nation would remain indivisible forever. Gen. Joe Wheeler often
stood beside the president, swelling the ovation by his immense
popularity."
My friends, if this veteran of four years of
fighting could stand out of respect for the flag of his foes, why is it a
problem 115 years later?
Susan Hathaway
Va Flaggers
(as shared by Al Perry)
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