What Would Those Who Are Buried There Think?
I first wrote a version of this essay on October 2, 2022. I am going to visit the Confederate Memorial for the first time tomorrow. I will be thinking about the question in the title.
My father is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His name is Charles S. Sapp, CDR, USN (Ret). He was a helicopter pilot and did two tours in Vietnam. A native of North Carolina he was proud of his service, and he loved his country.
To me the American Civil War was history with interesting asides because it was a civil war. One of the better known is that Arlington National Cemetery is on property that Robert E. Lee’s wife owned and he lived there. Am I unique that I am proud of that history? Is it not special that one of the great protagonists of the brutal war is forever linked with our national cemetery?
I have been to Gettysburg. Could we not say the same about those buried in Arlington? I used to think that Lincoln’s speech was reconciliatory. That he was speaking about both sides in the bloodletting that created a new Republic. Of course, he wasn’t. The more I study though, the more he could have been. Today one side has to be right, so the South was wrong. It’s not that simple when you dig into it though.
It turns out that my naive self was probably more right than the politicized Civil War of today. I admired both Grant and Lee. Generals on both sides showed qualities and toughness to be emulated. Grant is my favorite general for personal reasons. He was likely a drunk. I am a drunk. It is impressive to me that Grant held it together as well as he did, not knowing what we know today about alcoholism.
What has happened in the last 20 years? We are about to disturb the graves of long dead Americans and destroy a monument in our National Cemetary. What would Presidents Lincoln and Grant think? What would those veterans from WWI to Vietnam who fought and died with Southerners think?
I know what my dad would think.
