Return of Arlington Confederate Memorial Sparks Debate
Defense Secretary Pete Hegses has announced plans to move the Arlington Confederate Memorial back to its original spot in the Confederate section of Arlington National Cemetery. This decision has elicited responses from retired Army General Tay Seidule, who served as the former vice-chairman of the Naming Committee, set up to address Confederate symbols within the Department of Defense.
Seidule recently shared his thoughts, stating: “They are bold words from the general. Personally, I consider myself a student of the ‘Confederate Memorial.’ You see, I am the great grandson of a Confederate soldier. My great grandfather’s family included five Confederate cavalry members and one infantryman. As an American, I actually commend Hegses for his actions.”
He further criticized members of the naming committee, claiming they mislead the public and falsely present their efforts as meaningful. “It’s a small group speaking out,” he added, “but they claim Congress is fully behind them. The committee’s formation didn’t come from public support or popular opinion but rather from a somewhat obscure suggestion buried in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.”
In a seminar on February 7, 2024, at Hamilton University in New York, a committee member stated that Congress had overwhelmingly backed their initiatives. He cited some political measures, claiming, “With overriding votes,” implying that a bipartisan supermajority had decided it was high time to end the honoring of Confederate memorials. However, even as midterm elections rolled in 2022, the committee’s findings received more of a lukewarm response than outright enthusiasm.
The committee’s finalized report emphasized, “With the passage of the William M. ‘Mac’ Thornberry Defense Authorization Act of 2021, Congress has determined that no further commemorations of Confederates will be allowed through Department of Defense assets.” Curiously though, if Congress sincerely supported the committee’s recommendations, their way of demonstrating that support seemed quite unusual.
In reality, the committee had more or less disbanded before many people even knew it existed. By early January 2023, their Press Point of Contact email had ceased functioning, and by April, their website was already gone.
Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.), a member of Congress and the last commissioner concerning the former Confederate forces, declined to discuss the committee’s actions. His team indicated that public comments on the matter were discouraged.
Numerous letters and emails sent to various Congressional members seeking clarity on the committee’s operations have gone unanswered. It seems difficult to find a lawmaker willing to speak openly about the issue. If this had been a genuine Congressional effort to pass a substantial defense package, one would expect Capitol Hill to trumpet this as a bipartisan victory.
When the Reconciliation Memorial was unveiled in 1914, it garnered dissatisfaction among many Union veterans. Yet, despite the stark divide in perspectives between Northerners and Southerners regarding the Civil War, both sides managed to reach a compromise, enabling the nation to move beyond the war’s trauma and embark on the journey of nation-building.
Chief Commander of the Republic’s Large Army, Washington Garner, once stated that the memorial “clearly commemorates the Confederate forces and their purposes—slavery in Chattel.” He expressed a sentiment that the structure conveyed “a language of peace and goodwill” at a location significant to its history.
In contrast to the past, where veterans from opposing sides found paths to reconcile, recent Congressional decisions indicated a need to not only relocate but also reevaluate the presence of certain monuments, reflecting what they claimed was “the will of the American people.” This could suggest a sensitivity to interpretations of history that some see as leaning too emotionally.
As history unfolds, strong nations often navigate the complexities of their past without feeling compelled to judge historical figures based solely on contemporary values. Hegses’ choice to reinstate the Arlington Reconciliation Memorial might indicate a shift in accountability from the “Awakened Lemmings” of Washington.
