The Aug. 29 Metro article “Remaining Confederate statues removed from Virginia’s Capitol” did not highlight the particular historical significance of the statue of Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson.
The monument was tangible evidence of upper-class British support for the Confederacy. Jackson was admired by wealthy British supporters of the Confederacy during the Civil War, including Alexander Beresford-Hope, who spearheaded efforts to raise money in Britain for a statue of the general after his death in May 1863. Carved on the base were the words: “Presented by English gentlemen as a tribute of admiration for the soldier and patriot Thomas J. Jackson.”
At the dedication ceremony, Gov. James Kemper lauded Jackson’s British friends for their tribute and looked forward to the day when “the equal honor and equal liberties” of each side in the late war “shall be acknowledged, vindicated, and maintained by both.” Confederate veterans marched in the day’s parade, and members of the famous Stonewall Brigade proudly carried a rebel flag.
Not everyone was happy about the Jackson statue. Many Northerners, just 10 years on from subduing the Southern insurrection against the U.S. government, were unconvinced that Jackson merited a statue. The Chicago Inter Ocean, the newspaper of choice for many midwestern Union veterans, berated what it sarcastically called “the noble patriots” of Richmond for turning out to celebrate “a monument to perpetuate the unholy memory of Stonewall Jackson.”
Post readers will have their own views about the wisdom of removing Confederate statues, but no one should suppose that tributes to the Lost Cause were uncontroversial at their inception.
Robert J. Cook, Sheffield, England
The writer is a professor emeritus of American history at Sussex University and the author of “Civil War Memories: Contesting the Past in the United States Since 1865.”
Remember the Maryland 400
Andrew O’Shaughnessy’s Aug. 28 op-ed, “The moment the revolution was nearly lost,” was about the Battle of Brooklyn, but it didn’t mention the Maryland 400.
It is true that, as O’Shaughnessy noted, George Washington didn’t know about or defend against the British attack through Jamaica Pass. He was outmaneuvered and outnumbered and soundly defeated. It was indeed a very near thing for the American cause.
But it was “the 400” — actually, no more than 270 Maryland soldiers — under the command of Mordecai Gist, who held what Washington called the Old Line at a bottleneck between British forces swarming from three directions. They maintained steady volley fire, which is what gave the rest of the Continental Army the chance to get away. Watching from nearby, directing the evacuation made possible by the soldiers’ sacrifice, Washington remarked: “Good God, what brave fellows I must this day lose.”
Some 256 Marylanders were known to have been killed or captured, and only a few made it back to Washington’s army — but that there was still an army was largely their doing.
It’s also why Maryland is called the Old Line State.
Paul Donnelly, Hyattesville
Are we really talking less?
Regarding the Sept. 4 news article “We’re talking less than we used to, worrying scientists”:
I have also noticed the change in verbal interactions. I find that the frequency with which strangers greet each other, even with just a smile and a “hi” while walking through the neighborhood or in a park, has greatly decreased.
Certainly a lot has to do with iPhones and ordering kiosks, self-service checkouts, etc. But I believe the restrictions from the covid pandemic may still be in play as well — even for people outside Gen Z.
For a long period, instead of looking at a passerby and at least nodding, people not only had their faces covered but also made sure to distance themselves when passing.
I mostly noticed this while walking my small dog. It’s not a scary dog; it’s one that people used to stop and pet, or comment on, or just smile at. Even as the masks came off, the habit of politely steering clear of others seems to have remained.
Harise Poland-Wright, Silver Spring
There are nuanced social differences to how people choose to communicate. The choice of words, the formality of the syntax, the use of abbreviations, the expression of emotion through body language or emoji: These all change based on which communication method is used. Sending a text message uses language differently than leaving a voice message, or writing a formal email or letter, or talking to a barista at a coffee shop, or speaking during a presentation. The use of language is more complicated than just talking out loud.
Larry Louie, Plano, Texas
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