We demand that the Confederate Flag be restored at the Fort Davidson Historic Site

The site of an 1864 Civil War battle and the Higginsville site is home to a Confederate cemetery. The Confederate flags flew on poles beneath the American and Missouri state flags. The flag was removed because the gov. at the time said it was a hateful device..

We want it restored.. The Confederate Battle Flag flew at Higginsville Confederate Cemetery and the Second National Confederate Flag flew at the Fort Davidson State Historic Site for decades without incident or controversy , they were a non issue until Former Democratic Representative Dick Gephardt decided to make them an issue. He did this while unofficially launching his Presidential Campaign in South Carolina. While doing so he stated that the Confederate flag should not be displayed anywhere, anytime and called the Confederate flag “hurtful” and “divisive”, not realizing that Missouri flew two Confederate Flags. This presented a problem for the Democratic presidential candidate hopeful.

Former Democratic Governor Bob Holden came up with a quick solution, and ordered the flags removed, thus creating an even bigger issue. Perhaps the Governor didn’t realize by doing so that he was dishonoring two of Missouri’s most famous Black Confederate Veterans, John Nolan, a free black man that rode as scout and spy for William Quantrill and “Uncle Charlie” Baker who road with Captain Bill Anderson. At any rate the Governor chose to dishonor many of Missouri’s veterans in his pursuit of his political ambitions
As for the association of the Confederate Flag with racism and groups such as the KKK a quick search on the internet will provide plenty of photographic evidence that the Confederate flag is not the only flag flown by the KKK. The KKK has flown and still does fly the United States Flag.

As to the accusation that the Confederate flag is a symbol of terrorism and that any attempt to legitimize it is absurd, I must ask the question; is it absurd to suggest that the United States flag can somehow retain any value in our society?

It was under the flag of the United States that General Ewing’s Order #11 was issued. This issue displaced thousands of Missourians, both Union and Confederate. It has been described by historian Albert Castel as, “the most drastic and repressive military measures directed against civilians by the Union Army during the Civil War. In fact…it stands as the harshest treatment ever imposed on United States citizens under the plea of military necessity in our Nation's History.

Most people would find it absurd to suggest that the flag of our country is a symbol of terrorism. Like most Southerners who fly the Confederate flag, many people fly the United States flag to honor good men who died for their country. It is this writer’s opinion that good men who died for their country should be honored by flying the flag of the country for which they fought at their grave sites.