Cadet Peter Chew
ERH-102-02
Professor Dupal
November 11, 2022
Assignment: Essay 3: Writing a Proposal Argument.
Wrongful Removal of Civil War Era Memorial Monument from VMI
The Virginia Military Institute –– a long-standing grail of tradition, a symbol for those who sought an adverse lifestyle, a gateway to a disciplined regime catered to those who do not seek to be or do ordinary. A mission to achieve above and beyond in the aspects of military, academic, and athletic excellence; a cadetship served for mostly four years, the precious time to mold an individual into a citizen-soldier instilled with the values of the Institute. The school has a deep-rooted history, not only in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia but one in which its members made on several occasions lasting impacts on the nation. Its graduates and members of the VMI community have served in both the public and private sectors, many have reached good fortune, and few have achieved immortality in the place of history. Such as George C. Marshall who is perhaps the highest exemplary figure of modern-era VMI, such a lasting influence on his life had been expected from each Cadet. This issue concerns several groups, most predominately the Corp of Cadets, as they are the most impacted by the culture and environment. Such monuments and the context of history set the foundation for organizational culture, and once something is removed or changed that had significant importance is dealt with negative morale and backlash, which is exactly what occurred when “Stonewall Jackson was removed from Post. The Alumni concerned about change are unquestionably divided between being supportive or unsupportive of the removal decision. There is a divide in the community, which could be alleviated by praising both Marshall and Stonewall. Instead of erasing one from the equation due to political correctness.
The cadets who fought and died on May 15, 1864, in the Battle of New Market, numbering 257 were organized into a battalion and marched off to battle against Union troops. Ten cadets were killed in battle or died later from their wounds and were buried on VMI grounds, a memorial statue of her lady Virginia mourning the death of those cadets, the keystone whose names are inscribed as a sign of immortalizing their names and giving honorary respect. The participants who continue to be memorialized paid ceremonial respect on the date the battle occurred. (Kludy, VMI). Despite the media outlash, with the suggestion to remove the memorial, it was graciously rejected. And thus the ceremony continues to exist and is attended by all Cadets, where all pay their respect and admiration –– not to the confederate army that they fought with, such ideal is cleansed from the ceremony; all focus is instead centered on the bravery of such young boys who as Cadets continued marching towards the Union soldiers while receiving a cannonade from Union artillery, whom some as a result, unfortunately, died on the field of honor –– “The field of honor” that itself is has a double meaning among cadets, one previous describe while the other being one of several words and terms that are unique to the VMI community, which apart from its formal usage, is usually used as an informal wit among Cadets with a connotation that describes a moment in which someone has either “passed out” during a long, past and review parade, or “fell out” of a heinous high-intensity physical workout. Terms and language which continue to live and be used among the community, terms that originated from the era of the Civil War. It becomes clearer where this rooted culture originates. The culture of the civil war makes the rooted existence of the Corp of Cadets, the lifestyle, and the way of life of a Cadet today, living in the same Barracks they once slept, the similarities are a glimpse into the same footsteps of those Cadets, of an ancestorial tree to the modern equivalent of the Corp of Cadets.
The problem could be resolved by a return of the memorial statue that stood beside the cadet battery, which he proudly overlooked over the institute to which he so proudly served and devoted himself. Ideally, with the support of the VMI Alumni association, along with a decision from the Board of Visitors (BOV), The statute should be returned to its original spot beside the cadet battery. And it should emphasize that the figure of Stonewall Jackson is not praised or romanticized. Simply a matter of respect toward the character of the man, his leadership, personal virtues, his immense respect earned by those who served under him, Cadets, Alumni who died, and who were a part of such a defining moment in American History. Because there is more behind men than the organization one is a part of. Most figures in history have some type of bad deed which society tends to pass off and instead focuses on the more admirable aspects. This does not mean that the issue of slavery and racism in the South should be discredited. However, the subject that pertains to VMI and Jackson is not one of slavery, but one of his careers as a professor, instructor, Leader, and exemplary figure who made an honorable name for himself during the war, that is among southerners. Ironically enough Jackson was a graduate of West Point, yet the academy is not blamed, nor should it be for the sins and cause for which Jackson fought and the same courtesy should be extended to VMI.
Furthermore, some context behind the origins of the Statue opens another issue at hand that should be worthy of criticism and outrage, particularly of the decision of its removal. It has a deeper meaning than just representing a “Confederate Figure” who taught at the institute. The Statue itself was made by Sir Moses Ezekiel, “the first Jewish Cadet from VMI”, (Col. Wyatt, 2020), a veteran of New Market who was a student under Stonewall’s time as Professor, (Baskind, 2021). And if any posses: notion of the Jewish Religion and its Laws, one must realize that it is prohibited to craft an image of man, a statue which signifies flesh and blood is not permitted, for God must be the only one praised by mankind. A sculptor Sir Moses Ezekiel gave to VMI his work of art, “It is Old Stonewall himself as he scanned the enemy on the field of Manassas”. He was praised for his devotion to duty, his figure as a man: “The Jew, breaking the long tradition of his race, which forbade the making of a graven image, interpreting aright the spirit of his ancient law, has lent his splendid genius to perpetuate in bronze the image of a Gentile, and Christian, and his comrade in war, Stonewall Jackson.”, (Rockbridge County Newsprint, 1912)…, a breaking of tradition to present praise to a man highly respected by his comraderies, to have an Artwork crafted by a talented Jewish sculptor that gave the highest praise, a breaking of his own religious adherence to signify respect to a Confederate General is quite avant-garde for today’s political tolerance if that is not enough a statement that a man himself earned such respective by the people of that time.
Therefore, Jackson deserves proper dignity in principle to what the memorial was originally intended for, not praise of a lost cause, but the totality of a man who earned the respect, and for the following reasons: he was the first faculty member to die since the founding of VMI in November 1839. His body was brought to Lexington, where the Corps of Cadets escorted the body of the fallen soldier, professor, and their former commander carried to his old classroom where it lay in state with cadets humbly standing as guards over their fallen teacher. Along with a proper salute, where his pride and dignity were further evaluated by The Cadet Battery gun salutes which fired from sunrise to sunset. Stonewall was admired for his character as a leader, professor, and scholar –– a commander who inspired the men under his care, his ability to instill inspiration and bravery in troops, through his display of courage and stubbornness won him many a battle. A showcase of his tactical cleverness on the battlefield, are all personal traits of character that allowed him to command and conquer effectively, a general of the Confederacy forces and the cause for which he fought he nevertheless his biggest blunder, despite the cause of behalf in which he died for. the complexity of his story, like many others is much more complex than what is typically assumed of in surface-level mainstream understanding of the subject.
It is unquestionable that VMI has a rooted history from the Confederacy and Civil War era, as to most southern institutions of that time. It is simply something that cannot be denied or rejected. The issue of The Civil War itself is a troubling, decisive topic –– with two commonly debated arguments in academia, within the field of politics and history, the debate between the true motive of why the Confederacy broke away from the Union and the underlining motive that caused motivation for a bloody conflict between brothers, an instance before separation was merely the same country, to be eventually divided by politics. One side preferable to presenting a “cleaner” and innocent version of the confederacy, claiming the war was fought on behalf of “State Rights”, followed by “Northern aggression”, which is true, but usually misinterpreted and used as a propaganda piece to promote confederation revisionism. The other side of the argument is the most understood in mainstream America, that the southern cause for war, was a motive for maintaining the inhumane right to slavery. Either way, as it is entailed with war, acts of evil were committed by both sides on several occasions greater than the other, and the narrative of righteousness is usually set by the victor. Nevertheless, the Civil War is an integral part of Southern History and identity, and with where VMI is located, clearly aligns with that part of history.
Historical figures from the past who are admired in society, are praised for the overall impression and contribution they left behind, usually not for their wrongs, but such wrongs are subjective to one’s opinion and moral compass. Exemplary figures in history have some element of bad deeds in their life. As it is human to err. None is perfect. And if by this logic all who were to be subject to censorship because of their involvement or existence with immoral behavior, would mean that several members of the Founding Fathers themselves, such as George Washington would have their monuments and name reprimanded from the American consciousness of praise. Someone such as Washington with such a high reputation to be expelled would-be grave devastation to the societal fabric and morale of the nation and the cultural foundation: all of which are symptoms of what the institute endured when Jackson was “Relocated”. It is morally wrong to remove a memorial that was chosen to be there by past generations, especially when such removal is motivated by politics. Caught in the storm of politics, a leaked picture of former governor of Virginia Ralph Northam was exposed by the media for doing blackface. The governor to not lose face, swept VMI under the rug, removed the previous administration, cleaned house in the BOV, and appointed “politically aligned” board members to enact changes that would come with the high backlash that made matters worse with the addition of new programs in line with the politically correct progressive agenda that comprises today’s overall collegial academia. One must understand that VMI is not comparable to other Colleges. It is a bastion of the past, of traditionalism, conservativism, of devotion to duty, God, and country. A fact that is the opposite to most academic institutions, not even the Service Academies embody the ideals that are construed by progressive entities to be as “backward thinking” than at VMI.
Works Cited:
Baskind, S. (2021, January 21). The Jewish sculptor of the Confederacy – Tablet Magazine. Arts & Letters section The Jewish Sculptor of the Confederacy. Retrieved December 14, 2022, from https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/stonewall-jackson-moses-jacob-ezekiel-vmi
Col. Wyatt, Bill. “VMI Headlines 2020-2021: Boxing Adapts to COVID ERA – News – Virginia Military Institute.” VMI, 7 Dec. 2020, www.vmi.edu/news/headlines/2020-2021/vmi-begins-to-relocate-the-stonewall-jackson-statue.php.
Kludy, Mary Laura. “New Market Ceremony History.” VMI, www.vmi.edu/archives/manuscripts/new-market–vmi-in-the-civil-war/battle-of-new-market/new-market-ceremony-history/.
Memorial exercises at the unveiling of Sir Moses Ezekiel’s Statue of Stonewall Jackson, Virginia Military Institute June 19, 1912. Rockbridge County Newsprint, 1912.
Shapira, Ian. “At VMI, Black Alumni Want Stonewall Jackson’s Statue Removed. the School Refuses.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 10 Sept. 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/09/09/vmi-stonewall-jackson-statue/.
“Stonewall Jackson at VMI – VMI Museum – Virginia Military Institute.” VMI, www.vmi.edu/museums-and-archives/vmi-museum/stonewall-jackson-at-vmi/.