Next week the government of East Feliciana Parish will consider (again) the removal of the statue of a Confederate soldier that stands in front of the courthouse. Inspired by the photos Allison Williams @#allie912 has taken of Confederate monuments in RIchmond, VA, I went to Clinton. Unlike the crowds in Richmond, the courthouse grounds were practically deserted. Two men stopped by to take cell phone photos, and one said reverently, "We hope he stands here forever." I mentioned that if the police jury decides to remove the statue, another could be erected honoring all soldiers who had served their country. They did not like that idea.
People often wonder what will happen to displaced Confederate statues. In Clinton there is a Confederate Cemetery a few blocks from the courthouse which has been suggested as a new home for the stature. Many of the soldiers there are unidentified, buried in mass graves after the battle of Port Hudson nearby. I was surprised to find the cemetery overgrown and poorly maintained. A woman was putting red, white and blue flowers on her grandfather's grave. I asked her opinion of moving the Confederate statue to the cemetery. She was vehemently opposed: "He would not be safe here. THEY live right over there, you know.”
Your stories speak volumes. In the minds of some the war is still being fought. It is an interesting observation, however, for all the talk of reverence for The Lost Cause, no one is moved to care for the graves of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
