My wife and I visited Stone Mountain Park in Georgia back in 2005. The majority of the people working there were black. We visited the gift shop that had numerous Confederate flags and Confederate battle flags for sale. I bought my son some Civil War soldiers-both Union and Confederate soldiers. A few of the soldiers came with the Confederate battle flag or more specifically the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia. A nice young black lady worked the counter, and sold me the soldiers. Blacks and whites used this beautiful park without any incidents, and have for years. The next day we visited Atlanta and the Cyclorama which holds what was once the largest paintng in the world-The Battle of Atlanta. In the painting were Confederate Battle Flags. The man who gave us the tour was a young black man who knew his history. There were no race riots while we were there enjoying the rich history lesson.
Several years ago, my son Nathaniel, my daughter Georgia, and I visited the site of the Civil War prison camp in Elmira, NY and the cemetary where 3,000 Confederate prisoners are buried. The front of the cemetary contains a statue placed there by the Daughters of the Confederacy. It was a simple monument to commorate the men who died in this horrible prison camp. Across the street is a small museum honoring John Jones, an escaped slave who buried the dead Confederates with respect and honor.
The United States has numerous problems, but I suggest that Confederate monuments aren’t one of them. However, if the anti-American Left has its way, all of these monuments will be destroyed.
Stone Mountain Park
Confederate monument Elmira, NY
A Portion of the painting on display at the Cyclorama, Atlanta, Georgia
A link to a short video on the John Jones Museum: