Message Received

On Mon, Jul 4, 2011, Jeffrey Lovelace [jeffrey.lovelace@att.net] wrote:

My Dear Brother H. K.,

It is as always a great pleasure to hear your reports from the front lines. I have heard you concerning the outrage that has been committed against Sgt. Thrasher and young Candace. The level of disrespect that we receive from these nasty detractors and revisionists is inhuman. This has caused me to become quite discouraged about the Battle of Asheville Commemorative Corps's future. We have the same membership now that we had six years ago...two. In the past seven or eight years, my co-founder and I have written many letters to all of the local newspaper publishers; we have held Re-dedications, Commemorations, Special lectures and Presentations at libraries, schools, etc. I organized each and every one of these events myself. The odds were not with us from the start of the Corps. We gained some recognition, but were unable to secure a lasting relationship with out SCV brothers and our UDC sisters. I still believe that it is crucial that we have their blessings and their support but alas, it is not coming true. We have earned less than $100.00 in donations, since the Corps. began in 2005.

Now, it seems all I get to do is respond to attacks from all sides, that are so incendiary, I become one of the walking wounded.

We as proud Southerner's and Sons of proud Confederate Veterans have been labeled many things that you are quite familiar with:

We just up and decided one April to fire on Fort Sumter so we could start a war; We are all "slavers" and we invented slavery, no matter how many Yankee clippers brought the African slaves to America; Our glorious Battle Flag is a symbol of slavery and hate; We also invented the KKK and we are all racists, or White Supremacists; No matter what Gen. Lee, Gen. Grant or Mr. Lincoln said, it is not true; we use direct quotes...facts to be exact...but it is all a lie; We are traitors to our Country is another one we hear often. You can tell them that 2+2= 4, but they still want to argue. The negativity has increased at an alarming rate in the past few years.

We are Neo-Nazi Confederates is yet another one of our tags.

We have gone above and beyond the Call of Duty in our service to the Cause, but as I turn around and look back...I don't see anything that we have accomplished as the BACC. It is discouraging and extremely hurtful to me sir, to hear nothing but the worst, from the worst all the time. We don't have those good days anymore, just the bad ones. I know that I do not possess the resolve that you do sir. You are unchanged throughout the years. Your style of writing is absolutely beautiful, but I can barely get by. You have the respect of our Brothers in Arms, and all of our Confederate brothers, but we do not enjoy such pleasures. We are always seen in a hostile light. I am depressed about this sir, for it damages my soul to see my Dixieland abused by so many...so many.

Please send me your home address and the Captain and I will mail you a check for all that we can afford to give. It will not be that much but we had to answer the call for help.

Very Respectfully,

Col. J. H. Lovelace Founder, Battle of Asheville Commemorative Corps.

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From: HK Edgerton [hk.edgerton@gmail.com]
Date: Tue, Jul 5, 2011
Subject: Thanks
To: "jeffrey.lovelace" [jeffrey.lovelace@att.net]

Dear Col. Lovelace,

Thank you for your letter. I too have enjoyed very much your writing over the years, even to the point of plagiarizing you on many occasions. I have been fortunate to be amongst some of the most intelligent and learned individuals in this nation. And because of the knowledge that you all so willingly pass on to me, I feel so ready for the debate that leads down the road to the vindication of my homeland and its very honorable people.

I don't despair or even visualize anything but victory in this Cold War that has run for far too long. And I might add that the policy of divide and conquer is in jeopardy, whether that divide is targeted at Southern Blacks, or Southern Whites. It is very scary when one comes to an understanding at the level at which those who hate all things Southern will go. And even more scary is the level of hopelessness that my Southern family feels as we face Southern social and cultural genocide as the advance of occupation continues in our homeland, "the Southland of America". However, I remain steadfast in my belief that a sleeping giant has been awakened. And I will use the one thing that most Northern folks have in common with the rest of this nation to help lead the charge to those ends of righteous vindication;" a strong sense of fair play, and the message of the Almighty God inculcated in their thinking process somewhere; "love".

I congratulate and respect you for all your efforts and hope that the Zebulon Vance Camp of the Sons will step forward to help you in a very honorable endeavor that you have undertaken for our heritage and honorable ancestors in Asheville and the South. God bless you, and please call on me, and if time and my schedule permit, then I shall come running.

My mailing address is 71 Buffalo St., Asheville, N.C. 28806.

Your brother,

HK