The Legacy of a County Commissioner
Reading the post below titled Empty Rhetoric I was reminded of the following information posted at the Henry County website for District 2 - Commissioner Elizabeth "BJ" Mathis:
Sons of Confederate Veterans Honors Commissioner MathisThe question is: Has the SCV has lowered their standards for virtue and honor, whether they were duped, or whether they are complicit in the fraudulent misrepresentation? Most folks who truly honor our Southern heritage would be aghast if the SCV were associated with or participating in such a questionable act.District 2 Commissioner Elizabeth ‘B.J.’ Mathis was recently awarded the Sons of Confederate Veterans’ (SCV) General Stephen D. Lee Award in appreciation of the work she did to preserve the Nash Farm Battlefield. The honor was presented during the Grand Banquet at the Sons of Confederate Veterans’ Annual Reunion in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 5, 2006.
Considered the SCV’s highest civilian award, the General Stephen D. Lee Award is presented to those who champion the cause of the organization’s mission to preserve the true history of the south for future generations.
The plaque which accompanied the Award reads, “Through her dedication and hard work, (Elizabeth Mathis) was able to preserve the last battlefield of the Atlanta Campaign on which
Lt. General Stephen D. Lee also fought. Elizabeth Mathis has been a guardian to the Confederate soldier’s history. She has emulated their virtues, and brought honor to herself and our Confederate Ancestors.”
“Being the recipient of such a prestigious award was truly an honor for me,” said Commissioner Mathis after receiving the award. “It is also a tribute to the Board of Commissioners and the many volunteers who have worked to preserve from the bulldozer this hallowed ground.”
The Battlefield is a 202 acre tract that was on the verge of becoming the site to 399 homes when the Henry County Board of Commissioners, upon learning the history of this parcel, purchased the land from the developer for $8 million. In so doing, Henry County became one of very few counties in the nation to run a historic preservation site. And the Board forever saved from the bulldozer not only one of last remaining intact battlefields in the United States, but one of the most significant. The Nash Farm battlefield was the site of a major cavalry engagement and battle in August of 1864 that was part of a series of engagements that occurred during the Civil War collectively called the Battle of Atlanta. This battle was the largest cavalry raid, charge and breakthrough in Georgia’s Civil War history and they marked the end of the Atlanta Campaign.
Comments
In my opinion they are up to their eyeballs in this.
Remember most SCV members are avid history buffs and read any thing they can get their hands on about the war. When this situation came to light that would be all the local members would be doing. Also most of the higher command of the Georgia Division would be involved. Remember that some of the Nash Farm Committee Members are high ranking SCV members, one of which teaches history at Luella. After the Georgia Flag fight the Georgia SCV was desparate to save face.
They jumped on the Nash Farm project with LT. Commander Mark Pollard and Commissioner B. J. Mathis.
Dark Knight...
Posted by: Dark Knight | February 23, 2008 12:14 AM
Mr. Stanley,
In the above acceptance by Ms. Mathis if you will notice her words are verbatim Mark Pollard rhetoric. Yes the SCV is very in the middle of the activities to acquire and keep the Nash Farm. These folks are working very hard to keep the personna that a battle happened at this location. They have even used county personnel to get awards posted to their credit. The National SCV has donated very large sums of money to promote and keep this within the fold.
There is a lack of morality on the doorstep of the SCV in this matter. It really hurts those of us who truly value our past as they are tarnishing the image of what they are supposed to cherish. I know a very large number of members of the SCV who do not like the tactics that have been used to create a battlefield. The SCV was not created to bring conflict to the memory of the Civil War but to teach about and promote those who served on both sides in the war. They are to remember those with honor and distinction. But in this matter they have left out the honor and there is no distinction. They have taken away from the memories of those who did fight at Lovejoy Station and those who had to endure the activities that lived in the area. It is shameful and noncaring and that is a crime to the history of the area. The SCV will be hurt again in all this. The memory of the soldiers will be hurt in all this. Maybe one day they will see the error of their ways but if what I think is happening it is doubtful. Remember the word "money" and there is a lot of it being pushed through this adventure. I hope that Ms. Mathis had her ego filled by receiving her award from the SCV and I hope that the SCV is happy to know that they have fed the very thing they usually despise. Usually we look to the past to fix our mistakes but we will have to look to the present to fix these mistakes. I wonder how our forefathers who fought so hard for their cause would feel about their children being so corrupt and morally lost in writing about them. It is truly sad.
The Doctor
Posted by: The Doctor | February 23, 2008 12:35 AM
It has always been the privelage of the few to hunt the many.Witchhunts have been conducted by the church off and on for over five hundred years and this isnt much different.I see a Judas in the midst.
Posted by: Nemesis | March 25, 2008 05:10 PM