County Historian: Nash Was A Battlefield
Below you will find a report by Gene Morris, Henry County Historian, which supports and defends the choice of Mark Pollard as Civil War Historian, the historical marker placed at Nash Farm, and the archaeological evidence as support that was it in fact a battlefield.
Read Mr. Morris's official report to the Henry Board of Commissioners. here.
Initial response to Mr. Morris:
Mr. Morris,As stated, I assume the county will adopt your findings as official rebuttal of the evidence and conclusions drawn in my analysis. However the specific references and specific details have not been challenged. This statement by Mr. Morris leaves a wide margin for interpretation:
Thank you for this report and your considered opinions regarding Nash Farm. I assume the county will adopt your findings as official rebuttal of the evidence and conclusions drawn in my analysis.
I am curious, in fact in awe at your conclusions, since no historical record including the Official Records of the Civil War or firsthand veterans accounts, nor physical distance from the Dorsey house to Nash Farm placed the engagement of Minty's Union forces with Sul Ross's Confederates so far to the east. Further the descriptions of locations provided by Mr. Pollard concerning the September 2nd engagement are in opposition to first hand accounts, the Atlas to Accompany the Official Records and the physical land features described therein.
It remains a quandary for me that no historical record, except those commissioned by Henry County, ever mentioned or documented any action a the Nash property. In fact the many sources cited in my analysis specifically identified the locations of engagements with no mention of the Nash property.
Your opinions are respected, and I offer my sincere gratitude for your report although the archaeological evidence, derived at the direction of county appointees stands alone as evidence of a battlefield.
Larry Stanley
The documentation presented by Mr. Stanley and Mr. Pollard is almost identical, as you might expect; however, the conclusions were different, the interpretations were different and the importance assigned to map notations and such were different. Several things led to these different conclusions. When reviewing the maps presented, it is obvious they were not drawn to scale, they can not stand alone and require corroboration by the official records of the Union and Confederate Armies and other original source materials. More importantly, on the ground, on site, confirmation can only be achieved from archeological work and reports from “relic hunters” or “battlefield detectives” or whatever you want to call these individuals. The items unearthed at a site provide critical and necessary confirmations of the events which occurred there. These archeological finds are the only tangible proofs of the events being researched.
Mr. Pollard's relics are the only tangible proofs of the events being researched. Let us not defend the history, legacy or documented evidence of these events. Let us instead rely upon Henry County's most learned Civil War Historian for interpretation.
Comments
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Mr. Morris could cease to be the Henry County Historian at the stroke of a pen by the county commissioners...hardly what I'd call an unbiased opinion.
There were a lot of intelligent men working at the Tobacco Institute, maybe even good men, but they were still bs pushers because that's what their bosses demanded.
Posted by: Dutch | March 10, 2008 10:14 PM
Welcome to politics Henry County style. Mr. Gene Morris is now in the camp of Mr. Mark Pollard. He has either been bought off or threatened by those involved. There is no way that he could say that the reports made by Mark Pollard and Larry Stanley are identical. These reports are not even close to one another. Mr. Morris
has fallen into the trap that so many have before him. Mr. Pollard may be his friend, but friendship is a fleeting thing in this matter. Greed is a better word to use. It is strange that Mr. Morris has changed his opinion in this matter in just a few short months. I thought Mr. Morris might be above reproach as he is a life long resident of Henry County but he has proved that he is going the way of those who came before him. Corruption runs deep in this County. He must have learned that lesson well. Maybe Mr. Morris will have
the distinction of being the next Benedict Arnold to the truth in history. I know the truth about the Civil War at Lovejoy Station
and he does also. I was working on the subject while he was still messing in his pants. You do not refute the evidence found by the Atlanta Historical Society, The Georgia Historical Society, and The National Park Service. They know far more than any of these jack legged so called historians.
I do not care what title they place on themselves, maybe the word incompetent fits them better. I know the truth because I played a key role in the archeological studies done over 25 years ago. These people know the work that was done then and they have
cast a cloud over the entire process of doing proper research and studies.
I hope Mr. Morris will be happy in whatever he has been promised for his words.
But he is the one who will have to live with it not me.
It is a sad day for the taxpayers of Henry County when a lie is backed up by a lie. I knew that this camp would try anything to have their way and perjury
doesn't matter to them. Maybe Mr. Morris will move into the big house and be a neighbor to Mr. Pollard they probably deserve each other.
The Doctor
Posted by: The Doctor | March 10, 2008 11:54 PM
Doctor, you hit the nail on the head.
Posted by: Grapeshot | March 11, 2008 12:47 AM
I have found some very interesting information about our County Historian Mr. Gene Morris Jr. He in the past worked as the first Director of Human Resources for the Henry County Board of Commissioners for 10 years.
The agency he works for today is in the same office with a member