Thanks, and yours too. I did not know about the black Revolutionary War soldier issue you mentioned.

It is a sensitive issue, and for good reason. As for the Confederate veterans, I believe they should get their due honours. In the US, we tend the graves of German POWs who died in captivity, U-boat crew casualties whose bodies were recovered and buried, etc, so I see no legitimate reason not to tend to Confederate ones, especially given they are an integral part of the American history and their cause, whilst supportive of slavery and secession, was far less controversial than that of Nazi Germany. All these people died doing what they thought was their duty to their home. It shouldn't be politicised with political correctness.

Even the victors of those seen as the 'good guys' in wars, if PC is taken to its full measure, had things to apologise for in today's understandings. For example, the US during WWII had a segregated military service and Jim Crow at home, the British and French held an empire that held others forcefully ensnared and exploited in it, some people considered heroes fought very controversially by today's standards, etc.

The 'victor's arrogance' is certainly the least to excuse IMO. Here in PA, there are Revolutionary and Civil War battle sites with graves.

American grave sites are given all due honours. But, so are the British ones. Their graves are marked and tended. Many American loyalists are buried with them having served in the British Army. They too felt they were serving what they viewed as their country, i.e., the American colonies rightfully being under the British Crown. Even German flags are placed on it to recognise the Hessians buried with them who were hired out by King George III.

In and around the Battle of Gettysburg site and its related skirmish sites, the same thing happens with the losses incurred by both sides. The history and its dead is given its due respect.

This is really sad. I looked for a link on it but couldn't find one. If you can find one, I'd appreciate it because it is quite disgusting.

And your logic is dead on--a great number of people would get disqualified under that kind of logic. People long served due to things like a draft, being hired, etc. So what--they served and did their duty and died doing it.

Many American blacks in the American Revolution did serve because their masters ordered them to do so. It was so commonplace that even the Mel Gibson movie, The Patriot, featured such a 'signed over' slave character, Occam, as a subtheme in the characters at issue:



Signing over slaves for service happened on both sides, both for the rebels and loyalists who owned them. Many black freemen served voluntarily. Other fugitive or captured slaves served because they were told they could earn their freedom if they joined their service. This was particularly true in the British Army and it was the Revolutionary one that was reluctant to make such offers of freedom or even show any willingness to allow blacks to serve at all. The movie The Patriot also pointed that fact out through its British characters.

In the Battle of Monmouth, NJ, it is estimated that 8% of the American Army was black, some being slaves whose masters lent them to serve, others serving to obtain freedom, and others serving voluntarily.

Any particular DAR people advocating that any black soldiers who served because their masters signed them over for duty ought to be denied their due honours ought to be ashamed of themselves and do some serious self-reflection about how twisted, unjust and malignant their position is.

They should be forever grateful that these slaves who died in action served and helped obtain their very freedom that their own ancestors (being DAR members) were seeking only for themselves and wished to deny and/or enslave such people like those dead men. They have their whole compasss ass-backwards in a malignant manner that does not fit the very purpose of why the organisation was founded in the first place.