Ask yourselves this question: Will they be content in such a state of slavery? If not, look to the consequences. Reflect how you are to govern a people who think they ought to be free, and think they are not. Your scheme yields no revenue; it yields nothing but discontent, disorder, disobedience

- Edmund Burke, 1774

As discussed previously on this blog, two Berlin Wall segments can be seen in Spartanburg, in front of the Menzel plant, which is near Mile 3 of the I-85 Business route. We encourage our readers to include a pilgrimage to this location next time they're in the Upstate.

If you go, think about the courage of those who defied the wall, by overt acts as well as by refusing to allow those who built it to crush their dreams of freedom. We'd also ask you to remember the 136 who died along that wall, as well as several hundred who died while attempting to escape East Germany elsewhere during the Cold War.

For those who haven't seen it, here's Reagan's 1987 Berlin Wall address:

• President Buchanan (1857-1861): This one-term Democratic President not only failed to resolve the continual controversy over slavery, he allowed these issues to reach a point to where the first and only secession of states took place. The war that resulted from these failed policies left many cities in ruins and killed hundreds of thousands of Americans.
  
• President Grant (1869-1877): This two-term Republican President presided over an administration rife with corruption and numerous scandals. Known for being a drunk, Grant’s administration bungled the Reconstruction of the former Confederate states, with Reconstruction officials often viewed as corrupt, inept, and heavy-handed. Reconstruction failed to rebuild the South economically, prepare freed slaves for full participation in society or integrate the former Confederate states into the rapidly-industrializing nation. As a result, the South largely mired in poverty, ignorance, corruption, voter disenfranchisement and racial hatred for over a century. Elsewhere in the nation, the social problems stemming from industrialization went largely ignored during Grant’s watch.
  
• President Wilson (1913-1921): President Wilson kept the United States out of a costly war in Europe until his failure to convince Germany to leave American interests resulted in numerous attacks against American shipping and citizens. Abroad, he failed to convince the victorious Allies to not punish Germany in their surrender, and at home, he failed to convince the United States Senate to allow the United States to join the League of Nations. His inability to lead effectively not only help get the US of A into the First World War, his leadership failures helped to fuel the second. (Thanks, Waldo, for correcting me on the dates.).
  
• President Hoover (1929-1933). This one-term Republican President failed to take the Depression seriously, which did much to end the natural majority the GOP had enjoyed for most of the post-Civil War period. He stood back and did nothing as an unregulated stock market destroyed the savings of millions of families, putting millions out of work and on the streets. This depression became a global economic crisis during which many of the world’s democracies were toppled by dictators, many of whom played roles in instigating the Second World War.
  
• President Johnson (1963-1969): President Johnson’s administration saw the nation begin to tear itself apart, with the assassinations of several prominent public figures and riots which burned in many of America’s inner cities. The Vietnam War, which Johnson pursued, became a no-win conflict in which half-a-million American troops were fighting a war in which generals were operating under tightly-controlled conditions that left over fifty thousand Americans dead. Johnson did nothing to challenge South Vietnam’s corrupt regime or force it to hold elections, which did much to help the nation fall shortly after American forces gave up and went home, unable to achieve a decisive military victory. The conflict also severely undermined it’s security obligations elsewhere in the world.
  
• President Nixon (1969-1974): This administration inherited a mess and somehow found a way to make it even worse. The Nixon administration promised to conclude the Vietnam War, bring stability back to the country, and renew confidence in the government, but ended with the nation’s first energy crisis and Watergate. Enough said.
  
• President Carter (1977-1981): Promising “change”, this former Georgia Governor swept from nowhere in the polls to securing the Democratic nomination, and on to win a close victory over GOP President Gerald Ford. In spite of a heavy Democratic majority with which to push a domestic agenda, the country facoed double-digit inflation and unemployment. His efforts to meet and placate the world’s dictators were just as much a failure, as the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, threatening the Middle East, Iranian Islamic militants took the American embassy and kept its staff hostage for over a year, and Carter meekly handed the Panama Canal over to a regime headed up by a corrupt general well-known for drug trafficking.

Today was a long day on the road in Virginia. To break the monotony, the Blogland took a few side trips.

The first was to the Petersburg National Battlefield. For those of you who don't know, Lee and Grant faced off along a relatively static front line on the outskirts of Peterburg for nearly a year, until Lee evacuated Richmond and Petersburg in an attempt to withdraw to regroup, resupply, and buy time.

What was probably the most spectacular moment of the siege took place near the present-day junction of Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 460 in what became known as "The Crater".

Union forces attempted to tunnel under Confederate siege lines. The tunnel was packed with explosives. The intended plan to rush Confederate lines and cut the Petersburg forces in half failed as Confederates realized the unsupported attackers were sitting ducks at the bottom of the blast crater. The result was a costly defeat for Union forces.

The second noteworthy stop of the day's ramblings was a visit to the site of the Battle of Sayler's Creek. About an hour's drive west of Petersburg, in rolling rural farm country, Lee's rear guard caught in their retreat from Richmond and Petersburg.

Outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted, the Confederates turned and attacked pursuing forces, under the command of General Sheridan, and almost broke through. The outcome turned when blistering Union artillery attack turned what could have become a last victory into the tragic loss of most of Lee's rear guard - nearly a quarter of the 35,000 troops remaining in the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.

Stunned by the rout at Sayler's Creek and cornered by two Union armies, Lee surrendered his command to General Grant three days later at Appomattox Courthouse. This battle was considered by some to be the last stand of Lee's army.

Here are some pics from the visit:

The Confederate starting position east of the creek

The Union starting position west of the creek:

A house converted to a Union field hospital:


Tomorrow, the conference starts. Stay tuned.

Flat Rock Road is a two-lane rural road that runs from Heath Springs to come into U.S. 521 north of Camden. For regional travelers who know the route, it's a welcome bypass around Kershaw. When I go to that part of the Upstate, sometimes looking to hear the seals, I'll go that way, after stopping down in Manning for D&H Barbeque.

Near the southern end of the road is a collection of a few markers in a nearly-overgrown and forested area marking the location of the Battle of Camden. Unlike other South Carolina battlefields from the Revolutionary War, such as Fort Moultrie, Cowpens, and Kings Mountain, this is one that is hardly marked at all.

That might have something to do with the fact that it was probably the most stunning battlefield defeat for the American army in the war (not counting the capitulation of General Lincoln's beseiged army in Charleston).

Just north of Camden, at what became known as the Battle of Camden, Cornwallis' British Army routed the Americans, infliting heavy casualties and virtually ending organized American military presence south of Virginia. Were it not for the rise of strong popular resistance, through organized and unorganized militias, this battle might have well ended the hopes of independence for the southern colonies - the primary mission of Cornwallis.

Fortunately, Camden, following the fall of Charleston, was the high tide of British fortunes, to be followed by the rise of widespread resistance in the Upstate, which culminated in staggering defeats for the British Army first at Kings Mountain, and then at Cowpens.

Congressman John Spratt, who I campaigned against often when I lived upstate, has put forth a commendable bill seeking to designate the Camden battlefield as a National Park:

“The Camden battlefield has been a National Historic Landmark since 1962, but it is not permanently protected,” said Spratt, “and the threats from encroachment loom larger with each year. Development interests are changing the use of surrounding land from forestry to residential and commercial. Only through National Park status can this historic site be protected by the National Park Service.”

For those of ya'll who have cable or satellite, I would encourage ya'll to watch their movie on Flight 93.

The movie wasn't full of special effects or big stars. Just a plain and straightforward movie about plain and ordinary folks who did extra-ordinary things. Perhaps that style of production is one of the best tributes that could have been made.

Years later, words still can't express the things I think and the things I feel about that day, or when I think about the courage of those who taught those terrorists and the world that when the chips are down, the ordinary American will stand up and be counted.

There are moments in American history where brave men and women made their stand, even in the face of certain defeat or death:

• The Alamo defenders were wiped out, but bought time for the Texas Army to rally and win their freedom from Mexico,
• The marines at Wake Island fought against overwhelming odds against the Japanese, but held up large numbers of Japanese troops and ships to buy time,
• ... and now, we are have the legacy of those brave Americans on Flight 93, who made their stand and denied those terrorists their victory.

Cornwallis' quest led him to a draw at Guilford Courthouse, then to resupply his diminshed and exhausted army at the small Virigina port of Yorktown. I'm sure you know the rest of the story from there.

On Tuesday, take a moment to reflect on this important battle, and the sacrifices made here in South Carolina by so many that would help allow these remote British colonies to win their independence, and go on to have such a major impact upon the course of world events.

One of my favorite World War II movies is "A Bridge Too Far", focusing on the Allies' ambitious Operation Market Garden. This movie was based upon a bold Allied plan to cut off a large part of the retreating German forces in Belgium and Holland, and position the Allies to launch a push eastwards across the north German plain country before the end of 1944.

The operation, planned by British General Bernard Montgomery, unfolded in September of 1944, with three airborne divisions, the US 82nd and 101st, and British 1st (joined by the Polish Airborne Brigade) assigned to seize several critical bridge chokepoints along a highway corridor that extended halfway across Holland, northwards to the critical Rhine River crossing at Arnhem. The British 30 Corps would push northwards, connecting the "islands", and the US First Army would then push across Belgium to catch a large part of the German forces in the West in a pocket.

If the operation had worked, the war could have been shortened by months as Allied forces would have poured into Germany months before the Western Allies finally managed to cross the Rhine River, maybe even reaching Berlin ahead of the Red Army.

But that's not quite how it worked.

Overconfidence and errors in planning and intelligence led to Allies underestimating the strength, quality, and morale of German forces. Of the many errors, none were more tragic than the dropping of the British and Polish Airborne troops into the Arnhem area, where they faced two crack SS Panzer divisions and were massacred.

While most of the advance planned by Montgomery was completed, the effort to seize Arnhem failed as German resistance to the south of Arnhem put 30 Corps nearly a week behind schedule. This allowed the Panzer divisions to focus on eliminating the airborne forces before reinforcements could arrive. The result was a fifty-mile dead end that did little to effect the strategic situation, or to position the Western Allies to punch into Germany.

Based on a book by Cornelius Ryan, this movie was one of the last "ensemble" movies with large number of well-known actors. Robert Redford, Sean Connery, Gene Hackman, James Caan, Anthony Hopkins, Michael Caine, and others were in this film. Ryan also wrote the book and then screenplay for "The Longest Day", an other WW II classic movie about the D-Day invasion.

Much of this film centers around the experience of the doomed British 1st Airborne. As opposed to many movies which depict the Allies as overly-competent heroes, and the Germans as bungling villans, the movie fairly showed both sides, complete with bungling by British planners, and Germans who fought back with skill and determination, as well as mercy towards the British who surrendered.

Check out this BBC report on the battle and this memorial website for more information.

The title quote is attributed to Polish Maj. Gen. Stanislaw Sosabowski, the commander of the Polish Airborne Brigade, in a rather blunt assessment of the operation.

In my email this morning came a rather moving story of the celebration of Pashcha (Easter) by Orthodox faithful in the Dachau death camp shortly after the liberation of in Nazi Germany by the United States' Seventh Army. In an amazing act of improvisation, Orthodox faithful of many nationalities came together to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, with the help of imprisoned Catholic clergy and U.S. Army officials.

Regrettably, the Russians who were liberated from Dachau were turned over to Red Army and Soviet Communist officials, and many of them were branded traitors and sent to gulags in Russia. Today, a Russian Orthodox chapel, built by Russian Army soldiers prior to their 1994 withdrawal from Germany, graces the grounds, including the pictured Icon of Christ setting the prisoners free.

In addition, several other churches and chapels are located on the Dachau grounds.

Over 200,000 were imprisoned in Dachau since the death camp opened in 1933. Of those who spent time at Dachau, 43,000 died and only 67,000 remained alive to greet the liberating American soldiers on April 29, 1945. The Orthodox faithful celebrated Pascha on the Orthodox Easter Sunday on May 6th, 1945.

"Dachau - the significance of this name will never be erased from German history. It stands for all concentration camps which the Nazis established in their territory." - Eugen Kogon