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The Statue of Tommy

   Written by on August 31, 2017 at 11:57 am

logo - stump countyHere in imaginary Stump County, population 999, we are having a major issue with the statue of the soldier on the courthouse square.

Tommy was erected to honor a lost cause and to commemorate the brave men who fought in it.

Now some people think Tommy should be removed and that all names connected with “the lost cause” should be changed.

As with all wars this was a rich man’s war. The poor were pumped up with patriotism and promises of regular pay. The rich got richer.

They may have lost the war but their contributions helped make this country great. Without them this great United States of America might not exist.

They fought with honor and they fought for what they believed in and they lost. Stump County built Tommy’s statue way back in 1810, almost a hundred years ago.

That’s right eighteen-ten. Tommy was built to honor the English who fought against the colonists in the rebellion. Tommy represents the thousands of loyal Englishmen who didn’t join with the Rebels. Englishmen who had their land and homes taken. Englishmen who supported King George who had given them land grants and financed the establishment of America.

They may have lost the war, and we’re glad they did but that doesn’t mean they weren’t honorable men who fought for what they believed. Our ancestors thought they deserved a statue. Now some folks want to tear Tommy down.

If it was just Tommy it might not be so bad but they want to remove all references to England and the English investment in the “colonies.”

They want to burn Jamestown and Williamsburg, both of which are proof the America we know and love wouldn’t be here without England. King James I and King William III were honored when they were named. They have to go.

Nearby Charlotte County, named for Queen Charlotte, needs a name change as does Virginia, named for Elizabeth I, the “virgin queen.”

Once you start cleaning up history where do you stop?

There is no way to have a reasonable discussion on the issue. It isn’t about the statue. Just like the war and most other things it is about power and money. Most folks couldn’t have told you who Tommy was and why he was there until the radicals started shouting and the protests started.

The Bored Supervisors of Stump County met last week and decided that if the radicals win and Tommy comes down they are going to replace him with a statue of General Robert E. Lee. No one could object to that.

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