Alamance County NcArchives History - Books .....Chapter I Greater Appreciation Of Our Heritage 1961
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Book Title: Confederate Memoirs

I

Greater Appreciation of Our Heritage 
The Purpose of the Centennial
         By HUGH DORTCH, 
Chairman North Carolina Civil War Centennial Commission

   "Not for fame, not for wealth, not for renown, nor goaded by necessity, nor
lured by ambition, but in simple obedience to duty, these men suffered all,
sacrificed all, dared all, and died."

   This simple inscription which graces the Confederate Monument at Arlington,
Virginia, concisely, and cryptically describes the spirit and motivation of one
of the most exacting periods in American history.

   On January 8, 1961, North Carolina and the rest of the Nation began a four
year commemoration of this most trying time in our country's development. It is
just and fitting that this be done, for no other event in our history is so
singularly American as is our Civil War, or War Between the States.

   As the Civil War Centennial begins, and as the events and deeds of a hundred
years ago are once more brought into clear focus, it is hoped that a greater
Appreciation of our heritage as Tar Heels, and as Americans, will be made
manifest, and that a tremendous object lesson will be learned.

   Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower stated, "I would urge that we look on
this great struggle not merely as a set of military operations, but as a period
in our history in which the times called for extraordinary degrees of patriotism
and heroism on the part of the men and women of both the North and South. In
this context we may derive inspiration from their deeds to renew our dedication
to the task which yet confronts us—the furtherance, together with other free
nations of the world, of the freedom and dignity of man and the building of a
just and lasting peace."

   As we enter the years of commemoration, it is not with a feeling of renewing
old animosities and bitterness, but rather with the hope, and expectation, of a
newer and deeper sense of appreciation of a greatness such as has never been
equaled. This is a greatness made manifest in the deeds of heroism and sacrifice
on the part of both man and woman, and in the spirit of the period which
persists to this day as a source of inspiration and guidance.

   Witness the list of casualties of this great conflict. Approximately 618,000
Americans died in battle, or from disease. Here is tangible evidence of the
willingness of a people to sacrifice all for a cause in which they believed. Of
this number, more than 40,000 were North Carolinians.

   On the home front, sacrifice and tribulation was of equal importance.
Deprivation, starvation, disease, and loneliness were the lot of the woman who
waited patiently, expectantly, for a loved one who would never return. Yet, her
devotion to the cause was as steadfast as her man's, and never did she waver in
her convictions.

   Angus McLean, former governor of North Carolina, at the dedication of the
North Carolina Monument on the Gettysburg Battlefield, made the following
statement, "It is true that all this is of the past, but it is not buried. It is
neither dead nor forgotten. It lives and grows and contributes to the spirit,
the hope and aspirations of this great nation we call America. We cannot forget
. . . the record of imperishable valor and devotion to duty, stamped, by our
fathers, upon this historic field."

   From this period of strife and dissension there has risen a spirit, or a
characteristic, as it were, which is truly American. From it has risen the
United States of America, the greatest, the mightiest, the most UNITED nation in
the history of the world.

   It is this spirit then and the people responsible for it, which we seek to
commemorate. During the four year period of anniversary, we will be made more
and more aware of this feeling, and with this awareness will come a sense of
understanding.

   Thus, the Civil War Centennial will be more than a series of pageants, battle
re-enactments and parades. It will be a tribute to a people . . . to a way of
life . . . to a cause . . . and finally, to a truly great American experience.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

Confederate Memoirs

Alamance County Troops
of
The War Between The States
1861-1865

Roster of Troops
Mrs. J. G. Tingen
Mrs. Ava Burke
Miss Bertha Cates

Histories and Articles 
Mable S. Lassiter

Advisory Board
Howard White 
Luther Byrd

Centennial Edition


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