GATH
Tonight a group of us will gather at Crampton’s Gap on South Mountain where an old Civil War correspondent built a stone arch in 1896 to honor his friends and colleagues.
We will place and light 250 luminaries to visualize and honor the Americans who have given their lives while doing their jobs to be part of the free press corps that has informed our people since the First Amendment was written.
Our featured speaker is Dan Shelley, President & CEO of the Radio Television Digital News Association HQ’d in DC. He will be talking about the “Journalist Protection Act”. A bill before the House to make it a federal crime to assault a journalist while performing their job.
We’ve gotten from 1776 to 2023 without a need for that law. Think on that. Right now we are not at war, anywhere on the planet. We have no troops engaged…but our reporters are in danger here at home…because they have been targeted by one man, one elected representative who repeatedly called them “enemies of the state” at his rallies, that they were covering…doing their jobs. That’s a first in our democracy.
Lincoln never did that. Jeff Davis never did that. The media during the Civil War wrote stories that were slanted to “their side”. But no one put a target on the back of the media…ever. They complained about them…but never implied they should be scorned and harmed for doing their jobs.
So we are going to honor them all tonight on a battlefield of our American war that decided black folks were not property and the US is one country. If you’re close by, come join us.
Jennie Avila sings
I’m finding one historic figure who led troops and fought at Crampton’s Gap in 1862 to be of particular interest. Howell Cobb of Georgia. He was the south’s highest ranking political general. He had served in the US Congress, been Speaker of the House…one of the few wealthy slave holding plantation owners in Government office to resign and join the CS military.
Cobb had a lot to do with secession once Lincoln was elected in GA and throughout the south.
He had also written a book in 1856 that claimed that Africans were intended by God to serve white people in America. That was their destiny…and that people like him were actually doing Gods will to “civilize them”teach them about Jesus…save them…that Africa was a den of sin, with no civilized features. His entire goal in becoming a General was to preserve slavery, because it was just and right.
Cobb ended up in charge of the confederate troops at Cramptons Gap. An overwhelming force of US troops pushed over the mountain and captured 400 of Cobbs men and a canon…not a good military day for him.
He was removed from command in Lee’s army and sent south to GA & FL to oversee troops in less active war zones.
During Sherman’s march to the sea he happened upon Cobb’s plantation in central GA. When he found out who the owner was, he had dinner in the slave quarters and had the main house burned to the ground.
At about this same time Gen Lee advocated for the CS to enlist negro’s as soldiers. He felt it was a wartime necessity. Cobb very vocally objected, saying if we do this, then our entire premise for going to war was in error. Cobb’s point of view prevailed. Slaves could dig ditches and cook…but not carry weapons and fight for the south. They were not suited for that duty in his opinion.
The war was soon over and Lee surrendered. Thousands of black troops had enlisted in the US Army and proven to be valuable soldiers. “Glory” is the best film telling that story. One historian I’ve read made the observation that by joining the US Army in 1864, black men could for the first time in America, legally kill their white oppressors and live to tell the story.
Cobb would survive the war for a few years and worked against reconstruction until he died. I intend to mention him tonight on the field he could not defend…and discuss his personal position that proved to be indefensible.