At a friend’s recommendation, I went to hear Natchez native and best-selling author Greg Iles speak at the seventh annual Statehood Day program at the Old Capitol. He told his life story and then made an impassioned plea to change the Mississippi state flag.
As far as authors go, 55-year-old Greg Iles is the real deal with 14 novels selling more than 12 million copies. One of his latest books, the 800-page Natchez Burning, debuted last year at number two on the New York Times bestseller list, just ahead of another Mississippi author, Pulitzer Prize winner Donna Tartt of Grenada.
Awhile back I read a Greg Iles novel. It pretty much discouraged me from writing the Great American Novel. I couldn’t imagine how I could ever write as well as Iles.
Born and raised in Natchez, Iles told the crowd of 200 or so people about his childhood, which he described as a classic, ideal Mississippi childhood running barefoot from dawn to dusk exploring every nook and cranny of his hometown with friends.
Iles wanted to be a rock-and-roll musician, but after marrying, he realized he was not that talented. He gave himself a year to write a novel and sell it. It worked. His talent was immediately obvious as a writer. He has been successful ever since.
His parents were not rich. His mother picked cotton. His dad worked his way through medical school. To establish his bona fides as a Mississippian, not an outsider, Iles talked of his Mississippi ancestors who fought for the Confederacy.
Iles then told the story of the University Grays, the young Ole Miss students who fought for the Confederacy. One hundred and thirty-one of the 135 male students volunteered. Their progress in the war led them to Seminary Ridge in the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863. They were part of a mile-wide line of 12,500 Confederate troops. It was a slaughter. “The worst mistake in the Civil War,” Iles said.
University Grays were exposed as other troops fled in panic. The University Grays did not flee. They walked slowly, deliberately and bravely, reaching the high water mark of the Confederate penetration of the North. “The cost of that honor,” Iles said, “was 100 percent casualties.”
“These were just young kids who walked out of Ole Miss not knowing anything about anything. They were not thinking about slavery. They were not thinking about states’ rights. Most of those guys were just thinking about protecting home and hearth and getting back to their family.
“I’m not apologizing for the Southern cause. Not at all. Those boys of the University Grays deserve to be remembered forever for their courage in the face of certain death. But the most important thing I will say today is they did not fight for a noble cause. Bravery by itself does not hallow a cause.”
Iles compared Confederate soldiers to certain divisions of German soldiers of World War II, who were known for their bravery. Most were not Nazis. Many believed they were protecting their homeland from the Russians.
“You may be angry I use the German analogy to make my point but it’s very apt because Southern troops in the final analysis were fighting to preserve slavery, one of the worst practices of human history. This is beyond dispute by rational historians, and the flag that they fought under was the Confederate battle flag first used by P.G.T. Beauregard and later by Gen. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.
“We stand here today where the Ordinance of Secession was drafted. Lest there be any doubt, I’m going to read from the Declaration of Causes of the Ordinance of Secession. Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery, the greatest material interest of the world.”
“Of course the flag doesn’t bother someone necessarily if they are white and the flag represents their heritage, but they clearly have no feelings whatsoever for those who were enslaved under that flag.
“Changing that flag has nothing to do with history. It’s about choosing which history to honor.
“People feel that if they change the flag, they’re giving up something. What are they giving up? It’s not they feel they’re giving up history, it’s they feel like they’re losing the meaning of their ancestors’ sacrifice. That is what it is about. They feel that if you remove the flag, their families died for nothing or worse, for a bad cause.
“But this is where you have to face history and its reality. It was a bad cause. You may not enjoy hearing that but that is the truth.”
Iles reminded the audience that Gen. Robert E. Lee himself told his army it was time to put down the battle flag and never pick it up again. Lee also opposed Confederate monuments, believing they would leave open the sores of war.
My reasons to change the flag are less literary: A flag should unify, not divide people. It hurts our state image. It’s bad for business.
I disagree with Iles on the main reason people object to changing the flag. The main reason is people are tired of the political correctness movement. “Where does it end?” they ask. “Do we take down all the monuments? Do we change the name of Jackson? It will never stop. They’ll never be happy.”
In that sense, the Mississippi flag issue has less to do with history and everything to do with contemporary politics.
Wyatt Emmerich is the editor and publisher of The Northside Sun, a weekly newspaper in Jackson. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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