By Judi McLeod ——Bio and Archives--July 9, 2015
Cover Story | CFP Comments | Reader Friendly | Subscribe | Email Us
“The low-profile move came late Tuesday after a brief debate on a measure funding the National Park Service, which maintains 14 national cemeteries, most of which contain graves of Civil War soldiers. “The proposal by California Democrat Jared Huffman would block the Park Service from allowing private groups from decorating the graves of southern soldiers with Confederate flags in states that commemorate Confederate Memorial Day. The cemeteries affected are the Andersonville and Vicksburg cemeteries in Georgia and Mississippi. “Pressure has mounted to ban display of the flag on state and federal property in the wake of last month's tragic murders at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina.”
“Today, some members of the Martin Luther King family are buried near Amos and his wife, Martha at Southview Cemetery.” Why has a veil of silence hung like a pall over the life stories of Black Confederates? Why are today’s school children kept from hearing about them? “Black Confederates, why haven’t we heard more about them? “I don’t want to call it a conspiracy to ignore the role of the Blacks, both above and below the Mason-Dixon Line, but it was definitely a tendency that began around 1910”—-Ed Bearss, National Park Service Historian”. (Calvin E. Johnson). This is the chronicle of the sad but dignified funeral of Black Confederate soldier Amos Rucker: “In 1905, newspapers led with the opening of Woolworth’s stores, the Atlanta, Ga. Terminal Railroad Station dedication with the US Army Band playing ‘Dixie.’.....And on August 10th Atlanta grieved the loss of a beloved soldier and friend. “The movie ‘Glory’ enlightened people of the role played by African-Americans serving in the Union Army during the War Between the States, 1861-1865. “And books like, ‘Forgotten Confederates—-An Anthology about Black Southerners’, by Charles Kelly Barrow, J.H. Segars and R.B. Roseburg, have further enlightened us to the role played by African-Americans serving in the Confederate Armed Forces. “Frederick Douglas, abolitionist and former slave, reported, “There are at present moment many colored men in the Confederate Army doing their duty not only as cooks, but also as real soldiers, having muskets on their shoulders and bullets in their pockets.”No one said it better than the late Dr. Leonard Haynes, Professor, Southern University: “When you eliminate the Black Confederate soldier, you’ve eliminated the history of the South.” The memory of African Americans who courageously served in the Civil War deserve so much more than to have those cherished memories exploited by crass politicians long after their deaths. In the last line uttered by Scarlett in Margaret Mitchell’s immortal words in her book ‘Gone with the Wind’, "After all, tomorrow is another day." Please, God, let there always be a tomorrow, another day for the memory of the Black Confederate Soldiers of the U.S. Civil War. God rest them, each and every one.Who was Amos Rucker?
“Amos Rucker, born in Elbert County, Georgia, was a servant of Alexander “Sandy” Rucker and both of these men joined the 33rd Georgia Regiment of the Confederate Army. Amos got his first taste of battle when a fellow soldier was killed by a Union bullet. Rucker quickly took the dead soldier’s rifle and fired back at the enemy. “After the War Between the States, Amos Rucker came back to Atlanta where he met and married Martha and the couple was blessed with many children and grandchildren. “In Atlanta, Amos joined the W.H.T. Walker Camp of the United Confederate Veterans. It was made up of Southern Veterans whose purpose was to remember those who served in the war and help those in need. The meetings were held at 102 Forsyth Street in Atlanta where Amos was responsible for calling the roll of members. “Amos and Martha felt that the members of Walker Camp were like their own family. It is written that Amos would say, “My folks gave me everything I want.” “These UCV men helped Amos and his wife buy a house on the west side of Atlanta and John M. Slaton also helped prepare a will for Rucker. Slaton, a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, John B. Gordon Camp, would, as governor of Georgia, commute the death sentence of Leo Frank. “The Reverend T.P. Cleveland led the prayer and when Captain William T. Harrison read the poem, ‘When Rucker Called The Roll’ there was not a dry eye among the crowd of the many Black and White mourners. “Amos Rucker’s last words to members of his UCV Camp were, “Give my love to the boys.”
View Comments