[J. R. VanHoose]

I did some research and here is some of what I have found. Do with it what you will:

Why do so many people view the Confederate “Rebel” Flag as a symbol of hatred? Because the flag was used by the southern soldiers during the Civil War, and as children we were taught that the Civil War was fought over slavery. After years of research, I can tell you that the Civil War was fought because of more national issues than slavery. The war delt with the issues of political turmoil, high taxes, issues of states’ rights, the preservation of the Union, and other national factors.

• Total slave population of the United States – 3,950,528
  
• Total number of slaves in Kentucky – 225,483
  
• Total population of Kentucky in 1860 – 1,155,684
  
• Percentage of slaves in Kentucky – 20%
  
• According to the 1860 U.S. Census – only about 385,000 people owned slaves in the United States out of a population of about 31,000,000 (1.3%).
  

Compared slave populations of local states: Virginia – 31%, Tennessee – 25%, Missouri – 10%, Arkansas – 26%, Maryland – 13%



Eastern Kentucky counties slave populations in 1860



Lawrence: pop. 7,601, # of slaves 146, percentage of pop. 1.9%

Johnson: pop. 5,306, # of slaves 27, percentage of pop. 0.5%

Floyd: pop. 6,388, # of slaves 147, percentage of pop. 2.1%

Pike: pop. 7,384, # of slaves 97, percentage of pop. 1.3%

Morgan: pop. 9,237, # of slaves 170, percentage of pop. 1.8%

Magoffin: pop. 3,485, # of slaves 72, percentage of pop. 1.8%


Former “slaves” from Eastern Kentucky who served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War:



William and Woody Davidson: brothers, slaves of the Davidson family of Floyd County, served in Co. B 10th Kentucky Cavalry, both were captured in action during the Battle of Saltville, VA on October 2, 1864, both were sent to Camp Chase Prison (OH) where they were released after the war.



George W. Honaker: served with his master – Captain James Honaker of Pike County – in Co. D 10th Kentucky Cavalry.



To me the "Stars and Bars" are a symbol of what a few of my ancestors fought for, yes I had some great-great-great grandfathers who fought for the Confederacy. Did they own slaves at any time, NO!! Do I believe that they fought for slavery, NO!! They were defending their rights that were given to them in the Consititution. Does this mean that I support the instituion of slavery, NO!!!!!! I think it was a horrible instituion, but one that was supported by some in Eastern Kentucky by people who actively fought for the Union Army as well as by some who fought in the Confederate Army. What is even more astonishing, and something people don't realize is that there were free blacks in the South who actually owned slaves!!!! For example, here are some more statistics:



Slave holders in the Deep South who were black or former slaves:



Justus Angel (Colleton, SC) – owned 84 slaves in 1830

Mistress L. Horry (Colleton, SC) – owned 84 slaves in 1830

• In 1830 South Carolina ¼ of free black slave masters owned 10 or more slaves (8 people owned 30 or more slaves).
  
• In 1860 125 blacks owned slaves in Charleston, SC, six owned 10 or more.
  
• In 1860 William Ellison was South Carolina’s largest black slaveholder. He had been born as a slave in 1790 and by the mid 1840s he had built a small cotton empire. By 1860 he owned more than 900 acres of land and 63 slaves. His sons, who lived on his plantation, owned an additional 9 slaves. He had a reputation as a harsh master, and his slaves were said to be the county’s worst fed and clothed. His family actively supported the Confederate States Government and his oldest grandson served in the Confederate Army.
  

• In 1860 New Orleans over 3,000 free blacks owned slaves (out of a black population of 10,689, or 28%)
  
• In 1860 Louisiana, six blacks owned 65 or more slaves, the largest were owned by the widow C. Richards and her son P. C. Richards who also owned a sugar plantation – they owned some 152 slaves. Another free black who owned slaves in Louisiana was Antoine Dubuclet who owned over 100 slaves and whose estate was valued at $264,000 in 1860. He later became the Louisiana State treasurer during Reconstruction (1868-1877).
  

• In 1860 North Carolina 69 free blacks owned slaves.
  

• In Richmond, VA in 1863 Gilbert Hunt, an ex-slave blacksmith, owned two slaves, a house (valued at 1,376), and $500 in other properties.
  

So is the rebel flag as sign of racism? I think not, I believe that is as much as a synbol of the American flag. It tells the story of a struggle, of people and their beliefs. I will leave you with some quotes that I have found that I thought were interesting:
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“I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so.”

- Abraham Lincoln, 1st Inaugural Address 1861



“My paramount objective in this struggle is to save the Union, and it is not to save or destroy slavery.”

- Abraham Lincoln, letter to Horace Greeley of the New York Daily Tribune 1862



“If I thought this war was to abolish slavery, I would resign my commission, and offer my sword to the other side.”

- Union General, later 18th President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant





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