TO THE EDITOR:
It is clear that The Daily Tar Heel has enlisted in the forces of historical correction. The latest proof is your “few suggestions on how to protest Silent Sam.”
It used to be said, with what authority I don’t know, that puerile anger at an inanimate object (including the memorial for which you show such contempt) is a sign of insanity. Maybe, maybe not. It is assuredly silly.
Vandalism comes in many shapes and sizes, legal and illegal. So the basic premise of your editorial is flawed.
May I propose an alternative? Your editorial lacks historical factuality — otherwise, you would not confuse service in the Confederate army with “honoring” slavery.
Many, if not most, of the 321 alumni who died in the cause of Southern independence were probably not of slaveholding families and had no personal interest in defending it.
Which, incidentally, was true in part of General Lee, the “great commander” whose tribute to duty is engraved at the base of Silent Sam. Like many great Virginians of his time, he hated slavery but found himself deeply entangled in it.
Which leads me to my point. Why did those memorialized by Silent Sam fight?
That is one of the paramount mysteries that historians of the Confederacy continue to address; and the theories are plentiful and often compelling.
