A Thought for the Week
Jul 1, 2017
The Price of Independence
Offered by David Apollo
Similar to Memorial Day, every year the U.S. celebrates Independence Day. Every year on July 4th.
And yet, very, very few stop to think about just what was required in order for us to enjoy the freedoms we take for granted today.
Considering that the only thing at all that the ConserveLiberty resource advocates is the "conservation of liberty to be what you were built to be" ... what more appropriate moment for a "Thought for the Week" than Independence Day!
ConserveLiberty does not advocate for political candidates or political parties. Liberty is what Liberty is. It should not be construed to have a purpose in political advocacy - regardless of its topic. But it does get construed that way anyway. Such is human nature. We are not doing so here.
One of the more uncomfortable "facts of life", apparently, that confronts those of us who believe ourselves to be "more civilized" than others is that:
- Various of the physically and mortally violent events that we are aware of in "the news" are not necessary to achieve "whatever it is that is legitimately worth achieving."
- Liberty itself need not be achieved or protected by violent means (or the belief that violence will be used.)
- The above two statements are actually false. And history has repeatedly proved it. Factually.
Factually, the Liberty and Liberties we celebrate on Independence Day not only would not have been "won" without violent action (independence from the 18th century Britain), it would not have been extended without violent action (abolition of slavery from the 19th century U.S.). And it would not have been protected from those who wanted to conquer us in the 20th century (Japan and Germany in the 20th century.)
And all those battles were exceptionally harsh. They were all fought by the "winners of liberty" from a position of extraordinary disadvantage. (Until their endings.) And thus, those fighting those battles, rationally, understood that they were far more likely to die for their efforts rather than live to enjoy them. In other words, they were fought for "those of us to follow in the future, that we might enjoy the fruits of their sacrifices today."
On Independence Day, we should be raising a glass and toasting them!
Want an example?
Read the essay posted by Christopher Chadzutko below. The original article can be found at Gettysburg's Citizen-Soldiers, 01 Jul 2017, NationalReview.com.
Consider thoughtfully:
Gettysburg's Citizen-Soldiers
By Christopher Chadzutko
July 01, 2017
The battle that turned the Civil War was won by volunteers as well as professional soldiers.
On the afternoon of July 2, 1863, Colonel Harrison Jeffords of the 4th Michigan Volunteer Infantry and his regiment found themselves in the Wheatfield, embroiled in hand-to-hand combat with the men of Kershaw's South Carolina Brigade. Through the chaos, Jeffords spotted his regiment's flag, which he had sworn to defend with his life, seized by the enemy. He rushed toward the flag and was shot through the thigh and took a bayonet thrust to his abdomen. His men recovered their colonel and wrestled their flag from the enemy's grip. Jeffords, however, would not recover, becoming the highest-ranking officer to die of a bayonet wound in the Civil War.
This week marks the 154th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, which was fought on July 1-3, 1863. On this venerable occasion, it is important to recognize that selflessness and devotion to the preservation of the Union was displayed not only by professional soldiers but by volunteers such as Colonel Jeffords - a lawyer who left his practice to join the cause - and his men. But for their willingness to heed Lincoln's call, we would not be the nation we are today. July 1 had been a brutal day for the Union Army of the Potomac. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia had once again licked their Yankee counterparts. The Army of the Potomac had yet to achieve an outright victory against the Confederates, but the tide turned on Gettysburg's bloodiest day, July 2, thanks to the heroics of Colonel Jeffords and other citizen-soldiers like him.
Colonel William Colvill of the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, a lawyer and newspaperman before the Civil War, was the first man in his county to answer Lincoln's call for volunteers. Before Gettysburg, Colvill's regiment held the dubious distinction of suffering the most casualties of any Union regiment at the battle of Bull Run, as well as suffering grievously at Antietam. Those battles would pale in comparison to the sacrifice they made at Gettysburg.
Outnumbered nearly five-to-one, Colvill was ordered to undertake a near-suicidal charge to stall the Confederate advance and the collapse of the Union left wing. Without hesitation, Colvill and the 1st Minnesota smashed into Confederates from Alabama. In a matter of minutes, 215 of the 1st Minnesota's 262 men fell, including Colvill, who was hit three times. The 82 percent casualty rate stands as the highest ever suffered by an American unit in a single day's battle. President Calvin Coolidge later remarked at a memorial dedication, "Colonel Colvill and those eight companies of the 1st Minnesota are entitled to rank as the saviors of their country."
In the time the 1st Minnesota bought, another volunteer, Colonel Strong Vincent, and his brigade arrived to reinforce the extreme left of the Union line. A Harvard graduate and lawyer before the war, Vincent joined the Pennsylvania Militia as a lieutenant in 1861, rising to command his brigade just prior to Gettysburg. Vincent realized the strategic importance of a hill, Little Round Top, on the Union left, and took the initiative to lead his brigade to defend it. His men secured it and braced for the Confederate assault. In the ensuing fury, Vincent mounted a rock while waving his riding crop to inspire and rally his faltering line. He implored his men, "Don't give an inch." He was mortally wounded, but his line held. For his valor, Vincent was recommended for promotion to brigadier general. It was an honor that he likely never knew of, as he had drifted from consciousness. He died on July 7.
Under Vincent's command, Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain served, and his regiment, the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry. Before joining the Union Army, Chamberlain was a professor of rhetoric at Bowdoin College. When he expressed his desire to enlist, the college refused to release him. He then requested, and was granted, a sabbatical to study in Europe. Unwilling to forgo service to the country, however, Chamberlain joined the army instead.
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Library of Congress)
On July 2, Chamberlain's 20th Maine began with 386 men, anchoring the extreme left of the Union line. He was instructed by Vincent to hold the position at "all costs," as any retreat would expose the entire left flank of the Union Army. In the ensuing combat, he suffered two minor wounds. With his soldiers facing relentless attacks from two Alabama regiments, his regiment's ammunition dwindling, and casualties mounting - the 20th Maine would lose 125 men in the battle - Chamberlain ordered a bayonet charge. On his command, his men moved forward and swept the Alabamians down Little Round Top. The charge saved the Union line. For Chamberlain's "daring heroism and great tenacity in holding his position," a grateful nation awarded him the Congressional Medal of Honor.
These are just a small sampling of the heroic deeds of citizen-soldiers at Gettysburg. They cannot be forgotten, and our nation owes a debt of gratitude to the men who performed them. Following the valor of Jeffords, Colvill, Vincent, Chamberlain, and their men, the battle raged for a third and final day, when they demonstrated further courage. Defending the center of the Union line, they faced a 260-gun cannonade and repulsed an attack of 12,000 Confederates in what became known as Pickett's Charge, sealing the Union victory. Gettysburg marked the first clear triumph for the Army of the Potomac over the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. It was the turning point of the war, which would continue for two more years, but Gettysburg sealed the fate of the Confederacy. The Army of Northern Virginia would never again invade the North or fight any more battles on the offensive. During the three days at Gettysburg, 23,000 men fell in defense of the Union, including nearly 10,000 on July 2. The bravery and patriotism of these men should be remembered and honored by all Americans. Their great deeds unite us as a people. Without their sacrifices, America as know it would not exist today, and the government of the people, by the people, and for the people would have perished from this earth.
- Christopher Chadzutko is an attorney in New York City and a 2017 National Review Institute Regional Fellow.
The point of posting Chadzutko's essay was not to educate the reader about the U.S. Civil War specifically. Rather, this particular (and accurate) unfolding of history reflects similarities with other battles fought in order to win or protect or rescue and restore liberties. Fought worldwide. And fought throughout all of recorded history (and very likely before.)
Firstly, battles for liberty need to be fought. They are avoided for awhile, but eventually the liberties to be won or restored are delayed much longer than can be tolerated by those wishing to avoid violence. Most who are drawn to actual liberty generally seek to protect their liberty "by whatever other means necessary." Thus, the delay to battle.
Why the continued erosion of liberties until battle? Well, those who want your liberties, and thus want tyranny over you ... or those who already have tyranny over you ... want tyranny over you. Period. Your liberty is regarded as an asset to be conquered, so that you no longer have control over you. And tyrants will take it little by little if they have to take it slowly. But, they do not "give" it back unless it is taken back forcefully. Generally by mortal action that they will not concede to unless they have no other choice. Thus, battles for liberty are horribly ugly.
Doubt me. Review history. Factual history (or as close as you can get to it.) If you can't EASILY substantiate what I have just stated, then you aren't looking. Skeptically.
Verify what you are told. Conserve your Liberty
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