Civil War re-enactment to bring out Confederate battle flag in Allegheny County
The Confederate battle flag of Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia will fly this weekend above Allegheny County's Hartwood Acres.
Historians say that is as it should be, even as politicians and companies aim to remove the flag from retail shelves and government property because of last week's race-related slaying in a Charleston, S.C., church.
“I don't think it would be appropriate for us to disappear the Confederate battle flag from history and pretend it never existed,” said Andy Masich, president and CEO of the Heinz History Center and a Civil War historian.
“I don't think we should ban it from historical re-enactments. But I think it has no place as a symbol for a school, a state or a people.”
Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum and the county beginning Friday will co-host the three-day “Passing of the Armies,” a re-enactment and living history event to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the war's end.
The weekend events include authentic camps, military drill demonstrations and tactical movements, daily battle re-enactments, field music concerts and more.
“We are using this to mark the end of the war and the healing of a nation — and at what better time?” said Michael Kraus, a Soldiers & Sailors curator and a re-enactor.
He declined to weigh in on the flag controversy but said it would affect souvenir businesses much more than re-enactment groups.
Others in the historical re-creation business agreed.
Civil War historian and collector Jim Douglas of McCandless said he cannot support wiping away images of the Confederate flag.
“Where does it stop? Are they going to haul them out of museums?” asked Douglas, 59, owner of J. Douglas & Co. Civil War Antiques in Canonsburg. “Let's not rewrite history. Let's tell the truth, both the good and the bad.”
Masich said the reasons for Southerners fighting in the Civil War varied as much as the reasons people display the Confederate battle flag today.
A century and a half ago, Confederate soldiers likely fought for reasons ranging from states' rights to racist beliefs and “everything in between,” he said.
Today some people display the flag for historical reasons or to show pride in the South, their community or school, he said.
“But I think there is no question that the Confederate battle flag has been co-opted by groups who support hate and racism,” Masich said. “Because the Confederate battle flag has taken on this baggage, it's hard for any American to look at it and not think about racism and an anti-African-American agenda.”
Jason Cato is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7936 or jcato@tribweb.com.
