Virginia Candidate John Reid Comments on Confederate Generals
John Reid, a candidate for lieutenant governor in Virginia, has sparked controversy by commending Confederate generals and likening their critics to the Taliban.
Reid’s remarks were made during an appearance on the Conservative & Chic podcast on October 28. He criticized the removal of Confederate monuments from public spaces, a campaign that gained momentum after the 2020 George Floyd protests.
“Much of the Civil War was fought here [in Virginia],” Reid noted. “A lot of the people who are well-known characters—who’ve been dead for 160 years—lived and worked, and, in some cases, were born and raised in Virginia. Legendary names like Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson, and Matthew Fontaine Maury. It’s a remarkable group of people!”
He described the dismantling of these monuments as “Talibanesque” and labeled those responsible as “barbarians,” although he conceded that it is acceptable to disagree with Confederate figures “in a contemporary context.”
The sentiments expressed by Reid echo the Lost Cause myth. This narrative portrays the Confederacy as noble and the Civil War as being about more than just slavery. Despite its endorsement by groups like the Ku Klux Klan, this perspective is largely rejected by historians.
Reid clarified that he is “not interested in refighting the Civil War” and does not wish to debate “who was right and who was wrong.”
Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, both high-ranking Confederate military leaders and enslavers, are part of the historical figures Reid mentioned. Lee was known for his military tactics that included harsh measures like destroying private property and targeting civilians. He also implemented a policy of capturing free Black people to enslave them.
Matthew Fontaine Maury, who led the Confederate Navy in Virginia, did not own slaves but was an advocate for slavery’s continuation and growth.
Following Jackson’s death during the war, both Lee and Maury continued their opposition to racial equality.
Reid, a former radio talk show host, is up against Democratic state Senator Ghazala Hashmi in the upcoming election on November 4.
The post Republican John Reid says Confederate generals were “remarkable people” appeared first on American Journal News.
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