Reidsville Confederate celebration small, peaceful

There were no rebel flags to be seen, and no protestors lined the streets.

Rather, on Tuesday evening, June 29, a group of locals spent about an hour peacefully remembering Confederate soldiers and celebrating the 100-year life of the Confederate monument in the center of the roundabout at Scales and Morehead streets in downtown Reidsville.

Daily, hundreds of people circle the roundabout, in the center of which stands the monument. Though traffic regularly passes it by, it’s likely many are unaware the monument was erected in 1910 to commemorate local Confederate soldiers and war dead.

Local chapters of the United Daughters of the Confederacy organized the 100th anniversary celebration, held earlier this week, to talk about and remember the local soldiers who fought. The Daughters were originally supposed to have the aid of the Downtown Reidsville Corporation, but that group backed out a week or so before the event, citing overbooking.

From some vantage points on Tuesday evening, it looked as though downtown Reidsville had taken a step back in time. Several women wore large hoop skirts, and others wore wide-brimmed hats. And to start the ceremony, nine soldiers, many with long hair and scruffy beards, wearing military garb from a time period long ago marched down Scales Street, holding muskets and flags.

Samyria King, president of one of the local chapters, led pledges to the United States flag, the North Carolina flag and to the United Daughters of the Confederacy flag, which looks very different than the commonly-seen battle flag.

Rodney Williams, commander of the North Carolina Society of the Military Order of the Stars and Bars, served as guest speaker for the event. He spoke highly of the Confederate military dead, praised those who organized Tuesday’s event and expressed disappointment that the city could not get more behind the commemoration.

Williams likened the longevity of the monument to the endurance displayed by Southern Civil War soldiers in the middle of the 19th century “in earnest defense of outside aggression.”

Williams recounted how the United Daughters of the Confederacy saved money for, purchased and unveiled the monument in 1910 that stands today. He said thousands gathered for the official dedication of the granite soldier, and there was much fanfare for the large statue.

“To this day, June 29, 1910 was the biggest happening in Rockingham County since the creation (of the county) itself,” Williams said.

Williams also gave a glimpse of Confederate history, noting about 2,200 men from Rockingham County served in the Confederate army, with about one quarter of those dying in service.

He told those gathered to remember the soldiers who died fighting.

“Feats of heroism were performed by your ancestors,” he said.

About 50 or 60 people gathered for the event. Some stopped while going about their business downtown to watch.

Shopkeeper Donna Robinson, owner of Blessings and Mor’, said the ceremony did not bother her. She said it’s important for everyone to have the opportunity to celebrate events that are meaningful them.

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” she said.

Terresia Scoble said the downtown corporation’s involvement with helping The Cutting Board restaurant open the day before the 100th anniversary event did not allow the group enough time to participate in helping plan Tuesday’s event.

John and Jackie Dallas stood on Scales Street Tuesday evening and listened to the speakers. They both said they felt it was important to remember this piece of history, since so many people have family ties to Confederate soldiers.

John Dallas recalled his own great-grandfather James Hamilton Thomas’ participation and noted that he was the last Rockingham County Confederate soldier to die in 1940.

“The 100th anniversary of the statue is something,” he said.

Mike and Maxine Fargis expressed similar sentiments.

“I thought they did a nice job,” Mike Fargis said of the ceremony.

Both the Dallases and the Fargises expressed disappointment that the event wasn’t better received by the community.

“Remember, these folks, they fought on our behalf,” Mike Fargis said.