Monument to black Civil War veterans proposed for Sc State House
Two Republican representatives from the Upstate want a monument built on State House grounds to honor African Americans who fought for the Confederacy.
State Reps. Bill Chumley, R-Spartanburg, and Mike Burns, R-Travelers Rest, said they plan to pre-file a bill next year to address the sacrifices and achievements made by blacks for the Confederacy during the Civil War.
The Monday announcement comes on the heels of protests in Charlottesville, Va., and other U.S. towns for and against decades-old Confederate monuments.
Chumley said the monument would honor overlooked veterans who fought for their state and their home. It is also a chance to “dilute some of the hate” over Confederate monuments, he said.
Chumley said he anticipates support from his black legislative colleagues.
“Why not honor people who made a sacrifice like they did?” Chumley said. “South Carolina has always been a leader on these kinds of things. I feel like we have a great opportunity.”
In a statement, Burns said black Civil War veterans have been largely overlooked, and he and Chumley hope to “remedy the oversight.”
There is no price tag attached to the proposed monument or site. It has not been decided whether the monument — if approved by legislators — would be a sculpture or a plaque naming black Confederate veterans.
The state Department of History and Archives lists more than 300 African Americans who filed pension applications as Confederate veterans.
Ideally, Chumley said he would like the monument to be built with private money, and he wants it to be prominent.
Research for the monument started roughly three months ago.
“It become apparent that people may not understand all that the (Civil) War was about,” Chumley said. “We thought (there’s) so much honor on both sides, as we got looking into it, African-American soldiers have been overlooked.”
This past spring, Chumley said the Legislature honored one of those black veterans: Aiken native Lavinia Corley-Thompson, a cook in Company A, 1st Regiment of Reserves.
In a statement, Corley-Thompson’s great-great-great-grandson, Dr. Walter Curry, who is on the board of the African American Chamber of Commerce, said he was pleased his family member and other blacks would be honored.
Asked whether he anticipates opposition, Chumley replied: “Why would there be?
“I can’t see why someone would be opposed to doing this,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity.”
However, state Sen. Darrell Jackson, D-Richland, said the proposal would “open up wounds,” not bring people together.
A spokesperson for the S.C. Department of Administration, which oversees the State House groups, wasn’t immediately available for comment.
Associated Press contributed
This story was originally published October 9, 2017 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Monument to black Civil War veterans proposed for Sc State House."