Liz Janisse: VMI Visit

Colonel Gibson’s success as both a storyteller and historian made today’s trip to VMI especially meaningful.

Like we have discussed in class, there is a level of forethought and understanding required to enter into a memorial and fully appreciate it. This puts the impetus on the viewer to use knowledge and intentionality to active fully a site of remembrance. VMI seems to have done a great job of this, educating students about the sacrifice and duty that makes the memorialized individuals on campus worthy of commemoration.

Colonel Gibson was so confident in this that he even felt comfortable putting it to the test: approaching several students at random to inquire about Jonathan Daniels. Even though Daniels is not a large and looming memorial presence on campus (his plaque with relief situated behind the barracks has become overgrown with bushes), each student still had something to say about the hero who died to protect an innocent woman.

Additionally, I think the fact that there was even a memorial devoted to a tree evidences the ‘memorial mania’ about which Doss is writing.

I credit Colonel Gibson for his willingness to speak at the end of our visit on the topic of controversial history that no doubt plays a major role in memorialization. He addressed this topic head-on, even admitting that a civil rights group* has called for the removal of our last statue visit: Superintendent Francis H. Smith. I think this is a really important topic, especially given the fact that many of our memorial visits have involved the Civil War. This speaks to the complexity of remembrance—is it possible to admire and memorialize the actions of men with whom we might disagree on many other subjects? Can we justify the actions of Confederate soldiers with the understanding that they acted out of a sense of duty to state and loved ones? Do these men and their actions symbolize the hatred and mistreatment of generations of African Americans, overshadowing any other accomplishments militarily or personally?

Colonel Gibson brought to life the Chapel mural of the Battle of New Market. Understanding that these young men acted in service to their beloved home state and out of loyalty to their school, leaders, and each other, it is difficult for me to object to their memorialization. These humanizing insights further complicate the discussion of memory when it comes to the Civil War and other contentious moments in history.

*The Southern Poverty Law Center: https://www.splcenter.org/20160421/whose-heritage-public-symbols-confederacy