Stephen Dill Lee
John Weaver | SermonAudio
| Lecture Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Speaker | John Weaver |
| Source | SermonAudio |
| Media ID | 9210717251210 |
| Subject | Old Testament Studies |
| Course | Proverbs-Related Topical Wisdom |
| Genre | Sermon |
| Date | 2006-06-15 |
| Dictation Name | |
| Book | Book 085: Proverbs-Related Topical Wisdom — Chapter 3 |
| Source Timed Segments | 378 |
Synopsis: John Weaver examines the charge given by Lieutenant General Stephen Dill Lee to the Sons of Confederate Veterans in 1906, emphasizing the duty to vindicate the Confederate cause, defend the soldier's good name, and protect true history. He argues the war was not over slavery but principles like states' rights and limited government, and calls for emulating Confederate virtues and perpetuating their principles.
Formatted Transcript
Introduction: The Charge and Its Meaning
Weaver introduces the charge to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, explaining the biblical and dictionary definitions of 'charge' as an oath, duty, and sentry post.
It's certainly always a privilege to share not only the truth of God's Word, but the truth of history as well. And tonight I'm going to be bringing a message on the charge to the Sons of the Confederate Veterans. I suppose that practically all of us are able to recite the charge, or at least part of the charge, to the Sons of the Confederate Veterans. It was given to us by Lieutenant General Stephen Dill Lee in 1906. The problem is the charge, whenever we have heard it read or whenever we have read it or recited it, tends to become like many hymns and sermons. That is, we hear the words and we say the words, but we never really stop and think of the implication of those words. For instance, we call it the charge.
Even the word charge itself is very important. For instance, when you look in your Bibles in Genesis chapter 2 and verse 16, the Bible says the Lord God commanded the man and the word commanded literally means to put under an oath or to give a charge to. And when you look a little bit further in the Bible, you find that the word charge refers to a watch. a sentry post, and it certainly deals with a guard station. It's used like that not only in the book of Genesis, but throughout the book of Numbers as well.
So when you talk about a charge, then you're talking about an oath. A sentry post or a watch station, so to speak. Webster in his 1828— —sixteen definitions of the word charge, but when you wade through them, and you get to the very word that would apply to what Lieutenant General Stephen Dill Lee gave the Sons of the Confederate Veterans, you will find this description of the word charge. Listen carefully. Webster's 1828 says, that which is enjoined, committed, entrusted, or delivered to another, implying care, custody, oversight, or duty to be performed by the person entrusted. In other words, the biblical definition and Webster's definition are exactly the same.
Thus, when you and I repeat the charge or we hear the charge read to us, we are acknowledging basically that there is a duty, that there is responsibility, a care and an oversight that is being laid upon us. We, like Adam then, have been placed under a commandment. In other words, we have a watch, we have a duty station, we have a sentry post. And every time that charge is read, what we're doing basically is this, we are renewing and affirming our responsibility.
The Vindication of the Cause
Weaver defines vindication as defense, justification, proof, and fighting, and argues the cause was not slavery but principles like states' rights, using historical evidence like the proposed 13th Amendment.
So let's begin with the vindication of the cause. The first line in this charge is a duty station of vindication. Listen to what he said. "To you, sons of Confederate veterans, we submit the vindication of the cause for which we fought."
Now, some have used the word commit or submit, but the thought is exactly the same. It really doesn't matter. So he says, "To you, sons of Confederate veterans, we submit the vindication of the cause for which we fought." So he is telling us that our first responsibility, our main duty, is to vindicate the cause for which we fought.
Now, you've got to ask yourself, what in the world does the word vindication mean? How in the world can we vindicate our cause if we do not know how to vindicate? Once again, if you'll go to Webster's 1828 Dictionary, you'll find an interesting thing on the word vindication. By the way, it's from the Latin vindiciae, and of course, some of you will remember Hubert Languet's book, Vindiciae Contra Tyrannos, which is a vindication of liberty against tyrants, and Deo Vindice, which is God vindicates, which is the motto.
But notice, if you would please, these definitions of vindication. Listen carefully because they're going to be important later. Number one is this. The defense of anything or a justification against denial or censure or—notice, if you would please—against objections or accusations as the vindication of opinions of a creed, the vindication of scriptures against the objections and cavils of infidels.
Now, the very first thing he says this, it is a defense of anything. It is a justification of something. So when we begin to vindicate, what are we doing? We're justifying. We are defending against all libelous accusations, against all censures. We're taking a stand. Here's the second part of it.
The act of supporting by proof or legal process. The proving of anything to be just as the vindication of a title, claim, or right. Now, stop there just for a moment and think. If you vindicate something, you're not only justifying, you're not only defending, now you're offering proof of what you say. You are giving hard evidence. And then number three is this, defense by force or otherwise as the vindication of the rights of man, the vindication of our liberties, the rights of our conscience.
So when you put those three things together, first of all, he talks about to vindicate is to defend or to justify. So how do we vindicate our ancestors? Well, we defend them and we justify their attitudes and their actions. We do not let people libel them and censure them. We do not come up and say, "Well, whatever you want to say against our forefathers is fine." No, no. We take a stand and we say we will not allow that to happen.
And then the second part of it is once we begin to defend them and justify them, we now have some proof that we hand over and say, here is the right position. Here is an original truth or a reliable truth. Here is where you can find it for yourself. You know, the Bible says something like this in the book of Titus, chapter 1, verses 10 and 11. Paul said that there are many unruly and vain talkers, deceivers, especially they of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped. Listen carefully. You cannot stop mouths with, "I believe" or "I think" or "in my opinion," or "this is what we've always held." No, no, no.
You must offer evidence, hard, reliable evidence of sources that are either original or reliable. So it doesn't just come to we're going to defend verbally. We must have something to refute those false accusers and those libelous individuals. So let's ask, where's our documentation? Where's our source material? How do we back up our position? How do we prove that our forefathers were indeed honorable and godly and righteous men and were fighting for a just cause?
And then the third thing is this. Vindication means defense by force or otherwise. Well, certainly we don't expect anyone to engage in fistfights. You understand that.
But one must be ready to fight in the sense that if you do not have enough conviction to stand for your forefathers and to stand for what you believe, or if you cut and run at the very first sight of pressure or persecution or resistance or political correctness, then you're never ever going to vindicate the cause for which our forefathers fought. In other words, there must be a determination to stand. There must be a determination to say, look, I know the truth. I have the proof of that truth and I'm not going to give in and I'm not going to give up and you're not going to scare me away and you're not going to scare me off. I'll stand right here. And let me tell you something.
You know, the truth of the matter is, in reality, we're still fighting that war. You say, how can you say that? If you would examine the principles for which our forefathers fought in 1861 to 1865, it's those principles for which we are fighting right now in 2006. Do you remember what President Jefferson Davis said? Let me tell you. Here's what he said. "The principles over which we fought will be fought for again on another battlefield and in a different venue."
The truth of the matter is, the war still goes on. Well, you could say the war has ended. Well, the war may have ended, but the fighting goes on, and we must fight until we have our liberty, our freedom, and our independence as it has been bequeathed to us by the Founding Fathers. Have you ever considered the alternative? Failure to fight means that we bequeath to our children and our grandchildren nothing less than slavery and servitude to a centralized bureaucracy that has and is destroying everything that our ancestors held dear. Once again, let me give you a quote. Listen to Jefferson Davis.
He said, "Never teach your children to admit that their fathers were wrong in their effort to maintain the sovereignty, freedom, and independence which was their inalienable birthright." Let me just stop there just for a moment. Let me repeat this. "Never teach your children to admit that their fathers were wrong in their effort to do what? To maintain their sovereignty, freedom, and independence which was their inalienable birthright." He goes on, "I cannot believe that the causes for which our sacrifices were made can ever be lost, but rather hope that those who now deny the justice of our asserted claims will learn from experience that the fathers built it wisely and the Constitution should be constructed according to the commentaries of those men who made it."
Listen to what he said. You can never deny the principles for which our forefathers fought. And if you're ashamed of those, then what he is saying, in essence, is basically you're destroying everything that our founding fathers built upon. What was President Jefferson Davis doing? Vindicating. That is vindication. Vindication means that we defend, that we justify, that we document, and that we fight for the principles for which our forefathers bled and died.
It was General Lee who said, "To you, sons of Confederate veterans, we submit the vindication of the cause for which we fought." Now let me stop there. I've told you what it means to vindicate. You defend, you justify, you offer proof, you fight.
But what is it that we are to vindicate? He said, "the cause for which we fought." Now, let me ask you a question. How can we vindicate the cause for which we fought if we don't even know the cause for which we fought? Why did the South fight? Was it really over the slavery issue? You respond, no.
A thousand times, no. Very good. Prove to me that it was not over the slavery issue. Where is your documentation? Where is your evidence? Where is your proof?
Now, if you're going to begin to refute the false charge that the war was over slavery, where in the world would you begin? How can you dispel the false, slanderous, and libelous charge that we just fought to have our slaves? Well, let me tell you, one of the simplest ways to dispel that false charge is to produce a copy of the proposed 13th Amendment that was signed by President James Buchanan and publicly endorsed by Abraham Lincoln. Do you realize that on March the 2nd, 1861, the United States Senate passed a proposed 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which had already passed the House on February the 28th, 1861, which would have prohibited the federal government from ever interfering with domestic servitude within the confines of any state. And by the way, you can find that in the United States House of Representatives, 106th Congress, second session, document numbers 106 through 214.
Here is Article 13, the proposed 13th Amendment. Quote, "No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which will authorize or give to Congress the power to abolish or interfere within any state with the domestic institutions thereof, including that of persons held to labor or service by the laws of said state." Two days later, Abraham Lincoln in his first inaugural address promised to support the amendment, even though he believed that the Constitution already prohibited the federal government from interfering with Southern slavery. Here are his words, I am quoting him. He said, "I understand a proposed amendment to the Constitution has passed Congress to the effect that the federal government shall never interfere with the domestic institutions of the states, including that of persons held to service. To avoid misconstruction of what I have said, I depart from my purpose
not to speak of particular amendments, so far as to say that holding such a provision to now be implied constitutional law, I have no objection to it being made express and irrevocable." Abraham Lincoln says, "I already believe that's constitutional law, but I have no objection to this amendment being passed and being made express and irrevocable." Now let me ask you a question. If the South was only going to fight over the slavery issue, why would we go to war over something that's being handed to us on a silver platter? You've got to remember March the 2nd is over a month before the war broke out at Fort Sumter. If it was over slavery, why did we fire the shot at Fort Sumter? Why didn't we just say, well, praise the Lord, let's just keep our slaves and be buddy buddies again?
No. You see, the truth of the matter, it was not over slavery. You say, well, what was the cause for which the South fought? Let me tell you.
There are a number of causes. I could ask you this. Were there theological implications in that war? Yes. Did you realize the clergy in the South viewed it as a war of atheism against Christianity? Were there economic issues? Yes.
Look at the tariffs where the North was demanding 40, 50, and 60 percent. Were there sectional differences? Yes. Were there political implications? Yes. States' rights were there. Limited government was there.
Taxes were there. All of these played a very important part. But the point I'm going to make is this. If we're going to vindicate something, we must have the answers. We must know the cause for which we fought. And it was not over slavery. I admit it may have become an issue later on, but it certainly was not the issue at the beginning.
It was none less than General Grant himself who said if he found out that the war was to over slavery, he would resign his commission and lay down his sword and join the South side. Now, President Jefferson Davis said this, listen carefully, and I love this quote. Every time I read this, I just close my eyes and I can hear him say it. Listen to what he said. "Our cause. What is it we're to vindicate? Our cause.
Listen to what he said. "Our cause was so just, so sacred that had I known all that has come to pass, had I known all that was to be inflicted upon me—and boy, he did suffer—and all that my country was to suffer, all that our posterity was to endure, I would do it all over again." "Let the rising generation learn what their fathers did and let them learn the still better lesson to emulate not only the deeds but the motives which prompted them. May God grant that sons ever greater than their fathers may rise whenever their country needs them to defend their cause." "Nothing fills me with deeper sadness than to see a southern man apologizing for the defense we made of our inheritance and denying the great truths on which all of our institutions are founded."
"To be crushed by superior force, to be robbed and insulted were great misfortunes. But these could be born while there yet remained manhood to assert the truth and a proud consciousness in the rectitude of our course. When I find myself reviled by southern papers as one renewing dead issues, the pain is not caused by the attack upon myself, but by its desecration of the memories of our fathers and those of their descendants who stayed in defense of their rights, their lives, their property and their sacred honor." Did you hear what Jeff Davis said? The cause for which we fought was so right and so just and so sacred. Knowing all that he had suffered, all the South had suffered, if I had to do over again, I would do it all over again.
How many times have you been told by people when you're talking about this? "Well, you're beating a dead horse. That's a dead issue. The war is over." No, dear friend. We cannot desecrate the memories of those men who gave everything they had—their life, their liberty, their sacred honor—to defend that which they knew was absolutely right.
Preservation of the Confederate Soldier's Character
Weaver explains that preserving the soldier's good name requires emulating their virtues and perpetuating their principles, linking duty to biblical commands.
Secondly, General Lee charges us with the preservation of the Confederate soldier's character. Listen to what he said. "To your strength will be given the defense of the Confederate soldier's good name. The guardianship of his history, the emulation of his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles he loved and which made him glorious and which you also cherish." Chaplain Randolph McKim, Confederate chaplain, said this, "We must forever do honor to our heroic dead. We must forever cherish the sacred memories of those four terrible but glorious years of unequal strife. We must forever consecrate in our hearts the old battle flag of the Southern Cross.
Now listen, the people that forgets its heroic dead is already dying at the heart. And we believe we shall be truer and better citizens if we are true to our past." Not a tremendous statement. "The people that have forgotten their heroic dead are already dying at heart." We have been given the charge to protect the Confederate soldier's good name. Do you realize the Bible says in Proverbs 22 and verse 1 that a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches? And what does the charge say?
Listen carefully: "To your strength to your strength will be given the defense of the Confederate soldier's good name." Here's a legitimate question. How much strength do you have? How much time do you have to defend your ancestors? How far are you willing to go to stand for what they fought and died for? The Bible says in Proverbs 24 and verse 10, "If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small."
You see, it's easy to stand when the sailing is smooth, it's a little more difficult when the pressure is on and persecution arises and there's danger and there's sacrifices to be made. What about all the back-breaking, sweat-breaking and heart-breaking times when it seems like everyone else is against us and the politically correct crowd are on the throne? Let me give you a quote from Jeremiah 12 and verse 5. Here's the question that God asked. "If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with the horses?
And if in the land of peace wherein thou trustest, they weary thee, how wilt thou do with the swelling of Jordan?" What's he asking? If you can't keep up with those running on foot, what are you going to do when the enemy comes against you with horses? If you cannot take the little rivulet, what are you going to do when Jordan over-swells her banks? It is to your strength—now listen, it is to your strength, not part of it, not pieces of it, but all of it—that should be given to the defense of the Confederate soldier's good name. Folks, there's something we need to remember. The South was right.
The South was right, the North was wrong, and our Confederate men were honorable, brave and courageous men. The question must be asked. How do we preserve their character? Now, remember, he said it's to your strength, to your strength that you're to preserve the Confederate soldier's good name. Well, how do we preserve their good name? Is it just simply by defending them when they are attacked? Well, certainly that's part of it.
But I want you to note in the charge, General Lee tells us particularly how we are to defend the Confederate soldier's good name. He goes on. Here's what he says: by emulating their virtues and the perpetuation of his principles.
Now, you know what the word emulate means. It means to copy. It means to follow. It means to take for yourself, to do the same thing as.
So how do we preserve the Confederate soldier's good name? He says we do this by emulating, copying their virtues and also by the perpetuation of the principles. In other words, the very thing that the Confederate soldiers believed, we believe. The very thing they taught, we teach. The very thing that they prayed for, we pray for. In other words, what General Lee is saying is this. In order to preserve their character, we too must be like them.
Honorable, virtuous, courageous, honest, hardworking, righteous, and above all, biblical in our theology and our Christian faith. Let me tell you something, folks. I don't care how hard you try, you cannot discover the greatness of General Robert E. Lee or Stonewall Jackson or Richard Stoddard Ewell without discovering it in their Christianity. Why do you think General Lee said that duty is the most sublime word in the English language? Do you realize the reason General Lee said that is because that's exactly what Scripture says. In Ecclesiastes chapter 12 and verse 13, the Word of God says, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter.
Fear God and keep his commandments. That is the whole duty of man." And when you look at the Ten Commandments, you have the duty to God and you have the duty to man all there. And duty sums up, therefore, our responsibility to God and man.
So in order then to perpetuate their principles, we must emulate their virtues. How in the world can we pass these principles and these virtues on to the next generation if we do not embrace them ourselves? How can we expect our children and our grandchildren to believe in the right of self-defense, states' rights, limited government under a constitutional republic? How can we expect them to resist tyranny and wickedness and oppression if we will not? General Lee says the way to preserve the Confederate soldier's good name is we emulate their virtues and that we perpetuate their principles. In other words, the way to preserve their character is to follow in their steps, believe as they believed, act as they acted, and inculcate the same virtue in our children and our grandchildren.
Protection of True History
Weaver discusses the guardianship of history, quoting Lee and Commander Owen, and emphasizes the need to guard the truth that Confederates fought for principle and the Constitution.
Thirdly, I want to just cover this, the protection of their true history. During his speech to the United Sons of Confederate Veterans or United Sons of Confederacy in 1906, General Lee said this. Let me give you the quote. Here it is. Two paragraphs. He says, "I urge monuments to the Confederate soldier. First, for the sake of the dead.
But most for the sake of the living. That in this busy industrial age, those stones to the Confederate soldier may stand like great interrogation marks to the soul of each beholder. Are you also ready to die for your country? Is your life worthy to be remembered along with theirs? Do you choose for yourself this greatness of soul? not in the clamor of the crowded street, not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng, but in ourselves, our triumph and defeat. He continues, "To you brave people of the South, to you true-hearted Americans everywhere, to you world-conquering race from which he sprung, to all men everywhere who prize in man the manliest deeds, who love in man the love of country, who praise fidelity and courage, who honor self-sacrifice and noble devotion, will be given
an incomparable inheritance, the memory of our Prince of Men, the Confederate soldier." Wow! Did you hear that? He said, it's to you. To you. That which has been passed is a tremendous inheritance. It is the memory of the Confederate soldier.
That for which he fought and bled and died. The courage that he demonstrated. The righteousness of the cause. His fidelity. His faithfulness. Ah, to you, sons of Confederate veterans is this inheritance given.
It was Commander Thomas Owen who spoke after General Lee spoke and he said this, he spoke of the work which the sons had undertaken and pledged them to carry it forward and hand down the burden to posterity so that the descendants of those who fought the valiant fight for the cause would look upon them in their true light as men who fought for principle and for the Constitution of the United States and not as rebels." Now you want to know where that latter phrase came from? "To you is to be given the protection of the true history of the South"? It came from Thomas Owen. He said, this is the burden that's been passed upon you because we want everyone to know that our men were fighting for that which is right.
I have a message which I have entitled, "Who Were the Rebels?" You know, although the South has been called rebels, in reality, we were not the rebels. The North was the rebels. You know why? Listen to me. Rebellion can only be to lawful authority. If there's no lawful authority, then it's resistance.
It's not rebellion. The South was not rebelling against the Constitution. The South wanted the Constitution as it was intended by the Founding Fathers. It was the North who hated and despised the Constitution and wanted to destroy it and destroy the Union of the States. And so Commander Owen said, look, we need to remember the Confederate soldier as men who fought for principle and fought for the Constitution. The guardianship of their history has indeed been bequeathed to each of us.
The question is this.
Application: Standing for Principles Today
Weaver challenges listeners to live out the charge by standing for truth and righteousness now, applying it to modern political and personal sacrifice.
How will you guard it? How will you handle that sentry post of duty? How do you handle that watch position? Let me tell you. And I'm going to give you a biblical principle. I've heard people say all the time, "Brother Weaver, I'd die for Christ." And my response is this.
If you will live for him now, you will die for him when the going gets tough. Do you realize if you will stand for truth and righteousness now, while it's easy to stand for truth and righteousness, if you will not stand for the principles for which our forefathers fought now, you're certainly not going to fight later when the persecution is hot and heavy. The truth of the matter is, if you give up now, you'd certainly give up a whole lot easier then. Ask yourself this question. If I had the opportunity to give sacrificially, to stand patriotically, and to vote particularly for a return of those principles, would I do it? Don't you think about that.
Would you be willing to sacrifice our welfare system and centralized bureaucracy for states' rights, limited government, the right of self-defense, and for liberty and freedom under God as our founding fathers intended? Would you vote that way? Would you stand for that? Would you give sacrificially for that? Listen again. "To you, Sons of Confederate veterans, we submit the vindication of the cause for which we fought. Your strength will be given the defense of the Confederate soldier's good name, the guardianship of his history, the emulation of his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles he loved, which made him glorious.
And I hope this is true of you, which you also cherish."
Conclusion and Prayer
Weaver concludes with a prayer asking for understanding and conformity to the charge's implications.
Do you cherish those principles? Let's pray. Thank You, Father, for Your love and Your grace to us. Thank You for this tremendous charge, and I ask that You would help us to understand the implication of each one of those words and bring our lives into conformity. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Study Guide
Major Themes
Duty and Responsibility
Summary: The charge is a binding oath and duty station, requiring active commitment to vindicate, defend, and perpetuate the Confederate legacy.
Evidence: Weaver explains the biblical and Webster's definitions of 'charge' as an oath, sentry post, and entrusted duty.
Vindication of the Confederate Cause
Summary: Vindication involves defending, justifying, providing proof, and fighting for the cause, which Weaver argues was not slavery but constitutional principles.
Evidence: Weaver defines vindication using Webster's 1828 dictionary and provides the proposed 13th Amendment as proof against the slavery charge.
Preservation of Character through Emulation
Summary: Defending the Confederate soldier's good name requires copying their virtues and perpetuating their principles, especially their Christian faith.
Evidence: Weaver states, 'by emulating their virtues and the perpetuation of his principles' and links duty to Ecclesiastes 12:13.
Guardianship of True History
Summary: The charge includes protecting the true history of the South, ensuring future generations see Confederates as principled men, not rebels.
Evidence: Weaver quotes Commander Owen: 'so that the descendants...would look upon them in their true light as men who fought for principle and for the Constitution.'
Contemporary Application of Principles
Summary: The principles of the Confederacy—states' rights, limited government, self-defense—are still relevant and require sacrifice and standing firm today.
Evidence: Weaver asks, 'Would you be willing to sacrifice our welfare system...for states' rights, limited government...?'
Key Arguments
The war was not over slavery
Summary: Weaver argues the Civil War was not primarily about slavery, citing the proposed 13th Amendment and Lincoln's support as proof that slavery could have been preserved without war.
Evidence: He references the proposed 13th Amendment passed March 2, 1861, and Lincoln's inaugural address endorsing it.
Vindication requires proof and fighting
Summary: Vindication is not just verbal defense but requires hard evidence and a willingness to fight for the cause, as defined by Webster's dictionary.
Evidence: Weaver breaks down vindication into defense, justification, proof, and force, using Webster's 1828 definitions.
Emulation is key to preserving character
Summary: To defend the Confederate soldier's good name, one must emulate their virtues and perpetuate their principles, not just verbally defend them.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'by emulating their virtues and the perpetuation of his principles' and links it to biblical duty.
The South fought for constitutional principles
Summary: The Confederate cause was just and sacred, centered on states' rights, limited government, and the original Constitution, not rebellion.
Evidence: Weaver quotes Jefferson Davis: 'Our cause was so just, so sacred...' and argues the North rebelled against the Constitution.
Failure to stand now means failure later
Summary: If one cannot stand for truth and righteousness in easy times, they will not stand when persecution intensifies, applying to both faith and heritage.
Evidence: Weaver states, 'if you will not stand for the principles...now, you're certainly not going to fight later when the persecution is hot and heavy.'
Scripture References
Genesis 2:16
Context: Weaver cites this to show that 'commanded' means to put under an oath or give a charge, linking to the SCV charge.
Titus 1:10-11
Context: Weaver uses this to argue that false accusers' mouths must be stopped with evidence, not mere opinion.
Proverbs 22:1
Context: Weaver quotes this to emphasize the importance of a good name, paralleling the charge to defend the Confederate soldier's good name.
Proverbs 24:10
Context: Weaver uses this to challenge listeners about their strength in adversity when defending their ancestors.
Jeremiah 12:5
Context: Weaver quotes this to illustrate that if one cannot handle small challenges, they will fail in greater ones, applied to standing for principles.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
Context: Weaver links General Lee's view of duty to this verse, showing duty to God and man as the whole duty of man.
Historical References
Lieutenant General Stephen Dill Lee
Context: Commander of United Confederate Veterans who gave the charge in 1906; born 1833 in Charleston, SC, died 1908 in Vicksburg, MS.
Proposed 13th Amendment (1861)
Context: Passed by Congress on March 2, 1861, to prohibit federal interference with slavery; endorsed by Lincoln, used as evidence war was not over slavery.
President Jefferson Davis
Context: Quoted multiple times to support the justness of the Confederate cause and the need to never deny the principles fought for.
Commander Thomas Owen
Context: Spoke after General Lee at the 1906 convention, emphasizing the true history of the South and the phrase about presenting true history to future generations.
Chaplain Randolph McKim
Context: Confederate chaplain quoted on honoring the heroic dead and the danger of forgetting them.
Mildred Lewis Rutherford
Context: Historian and author referenced for a story about a grandson ashamed of his Confederate grandfather.
General Ulysses S. Grant
Context: Quoted as saying he would resign and join the South if the war was over slavery.
Important Quotes
To you, sons of Confederate veterans, we submit the vindication of the cause for which we fought.
Significance: This is the core of the charge, establishing the primary duty of vindication.
Your strength will be given the defense of the Confederate soldier's good name, the guardianship of his history, the emulation of his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles he loved which also made him glorious and which you also cherish.
Significance: This outlines the specific responsibilities of the charge: defense, guardianship, emulation, and perpetuation.
Never teach your children to admit that their fathers were wrong in their effort to maintain the sovereignty, freedom, and independence which was their inalienable birthright.
Significance: Davis's instruction to preserve the legacy and principles of the Confederacy across generations.
The people that forgets its heroic dead is already dying at the heart.
Significance: Chaplain McKim's warning about the spiritual and cultural death that comes from neglecting history.
Discussion Questions
What does the word 'charge' imply about our responsibility to Confederate heritage?
Context: Weaver explains the biblical and dictionary meanings of charge as an oath and duty station.
How can we effectively vindicate the Confederate cause using historical evidence?
Context: Weaver discusses the need for proof and documentation, citing the proposed 13th Amendment.
In what ways can we emulate the virtues of Confederate soldiers today?
Context: Weaver emphasizes emulation as key to preserving character, linking it to Christian faith and duty.
Why is it important to guard the true history of the South, and how can we do it?
Context: Weaver quotes Commander Owen on presenting Confederates as principled men, not rebels.
What sacrifices are we willing to make to stand for the principles of limited government and states' rights?
Context: Weaver challenges listeners to apply the charge to modern political and personal decisions.
Applications
Know and defend the true cause
Summary: Learn the historical facts to refute false charges that the war was over slavery, using original documents.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'How can we vindicate the cause...if we don't even know the cause?' and provides the 13th Amendment example.
Emulate Confederate virtues
Summary: Copy the honor, courage, and Christian faith of Confederate soldiers to preserve their good name.
Evidence: Weaver states, 'by emulating their virtues and the perpetuation of his principles' and links to biblical duty.
Perpetuate principles to next generation
Summary: Teach children and grandchildren the principles of states' rights, limited government, and self-defense.
Evidence: Weaver asks, 'How can we expect our children...to believe...if we will not?'
Stand firm under pressure
Summary: Do not give in to political correctness or persecution; be determined to stand for truth.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'if you will not stand for the principles...now, you're certainly not going to fight later.'
Sacrifice for principles today
Summary: Be willing to sacrifice welfare systems and centralized bureaucracy for constitutional principles.
Evidence: Weaver asks, 'Would you be willing to sacrifice our welfare system...for states' rights...?'
deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-04T14:03:17Z
deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-05T18:08:55Z