Post by Graveyardbride on Apr 24, 2017 17:27:05 GMT -5
Lanier of Glynn, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Chapter No. 2354, will hold a Confederate Memorial Day Ceremony at 11 a.m. today in Hanover Park in Brunswick, Georgia, to memorialize and honor Confederate and other American veterans. Thomas Marsh Forman Camp No. 485 Sons of Confederate Veterans will also be in attendance with an honor guard salute.
On Tuesday, April 2, Kent Guinn, mayor of Ocala, Florida, announced the city would officially recognize April 26 as Confederate Memorial Day. A proclamation was accepted at a city council meeting by two Ocala residents, Nancy Bowden and Judy Delk, which Mayor Guinn had approved.
The proclamation, which has been archived on the city’s official website, states that the state of Florida provided more “soldiers, sailors, and livestock” (per capita) to support the Confederate army than any other state. It also mentions the idea behind the proposed holiday is to remember the four-year-long American Civil War — which lasted from April 12, 1861, to April 9, 1865 — in an effort to better understand the ideas and ideals that pitted the United States against the Confederate States.
“Whereas April 26 has been designated by the laws of Florida as a legal holiday, Confederate Memorial Day, a time which to honor the memories of those who sacrificed their lives in the war between the states,” the proclamation reads, in part.
While Confederate Memorial Day may not be familiar to some, the holiday has been celebrated for more than 150 years, starting on April 26, 1866. While it is not recognized as an official holiday throughout the United States, some Southern states do observe this day of remembrance. Last year, state government offices in Alabama were closed on April 23, while Mississippi observed the holiday one week later on April 30. Confederate Memorial Day has been referred to as a “State Holiday” since 2015. Last year, it was observed on April 23, even though it is officially recognized April 26.
Numerous other cities, towns and communities throughout Florida and Georgia will be honoring their Confederate dead today.