By Lt. Col. Edwin L. Kennedy, Jr, USA ret, USMA ’76
STARRS Ambassador
In 2020, as a result of the drug overdose death of George Floyd, a simmering paroxysm of hate against Confederate memorials and monuments broke out across the country. The totally irrational hate translated into equally irrational acts of vandalism and destruction.
In the minds of Antifa, BLM, and other leftists, the memorials and monuments were responsible for the death of George Floyd even though not a single Confederate memorial or monument was near Minneapolis where Floyd died.
This illogical correlation of past racial injustices to current, perceived racial injustice causation culminated in the heavily biased, Congressionally mandated, “Naming Commission” in 2021.
The brainchild of Senator Elizabeth Warren (ironically from the state that murdered citizens accused of being witches), the “Naming Commission” was formed to rid the DoD of all references to the Confederacy.
Despite the fact that racial injustice and Confederate memorials are mutually exclusive, the formation of the “Naming Commission” was a feel-good action to satisfy the extremists on the left who do not know history, and don’t care.
The Commission led to the scouring of all references to the Confederacy on DoD installations and even the outrageous and illegal removal of the beautiful Arlington Cemetery Reconciliation Memorial despite the laws and regulations protecting it.
So, when sanity returned to our government on 20 January 2025, damage to our cultural heritage began to get repaired. SECDEF Hegseth outlined his thoughts on how he would specifically fix the damage to our military in his 2024 book, “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free”.
It is clear that Hegseth hates political correctness and “Woke”. The changing of names and removal of memorials and monuments is “Woke”. Hegseth has acted to reverse the actions based on post hoc, ergo propter hoc logic of the left by restoring what was done under the thin guise of “racial social justice”.
At the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, there were a number of targets for the New Age Jacobins to destroy. The names of several facilities including a cadet barracks complex were affected. Notably both the highly visible and beautiful Reconciliation Plaza and also the eight-foot tall portrait of General Robert E. Lee in the cadet library were targeted.
The Reconciliation Plaza was a class gift of the USMA class of 1961. I saw this beautiful plaza when my son graduated in 2008. It was an aesthetically pleasing addition to the Academy. It was also educational.
The Plaza consisted of numerous, polished, engraved granite stones with quotes and stories of both Union and Confederate graduates of West Point. Many poignant stories are related.
Nothing of the Plaza commemorated the Confederacy. It commemorates “reconciliation” of two opposing sides of our country. This totally and completely escaped the Naming Commission that, led by the former head of the West Point history department, saw it as their mission to erase factual history by declaring everything as “racist”.
My attempts to have the Academy tell me specifically what they removed as “racist” have been thwarted but I assume that the carving of General Lee on one stone marker is gone. This is “1984” in full force.
In 1958 during the administration of President Eisenhower, USMA ’15, two distinguished graduates, Generals Grant and Lee, were honored with life-sized portraits placed in the Academy’s library.
Eisenhower was an admirer of both men but particularly Lee. A copy of Lee’s portrait was displayed in the Oval Office.
The portrait of General Robert E. Lee at West Point was sited in the library’s first floor in one of the main lounge rooms on the east side of the entrance. Across from him, on the west side of the room, was an equally sized portrait of General U.S. Grant, his antagonist during the war. Both men were very highly respected soldiers and distinguished graduates of the Academy.
The artist of the portraits did a remarkable job with the details of the facial features and the uniforms. They do great credit to both men.
While General Grant had several horses, Cincinnati being the best known, General Lee and his horse Traveler are almost synonymous. Lee’s portrait shows Traveler being led in the distance. Who is leading him has become a point of contention with liberal interpretations that use this point to criticize the recent return of the portrait to the West Point library.
Until WWII, the position of “orderly” for officers of the U.S. Army was common. Soldiers were usually selected on merit and released from fatigue details to perform this duty. Being the “colonel’s orderly” was a desirable duty and consisted of grooming and saddling the colonel’s horse, cleaning uniforms, shining boots, and running minor errands.
The soldiers (known as “Strikers”) could also do this duty when off regular duty and were paid extra. It is an old tradition. It was de facto in the 1800s and early 1900s US Army. Orderlies or Strikers did numerous tasks to assist officers to reduce the burdens on administrative, household actions.
Because, before WWI, many officers typically rode horses (even in the infantry!), horse care was important. This time-consuming, physical work could easily be done by an orderly. So, did General Lee have an orderly? It would be hard to imagine the army commander caring for his own horse. The fact is, we know he had an orderly. There are written accounts of it.
So who were Lee’s orderlies and what is the “so what”?
Current shrill criticism of Lee’s portrait at West Point is focused on his orderly, not him. The fact that in the background of the painting, Lee’s orderly is leading Traveler and this has the lefts’ heads exploding. It is prima facie “proof” that Lee was a nasty racist abusing slaves according to them. The historical facts are likely more than these history deniers can take.
Lee’s orderly, a black man leading his horse Traveler, is very likely Turner Hall, Jr. Yes, he was enslaved until the end of the war but in a remarkable turn of events, his name has been recently discovered.
One of the descendants of Turner Hall, Jr. is Al Arnold of Okolona, Mississippi. In an amazing story, now recorded in his book, “Robert E. Lee’s Orderly: A Modern Black Man’s Confederate Journey” (2017), Al follows the records and photographic evidence to prove that his ancestor was, in fact, General Lee’s orderly. Turner Hall, Jr. lived to the incredible age of 104. I leave it to the readers of this piece to study the amazing details in the book.
Hall was an honored Confederate commemorated by the Confederate veterans. He attended many army reunions and his stories substantiated and related on a national radio program in 1940.
The fact is, Hall respected and admired General Lee as well as his former owner, General Nathan Forrest. Forrest and Hall became friends with after the war. Do you hear the heads exploding yet?
While this belies stereotypical arguments to the contrary, Al Arnold has found the documentation which he cites in his superlative book. I encourage all to read this book with an open mind.
So, back to the orderly on Lee’s portrait. Numerous news networks are railing against the return of the portrait by Secretary Hegseth. The problem is that they are making assumptions without the facts. If they knew that Turner Hall, Jr. was a Confederate who admired and respected the generals he had worked for during the war, this would change the entire argument against the portrait.
The orderly for Lee, miraculously discovered accidently by a direct descendant, is now the object of an issue that the left cannot handle.
Immortalized on the portrait is a loyal Confederate orderly who I firmly believe is Turner Hall, Jr., not lost to history but an important part of it immortalized at West Point.
To deny Turner Hall, Jr’s place in history would be to deny the facts, and, in the words of the detractors, be “racist”.
Let Turner Hall, Jr. remain in his place of honor alongside his general.
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LtCol (ret) Edwin L. Kennedy enlisted in 1971 and graduated with the USMA class of 1976. He is a certified 5X Army historian and graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College and the Israeli Armored Corps Commanders Course.
Robert E. Lee’s Orderly: A Modern Black Man’s Confederate Journey
Book Description: A descendant of Nathan Bedford Forrest’s slaves, Al Arnold, tells his journey of embracing his Confederate heritage. His ancestor, Turner Hall, Jr., a Black Confederate, served as a body servant for two Confederate soldiers and an orderly for Gen. Robert E. Lee. Turner Hall, Jr. was celebrated by Blacks and Whites in his community. Hall attended the last Civil War reunion at Gettysburg in 1938. He was interviewed by the national talk radio show, “We, The People”.
This is a personal journey of faith, heritage, race and family wrapped around the grace of God through the eyes and honest thoughts of a modern Black man. Arnold argues for African Americans to embrace Confederate heritage to capture the enriched Black history of the Civil War era. He bestows dignity and honor on his Confederate ancestor and challenges the traditional thoughts of modern African Americans. Arnold rests in his faith as the uniting force that reconciles our colorful past to our bright future.
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Review
A book for all modern Americans., December 15, 2015
This is an excellent book and should be read by everyone in America. Not only does it tell the history of a very proud veteran but relates the times of the 1860’s to those of today. Very compelling.
A Must Read For Every US Citizen, December 22, 2015
Excellent…excellent…excellent! This story needed to be told. Finally, someone has the courage to challenge the distorted meaning of “confederate”. Far too long the bigots and hate groups have hi-jacked the meaning of “confederate” and the flag without any recourse. Now an African American and true descendant of an actual slave participant in the Confederate Army during the Civil War has emerged to tell the story of his great-great grandfather. Regardless of how minuscule some may view his role, it was a role that was vital and had to be done by someone. Having served in the military myself during the first Gulf War, I clearly understand that all roles of the military are important, and even more so during war time. What an amazing story! Unlike myself and others who have allowed hate groups to hi-jack the meaning of “confederate” due to our ignorance or fear of political, social or cultural backlash…Mr. Arnold has boldly stood up for a heritage that he and his family are so rightfully due. Like Mr. Arnold, I too am African American and proud to be from the wonderful state of Mississippi. I must admit…I certainly did not agree with him on the representation of the confederate flag but through the reading of this book (twice), I am now challenging my own perception of what I thought to be true. I believe every citizen of the United States should read this book (young and old alike) because it’s time that we as citizens challenge many of the distorted perceptions plaguing our great nation. We live in an information age; therefore the truth behind many buried lies will eventually find its way to the surface. We can remain in denial and prolong the change that’s inevitable or courageously embrace it to better mankind. I challenge anyone that has not read this book to do so and “dare” to allow Mr. Arnold to take you on a journey that might make you really think. Job well done…Mr. Arnold!
5.0 This is an inspiring work of literature, By James B Johnsonon December 17, 2015
The historical aspect of this book is excellent! I love history but what really inspired me was how Mr. Arnold incorporates the way we actually can get along despite our differences and by embracing our differences, all cultures become richer in doing so! I could go on and on but I urge everyone to read this book!!
About the Author
Al grew up in the Northeast Mississippi region graduating from Shannon High School in 1986. Al lived in the small town of Verona during his youth years. He attended Jackson State University and graduated Magna Cum-Laude from the University of Mississippi in 1991. Al was voted most outstanding student by the faculty and currently works as a healthcare consultant. He came to the knowledge of his Confederate ancestor in 2008. He started to search for an understanding of why, how, what and when did his great-great grandfather serve during the Civil War. His journey has led him to embrace his Confederate heritage and the roles of slaves in the Civil War. He is a member of the Civil War Roundtable in Jackson, MS. He has a desire to see more African Americans study the Civil War and their connections to this vital part of America’s history. He believes the Civil War history is Black history. Al is married to his wife of 28 years. As a Christian, Al holds firmly to faith in Jesus Christ alone as the only hope for humanity in salvation, forgiveness, oneness, and love. He is an ordained Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America where he attends a multi-ethnic church in Jackson, MS. Al loves Bluegrass and Country music. A country boy who loves backyard gardening, cooking, squirrel hunting, studying the Civil War, Church history, old people and The Great State of Mississippi.
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