The Great Diversion

One of my favorite stories from the Civil War was related in a biography of Stonewall Jackson by a confederate soldier who was positioned on a mountain top overlooking the Shenandoah Valley.  He watched as the valley filled with an unending column of Union soldiers.  He reported that it was the most people he had ever seen in one place and that the blue clad troops stretched beyond his vision.

Then the lookout saw a small group of cavalry streak into view, slashing their way through the Union line.  Leading the mounted soldiers was a man on a white horse.  The Confederate instantly knew that it was Turner Ashby.  Ashby struck a dashing figure in his black feathered hat and flowing beard.  He was known as the “Black Knight of the Confederacy.” 

Painting by John Paul Strain

Like many Southerners, I can rattle off a list of ancestors that fought in the war.  I admit to a strong bias when I view the Confederate effort.  Soldiers like Ashby fuel that bias.  I point to him and think, “Now there is a man.  A man taking it to the enemy against overwhelming odds. He is leading from the front and making a difference.”

At the risk of alienating my entire region, I would like to make one small point.  Ashby simply slowed down the column of Union soldiers.  As he cut through the lines, the Union formed a skirmish line in case he returned, but ultimately the soldiers continued their march.  I am not questioning the heroics or tactics of the action.  My point is that all it did was slow the inevitable.  The Yankees marched on.

But, that image, the one captured in the painting above, is one we love.  I mean just look at the details of the painting.  The Black Knight and his white war horse, alone, surrounded by enemy soldiers.  Two soldiers are reeling from the attack while one shouts an alarm.  Only one Union soldier fights and he takes a riflestock to a sword fight - a poor choice by any measure.  How can we not pull for the Confederate hero?  What man doesn’t want to be memorialized as the Black Knight?

Last year, Operation Something Bruin, a multi-agency undercover investigation into illegal bear hunting, was wrapped up with numerous arrests in North Carolina and Georgia.  The majority of those arrested have plead guilty.  A handful of the more serious violators are awaiting trial in federal court later this month.  They face substantial jail time if convicted.

In recent months, attorneys and family members of those individuals have orchestrated a series of events designed to draw attention away from the prosecution of these cases.  They have lured local politicians into the fray with the hope that the political voices will give credibility to their accusations of misconduct by officers. The politicos show up because in small mountain communities 25 votes can swing an election (they exercise a form the Biblical principle, “…where two or more [voters] are gathered, there I will be also).  The accused have held “forums” where they sought sympathy from the crowd.  Those on the extreme right have used this case to drum up support by pointing to this as another ploy by the government to oppress the citizens.  

Then the mainstream media got involved.  It is interesting that the local television station aired their “investigative report” as the Nielsen sweeps period began for May.  This “hard hitting” piece of journalism showed photos of the undercover officers (let’s not be concerned for their safety) and threw around a monetary cost for the investigation that is a pure fabrication.  The most disturbing aspect of the two-part series is that it amounted to a ten minute infomercial for the lead defense attorney in the case.

All of these are diversionary tactics designed to steer attention away from the facts of the case.  It is very similar to Ashby’s strike through the Union line.  It was a pain in the rear for those intimately involved at the point of the attack, but the mission moved forward.

The thing that saddens me most is that there are real people at the heart of this case.  Both the officers and defendants are the ones taking it on the chin at the expense of those seeking gain from the case.  They are the lookouts on a mountain top or foot soldiers marching into battle.  The attorneys, politicians, and reporters all want to play the role of “Black Knight,” milking the votes, money, ratings or support from a quick appearance before moving on to the next event.

Meanwhile, the foot soldiers march on.