Say hello to John C. Breckinridge. More specifically, say hello to a statue of John C. Breckinridge erected in Lexington, Kentucky in 1887.Breckinridge was no Henry Clay, but he's probably a respectable second in the pantheon of Lexington power politicians. Clay, of course, was one of the most capable statemen of the first half of the nineteenth century, and is justly famous for his ability to create compromise between seemingly irreconcilable positions. Breckinridge is less famous for serving as the Vice-President of United States under James Buchanan, for running for President under the Southern Democrat ticket in 1860, and finally for serving as the last Secretary of War of the Confederate States of America.
After fleeing to the South at the beginning of the war (a simple declaration of loyalty would have sufficed to secure his position in the North), Breckinridge joined the Confederate Army as a Brigadier General. He fought at Stone's River, Chickamauga, Chatanooga, Shiloh, Cold Harbor, and New Market. At the last, he led the cadre of Virginia Military Institute cadets. In 1865, President Jefferson Davis made Breckinridge Secretary of War, a position that last until the collapse of the Confederacy. Fearing a trial for treason, he fled to Cuba and various points north and east. After an amnesty, he returned to the United States in 1869, and, to his very mild credit, spoke out against the depredations of the Ku Klux Clan.
Breckinridge is notable among the Confederate elite not because of his record nor even his relationship with VMI, but rather because he represents a effective counterpoint to the "but he was loyal to his state" treason-in-defense-of-slavery excuse. It's commonplace around here to joke that "Kentucky joined the Confederacy in 1866," which is funny because it's funny and funny because it's true. Kentucky did not secede from the Union, and in spite of the best efforts of the Confederacy remained firmly within Union hands for the entirety of the war. John C. Breckinridge, had he remained loyal to his state, would have fought in Union armies and perhaps served in the United States government. Indeed, he probably would have done quite well; Lincoln was happy to integrate loyal Southerners into his government. Instead, John C. Breckinridge decided that he would engage in armed rebellion against his government in defense of the cause of slavery. He, like so many others, fought, died, and killed because they believed in the right of white people to own black people. In most cases, the advocates of slavery had enough power to force their states into secession and general armed rebellion. Breckinridge wasn't so fortunate, but his regard for Kentucky paled in comparison to his enthusiasm for slavery. The "loyalty to my state" dodge is, in most cases, a transparent fabrication. Robert E. Lee was the most prominent member of the small minority of the Confederate elite who openly opposed secession but decided to serve the Confederacy anyway. Most supported secession, fully understanding that it would mean armed conflict, because they believed that Abraham Lincoln would take away their slaves, or at least put in motion the machinery to do so.
The Breckinridge statue was erected next to the Fayette County Courthouse in 1887, a few years after Reconstruction breathed its last, and just as Jim Crow was coming to dominate the South. It didn't need to happen; instead of the statues to Breckinridge and Confederate General John Hunt Morgan in Lexington, and an enormous memorial to Confederate war dead in Louisville, the political elite in Kentucky might have created monuments to Americans who remained loyal.
What I would like to see more than anything else would be the destruction, Saddam style, of the statue of Breckinridge. It might be replaced with some other worthy Kentuckan, or even with Abraham Lincoln, who was, after all, born in the state. Cassius Marcellus Clay, an abolitionist born in Kentucky and educated at Transylvania University, would be one option. Barring that, I'd like this added to his statue:
JOHN C. BRECKINRIDGE
BELIEVED THAT THE RIGHT OF WHITE PEOPLE TO OWN BLACK PEOPLE WAS WORTH KILLING FOR
BELIEVED THAT THE RIGHT OF WHITE PEOPLE TO OWN BLACK PEOPLE WAS WORTH KILLING FOR
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