A descendant of a slave, 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 General Robert E. Lee. Turner Hall,
Jr. returned to Okolona, Mississippi after the Civil
War. Hall served a prominent family in that community
for five generations. His life's journey eventually led
him to Hugo, Oklahoma where he established himself as
the town's most distinguished citizen receiving acclaim
from Black and White citizens alike for his service. In
1938, his journey continued to Pennsylvania as the last
Civil War veteran from his community to attend the final
Civil War veteran reunion, as a Black Confederate. He
also traveled to New York City and was interviewed by
the national talk radio show, "We, The People" in 1940.
One hundred and three years after the Civil War, Hall's
great-great grandson, Al Arnold, was born in Okolona,
Mississippi. Raised in North Mississippi, Al would later
discover the history of his ancestor and began an eight
year journey of why, how and for what reasons his
ancestor served the Confederate armies? To his
amazement, Al discovered that seventy two years after
the Civil war, his ancestor was a proud Confederate and
held in his possession a cherished gift from the
Confederate Civil War general, Nathan Bedford Forrest.
Al's personal research discovered that his ancestor was
owned by Forrest and was enthusiastically warm toward
the general and his service to the Confederate armies.
This amazing connection to two famous Confederate
generals awakened a new perception of curiosity about
Confederate heritage in Al and challenged his
traditional thoughts. He grew to accept his heritage and
now embraces it with a desire to see African Americans
embrace Confederate heritage instead of rejecting it on
the notion of modern ideology. This is a deep 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. Al tells the story of
Turner Hall, Jr., his personal Confederate journey and
how family and faith has brought harmony to his new
found heritage. Arnold argues for the revitalization of
the lost 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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