PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, April is the month in which the people of the Confederate States of America began and ended a four-year heroic struggle for states' rights, individual freedom, local government control and determined struggle for deeply held beliefs; and

WHEREAS, Putnam County and the Upper Cumberland supplied many citizen soldiers and officers who fought for their beliefs in this great struggle; and

WHEREAS, Putnam County, Tennessee has long recognized her Confederate history, the officers and enlisted men of the Confederate States Army and the Navy and those at home who made sacrifices on behalf of their families, homes, communities, and country; and that it is just and right to do so; and

WHEREAS, the noble spirit and inspiring leadership of these great officers, leaders, and the ordinary men and women, free and not free, of the Confederate States is an integral part of the history of all of America; and

WHEREAS, it is important for all citizens of Putnam County to reflect upon our past and to respect the devotion of her Confederate leaders, soldiers, and citizens to the cause of Southern liberty; and

WHEREAS, Putnam County, Tennessee is proud to recognize and celebrate the devotion of her Confederate soldiers and all those from Putnam County and the Upper Cumberland who fought and sacrificed in this great struggle that divided families, the nation, and our State; and

WHEREAS, the knowledge of the role of the Confederate States of America in the history of our nation and our State is vital to understanding who we are and what we are; and

WHEREAS, we honor our past and from it draw the courage, strength and wisdom to reconcile ourselves, and go forward into the future together as citizens of Putnam County, Tennesseans and Americans;

NOW, THEREFORE, I the Honorable Kim Blaylock, County Executive of Putnam County, do hereby recognize April 2003 as Confederate History and Heritage Month in PUTNAM COUNTY, TENNESSEE and urge all citizens of the county to engage in a historical study of the events of the years 1861 to 1865, inclusive, and to solemnly contemplate that time in our history and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.

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