Reading a book about Thomas Stonewall Jackson and it talks a lot about his time at VMI including many of the cadets service in the war between the states. Great place.

BTW, I apologize for helping to hijack this thread into a History Board rather than Politics board topic.

Buck Turgidson said:

---

---

Can you please explain to my why at age 54, I'm hearing for the very first time that it was cadets from The Citadel who started the Civil War?

All of our history teachings have been that The South attacked the North at Fort Sumter and then "it was on like Donkey Kong".

This is worse than WWI being started by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

A single Battery manned by cadets, or maybe even a single gun fired on a Union ship and hundreds of thousands of Americans (on both sides) died as a result.

Especially after that "This Blue Uniform" USMA Professor failed to cover this in his video about why the South was so bad a few years ago.

Wow. My mind is blown right now. I guess I'll have to get back to work - before I head out to VMI this evening.

I love that SO MUCH.

But but but….CNN said he hates the military and veterans….

jokershady said:

---

But but but….CNN said he hates the military and veterans….

---

Oh is it bone spurs time again

HollywoodBQ said:

---

Blackhorse83 said:

---

Had an Army buddy from VMI. That is one big A$$ ring.

---

My daughter's ring is huge. The fashion for the girls in recent years is to get the same gigantic ring the males get.

---

It's the fashion for the ladies at the Citadel as well.

VitruvianAg said:

---

I did a Sports Barr addition to Smiley's in Raphine a few years ago (if you know, you know), had to go to Lexington to submit my permit plans to Rockbridge County.

What a different life from FFX CO, Plan Review Staff were friendly, supportive, eager to help...had the permit in a couple weeks, would have taken 3 months around here.

---

I stopped by Smiley's on Sunday afternoon on the way to Richmond.
That Sports Bar was pretty awesome and really not that far from Lexington.

After our awful service at Macados in Lexington after the football game on Saturday, next time we'll drive up to Raphine.

Saturday at VMI was picture perfect.
Fantastic weather and I got a lot of compliments on my Dark MAGA hat.

Thanks to all for posting this about VMI. Didn't know most of it and found it very interesting. Looked up the Battle Streamers and found this on Citadel.edu:

"As a result of actions on the battlefield by The Battalion of State Cadets, The Citadel earned the right to post nine "institutional" battle streamers for "significant participation in a battle of historical importance." Only VMI (one "institutional" streamer), Florida State, William & Mary and Univ. of Hawaii Army ROTC units (each with one) have also been authorized that right. The national service academies post the battle streamers of their respective services, but none for "institutional" participation by the cadet corps."

That same site also describes how Battalion of State Cadets fired on the union ship Star of the West that effectively started the civil war. Something else I never knew.