The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

Patriots Day 9-11

by Dessa Rodeffer-Publisher/Owner

11 September 2013

Today is Patriot's Day, and how we remember the rumble of 9-11 when we all experienced an attack on our beloved America.

So many times we grumble about what is going on in our homes, our state, and our nation only to find out when we are attacked, we will fight for her tooth and nail. Since I joined the Southeast Iowa Civil War Round Table, I have learned a small portion of a big part of our history that I had turned my back on before.

When you get your heart and your head into the stories that have made our country what it is, then you swell with pride for what we have here and you shed tears for those who have lost love ones, homes, jobs, to keep us and our country united and free. The photo here is when the SEICWRT traveled to Vicksburg as Civil War reenactors and guests of Governor Terry Branstad to rededicate the Iowa Civil War Memorial.

Roughly 1,800 Iowans were part of the 4,835 casualties from that bloody and short battle-the siege on Vicksburg. Looking back on history, the fog is lifted and it is a clearer picture of how both north and south sacrificed, but now strive harder to better understand. Former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour and Sid Champion III of Champion Hill, and the whole of Vicksburg welcomed Iowans (and a few of us from Illinois) royally to make up for the reception they gave the north 150 years ago. It was very moving and heart felt.

This Thursday Sept 12th, SEICWRT invites you to see Love & Valor - The Intimate Civil War Letters, at The Capitol Theater, 211 N. 3rd, Burlington, IA at 7 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m. ($5).