Painting of the Battle of Guilford Court House from Soldiers of the American Revolution by H. Charles McBarron. (Courtesy of the United States Army Center of Military History)

Morning, gang.

People are celebrating Memorial Day all across the country today, including here in Greensboro.

The holiday means a lot of things to a lot of people—a three-day weekend, barbecues and pool parties, the unofficial beginning of summer. But it’s worth taking a moment today to remember it’s actually a time to honor all who have died in service to the United States in both peace and wartime.

That sounds simple enough. But, like a lot of the most American things, it never has been.

Families, friends, and neighbors of those lost in war were decorating their graves and honoring their service in this country since before there was a United States. The Civil War led to separate celebrations of Union and Confederate fallen in the North and South. The first official proclamation of a national “Decoration Day” came in 1868, with Gen. John A. Logan’s General Orders No. 11 — and it was pointedly for only the Union dead.

The order designated the 30th of May “for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land.”

The wounds of America’s bloodiest conflict were fresh—an estimated 620,000 dead, about 2 percent of what was then the total population. The words and tone of Logan’s order made that clear.

“We are organized, comrades, as our regulations tell us, for the purpose, among other things, ‘of preserving and strengthening those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound together the soldiers, sailors and marines who united to suppress the late rebellion,’” Logan wrote. “What can aid more to assure this result than by cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foes? Their soldier lives were the reveille of freedom to a race in chains and their deaths the tattoo of rebellious tyranny in arms. We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance.”

Logan’s declaration didn’t go over in Southern states, which continued to have their own, separate memorials to the Confederate dead. If you don’t think Logan’s words would still stir some ill will in the modern South, you weren’t on the highway with me over the weekend behind a Tesla Cybertruck with a “Confederate States of America” bumper sticker.

More war and shared bloodshed would be necessary to unite the entire country behind a single, nationwide Memorial Day. The Spanish-American War (approximately 2,400 Americans killed in action) and World War I (approximately 116,000) went a long way toward getting the job done. By the mid-20th century, U.S. presidents were regularly issuing Memorial Day proclamations and it was celebrated throughout the country, though not always on the same day or the same way. In 1968, Congress finally set one uniform, national Memorial Day on the last Monday in May.

Greensboro is named for Major General Nathanael Greene, who commanded revolutionary American forces against the British at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in 1781. Greene lost the battle, but his forces killed and wounded so many British that it’s seen as a key moment in the unraveling of the crown’s hold on the South and instrumental to an ultimate defeat at Yorktown.

In our current, sharply divided America, it’s worth remembering how fractured and fractious Americans were even in those early days of the Republic. Native Americans and colonists alike were torn between the Loyalist and Patriot causes, and violence wasn’t just on the battlefield. Politically motivated riots, assaults, and lynchings were a part of this country from its beginnings. Who to honor among the fallen in conflicts and wars—and how to honor them—is a debate as old as America itself.

My father lived through multiple foreign wars during his long career as a U.S. Marine. My grandfathers, both sailors, survived their own. Veteran’s Day is for honoring their service. Today is for remembering those who gave what Lincoln called “the last full measure of devotion.”

And for thinking about how and why.

— Joe Killian

Thanks for reading The Thread, a 3x week newsletter written by Greensboro editor Joe Killian and reporters Sayaka Matsuoka and Gale Melcher. Reach us with tips or ideas at greensboro@theassemblync.com.

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The Agenda

Your Look at Local Government this Week

Local government touches our lives every day, and there’s no better way to stay in touch than attending a local meeting. Here’s your rundown of what’s happening across Guilford County this week.

City of Greensboro
Board of Adjustment meeting
5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27 @ Melvin Municipal Office Building, 300 W. Washington St.  in the Katie Dorsett Council Chambers

The board’s agenda for this month includes two requests for variances, which would permit owners to do something outside the rules of their zoning ordinance. One, for 5704 Woodrose Lane, would allow an existing house and proposed addition to encroach by seven feet on the required 20-foot setback, meaning that the house and addition will be 13 feet from the rear property line. The other is for 207 Pineburr Rd. No more than 1,033 square feet is allowed for total building coverage of all accessory structures on the lot, and the residents have requested a variance for 1,200 square feet.

Historic Preservation Commission meeting
4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28 @ Melvin Municipal Office Building, 300 W. Washington St.  in the plaza level conference room

The commission will consider approving certificates of appropriateness for the installation of two sections of privacy fencing at the Bumpas-Troy House at 114 S. Mendenhall St., alterations to the rear porch enclosure of 706 Simpson St., and replacement of a window and alterations to the roof of the Queen Anne-style 822 Spring Garden St.

The commission will also discuss an education and outreach committee, as well as go over a staff approval report and a recap of Preservation Greensboro, Inc.’s annual Tour of Homes from last weekend. Also, an at-large seat and Fisher Park seat are about to open up. Apply for the vacancies on the city’s website.

City Council work session

2 p.m. on Thursday, May 29 @ Melvin Municipal Office Building, 300 W. Washington St.  in the plaza level conference room

The Agenda for this meeting is not yet available.

City of High Point 
City Council Finance Committee meeting
4 p.m. on Thursday, May 29 @ 211 S. Hamilton St.

The agenda for this meeting is not yet available.

Links to local board meetings and agendas:

Guilford County – Board of Commissioners

Guilford County – School Board

Greensboro – City Council

Greensboro – City Calendar

High Point – City Council

— Gale Melcher

Read this newsletter online or contact The Thread team with tips and feedback at greensboro@theassemblync.com.

Joe Killian is The Assembly's Greensboro editor. He joined us from NC Newsline, where he was senior investigative reporter. He spent a decade at The News & Record covering cops and courts, higher education, and government.

Gale is a Report for America corps member and Greensboro-based reporter for The Assembly. She previously covered local government and community issues for Triad City Beat. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from N.C. State University.