The Columbus weekly dispatch., 1908-05-07
THE ORIGIN OF
THE CELEBRATION
VETERAN OF FORREST-> cav
AIRY TELLS WH1 NEGROES
PROBABLY SELECTED NAY
As EMANCIPATION DAY.
Nome of the ColOred People Could
Give History OF Long Continued
Custom. and It, Origin has
Been in Doubt.

A>EOEl- anu IT AfAd--AA AA=A-
Been in Doubt.
Next Friday viii be the eighth 0f
May, and viii as usual be celebrated
BY negroes OF Columbus and sur
rounding country as emancipation
day. For several years past The Dis
patch has been making eEorts 70 ind
out why the eighth OF Nay was se-
lected by the colored brethren 70 eel
ebrate their freedom, as the taT does
not mark the anniversary % the
proclamation OF President Lincoln
declaring them 10 be free. nor IS ir
the anniversary OF the surrender o.
the Confederate forces The rrocIa-
nation giving the blacks their free
dom was issued in the fail 81 1>sa.
becoming effective January 1st. 1Ss5-
and Lees surrender to Grant took
place the following April. So. accord
ing TO the most reliable historic
data, May Sth does not Eeura OF
1ciaUy in the chronology oE che eIVtl
war.
A Dispatch reporter has talked tc
nearly all of the most intelligent ue-
groes in Columbus on the subject
and not one of them can give q l1ei-
cal reason. or any reason 1t all- as
for that matter, for celebrating 2ay
Sth as the anniversary of their Lre=-
dom. A number Of Confederate vet
erans have also been interviewed on
the subject, and while none can give
positive Information regarding the
origin OF the celebration, a meubei
OF Forests cavalry has furnished
what seems to be a logical solution
Of the exceedingly ne5ulous prob
lem.
The celebration is a local castou-
and the veteran above referred 20
thinks that May Sth probably marks
the anniversary OF the day on which
negroes in this section learned IL
their release from bondage. Through
their characteristic ignorance con-
corning current events they had
failed to gain knowledge OF either
LincoIn's emancipation proclamation
or Lees surrender. and il vas nor
until the last skirmish of the war
had taken place that they learned of
their freedom. News travelled very
slowly in those DAYS. and it was not
until several weeks after Lees sur
render that some of the Confederate
soldiers knew that the war was OF
ficiaIIy over This accounts for the
fact that there was q szlrwish Der
tween Union and Confederate forces \
near Selma early in the month ot
May, 1865, and while the date OF the
skirmish cannot be definitely 6xed. It
was probably the eighth Of the
month, and the negroes siezed upca
that day as the date Of their free
dom, and have been celebrating the
anniversary ever since
The Confederate forces engaged 81
the skirmish at Selma formed a Her-
tion of FORESTS cavalry. and several
veterans who took part IA the Eshr
are now living in Columbus Gel
seems. however, that the fgh- u
one Of minor Importance. and none
OF them remember the name 6 the
general commanding the Elz11
forces. The slzirm5zh was of saeh On
Insignificant nature that. 50 E1r as
can be learned. it is not recorded f1 .
any history of the civil war. and. as .
stated above, came TO the knowledge .
Of The Dispatch reporter in his alar- .
to ascertain the origin o. the eighth F.
Of May celebration. Even wira rh5s .
in hand. the history Of Z
the celebration cannot be positively .
traced, but the skirmfsh AZ Selma .
furnishes the most logical reason for Il
the celebration of the day that duH- 4
gent inquiry has brought about and +.
IS given for what il is worth