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How many of yall are familiar with The Battle of Athens? (Tennessee, 1946)
Posted on 3/15/24 at 11:13 am
Posted on 3/15/24 at 11:13 am
quote:
Officially, the “Battle of Athens” in McMinn County began and ended on August 1, 1946. Following a heated competition for local offices, veterans in the insurgent GI Non-Partisan League took up arms to prevent a local courthouse ring headed by state senator Paul Cantrell and linked to Memphis political boss Ed Crump from stealing the election. When Sheriff Pat Mansfield's deputies absconded to the jail with key ballot boxes, suspicious veterans took action. A small group of veterans broke into the local National Guard Armory, seized weapons and ammunition, and proceeded to the jail to demand the return of the ballot boxes. The Cantrell-Mansfield deputies refused, and the veterans, now numbering several hundred, opened fire. The ensuing battle lasted several hours and ended only after the dynamiting of the front of the jail. The surrender of the deputies did not end the riot, and the mob was still turning over police cars and burning them hours later. Within days the local election commission swore in the veteran candidates as duly elected. The McMinn County veterans had won the day in a hail of gunfire, dynamite, and esprit de corps.
LINK
WIKI
Why is this the first time I’ve EVER heard about this? I took three different American history classes in MS/HS, and two different courses on American history in college and I’ve never heard about this. Why? This seems like a pretty important piece of American history
Pretty interesting in my opinion
11
Posted on 3/15/24 at 11:16 am to TheRouxGuru
Is this supposed to be a honeypot thread? I can't tell.
Posted on 3/15/24 at 11:20 am to TheRouxGuru
Because it's hard to push a repeal of the 2nd Amendment when you can show it has been used to thwart domestic despotism.
See also: discussions about defensive uses of firearms per year versus shootings.
See also: discussions about defensive uses of firearms per year versus shootings.
This post was edited on 3/15/24 at 11:22 am
Posted on 3/15/24 at 11:22 am to TheRouxGuru
There was a movie made about this back in the late 70’s/early 80’s. I remember watching it a couple of times when I was a kid.
EDIT: Found it on YouTube. It’s called “An American Story.”
EDIT: Found it on YouTube. It’s called “An American Story.”
This post was edited on 3/15/24 at 11:24 am
Posted on 3/15/24 at 11:27 am to TheRouxGuru
I saw a video about that a year ago. Back in those days a lot of small towns were run by 'families.' They weren't Mafia but they were an organized gang.
When I was a kid there were gang owned bars on old Hwy 90 outside New Iberia heading to Lafayette. If you wanted to open a competing bar on that strip you better have good fire insurance because they mysteriously kept getting burned down in the middle of the night.
When I was a kid there were gang owned bars on old Hwy 90 outside New Iberia heading to Lafayette. If you wanted to open a competing bar on that strip you better have good fire insurance because they mysteriously kept getting burned down in the middle of the night.
Posted on 3/15/24 at 11:31 am to TheRouxGuru
quote:
How many of yall are familiar with The Battle of Athens?
Read about it several times but I read a lot of history...
Very interesting but today the "veterans" would have been labeled domestic terrorists and be serving time or hung...
Posted on 3/15/24 at 11:32 am to TheRouxGuru
Shay’s Rebellion, Tulsa Race Riots, etc.
Posted on 3/15/24 at 1:47 pm to TheRouxGuru
I grew up right around Athens and didn't hear about it until a few years ago from a Youtube video.
Posted on 3/15/24 at 1:55 pm to TheRouxGuru
I seem to recall a movie made about this battle against corruption.
Posted on 3/15/24 at 1:57 pm to TheRouxGuru
I am very familiar with the story. That was when men were men and corrupt politicians actually feared the Second Amendment.
Some of those World War II boys had just seen three or four years of warfare. They weren't in the mood for games at election time.
Some of those World War II boys had just seen three or four years of warfare. They weren't in the mood for games at election time.
Posted on 3/15/24 at 4:07 pm to AaronTN
quote:
I grew up right around Athens and didn't hear about it until a few years ago from a Youtube video.
I have family in McMinn County and spent time there in my early yute (late 1940s and early 1950s). I had never heard of this event until a few years ago.
Posted on 3/15/24 at 8:05 pm to blueridgeTiger
Crazy how that works huh?
Posted on 3/15/24 at 10:21 pm to TheRouxGuru
If you are from Tennessee, and not some transplant, you most likely have heard of it. While you're digging into Tennessee history, may want to read up on the Coal Creek Wars as well. It's a warm hearted story about coal miners taking up arms against the state government to stop convict labor in the coal mines.
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