Remembering America’s Successful Armed Rebellion
“The Fighting Bunch” by Chris DeRose
You don’t need that scary “black rifle.” Turn in your AR-15s as the last time there was an armed rebellion to secure the freedoms of American citizens was in the 18th century. That was back when the primary military arm was muzzle-loaded muskets. While this argument sounds convincing, it is absolutely false. The last successful armed rebellion to re-establish free elections within the United States occurred in the 20th century and included weapons such as Thompson submachine guns and Springfield M1903 rifles. The real question is why isn’t this rebellion better remembered?
Author Chris DeRose wrote a fascinating account of the “Battle of Athens” that occurred in 1946 in McMinn County, Tennessee. This book interweaves the heroic accounts of battlefield performance of local citizens during WWII and their return home to continue the fight for democratic systems of government. This book will remind the reader why this generation is known as the “greatest generation.” This book captured a critical moment in American history that participants didn’t record within their lifetimes for real fear of prosecution. While their actions were certainly justified, a group of armed veterans were forced to engage in firefights with corrupt law enforcement, burglarized county property to secure the required tools, kidnapped sheriff deputies, and even dynamited the local jail in order to ensure the election ballots were appropriately tallied.
The story DeRose captures seems almost unimaginable but yet it was true. Politicians paid themselves exorbitant salaries, while further profiting off bribes and kickbacks. The sheriff and his deputies would grow so bold as to start policing for profit. Arrests were made only to have charges invented later. Service members, known for having money, became easy targets for corrupt deputies. This even led to the murder of at least one sailor. It is hard to believe that a US service member could be murdered by law enforcement during a time of war but yet it happened. There was nothing to check this political cabal from robbing honest citizens, intimidating those that would dare vote against them, and their outright election fraud. That was until, the veterans returned home. Forming a non-partisan “GI Party,” veterans that had face the risk of death overseas could not be frightened at home in their attempts to restore an honest government.
This book, while capturing unique moment in American history, serves as a powerful warning to politicians, judges, and citizens alike. Political corruption, voter intimidation, and the false appearance of free elections are a direct threat to the American Republic. We should all be constantly mindful of the political processes that are being used, the laws being emplaced, and the execution of our elections to ensure that votes are truly being counted as cast, voters are free to vote in accordance with their own wishes, and the process is being conducted in an open manor that limits the possibility of what happened in McMinn county.
I would encourage everyone to read this book and take a moment to reflect on the brave men and women that are willing to risk their lives on foreign battlefields and at home to secure the American way of life. Let us remember the individualism that made and keeps this country great. Let it remind us of the indomitable spirit of American citizens in the past and into the future.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for giving me the opportunity to be an early reviewer of this book.
