The Battle of Athens

World War II Veterans Firing Upon the Jail

While this title may conjure up images of buff, shirtless dudes yelling "For Sparta!", that doesn't turn out to be quite the case. Athens, although known as a Greek center of great learning and philosophers, is also the name of a nice city in Tennessee. Now in the 1930's and '40's, McMinn county, where Athens is located, became full of political corruption. The sheriff of the county would fix the votes through intimidation tactics, locking in the sheriffs of 1934, '36, '38, '40, '42, and '44. At the same time in this county laws were in place where deputies were payed based on the number of citations they delivered. So, deputies would sometimes pull over buses loaded with people in order to cite and fine them all for drunkenness, just for a buck. As one would imagine this irritated many of the World War II veterans returning home from destroying corrupt governments that ruled their people with iron fists. So, for the August 1946 elections, the veterans created a non-partisan party, the GI Non-Partisan League, in order to combat the evils of the county corruption. During the election, the polls were regularly guarded by 15 deputies, but during the 1946 election 200 deputies guarded the polls, and they began harassing and even beating voters at some locations. Tom Gillespie had it the worst, after submitting his vote he was attacked by the deputies, and while running away, got shot in the back; luckily he survived. After the polls closed, the sheriff and deputies took the ballot boxes back to the jail. This understandably upset the veterans, who rightly believed that they were tampering with the results. So, what do a bunch of young, angry World War II vets who were being beaten and fined do? They get their guns, storm the National Guard armory, grab more guns and ammunition and lay siege to the jailhouse. The reported number of vets varies from several hundred to 2,000 attacking the jail, while 55 deputies defended it. When they arrived, they delivered an ultimatum demanding the ballot boxes. The deputies refused and the veterans began opening fire at the jail. Accounts differ but the shooting probably lasted a few hours, after which someone threw some dynamite at the door and blew it in. This convinced the deputies, some of whom were wounded, to eventually surrender. The GI's established a temporary government and then held elections again. After winning their positions, they instituted reforms placing the max salary of officials at $5,000, and removing the unjust laws of deputies being paid on a per citation basis. The League didn't last long after the overthrow, and the traditional parties soon came back into power, but it will be a long time before we forget about the brave fighters for freedom defending themselves in their own backyards.

Oh the Iron(side)y! Part II

Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth

Now Cromwell was still somewhat unknown to the world, but that would change rather quickly. Because of his position in Parliament, he was given command of a cavalry troop. These well trained and organized troops soon became known throughout as the "Ironsides," the unbeatable cavalry under Cromwell. After the Battle of Marston Moor, Cromwell expanded his command into an army, using his cavalry troops as its foundation. Cromwell began running his army in a revolutionary manner. Officers were promoted based upon merit instead of social position; men were trained thoroughly and equipped well; and all troops were chosen mainly upon their religious convictions and their protestant fervor. This New Model Army, as it was soon called, quickly showed its effectiveness as Cromwell beat back the king's forces, winning significant victories at Edgehill and Naseby. Things appeared to be calming down after the Parliamentarians captured the king and won the First English Civil War. But, Charles I soon escaped and recruited the Scottish army with a promise for church reform leaning towards the Scottish Presbyterian Church. This war did not last long, and the king was soon recaptured in two years' time. This led to the trial of King Charles I for treason, something that had never been done before. Prior to Charles' attempt at defeating the Parliamentarians with the Scots, most of the Parliamentary forces agreed that they were only going to decrease the power of the crown. But, many Parliamentarians felt that the king's pact was an act of treason, and so a Rump Parliament called for his trial. 59 commissioners, or judges, summarily tried and executed the king on the 30th of January 1649, for high treason as a "tyrant, traitor, murderer and public enemy." Parliament then ruled England, at the time one of the few European countries without a monarch, in the form of a Republic, modeled upon Calvin and Knoxs' Presbyterian Church government. However, due to infighting among the various factions of the Parliament, Cromwell felt he must intervene, with the power of the army behind him, and declared himself Lord Protector in 1653. It is interesting to note that as Lord Protector, Cromwell had more power than he would as king, since the power of the monarch had been curtailed throughout the years, while the new position of Lord Protector had no such limitations. Never before nor since has a regular man become so powerful in England. Cromwell led the country for the next five years of his life, until he died in 1658 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Now we reach our moment of irony. Cromwell was, above all, a devout Puritan. As such, he abolished all activities that were thought of as sins, causes of sin, or distraction from important things, such as worship and work. This meant that such things as theater, inns, sports, swearing, and inappropriate clothing were all made illegal, under penalty of fines or even imprisonment. Hopefully, you see now why a casino in Las Vegas named after the most powerful English commoner in history seems rather funny.