ABOUT US
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The Confederate Historical Association of
Belgium (CHAB) is an association founded in 1972 as a
non-profit organization. It is a documentation and research center with
the principal vocation of encouraging and promoting literary studies,
theses and scholarly work on the history of the
United States in the XIXth century and, in particular, of the
American Civil War which opposed the Southern and Northern states from
1861 to 1865. Our aim is to convey an objective approach to historical
facts and to emphasize on the economic and political causes of a war
that many tend to consider as a simple crusade against slavery.
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The
CHAB
cannot be associated in any way with extremist groups using the flag or
other symbols specific to the old Confederate States to promote a racist
ideology. Moreover, it does not take part in reenactment activities. The
association regroups historians, history buffs and collectors of military
and civil artifacts dating from the American Civil War. We maintain close
contacts with the Center for American Studies of the Royal Library of
Belgium. We also correspond with several American universities, societies,
museums, Round Tables of the North and South as well as associations of
descendants of veterans of the Civil War.
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Our former
honorary president, Prince Victor Mansfield de Polignac, who died at the
age of 99, was the last living son of Confederate General Camille de
Polignac who distinguished himself at the battle of Mansfield during the
Red River campaign.
Also
honorary
president of our association was Mrs. Ethel Seabrook Nepveux, who died at the
age of 95.
She was an
historian residing in Charleston, South Carolina, and a direct descendant
of George Trenholm, the last Secretary of the Treasury of the Confederacy
and well-known boss of Fraser & Trenholm Co. of Charleston and Liverpool. Mrs. Nepveux is the author of George A. Trenholm, Financial Genius
of the Confederacy and has also written several articles especially
for the CHAB News.
Our last honorary president, Daniel
Frankignoul, has left us at the age of 76. Founding father
of the CHAB in 1972, he was the president of our association for
more than fifty years..
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Many
historians are/were members of the CHAB and active contributors to the
association:
- In Belgium,
Francis Balace, retired professor of contemporary history at the
University of Liege and author of two books on Belgium and the American
Civil War.
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- In
the United States, Mr. Lee Kenneth is the author of many historical
articles that appeared in various quarterlies. He has published important
books such as Marching through Georgia, Gettysburg and
Sherman. Mrs. Elizabeth Steger Trindal, recently deceased, has published Mary Surratt,
an American Tragedy and several articles for the CHAB News. She resided in the Shenandoah Valley,
Virginia. Dr. Donald Collins is an ex-associate professor of history emeritus at
East Carolina University. He has contributed many articles to our
quarterly and has published his latest book
The Death and
Resurrection of Jefferson Davis.
Historian Stephen R. Wise is the author of the famous Lifeline of
the Confederacy, Blockade Running During the Civil War.
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- Moreover, we had the
privilege of counting among our members Baron Henri Bernard, professor at the Royal Military School of Belgium, and
Ralph
Newman, both who are unfortunately deceased. The latter was the reference for all
that concerns President Lincoln.
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