Warren resigns over removal of Confederate flag By NICK BARRON\Daily Journal Staff Writer PILOT KNOB -- When Ron Warren steps on the Fort Davidson battlefield, he can smell the pungent scent of gunpowder, see the blood of men spilling onto the soil. Warren can hear the cries of brave Confederate soldiers, marching to their death in the belief of something larger than themselves. To him, the battle is not just another page in history which should be forgotten as many have. It's his immense love for both Union and Confederate soldiers which has forced Warren to resign as vice-president of the Friends of Fort Davidson, an organization dedicated to teaching today's generation about what happened those two hot September days in 1864. On Jan. 14, Steve Mahfood, director for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which operates the Fort Davidson Historic Site, ordered the Confederate flag to be taken down from a flag pole outside the site's museum. Warren e-mailed his resignation to Sergeant Park Ranger Walter Busch on Jan. 16. "I feel DNR's insulted me with their actions," said Warren. "It's personal to me." Warren, whose ancestors fought at Fort Davidson, takes the removal of the Confederate flag seriously because he feels Mahfood acted on the wishes of Rep. Dick Gephardt, who said the flag should not be flown "anytime, anywhere." Days after Gephardt's statement, a spokesperson for Gov. Bob Holden called Mahfood and "suggested" the flag should be removed from the flag pole. "It's an insult for somebody like Gephardt to take this all down," Warren said, looking out at the earthworks which represent the fort. "You feel helpless, because there's nothing you can do," said Warren. Gephardt has said he was unaware of the Confederate flag flying at Fort Davidson and had never been to the site because it was not located in his district which is comprised of parts of St. Louis and Jefferson Counties. "I've got this city-boy (Gephardt) telling me what to do," Warren said. "This is all outside folks getting in to our business." The current situation reminds Warren of the Civil War conflict, in that a member of the federal government is attempting to control a state's actions. Warren does not support the use of the Confederate flag by racist organizations, nor does he support the flag being flown at locations such as courthouses or state parks. But to Warren, the battlefield which serves as a burial ground for hundreds of Confederate and Union soldiers is different. "How would people feel if the U.S. flag was taken down at Normandy (France)," Warren, a retired Marine and veteran of Vietnam and Desert Storm, said. In his resignation, Warren said he steps down "with sincere sorrow as I feel the earthworks here hold a very special place in my heart...I have somehow always considered them 'my own.'" As vice-president, Warren would assist the site's staff in presentations to school children, showing his Civil War-era rifle and dressing as a soldier for both sides, Confederate or Union. The organization raises money for the site and its reenactments, as well as works to create displays inside the museum. "The Friends group does a lot. They're here really to support the fort and museum," Warren said. He does not plan to disappear from Fort Davidson, but Warren said he "can not continue to support DNR." "I'm not an activist, just somebody who loves this fort," said Warren, a self-proclaimed history buff and collector of Fort Davidson artifacts. Among his collection, Warren has numerous bullets and even the spur of a Confederate Calvary member, which he discovered on nearby Shepherd Mountain. Holding these items makes Warren feel as if he's connecting with his past. Warren said, "You feel like you're there, like a time warp." Desoto Joe/The Record Man