The Black Knights

History is not an absolute, but cause and effect: Change the cause and you alter the effect. What if a single decision or battle had went the other way? Perhaps an election had turned out differently! We as individuals are capable of altering the future course of history by our activism, or lack thereof. Imagine with us for a moment, certain historical events had indeed taken an alternate course.
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Some might conclude that our history, heritage, culture and nationhood having been suppressed and culturally cleansed; it is only natural for events to swing completely in the opposite direction. While others will maintain that a gradual process has been underway since the surrender of our Confederate Armies.
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Regardless of one’s feelings it is apparent that under a liberated and independent Confederate States of America the heroes of our past would be respectfully honored. In any case Confederate Fiction allows us to dream and envision victory; otherwise "where there is no vision, the people parish." {Proverbs 29:18}

Smokey Mountain Incident

The term knight in modern times has come to be associated with unseemliness, violence and bigotry, but originally this was not the case. The white knight was known to have stood for truth and righteousness, the black knight as mysterious and of unknown identity, inasmuch as this knight would rise to prominence at a time when justice seemed to have disappeared from the earth. Over the passing centuries the Black Knight has taken upon himself a bigger then life persona and has become written in our consciousness as one who would ride to the rescue or face off against tyranny, then disappear into the darkness.

Stories of the Black Knights have been rare but when they do appear we hear of them only in fairy tales and occasionally in the form of a Hollywood film. But those who were present on that beautiful starry and full moon night speak of it only in whispers, out of a fear of mockery and laughter. The F.B.I. as well as the A.T.F. SWAT Team had been called in to evict a family from the Smokey Mountains sector of far western North Carolina. The family was said to be heavily armed cultists, dangerous to others, therefore they must be evicted from this most serene of all national parks.

In truth the family was Christians simply returning for a few nights of camping on the very site in which their forefathers had once called home, before they themselves were evicted by the federals when the area was set aside. They were lightly armed but only for their own protection against potential wildlife, which still roamed the area. Several of us were hiking in the region when we heard a commotion up ahead; we moved off the well-blazoned trail into the bush, then creped forward very slowly and carefully. Under a clear sky filled with stars and a full moon we all caught a glimpse of what was causing the ruckus.

It was well after dark and the federals had surrounded an encampment just ahead; we were well hidden and it was obvious they were not aware of our presence. They had fired warning shots and began to talk over a speakerphone so those in the area could hear them. "You are surrounded, everyone exit your tents, stand in the light of the campfire, with your hands in their air or we will open fire." The tents in the encampment was not arranged close in nor were they spread far apart, but they did have plenty of room in the center, no doubt to allow a space for family socializing and celebration.

A few of the family members poked their heads out of their tents to see what was going on, out of a total shock and surprise that any government agency would be treating them like dangerous criminals. Finally, one by one they all emerged and complied with the orders given to them, believing that whether these people were law enforcement or a gang of thugs they still had the drop on them. The family believed they had no choice but to comply or else face serious injury or even death and in any case they were a long way from any medical facility.

Then suddenly from out of the darkness rode what we counted to be 13 horsemen riding silver gray stallions and dressed like knights of old, in black tunics and helmets, their face shield lowered, hiding their identities. The stallions were skirted like similarly as the tunics of their riders who also bore white Christian Crosses on their garments. Each horseman also carried a black shield that also bore the same white cross. The 13 horsemen encircled the encampment at a distance that appear from our advantage to be approximately ten feet, drew silver colored swords which gleamed brightly as if they had a mirror finish.

On cue each of the 13 horsemen simultaneously raised their swords skyward, and then threw them so they stood upright in the ground forming a near perfect circle of swords around the encampment. There was one horseman who was different then the others; his tunic and helmet were gray, his horse black and the Christian Crosses he bore was black in color. He rode about half the distance toward the on scene federal commander and halted. Everyone present that night was so awe struck, they seemingly froze in place; this couldn't be happening in the twentieth first century.

The federal commander did seem to perceive he was dealing with something unusual at the very least, so he reciprocated in like manner, walking toward the rider and stood before him. But before he could even ask whom these people were, the rider spoke with the firm voice of authority, which sounded muffled by some kind of device. "Leave this place, the rider ordered, and do not fire into or enter this circle of swords or you will face a severe retribution." The rider then rode back without waiting for a reply and rejoined the others.

The federal commander doing likewise rejoined his own troopers, quickly ordering them to "move inward from their present location into the open, thereby surrounding the horsemen." Once his troops were in place they were ordered to "aim directly at the horsemen" while he gave orders to "dismount and surrender yourselves." Then no sooner had he finished speaking his commands when the horsemen moved their shields into position so they were directly facing the federals that encircled them. Suddenly and without warning a bright flash lit up the darkness like a sunburst, which was emitted from the shields striking all the federals, with the exception of the federal commander.

The commander then stepped forward as he did before seeing the black horsemen approach; "It must be apparent to you, that we have the means to enforce our order. Return to your superiors and make it known; leave these people in peace, don't force our hand, least you are prepared for the consequences." The federal commander then ask; "what about these men and who are you people? Your troops have suffered no permanent injury and as to who we are; you may called us the Order of the Black Knights. Should you pursue this no further it will be considered closed, if you insist, we can ratchet up the situation as high as you wish. The choice is your own!"

Saving Face

The Black Knights circled the encampment twice then rode off into the woods, single column, and disappear, a feat, which was itself beyond explanation. The FBI and ATF SWAT Team had been completely defeated by an unknown entity horseback, carrying only shields and swords; how could such a loss be explained to their superiors? None-the-less the federal on scene commander turned his attention to checking up on the well being of his men. He delayed reporting the situation until he was certain the Black Knight commander was entirely truthful in saying they would suffer no permanent uninjured.

He then made arrangements to withdrawal his force and reporting the campers were law-abiding citizens who were there for the purpose of celebrating their ancestral home. The case was closed and the federals had managed to 'save face' in the process. However several of us who were present on that day searched the woods the next morning for some sign as to a possible route for the exodus of the Black Knights, but even the hoof prints disappeared a hundred yards into the woods and there was no sign whatsoever of trucks or horse trailers which could have helped them make such a quick exodus.

It was three days later before any of the agents present would admit that strange events had occurred in the Smokey Mountain Valley and the full story would be reveled only in a bug free environment without video or audio recording devices. Arrangements were made whereby the agents present on that day would themselves choose the location as well as ensure there were no bugs. The story they gave was indeed beyond belief and both agencies agreed they concentrate their efforts on checking into the ‘who, what, when and where’ of the Black Knights, and leave the campers alone.

The FBI and ATF formed a joint team of investigators who were sworn to secrecy to take on the case; it was felt that other equally strange phenomenon had occurred, possibly involving other agencies of federal, state or municipal government. However it was doubtful they could be encouraged to talk, and for good and solid reasons, who would believe such an outlandish tale? However, if true, the place to begin was a search into the origins and identity of these Black Knights! Therefore the obvious place to begin was to check with an historian of middle age knighthood and begin moving forward.
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An incident involving the Defense Department was uncovered whereby a regiment of troops was sent into a rural area of Pennsylvania to retrieve a fallen secret satellite only to be surrounded by men on horseback, later reported to be the Black Knights. They had managed to overwhelm a disciplined, trained and well armed contingent of the U.S. Army; their firepower was said to be little more then a blinding flash of light which laid the men prostrate for more then an hour. The Pentagon as top secret, based upon the satellites presence, covered up the entire affair; the satellite was never located.

The investigation into the history of the Black Knights reveled little more then was commonly known, save that the subject arose again immediately after the War for Confederate Independence, otherwise known to Yankees as the Civil War. The investigating team uncovered a wartime drawing depicting a Black Knight, having been later made into a painting some years after the war. It was rumored that a number of fraternities and secret orders had emerged during those years, among which was one which had no name, but was known by locals as the Order of the Black Knights.

The investigators also discovered the painting had disappeared not long after it was illustrated in a local newspaper and has never been seen since. A number of strange and unusual incidents occurred involving the disappearance of Union Troops stationed in far Eastern Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Federal investigators at the time search for some clue as to their whereabouts in each case, but nothing was ever uncovered. There were attached reports which were never made public at the time involving Union Troops being surrounded by 13 horsemen dressed as Black Knights.

Each case sounded entirely similar to those few uncovered in our own time, even to the point of a blinding light which laid waste to everyone within the encirclement, save for the commander. It was as if these Black Knights were so confident of their power, they invited any possible report to higher authorities. More then likely these Knights were simply aware that those involved would be looked upon as crazy and their story unbelievable. But these revelations brought only more questions; how could such an order survive over a 144 years and what was the source of their enormous power?

Additionally how could the secret of this order survive over such an extended period of time and why were the numbers never more then 13 horsemen reported to be present in each case? Still these 13 men, if that is all there are, can neutralize an entire army without causing injury or death to anyone. What any general on earth wouldn't give to possess such a weapon! While at the same time there has been no evidence uncovered thus far to indicate these Black Knights can or will operate within the close confines of a crowed major city.

Convenient Deniability

Despite a growing number of cases involving the mysterious appearance of Black Knights mounted upon silver gray stallions and exhibiting enormous military prowess, the FBI and ATF closed the file on the case. However it was believed the reasons steam from the last appearance of the Order of the Black Knights. There was a hint the Defense Department demanded the investigation be terminated because of due to a possible compromise of classified information. Translated into plain English it meant that one of their black projects was threatened with annihilation and strongest security fence in the world had been breached.

There was absolutely no weapon in their arsenal, which could penetrate that of knights mounted on horseback, with nothing more then a sword and shield. The fear was not so much that of compromising classified information as it was of total humiliation that trillions of dollars in modern high tech weapons was like unto toys against the Black Knights. Also there was the case of threats made against the lives of civilians living in the area of the incident, should they reveal what had taken place. Therefore a shroud of secrecy was placed around the entire Black Knight affair and a U.F.O. story fabricated as a cover up.

Is there really an 'Order of the Black Knights' dating back approximately six centuries, possessing unknown and little understood weapons technology disguised as knightly armor, shield and sword or is this merely a fairy tale, repeated to where it has become a legend? There can be no definitive answer given here, for it is locked in the minds and hearts of those who bore witnessed their appearance. And it is unlikely these witnesses will ever speak of what they have seen, least they are mocked and scorned or even worse.
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However it is poetic that a secret black military project should be rendered prostrate before Black Knights riding silver gray stallions, while bearing weapons no more awesome then sword and shield. We should all stand amazed at what can be accomplished by a few good men, determined to make a difference. None-the-less we can only advise any potential tyrant; be alert for strange sights and noises, particularly in the still of the night, least you are paid a visit by the Order of the Black Knights.

God save the Confederacy