Christmas Message From the Army Of Tennessee Chaplain
Rev. Dr. Cecil Fayard, Jr.
Matthew 2:11-12, “And when they [the Wise Men] were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasurers, they presented unto him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed another way.”
We do not often think of the Wise Men as being men of courage, but that is exactly what they were. Herod expected them to come back through Jerusalem and tell him where Jesus was. Instead, at the risk of their own lives, they returned home another way, a way directed by the Lord.
As members of the Army of Tennessee, Sons of Confederate Veterans, it behooves us to be courageous, to stand firm in our convictions, and to, if need be, swim upstream against the liberal tide of our day. In a time when far too many Southerners are trying to forget the past, it is our responsibility to preserve the true history of our past and to present it to our generation. For the Wise Men, Christmas was a time for courage, time to stand up and be counted.
Just as the Wise Men were directed by God, it is my prayer at this Christmas season that you and I will pray for our leadership, especially Commander Tom Strain and his staff , asking God to direct each officer of this great Army of Tennessee. Let us also pray for Commander-in-Chief Michael Givens and the General Executive Council.
The Wise Men had a mission to accomplish, to come and worship the child Jesus and to bring gifts to Him. We, Sons of Confederate Veterans, have a mission. We are to honor our ancestors and keep their memory green. Let us never forget our mission; let us never be deterred or distracted. We have been charged to uphold the good name of our ancestors and emulate their values. It is not really about you or about me. It is all about upholding the honor of our confederate forefathers. Our mission is not making a name for ourselves, but upholding the names of those who now lie silent in the grave and cannot speak for themselves.
There is something else that we need to consider about the Wise Men, they and did not take. They were selfless and not selfish. They were sacrificial and not self serving. May the Lord help each to be Servants not Masters. As they suffered the privations of war, let us stand tall and suffer, if need be, for the cause of preserving our history and heritage.
May the God of all grace bless you this Christmas season, and may you experience the PEACE that He alone can give.
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Army of Tennessee
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Confederate records found
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Carole Hawkins/StaffJeanne Lenderman, librarian at the Augusta Genealogical Society, holds a letter written by Stokes F. Ivey, who served in the Confederate Army.
"I don't want to hurt it," she said.
Spidery handwriting inside revealed it was a muster roll from the Thomson Guards, a McDuffie County company that had been part of the 10th Regiment of Georgia Volunteers of the Confederate Army. The list of names was a human snapshot of local Confederate soldiers.
The muster roll came from a box records from one of Georgia's original chapters of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The box was recently rediscovered at the Augusta Genealogical Society. Directors theorize it may have been sent there for safekeeping after an estate settlement.
Many of the documents are member applications for the now defunct Ida Evans Eve UDC chapter in Thomson, which formed three decades after the Civil War. Also included are old UDC charters and scrapbooks of the group's activities during the early 1900s.
"I think it's a very significant find. A lot of these old records don't exist anymore," said Hopson, president of today's William Henry Talbot Walker UDC Chapter in Augusta.
To join the UDC, prospective members must prove direct lineage with someone who served in the Confederate Army. The Ida Evans Eve application records are thus interesting for genealogical reasons, but the records' age also places them a handshake away from history. Many applicants proved their heritage with letters from soldiers who had served with their relatives. The letters sometimes turned personal.
"You may well be proud of your father's name for he was a good man and a brave soldier," Confederate veteran G.H. Embree wrote in a letter to Lillie Paschal McCord.
The Thomson Guards muster roll says the company began its service May 11, 1861, and was made up of mainly planters and their sons from Columbia County and what is now McDuffie County. Only 77 of its 130 soldiers returned home. Some died at Gettysburg, others at Sharpsburg. Next to some men's names was written simply, "died during the war." Nearly as many men died of disease as battle wounds.
Hopson could relate to the sacrifices. Her great-great-grandfather was a Confederate soldier from Mississippi who became a prisoner of war at a battle at Fort Donaldson.
The rediscovered records will be sent next month to the UDC's division headquarters near Stone Mountain, where they will be placed in a museum in climate-controlled conditions, Hopson said.
"I don't want to hurt it," she said.
Spidery handwriting inside revealed it was a muster roll from the Thomson Guards, a McDuffie County company that had been part of the 10th Regiment of Georgia Volunteers of the Confederate Army. The list of names was a human snapshot of local Confederate soldiers.
The muster roll came from a box records from one of Georgia's original chapters of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The box was recently rediscovered at the Augusta Genealogical Society. Directors theorize it may have been sent there for safekeeping after an estate settlement.
Many of the documents are member applications for the now defunct Ida Evans Eve UDC chapter in Thomson, which formed three decades after the Civil War. Also included are old UDC charters and scrapbooks of the group's activities during the early 1900s.
"I think it's a very significant find. A lot of these old records don't exist anymore," said Hopson, president of today's William Henry Talbot Walker UDC Chapter in Augusta.
To join the UDC, prospective members must prove direct lineage with someone who served in the Confederate Army. The Ida Evans Eve application records are thus interesting for genealogical reasons, but the records' age also places them a handshake away from history. Many applicants proved their heritage with letters from soldiers who had served with their relatives. The letters sometimes turned personal.
"You may well be proud of your father's name for he was a good man and a brave soldier," Confederate veteran G.H. Embree wrote in a letter to Lillie Paschal McCord.
The Thomson Guards muster roll says the company began its service May 11, 1861, and was made up of mainly planters and their sons from Columbia County and what is now McDuffie County. Only 77 of its 130 soldiers returned home. Some died at Gettysburg, others at Sharpsburg. Next to some men's names was written simply, "died during the war." Nearly as many men died of disease as battle wounds.
Hopson could relate to the sacrifices. Her great-great-grandfather was a Confederate soldier from Mississippi who became a prisoner of war at a battle at Fort Donaldson.
The rediscovered records will be sent next month to the UDC's division headquarters near Stone Mountain, where they will be placed in a museum in climate-controlled conditions, Hopson said.
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/metro/2010-10-26/confederate-records-found?v=1288079242
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Fall Muster brings re-enactors to Beauvoir
By DONNA HARRIS MELTON - dmelton@sunherald.com
BILOXI — The South wins most battles at Beavoir.
Saturday’s skirmish between the Union and the Confederacy was no different.
More than 300 re-enactors demonstrated their military prowess on the field near Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ home during the 24th annual Fall Muster.
AMANDA McCOY/SUN HERALD Smoke billows into the air after a replica Civil War 6-pound smoothbore cannon was fired at the 24th annual Fall Muster.
They’ll do it again today about 1:30 p.m., said Beauvoir’s acting director, Richard Forte.
Admission is $9 for adults with reduced rates for children, military and seniors. Beauvoir is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and parking is free at the Coast Coliseum for Beauvoir visitors.
With attendance down about 25 percent over the summer, Forte was excited by the steady flow of people coming through the gates to see the living history demonstrations and the re-enactment.
“This is the best crowd, I think, since we started back after Katrina,” he said.
The event was held at the Harrison County Fairgrounds in 2006 and 2007, and returned to Beauvoir in 2008.
At the Bama Rose, a sutler tent offering Civil War fashions for ladies, Krystal Ladner of Long Beach perused a table lined with hats, gloves and fans. Her husband, Andrew Ladner, 25, is a second-generation re-enactor with 3rd Mississippi. He has been doing this since he was 7.
“It’s kind of cool,” Krystal Ladner said about the battle. “It’s a good teaching lesson, although they always make the South win.”
Among the sutlers — sellers of clothing, supplies and memorabilia — the Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest Camp 1353 of Hattiesburg is pushing its Confederate sausage dogs for $4. Half of their proceeds go to Beauvoir to support the historic property.
The polish dogs earned the Confederate name because they honor an immigrant from southern Poland who fought for the South during the Civil War, Lt. Commander Robert Ulmer said.
“If you don’t study history, you’re destined to repeat it,” he said.
Read more: http://www.sunherald.com/2010/10/16/2560079/fall-muster-brings-re-enactors.html#ixzz12dbVABUf
BILOXI — The South wins most battles at Beavoir.
Saturday’s skirmish between the Union and the Confederacy was no different.
More than 300 re-enactors demonstrated their military prowess on the field near Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ home during the 24th annual Fall Muster.
AMANDA McCOY/SUN HERALD Smoke billows into the air after a replica Civil War 6-pound smoothbore cannon was fired at the 24th annual Fall Muster.
They’ll do it again today about 1:30 p.m., said Beauvoir’s acting director, Richard Forte.
Admission is $9 for adults with reduced rates for children, military and seniors. Beauvoir is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and parking is free at the Coast Coliseum for Beauvoir visitors.
With attendance down about 25 percent over the summer, Forte was excited by the steady flow of people coming through the gates to see the living history demonstrations and the re-enactment.
“This is the best crowd, I think, since we started back after Katrina,” he said.
The event was held at the Harrison County Fairgrounds in 2006 and 2007, and returned to Beauvoir in 2008.
At the Bama Rose, a sutler tent offering Civil War fashions for ladies, Krystal Ladner of Long Beach perused a table lined with hats, gloves and fans. Her husband, Andrew Ladner, 25, is a second-generation re-enactor with 3rd Mississippi. He has been doing this since he was 7.
“It’s kind of cool,” Krystal Ladner said about the battle. “It’s a good teaching lesson, although they always make the South win.”
Among the sutlers — sellers of clothing, supplies and memorabilia — the Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest Camp 1353 of Hattiesburg is pushing its Confederate sausage dogs for $4. Half of their proceeds go to Beauvoir to support the historic property.
The polish dogs earned the Confederate name because they honor an immigrant from southern Poland who fought for the South during the Civil War, Lt. Commander Robert Ulmer said.
“If you don’t study history, you’re destined to repeat it,” he said.
Read more: http://www.sunherald.com/2010/10/16/2560079/fall-muster-brings-re-enactors.html#ixzz12dbVABUf
Thursday, October 7, 2010
From SCV National
The General Organization of the SCV will be holding a nation heritage Rally each year of the Sesquicentennial of the War for Southern Independence. Below are the locations for each year. Details will be posted as they become available.
2010 - Charleston, SC- December 2010
The Confederate Heritage Trust, in partnership with the South Carolina Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, is currently in the planning stages for what will be a grand and memorable Secession play and Ball. This event will commemorate and celebrate the state of South Carolina for the second time becoming an independent nation on December 20th 1860. The evening will begin with a theatrical play recreating the Convention and the men that cast their votes to remove South Carolina from the union know as These United States. Many of the actors will be local and State celebrities and personalities.
Immediately following the play a grand ball and reception will follow with a joyous night of music, dancing, food and drink. The Charleston Gaillard auditorium will be our venue for both events. As an added bonus The State Archives and History Department will have the original Ordinance of Secession available for all to see and enjoy. The Confederate Heritage Trust and the South Carolina Division would like to personally invite you to attend this once in a lifetime event! Please purchase tickets and sponsorships now while space is available and we look forward to seeing you there. Remember all tickets and sponsorships are tax deductable. http://www.scsecessiongala.org/index.html
2011 - Montgomery, AL-February 19, 2011
It is time to mark your calendar for the SCV Sesquicentennial Event to be held in Montgomery, AL on Saturday February 19, 2011. This event will feature a parade up Dexter Avenue to the Alabama State Capitol Building, a reenactment of the swearing in of President Jefferson Davis and a selection of speakers at the Capitol Building. Just like was done for the Flag Rally in 2000 in Columbia, South Carolina and for the Hunley Funeral in Charleston in 2004 - it is IMPERATIVE that this event be well attended. We must show the world that we will not permit the History and Heritage of the Confederacy to be forgotten and unobserved during the Sesquicentennial.
It is up to us to see that this history is remembered and portrayed in the right way so start planning your visit to Montgomery - organize vans and buses - so we can show the world we remember our Confederate Heroes.
http://www.confederate150.com/2011.html
2010 - Charleston, SC- December 2010
The Confederate Heritage Trust, in partnership with the South Carolina Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, is currently in the planning stages for what will be a grand and memorable Secession play and Ball. This event will commemorate and celebrate the state of South Carolina for the second time becoming an independent nation on December 20th 1860. The evening will begin with a theatrical play recreating the Convention and the men that cast their votes to remove South Carolina from the union know as These United States. Many of the actors will be local and State celebrities and personalities.
Immediately following the play a grand ball and reception will follow with a joyous night of music, dancing, food and drink. The Charleston Gaillard auditorium will be our venue for both events. As an added bonus The State Archives and History Department will have the original Ordinance of Secession available for all to see and enjoy. The Confederate Heritage Trust and the South Carolina Division would like to personally invite you to attend this once in a lifetime event! Please purchase tickets and sponsorships now while space is available and we look forward to seeing you there. Remember all tickets and sponsorships are tax deductable. http://www.scsecessiongala.org/index.html
2011 - Montgomery, AL-February 19, 2011
It is time to mark your calendar for the SCV Sesquicentennial Event to be held in Montgomery, AL on Saturday February 19, 2011. This event will feature a parade up Dexter Avenue to the Alabama State Capitol Building, a reenactment of the swearing in of President Jefferson Davis and a selection of speakers at the Capitol Building. Just like was done for the Flag Rally in 2000 in Columbia, South Carolina and for the Hunley Funeral in Charleston in 2004 - it is IMPERATIVE that this event be well attended. We must show the world that we will not permit the History and Heritage of the Confederacy to be forgotten and unobserved during the Sesquicentennial.
It is up to us to see that this history is remembered and portrayed in the right way so start planning your visit to Montgomery - organize vans and buses - so we can show the world we remember our Confederate Heroes.
http://www.confederate150.com/2011.html
Sunday, August 29, 2010
CELEBRATE THE BEGINNING OF THE CONFEDERACY!
Compatriots!
It is time to mark your calender for the SCV Sesquicentennial Event to be held in Montgomery, AL on Saturday February 19, 2011. This event will feature a parade up Dexter Avenue to the Alabama State Capitol Building, a reenactment of the swearing in of President Jefferson Davis and a selection of speakers at the Capitol Building.
Just like was done for the Flag Rally in 2000 in Columbia, South Carolina and for the Hunley Funeral in Charleston in 2004 - it is IMPERATIVE that this event be well attended. We must show the world that we will not permit the History and Heritage of the Confederacy to be forgotten and unobserved during the Sesquicentennial.
It is up to us to see that this history is remembered and portrayed in the right way so start planning your vist to Montgomery - organize vans and buses - so we can show the world we remember our Confederate Heroes.
Basic information:
Host Hotel:
Embassy Suites - downtown Montgomery, AL. The SCV has a block of rooms reserved for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Single and doubles $116.00 per night, triple $126.00, and quads for $136.00 per night. The SCV reservation code will be availabe and posted early next week.
Vendors : Friday, February 18th, 2011 and Saturday the 19th vendors will be setup in the hotel.
Reception: Friday evening the Alabma Divsion will have a meet and greet with entertainment from 7pm to 9pm at the host hotel.
Saturday Events:
Confederate Parade on Dexter Avenue - 12 Noon - details to be announced shortly. Cannons are also need for a firing of a salute on the grounds of the State Capitol.
Swearing in of President Jefferson Davis will take place after the parade on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol Building.
There will be speakers after the swearing in - Alabama State Capitol grounds.
Saturday evening a banquet will be held with a guest speaker. Cost: $75.00 per couple or $50.00 for an individual.
More details soon - look for posts to the Telegraph and check confederate150.com for event details.
It is time to mark your calender for the SCV Sesquicentennial Event to be held in Montgomery, AL on Saturday February 19, 2011. This event will feature a parade up Dexter Avenue to the Alabama State Capitol Building, a reenactment of the swearing in of President Jefferson Davis and a selection of speakers at the Capitol Building.
Just like was done for the Flag Rally in 2000 in Columbia, South Carolina and for the Hunley Funeral in Charleston in 2004 - it is IMPERATIVE that this event be well attended. We must show the world that we will not permit the History and Heritage of the Confederacy to be forgotten and unobserved during the Sesquicentennial.
It is up to us to see that this history is remembered and portrayed in the right way so start planning your vist to Montgomery - organize vans and buses - so we can show the world we remember our Confederate Heroes.
Basic information:
Host Hotel:
Embassy Suites - downtown Montgomery, AL. The SCV has a block of rooms reserved for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Single and doubles $116.00 per night, triple $126.00, and quads for $136.00 per night. The SCV reservation code will be availabe and posted early next week.
Vendors : Friday, February 18th, 2011 and Saturday the 19th vendors will be setup in the hotel.
Reception: Friday evening the Alabma Divsion will have a meet and greet with entertainment from 7pm to 9pm at the host hotel.
Saturday Events:
Confederate Parade on Dexter Avenue - 12 Noon - details to be announced shortly. Cannons are also need for a firing of a salute on the grounds of the State Capitol.
Swearing in of President Jefferson Davis will take place after the parade on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol Building.
There will be speakers after the swearing in - Alabama State Capitol grounds.
Saturday evening a banquet will be held with a guest speaker. Cost: $75.00 per couple or $50.00 for an individual.
More details soon - look for posts to the Telegraph and check confederate150.com for event details.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
2011 Montgomery Reunion is On Line!!
Below is the link for the 2011 Reunion that is to be held in Montgomery, Alabama.
http://2011scvreunion.zxq.net
http://2011scvreunion.zxq.net
Friday, August 20, 2010
Civil War site yields treasure trove of artifacts
By Chuck Mobley
A succession of scholars and officials, including a U.S. congressman, spoke Wednesday during a ceremony to announce the discovery of the exact location of Camp Lawton, a Civil War stockade that housed some 10,000 Union prisoners.
But the real stars of the occasion were five display cases filled with recently uncovered artifacts those men left behind - scarred, dented and rusted testaments to their service and sacrifice.
"We were astonished and humbled by what we found," said Sue Moore, an anthropology professor at Georgia Southern University and one of the speakers at the event, which took place at Magnolia Springs State Park.
Camp Lawton, constructed in late 1864 to help relieve overcrowding at the prison at Andersonville, held Northern soldiers and housed hundreds of Confederates who guarded them. It was hurriedly evacuated in November 1864 as a Union army under Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman approached.
Angry that the camp was empty, Sherman's men burned it. Over the years, its boundaries faded, and the state park was built on the site in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
No one thought the area contained such a rich vein of artifacts until one of Moore's graduate students, Kevin Chapman, began to dig around earlier this year.
"We were looking for the stockade walls, and thought we might find an item or two," said Chapman. However, when the effort uncovered a Union coat button, a musket ball and a large U.S. coin in a matter of minutes, he realized this was the discovery of a lifetime.
The individual artifacts are "little stories" that together reflect the efforts of soldiers to survive, he said.
To protect the site, and to give officials time to develop a plan on how to proceed, a security fence has been placed around it.
"We have to look long-term," said Chris Clark, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Only a small part of the site, perhaps 1 percent, has been excavated to this point, so it represents a huge opportunity to bring heritage tourism to Millen and Jenkins County, he said.
For the short term, the artifacts will go on display Oct. 10 at the Georgia Southern Museum.
Others who spoke at the ceremony included U.S. Rep. John Barrow of Savannah and John Derden, professor emeritus of history at East Georgia College and an expert on Camp Lawton.
The site and the artifacts thus far recovered are reflective of the experiences of prisoners on both sides during the Civil War, Derden said, calling it "hallowed ground."
Eyewitness portrayal of life at the camp
In putting together the effort to discover the location of the stockade walls of Camp Lawton, Georgia Southern University students and researchers used the richly detailed watercolors of the site painted by Pvt. Robert Knox Sneden, a Union soldier held there in late 1864.
"We honestly were surprised by how accurate they were," said Sue Moore, the Georgia Southern University anthropology professor instrumental in the process of locating the encampment.
Sneden's works, which included images of Andersonville, Camp Lawton and a prisoner-of-war camp in downtown Savannah, were discovered in the 1990s.
They were published, along with his diary, by the Virginia Historical Society in two books - "Eye of the Storm" and "Images of the Storm."
To learn more about Sneden and his illustrations, go to www.vahistorical.org.
His family saw both sides of captivity
Civil War re-enactor Steve Burke, who attended Wednesday's event in the uniform of the Burke County Sharpshooters, said he had relatives on both sides of prison-camp walls during that conflict.
His great-great-grandfather, Green L. Lambert, died of pneumonia in December 1864 at the Union camp at Elmira, N.Y., said Burke.
Two of his other relatives, William J. Johnson and James H.W. Oglesby, served as guards at Camp Lawton, he said.
The 53-year-old Burke added that he enjoys participating in living-history events such as the annual re-enactments at Fort Pulaski and Fort McAllister.
http://savannahnow.com/news/2010-08-19/civil-war-site-yields-treasure-trove-artifacts
A succession of scholars and officials, including a U.S. congressman, spoke Wednesday during a ceremony to announce the discovery of the exact location of Camp Lawton, a Civil War stockade that housed some 10,000 Union prisoners.
But the real stars of the occasion were five display cases filled with recently uncovered artifacts those men left behind - scarred, dented and rusted testaments to their service and sacrifice.
"We were astonished and humbled by what we found," said Sue Moore, an anthropology professor at Georgia Southern University and one of the speakers at the event, which took place at Magnolia Springs State Park.
Camp Lawton, constructed in late 1864 to help relieve overcrowding at the prison at Andersonville, held Northern soldiers and housed hundreds of Confederates who guarded them. It was hurriedly evacuated in November 1864 as a Union army under Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman approached.
Angry that the camp was empty, Sherman's men burned it. Over the years, its boundaries faded, and the state park was built on the site in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
No one thought the area contained such a rich vein of artifacts until one of Moore's graduate students, Kevin Chapman, began to dig around earlier this year.
"We were looking for the stockade walls, and thought we might find an item or two," said Chapman. However, when the effort uncovered a Union coat button, a musket ball and a large U.S. coin in a matter of minutes, he realized this was the discovery of a lifetime.
The individual artifacts are "little stories" that together reflect the efforts of soldiers to survive, he said.
To protect the site, and to give officials time to develop a plan on how to proceed, a security fence has been placed around it.
"We have to look long-term," said Chris Clark, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Only a small part of the site, perhaps 1 percent, has been excavated to this point, so it represents a huge opportunity to bring heritage tourism to Millen and Jenkins County, he said.
For the short term, the artifacts will go on display Oct. 10 at the Georgia Southern Museum.
Others who spoke at the ceremony included U.S. Rep. John Barrow of Savannah and John Derden, professor emeritus of history at East Georgia College and an expert on Camp Lawton.
The site and the artifacts thus far recovered are reflective of the experiences of prisoners on both sides during the Civil War, Derden said, calling it "hallowed ground."
Eyewitness portrayal of life at the camp
In putting together the effort to discover the location of the stockade walls of Camp Lawton, Georgia Southern University students and researchers used the richly detailed watercolors of the site painted by Pvt. Robert Knox Sneden, a Union soldier held there in late 1864.
"We honestly were surprised by how accurate they were," said Sue Moore, the Georgia Southern University anthropology professor instrumental in the process of locating the encampment.
Sneden's works, which included images of Andersonville, Camp Lawton and a prisoner-of-war camp in downtown Savannah, were discovered in the 1990s.
They were published, along with his diary, by the Virginia Historical Society in two books - "Eye of the Storm" and "Images of the Storm."
To learn more about Sneden and his illustrations, go to www.vahistorical.org.
His family saw both sides of captivity
Civil War re-enactor Steve Burke, who attended Wednesday's event in the uniform of the Burke County Sharpshooters, said he had relatives on both sides of prison-camp walls during that conflict.
His great-great-grandfather, Green L. Lambert, died of pneumonia in December 1864 at the Union camp at Elmira, N.Y., said Burke.
Two of his other relatives, William J. Johnson and James H.W. Oglesby, served as guards at Camp Lawton, he said.
The 53-year-old Burke added that he enjoys participating in living-history events such as the annual re-enactments at Fort Pulaski and Fort McAllister.
http://savannahnow.com/news/2010-08-19/civil-war-site-yields-treasure-trove-artifacts
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Civil War Preservation Trust Applauds American Legion Condemnation of Proposed Gettysburg Casino
Nation's largest veteran's group calls possibility of gambling on battlefield's doorstep "a disgrace"
(Washington, D.C.) – The American Legion has joined the growing ranks of those opposed to a gambling casino just ½ mile from Gettysburg National Military Park. In a statement released yesterday, American Legion National Commander Clarence E. Hill described the casino proposal as “a disgrace.” Civil War Preservation Trust president James Lighthizer issued the following statement in support of the American Legion’s powerful message:
“On behalf of the Civil War Preservation Trust and its thousands of members, I applaud the strong statement issued yesterday by the American Legion. The Legion’s condemnation of the proposal to construct a casino so close to our nation’s most hallowed battleground underscores the outrage many Americans feel about the plan to place slots just a few thousand feet from the scene of indescribable suffering nearly 150 years ago.
“Experiencing the heat of battle is a tie that binds all generations of America’s fighting men and women — whenever and wherever they served. The denunciation of an internationally respected veteran’s advocacy organization, such as the American Legion, lends additional credence to our long-standing belief that proposing a casino so close to this hallowed ground fundamentally conflicts with Gettysburg’s essential and indelible place in American history.”
The American Legion joins a growing list of organizations and individuals opposed to the idea of a Gettysburg casino including the Civil War Preservation Trust, National Parks Conservation Association, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Scranton Times-Tribune. In July, more than 275 historians — including Pulitzer Prize-winners James McPherson and Garry Wills and Emmy Award-winning documentarian Ken Burns — signed a letter to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control condemning a gambling den within musket shot of the battlefield.
Although the proposed casino site along the Emmitsburg Road lies outside the current administrative boundaries of Gettysburg National Military Park, it would be on land identified as historically sensitive by the American Battlefield Protection Program, an arm of the National Park Service. The application before the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board would retrofit an existing family-friendly hotel complex into a gambling resort with an initial 600 slot machines, in addition to table games.
The Civil War Preservation Trust encourages concerned citizens to register to speak or submit written comments for the upcoming hearing on the issue by simply visiting: www.speakforthefallen.com or www.civilwar.org/nocasino
With 55,000 members, the Civil War Preservation Trust is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization in the United States. Its mission is to preserve our nation’s remaining Civil War battlefields and encourage their appreciation through education and heritage tourism. Since 1987, the organization has saved more than 29,000
(Washington, D.C.) – The American Legion has joined the growing ranks of those opposed to a gambling casino just ½ mile from Gettysburg National Military Park. In a statement released yesterday, American Legion National Commander Clarence E. Hill described the casino proposal as “a disgrace.” Civil War Preservation Trust president James Lighthizer issued the following statement in support of the American Legion’s powerful message:
“On behalf of the Civil War Preservation Trust and its thousands of members, I applaud the strong statement issued yesterday by the American Legion. The Legion’s condemnation of the proposal to construct a casino so close to our nation’s most hallowed battleground underscores the outrage many Americans feel about the plan to place slots just a few thousand feet from the scene of indescribable suffering nearly 150 years ago.
“Experiencing the heat of battle is a tie that binds all generations of America’s fighting men and women — whenever and wherever they served. The denunciation of an internationally respected veteran’s advocacy organization, such as the American Legion, lends additional credence to our long-standing belief that proposing a casino so close to this hallowed ground fundamentally conflicts with Gettysburg’s essential and indelible place in American history.”
The American Legion joins a growing list of organizations and individuals opposed to the idea of a Gettysburg casino including the Civil War Preservation Trust, National Parks Conservation Association, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Scranton Times-Tribune. In July, more than 275 historians — including Pulitzer Prize-winners James McPherson and Garry Wills and Emmy Award-winning documentarian Ken Burns — signed a letter to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control condemning a gambling den within musket shot of the battlefield.
Although the proposed casino site along the Emmitsburg Road lies outside the current administrative boundaries of Gettysburg National Military Park, it would be on land identified as historically sensitive by the American Battlefield Protection Program, an arm of the National Park Service. The application before the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board would retrofit an existing family-friendly hotel complex into a gambling resort with an initial 600 slot machines, in addition to table games.
The Civil War Preservation Trust encourages concerned citizens to register to speak or submit written comments for the upcoming hearing on the issue by simply visiting: www.speakforthefallen.com or www.civilwar.org/nocasino
With 55,000 members, the Civil War Preservation Trust is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization in the United States. Its mission is to preserve our nation’s remaining Civil War battlefields and encourage their appreciation through education and heritage tourism. Since 1987, the organization has saved more than 29,000
FLORIDA PANHANDLE Cemetery Preservation Workshop
Ever wonder why or how things happen in cemeteries or what the proper etiquette is on doing something?
On October 8th, 9th and 10th the Sons of Confederate Veterans will conduct a short lectures and a 2 day workshop with hands on experience in the Tri-State area of Alabama, Georgia and Florida. This is open to everyone interested in cemeteries.
Mike Mitchell, the past Chairman of the National Graves and Monuments Committee for the SCV will host a mini conference on cemetery preservation in the Quincy and Marianna Florida area. Mike can be reached at gostpiper@aol.com or 786)543-1711 for course information.
Friday night will be a 2 hour lecture series on the why’s and Saturday will be a full day hands on work day in Quincy (Gadsden County).
For reservations Friday and Saturday please contact Jamey Creel, 3rd Florida Brigade Commander at jameycreel850@bellsouth.net (850) 510-3212
There is no charge for the Lectures and Workdays. There will be a $7.00 donation for lunch on Saturday provided by the Order of Confederate Rose, Florida Society.
Sunday, after Church, a workday will be held in the Marianna area (Jackson County) at the Long Family Cemetery.
For Sunday please contact Robert Daffin, 2nd Florida Brigade Commander at redaffin@hotmail.com (850) 482-3959
Participants can attend one, two or all three events it they don’t mind a little travel but you must be registered before the event.
I
f you plan on attending the workshops, plan ahead and bring sunscreen, hat, long-sleeved shirt, rain gear, work gloves and insect repellant.
Sunday night there will be a Retirement Service for Confederate Flags. A new service has been written and will be tried out for the first time. If you can’t make it then send your flags with someone. We will burn them with pride and honor.
Heat, Rain or Shine
On October 8th, 9th and 10th the Sons of Confederate Veterans will conduct a short lectures and a 2 day workshop with hands on experience in the Tri-State area of Alabama, Georgia and Florida. This is open to everyone interested in cemeteries.
Mike Mitchell, the past Chairman of the National Graves and Monuments Committee for the SCV will host a mini conference on cemetery preservation in the Quincy and Marianna Florida area. Mike can be reached at gostpiper@aol.com or 786)543-1711 for course information.
Friday night will be a 2 hour lecture series on the why’s and Saturday will be a full day hands on work day in Quincy (Gadsden County).
For reservations Friday and Saturday please contact Jamey Creel, 3rd Florida Brigade Commander at jameycreel850@bellsouth.net (850) 510-3212
There is no charge for the Lectures and Workdays. There will be a $7.00 donation for lunch on Saturday provided by the Order of Confederate Rose, Florida Society.
Sunday, after Church, a workday will be held in the Marianna area (Jackson County) at the Long Family Cemetery.
For Sunday please contact Robert Daffin, 2nd Florida Brigade Commander at redaffin@hotmail.com (850) 482-3959
Participants can attend one, two or all three events it they don’t mind a little travel but you must be registered before the event.
I
f you plan on attending the workshops, plan ahead and bring sunscreen, hat, long-sleeved shirt, rain gear, work gloves and insect repellant.
Sunday night there will be a Retirement Service for Confederate Flags. A new service has been written and will be tried out for the first time. If you can’t make it then send your flags with someone. We will burn them with pride and honor.
Heat, Rain or Shine
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Civil War relics focus of Pigeon Forge show
Here's a reality show for you: authentic Civil War relics by the table load.
If you have ever wondered about the shape, size, history or use of a Civil War bullet, bayonet, rifle, sword, hat or uniform, the Sons of the Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy have just what you are looking for.
For two days - Aug. 28 and 29 - the Smoky Mountain Convention Center in Pigeon Forge will host the Smoky Mountain Civil War & Relics Show.
More than 100 tables filled with Civil War-era relics that include muskets, rifles, pistols, photographs, uniforms, knives, buttons, and a wide variety of other artifacts and collectibles will be on display.
Tickets are $8 for both days, $4 for ages 12 and under.
In addition to the relics, re-enactors will demonstrate historically accurate portrayals of U.S. and Confederate military units. Also, re-enactors will create and camp in a tent area for a soldier's-eye-view of living history.
Show organizer Pete Smith, with the Smoky Mountain Resorts Hospitality Group which is co-sponsor of the event, said a replica of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley will be part of the exhibits. The Hunley, first submarine ever deployed in the history of naval warfare, sank the USS sloop-of-war Housatonic in Charleston Harbor February 1864.
C. Lynn Hammond, 1st Lt. Commander of the Longstreet-Zollicoffer Camp 87, Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) in Knoxville, said the SCV was contacted by Pigeon Forge to investigate the possibilities of putting on a relics event, since there were none in this area outside of Nashville and North Georgia.
"We worked on this for a year," Hammond said. "We started out not knowing what we were doing, and we now hope this is going to be an annual event."
He said the 20,000-square-foot convention center will be jammed with vendors who are coming from as far off as Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, even Gettysburg, Pa. The event opens to the public at 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, and goes until 5 p.m. and on Sunday, Aug. 29, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Ellen Renshaw House, Chapter 2624, of the UDC of Knoxville, is coordinating a 19th-century period fashion show, including dress displays. The fashion show starts at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, on the convention floor stage.
For those interested in more up close and personal living history, re-enactors who portray famous Civil War generals from both sides - R.E. Lee, U.S. Grant, J.E.B. Stuart, and James Longstreet - will be present to answer questions about the long war and its effects on the nation.
If that is not enough to satisfy your history cravings, Maury's Artillery will provide firing demonstrations Saturday using two replica mountain howitzers. The artillery demonstrations begin at 10:30 a.m. and continue each hour on the half hour until 4:30 p.m. There will be no firing on Sunday, but the howitzers will be on display in the convention center.
"This area has unique history of the period that most people are not aware of," said Ron Jones, commander of Camp 87.
"Knoxville was a very important geographical area because of the railroads. Consequently, there was battling back and forth in East Tennessee to keep supply lines open from Richmond (Va.) to the south."
The Smoky Mountain Convention Center is located at 4010 Parkway, just past Traffic Light No. 9 in Pigeon Forge.
For more information go to http://www.smokymountaincivilwarshow.com/
Retired News Sentinel Senior writer Fred Brown is a freelance contributor and may be reached at brownf08@gmail.com.
If you have ever wondered about the shape, size, history or use of a Civil War bullet, bayonet, rifle, sword, hat or uniform, the Sons of the Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy have just what you are looking for.
For two days - Aug. 28 and 29 - the Smoky Mountain Convention Center in Pigeon Forge will host the Smoky Mountain Civil War & Relics Show.
More than 100 tables filled with Civil War-era relics that include muskets, rifles, pistols, photographs, uniforms, knives, buttons, and a wide variety of other artifacts and collectibles will be on display.
Tickets are $8 for both days, $4 for ages 12 and under.
In addition to the relics, re-enactors will demonstrate historically accurate portrayals of U.S. and Confederate military units. Also, re-enactors will create and camp in a tent area for a soldier's-eye-view of living history.
Show organizer Pete Smith, with the Smoky Mountain Resorts Hospitality Group which is co-sponsor of the event, said a replica of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley will be part of the exhibits. The Hunley, first submarine ever deployed in the history of naval warfare, sank the USS sloop-of-war Housatonic in Charleston Harbor February 1864.
C. Lynn Hammond, 1st Lt. Commander of the Longstreet-Zollicoffer Camp 87, Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) in Knoxville, said the SCV was contacted by Pigeon Forge to investigate the possibilities of putting on a relics event, since there were none in this area outside of Nashville and North Georgia.
"We worked on this for a year," Hammond said. "We started out not knowing what we were doing, and we now hope this is going to be an annual event."
He said the 20,000-square-foot convention center will be jammed with vendors who are coming from as far off as Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, even Gettysburg, Pa. The event opens to the public at 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, and goes until 5 p.m. and on Sunday, Aug. 29, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Ellen Renshaw House, Chapter 2624, of the UDC of Knoxville, is coordinating a 19th-century period fashion show, including dress displays. The fashion show starts at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, on the convention floor stage.
For those interested in more up close and personal living history, re-enactors who portray famous Civil War generals from both sides - R.E. Lee, U.S. Grant, J.E.B. Stuart, and James Longstreet - will be present to answer questions about the long war and its effects on the nation.
If that is not enough to satisfy your history cravings, Maury's Artillery will provide firing demonstrations Saturday using two replica mountain howitzers. The artillery demonstrations begin at 10:30 a.m. and continue each hour on the half hour until 4:30 p.m. There will be no firing on Sunday, but the howitzers will be on display in the convention center.
"This area has unique history of the period that most people are not aware of," said Ron Jones, commander of Camp 87.
"Knoxville was a very important geographical area because of the railroads. Consequently, there was battling back and forth in East Tennessee to keep supply lines open from Richmond (Va.) to the south."
The Smoky Mountain Convention Center is located at 4010 Parkway, just past Traffic Light No. 9 in Pigeon Forge.
For more information go to http://www.smokymountaincivilwarshow.com/
Retired News Sentinel Senior writer Fred Brown is a freelance contributor and may be reached at brownf08@gmail.com.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Confederate symbol on Mississippi flag could stunt state's bid for SEC baseball tournament
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Confederate symbol on the Mississippi flag could hurt the state's bid to host the Southeastern Conference baseball tournament starting in 2012 because some people find the emblem offensive, a top conference official said Tuesday.
"It would not be a 100 percent deal breaker on any kind of bid that Jackson may submit. However, it would be something we would have to consider in evaluating all the bids," Craig Mattox, the SEC assistant commissioner for championships, told The Associated Press.
South Carolina has encountered a similar problem for the past decade because of the NAACP's boycott over a Confederate flag on the statehouse grounds. Shortly after the boycott started on Jan. 1, 2000, the NCAA executive committee decided it wouldn't award predetermined championships like basketball regionals to South Carolina.
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Since 1894, the Mississippi flag has included the Confederate battle emblem — 13 white stars on a blue X over a red field. In a statewide election with strong turnout in 2001, residents voted 65 percent to 35 percent to keep the symbol on the flag. The turnout roughly reflected the percentages of Mississippi's black and white population.
The flag has remained a sore spot and some groups, including the NAACP, say the Confederate emblem is a reminder of slavery and segregation and does not represent the entire state. Flag supporters say it represents history and heritage.
Republican John Moore, a Mississippi state representative who supports the state flag, said the Confederate emblem should be no more offensive to anyone than a picture of a cotton ball on a T-shirt.
"I'd almost be willing to tell the SEC to take their tournament wherever they want to do it," said Moore, whose district is near Trustmark Park in Pearl, a suburb of Jackson, which is expected to bid on the tournament. "We're not going to let them dictate to us what our flag looks like."
Athletic directors from the 12 SEC schools are expected to decide in December which city will host the baseball tournament starting in 2012, Mattox said. Pearl is one of seven cities expected to bid. The tournament has been in Hoover, Ala., since 1998 and remains there through next spring.
Derrick Johnson, president of the Mississippi NAACP, said Tuesday he'll ask the SEC not to host tournaments in Mississippi because of the flag.
"We would like for all sport entities to continue not to support any state that would brandish the Confederate emblem, which is an offensive emblem for African-Americans," Johnson said.
Five cities have already submitted bids to host starting in 2012 — Memphis, Tenn.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Duluth, Ga.; Hoover and Montgomery, Ala.
Mattox said Metairie, La., also is expected to bid.
Mattox said the SEC will look at each city's stadium seating capacity, hotels, media areas, hospitality spaces, availability of backup game sites, batting practice areas, parking and opportunities for other entertainment for fans.
Trustmark Park in Pearl is home to Minor League Baseball's Mississippi Braves and has a seating capacity of nearly 8,500. That's smaller than Hoover's capacity of 10,000.
The tournament could pump hundreds of thousands of dollars into the economy for the host city.
Mattox said the SEC decided several years ago that Mississippi's flag would be a factor considered if the state bids for championship events. The University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University are in the SEC, but both campuses are more than 125 miles from Pearl.
Republican Gov. Haley Barbour often wears a lapel pin with Mississippi and American flags. Barbour has said repeatedly that voters resolved the flag issue in 2001 and he sees no reason to revisit it. His spokesman, Dan Turner, said Barbour had no comment Tuesday about the SEC tournament bid and the flag.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Celebrating the anniversary of the raising of the Hunley
By Brian HicksThe Post and Courier
Sunday, August 8, 2010
The H.L. Hunley broke the surface at 8:39 that morning, and Warren Lasch could not believe what he was seeing.
There, just a few yards away, the lost Civil War submarine was suspended in its lift cradle, sleek and slender, encrusted with 136 years' worth of sand, shells and barnacles.
The Friends of the Hunley chairman, along with Sen. Glenn McConnell, had spent years preparing for the moment.
"We expected regional interest, not national and international stories," Lasch recalled earlier this week. "But it was not just a southern thing, it was a national thing, a science, history, mystery and research thing."
That pretty much sums up the Hunley project, which is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of that milestone today. The story of the long-lost Hunley -- the first successful combat submarine in history -- has captured imaginations for a decade now. It is the tale of a secret project, ground- breaking technology and lingering mystery. It has brought thousands of tourists to Charleston and generated an estimated $120 million economic impact for the state.
Along the way, the Hunley has become one of the premiere archaeology projects in the country.
A decade after the raising of the Hunley, the sub still draws international attention as a team of scientists continue their efforts to preserve the 147-year-old artifact and unlock its mysteries. The research into preserving its iron hull attracted the wind turbine industry to town. Science developed as part of the Hunley excavation even aided searchers at the World Trade Center site, proving that X-rays would not harm DNA.
On Friday, the Friends of the Hunley announced the next step in this long process: a plan to rotate the sub and remove the outer shell of concretion -- all that hardened sand and shell -- that covers its hull. Maybe then, scientists will finally figure out why the sub never returned to port.
That's just one of the questions that remain unanswered.
When the sub was discovered by a Clive Cussler dive team in 1995, people knew little about the ship or its past. No one knew exactly how the ship worked or even how many men were onboard -- no official plans survived.
The work of Hunley scientists since the raising has filled in many of those blanks.
It was built in Mobile, Ala., in 1863, a third-generation submarine designed by a New Orleans engineer named James McClintock. The Hunley was a privateer, which means it was a privately owned ship. A group of investors stood to make a great deal of money by breaking the blockade of the harbor. After killing the better part of two crews in test missions in Charleston Harbor, the third crew of the Hunley -- eight men, led by Lt. George E. Dixon -- sailed from Sullivan's Island on the evening of Feb. 17, 1864.
That night, four miles off the coast, the Hunley detonated a charge on the side of the USS Housatonic big enough to drive a train through. The ship sank in minutes, killing five, stranding more than 100.
Shortly after that, the Hunley disappeared -- and stayed missing until Cussler found it 131 years later.
It took five years after that to actually recover it. Friends of the Hunley and the state Hunley Commission hired the engineering firm Oceaneering International to recover the sub, which was buried under five feet of sand in 27 feet of water.
It was not an easy job. Scientists insisted the sub be raised in the same attitude as it rested below the sea -- listing to starboard -- for fear that movement would disturb the Hunley's interior, which was essentially where the entire investigation would take place.
Oceaneering planted platforms in the sand at either end of the sub and then sat the lift cradle over the top of the sub. For weeks, divers burrowed under the Hunley, placing lift straps under its belly.
When engineers decided it was too dangerous to lift the sub using a floating crane barge, the project was delayed well into hurricane season -- a fact that kept Lasch, McConnell and a team of dozens nervous for weeks. But when the jack-up crane Karlissa B, which had legs that sat firmly on the ocean floor, lifted the sub that morning, it all went off without a hitch.
On time, under budget and without any injuries, Lasch said.
These days, the sub's recovery seems easy compared with the work it has taken to decipher the clues left behind. The archaeology project is, in some respects, the envy of the scientific community. The team works in a well-equipped lab, the Warren Lasch Conservation Center on the former Charleston Naval Base. It also is a true rarity: a complete shipwreck. And the Hunley's story is one of those unique chapters of maritime history.
"It would be like working on the Titanic," said Michael Scafuri, an archaeologist who has been with the project for 10 years. "It's one of the most significant finds of the Civil War period. I'd put it up there with the Monitor."
In fact, the Monitor project has taken tips from the Hunley crew on preserving their 19th-century ironclad.
Paul Mardikian, the senior conservator on the project, said one of the most remarkable things about the Hunley is the sheer scope of the job. Mardikian and his crew have been tasked with preserving iron, wood, cloth, organic material, paper, wax and a number of other materials -- all of which were submerged in saltwater for more than a century.
"I don't know of any other project that has the complexity of the Hunley," Mardikian said. "It's the most complete project I can think of."
Ultimately, though, McConnell, chairman of the Hunley Commission, said the project has been successful, not only because it brought science and history together but because of the team.
"We had the right people come together to break new ground and create a long legacy for this state," McConnell said.
Todays Headlines - August 10th 2010 - Dispute over marker goes on Confederate soldiers' memorial feud bound for trial
Dispute over marker goes on Confederate soldiers' memorial feud bound for trial
Date published: 8/10/2010
By CLINT SCHEMMER
Fredericksburg's legal battle over the location of a memorial to Confederate dead can go to trial, a judge decided yesterday.
Circuit Judge Gordon F. Willis rejected the city's motion for summary judgment to dismiss a lawsuit by the Sons of Confederate Veterans' local camp, saying the court must decide some of the facts disputed by both sides.
The City Council wants the SCV's Matthew Fontaine Maury Camp No. 1722 to remove a granite-and-bronze memorial it erected in early 2009 to honor 51 Confederate soldiers who were buried nearby on what is now the Maury Commons condominiums.
The small monument sits on one corner of the grassy triangle at Barton and George streets that's better known as site of the much-larger Fredericksburg Area War Memorial.
Last fall, the City Council said the SCV monument must move. It enacted an ordinance declaring the triangle the exclusive site of the War Memorial, donated by the Fredericksburg Area Veterans Council, that honors local military personnel killed in World War I and later conflicts.
The Maury camp contends that state law bars the city from moving its monument, and that the SCV had city building and zoning officials' permission to put it there on municipal property. It claims that elsewhere on city land, markers and monuments to the Union's Irish Brigade and the 7th Michigan Infantry were recently permitted by the same process.
But City Attorney Kathleen Dooley argued in court yesterday that staff weren't authorized to allow the SCV memorial. Permission must come expressly from the City Council, she said.
The SCV camp obtained a building permit for the monument's base from the city zoning administrator.
Since it has that document and the memorial is built, the council cannot retroactively move or alter the monument, the group's Richmond attorney, Patrick McSweeney, told the court.
"After the fact, the city can't change the rules," McSweeney argued.
Judge Willis said he wants to hear testimony on why Roy B. Perry Jr., the SCV camp's first lieutenant commander--who obtained the building permit--believed he had the city's approval for the monument.
And as he did last spring when the case arrived in his courtroom, Willis urged the two sides to settle the issue out of court, through mediation overseen by a retired judge.
In interviews afterward, Dooley and McSweeney said their clients are open to such an agreement, if they can find common ground.
"If there's a will, it could be worked out," McSweeney said. "The monument could be located where everybody would be satisfied."
But the legal dispute may grow, not go away.
William E. Glover, the local attorney for the Veterans Council, said the group will file a brief asking the court to let it be a party to the case, on the city's side.
The City Council has retained Fredericksburg trial lawyer Jennifer Lee Parrish to assist Dooley in the case.
And while McSweeney and Dooley declined to describe their clients' bargaining positions for a potential deal, it's not clear that the city and the SCV camp are even on the same page.
Ironically, it was the City Council which--in 1861--approved burial of Confederate troops from seven states at what later became the home of Maury School.
Clint Schemmer: 540/368-5029
Email: cschemmer@freelancestar.com
Date published: 8/10/2010
By CLINT SCHEMMER
Fredericksburg's legal battle over the location of a memorial to Confederate dead can go to trial, a judge decided yesterday.
Circuit Judge Gordon F. Willis rejected the city's motion for summary judgment to dismiss a lawsuit by the Sons of Confederate Veterans' local camp, saying the court must decide some of the facts disputed by both sides.
The City Council wants the SCV's Matthew Fontaine Maury Camp No. 1722 to remove a granite-and-bronze memorial it erected in early 2009 to honor 51 Confederate soldiers who were buried nearby on what is now the Maury Commons condominiums.
The small monument sits on one corner of the grassy triangle at Barton and George streets that's better known as site of the much-larger Fredericksburg Area War Memorial.
Last fall, the City Council said the SCV monument must move. It enacted an ordinance declaring the triangle the exclusive site of the War Memorial, donated by the Fredericksburg Area Veterans Council, that honors local military personnel killed in World War I and later conflicts.
The Maury camp contends that state law bars the city from moving its monument, and that the SCV had city building and zoning officials' permission to put it there on municipal property. It claims that elsewhere on city land, markers and monuments to the Union's Irish Brigade and the 7th Michigan Infantry were recently permitted by the same process.
But City Attorney Kathleen Dooley argued in court yesterday that staff weren't authorized to allow the SCV memorial. Permission must come expressly from the City Council, she said.
The SCV camp obtained a building permit for the monument's base from the city zoning administrator.
Since it has that document and the memorial is built, the council cannot retroactively move or alter the monument, the group's Richmond attorney, Patrick McSweeney, told the court.
"After the fact, the city can't change the rules," McSweeney argued.
Judge Willis said he wants to hear testimony on why Roy B. Perry Jr., the SCV camp's first lieutenant commander--who obtained the building permit--believed he had the city's approval for the monument.
And as he did last spring when the case arrived in his courtroom, Willis urged the two sides to settle the issue out of court, through mediation overseen by a retired judge.
In interviews afterward, Dooley and McSweeney said their clients are open to such an agreement, if they can find common ground.
"If there's a will, it could be worked out," McSweeney said. "The monument could be located where everybody would be satisfied."
But the legal dispute may grow, not go away.
William E. Glover, the local attorney for the Veterans Council, said the group will file a brief asking the court to let it be a party to the case, on the city's side.
The City Council has retained Fredericksburg trial lawyer Jennifer Lee Parrish to assist Dooley in the case.
And while McSweeney and Dooley declined to describe their clients' bargaining positions for a potential deal, it's not clear that the city and the SCV camp are even on the same page.
Ironically, it was the City Council which--in 1861--approved burial of Confederate troops from seven states at what later became the home of Maury School.
Clint Schemmer: 540/368-5029
Email: cschemmer@freelancestar.com
Monday, August 9, 2010
DUE DATE FOR 2011 AMENDMENTS TO THE SCV CONSTITUTION AND STANDING ORDERS ANNOUNCED
Compatriots,
The Due Date to submit proposed amendments to the SCV Constitution and Standing Orders for consideration at the 2011 Reunion in Montgomery, Alabama, (July 14-16, 2011), is February 10, 2011. They must be sent to Judge Advocate-in-Chief Burl McCoy and Executive Director Ben Sewell by this date.
Amendments can be submitted by e-mail or by US Mail. If sent by e-mail, the date stamp on the e-mail message must be on or before February 10, 2011. Amendments submitted by e-mail should be submitted in an MS Word file attached to the message. If submitted by US Mail, the postmark must be on or before February 10, 2011.
Judge Advocate-in-Chief McCoy can be reached at rmccoy@mccoyandwest.com or at P.O. Box 1660, Lexington, KY 40588-1660. Executive Director Ben Sewell can be reached at exedir@scv.org or P.O. Box 59, Columbia, TN 38402.
Please be sure to include your name, your camp name and number and your contact information on any amendment submitted. Those submitting amendments may also include a brief statement describing the reason the amendment is proposed. Executive Director Ben Sewell will confirm receipt of amendments submitted.
Please let me know if there are any questions regarding the submission of amendments.
Chief of Staff
Col. Jim Speicher
913-962-9986
colspike@hotmail.com
The Due Date to submit proposed amendments to the SCV Constitution and Standing Orders for consideration at the 2011 Reunion in Montgomery, Alabama, (July 14-16, 2011), is February 10, 2011. They must be sent to Judge Advocate-in-Chief Burl McCoy and Executive Director Ben Sewell by this date.
Amendments can be submitted by e-mail or by US Mail. If sent by e-mail, the date stamp on the e-mail message must be on or before February 10, 2011. Amendments submitted by e-mail should be submitted in an MS Word file attached to the message. If submitted by US Mail, the postmark must be on or before February 10, 2011.
Judge Advocate-in-Chief McCoy can be reached at rmccoy@mccoyandwest.com or at P.O. Box 1660, Lexington, KY 40588-1660. Executive Director Ben Sewell can be reached at exedir@scv.org or P.O. Box 59, Columbia, TN 38402.
Please be sure to include your name, your camp name and number and your contact information on any amendment submitted. Those submitting amendments may also include a brief statement describing the reason the amendment is proposed. Executive Director Ben Sewell will confirm receipt of amendments submitted.
Please let me know if there are any questions regarding the submission of amendments.
Chief of Staff
Col. Jim Speicher
913-962-9986
colspike@hotmail.com
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Lexington council approves plan to move Confederate graves
LEXINGTON, SC (WIS) - The Lexington County Council voted Tuesday night to move a group of graves dating back to the Confederate era. We first told you about the story in October 2009.
The graves are currently at the county industrial park. Eleven of them are buried just off Highway 1 near Batesburg-Leesville, and the council on Tuesday approved a $70,000 plan to move them.
The plan is to move a $32 million business in, which could create nearly 200 jobs. The problem is that the graveyard sits right in the middle.
Lexington County spent more than two years trying to track down the family who owned the graves. Banning said a member of the family in Chapin called the county to claim the graves right after our original story aired.
Part of the $70,000 will also go to tearing down a building at the industrial park that contains asbestos.
Related Story:
•Lexington Co. graveyard: Two-year search ends with WIS story
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11249934
The graves are currently at the county industrial park. Eleven of them are buried just off Highway 1 near Batesburg-Leesville, and the council on Tuesday approved a $70,000 plan to move them.
The plan is to move a $32 million business in, which could create nearly 200 jobs. The problem is that the graveyard sits right in the middle.
Lexington County spent more than two years trying to track down the family who owned the graves. Banning said a member of the family in Chapin called the county to claim the graves right after our original story aired.
Part of the $70,000 will also go to tearing down a building at the industrial park that contains asbestos.
Related Story:
•Lexington Co. graveyard: Two-year search ends with WIS story
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11249934
2010 Fall Muster at Beauvoir
http://www.samdavis596.com/Fall_Muster_2009.html
Fall Muster@ Beauvoir The War Between the States comes to the Last Home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, the weekend of October 16-17, 2010. You can experience the sights, sounds and smells of the 1860’s, as you witness the epic struggle that transformed the Nation. Come and Join Us!
Fall Muster@ Beauvoir The War Between the States comes to the Last Home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, the weekend of October 16-17, 2010. You can experience the sights, sounds and smells of the 1860’s, as you witness the epic struggle that transformed the Nation. Come and Join Us!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Confederate Roll of Honor Medal Dedication at the Cottonlandia Museum
Saturday, August 21, at 3:00 pm, there will be a Confederate Roll of Honor Medal Dedication at the Cottonlandia Museum in Greenwood, MS. Ed Kilgore, a member of the Capt. Thomas H. Hobbs Camp #768 and resident of Aniston, AL, will be donating his Ancestor's Medal to the museum in honor of his Ancestor that fought in the 11th MS Infantry. All Medals must be placed on permanent display and he chose Cottonlandia in GReenwood since this is where his ancestor was from.
Cottonlandia is located on Highway 82 West in Greenwood, MS on the right hand after you pass the Coc-Cola Distribution center.
Please come out and support this memorable event. There will be a recption following the ceremony, period attire is welcomed.
Larry McCluney, AoT Councilman
Cottonlandia is located on Highway 82 West in Greenwood, MS on the right hand after you pass the Coc-Cola Distribution center.
Please come out and support this memorable event. There will be a recption following the ceremony, period attire is welcomed.
Larry McCluney, AoT Councilman
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