Battle Anniversary Weekend at Pea Ridge

The 147th anniversary of pivotal battle that saved Missouri for the Union, the Battle of Pea Ridge, will be commemorated March 7-8 at Pea Ridge National Military Park.

The event will begin at 10:00 on the Elkhorn Tavern with living historians portraying Union Infantry showing people how soldiers drilled, moved and fired. The Infantry programs by either Northern or Southern troops will be at 10:00, 11:00, 12:30, 1:00, 2:00, 2:30, 3:30 and 4:00. There will also be guided tours led throughout the day to various parts of the fighting around the Elkhorn Tavern.

This year for the first time since March 7, 1862, the First Iowa Battery will once again be where they were north of the Elkhorn Tavern on the Wire Road. This four-gun battery engaged over 20 guns of the Missouri State Guard on the opposite ridge. Artillery programs are for Saturday only and will be at 10:30, 12:00, 1:30 and 3:00.

The Webb Collection of Civil War era items will be on display in the Visitor Center on Saturday only from 9-4.

In addition, there will be a camp laundress set up near the Elkhorn Tavern to show visitors how clothes were washed and children of all ages are invited to help on both Saturday and Sunday.

The annual memorial service for all those who fought and fell here at the battle will take place on Sunday at 10:00 at the Elkhorn Tavern. Infantry demonstrations will begin at 11:00 and go at every hour on the hour until 3:00. Guided walks will also be given on Sunday.

Because of the increased number of vehicles on the park tour road for this event, no horses or bicycles will be allowed in the park on Saturday.

Pea Ridge National Military Park preserves the site of and commemorates the March 1862 Civil War battle that helped Union forces gain control of Missouri. The park is located 10 miles north of Rogers on US Highway 62. Admission is $5.00 per carload.

Green Rieves - "Company Aytch"

Nathaniel Green RIEVES, 6 Feb 1835 - 17 Aug 1907, "DEVIL HORSE" He was was a soldier in Company "H", 1st Tennessee Infantry Regiment, C. S. A.

Almost every soldier in the army-generals, colonels, captains, as well as privates-had a nickname; ...Green Rieves was called "Devil Horse"... (Sam R. Watkins, "Co. Aytch", c. 1962 Macmillan Publishing Co. (paperback) p. 71)

The Yankees seemed determined not to fight, no way we could fix it. Every now and then they would send over a "feeler," to see how we were getting along. Sometimes these "feelers" would do some damage. I remember one morning we were away over a hill, and every now and then here would come one of those lazy-looking "feelers," just bouncing along as if he were in no hurry, called in military "ricochet." They were very easy to dodge, if you could see them in time. Well, one morning as before remarked, Lieutenant John Whittaker, then in command of Company H, and myself were sitting down eating breakfast out of the same tin plate. We were sopping gravy out with some cold cornbread, when Captain W. C. Flournoy, of the Martin Guards, hallooed out, "Look out, Sam; look! look!" I just turned my head, and in turning, the cannonball knocked my hat off, and striking Lieutenant Whittaker full in the side of the head, carried away the whole of the skull part, leaving only the face. His brains fell in the plate from which we were sopping, and his head fell in my lap, deluging my face and clothes with his blood. Poor fellow, he never knew what hurt him. His spirit went to his God that morning. Green Rieves carried the poor boy off on his shoulder, and, after wrapping him up in a blanket, buried him. His bones are at Jonesboro today....Green Rieves was the only person at the funeral; no tears of a loving mother or a gentle sister were there. Green interred his body, and there it will remain till the resurrection. (From: "Co. Aytch" by Sam R. Watkins c. 1962 Macmillan Publishing Co. (paperback) pp. 209, 210.)

Photo & Information by Chuck Demastus, a g-g-grandson.

Jim Limber Davis—Black History Month’s Forgotten Story

Jim Limber Davis

By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr.

God’s children, of African, Asian, European, Hispanic, American Indian, and Jewish ancestry, were once told stories about the men and women who helped make America great. When I was a child, the heritage of our ancestors was very important to both young and old but, today, political correct thought has taken the place of historical truth and many schools, streets and parks, named for our beloved forefathers and mothers have been changed.

I write this article as the Sons of Confederate Veterans of Virginia, a Southern fraternal-historical group--www.scv.org, is looking for a location to unveil a historically correct statue depicting Confederate President Jefferson Davis and two of his sons Joe and Jim Limber. Jim was a black child adopted by the Davis family and Joe was tragically killed by a fall in 1864 at the Confederate White House in Richmond, Virginia.

It is ironic that a statue of Abraham Lincoln, Union President, 1861-65, was earlier unveiled in Richmond, Virginia but plans of the Sons of Confederate Veterans to erect a statue of Confederate President, Jefferson Davis, has apparently been met with less enthusiasm…And this comes from the old Confederate Capitol and where Davis and his family are buried. It is also reported that the SCV has even received a cool reception from Jackson , Mississippi , as a possible site for the statue, the state Davis and his family called home during the last years of the president’s life…But, there is good news with the following show of support recently published in Jackson Mississippi Clarion Ledger newspaper:

Quote, (The Director of Beauvoir— Davis’s last home---says he’d love to have the life size bronze sculpture of the former President of the Confederacy. Richard Forte says the statue of Davis, with his hand extended, looks like it’s welcoming people to Beauvoir.) Unquote www.beauvoir.org

Why do today’s Historians praise the memory of Abraham Lincoln but ignore the many accomplishments of Jefferson Davis?

Some people write that Lincoln supported the abolition of slavery but Davis was a racist. If you read Lincoln ’s first inaugural address from 1861, you will discover that Lincoln supported a bill that would have given the South a way to stay in the Union with slavery protected by a Constitutional amendment. If the South’s only intention in seceding from the Union was to keep their slaves, wouldn’t they have accepted such a deal?

In 1989, a magazine article caught my eye which I had to read from beginning to end. This was not an ordinary story but about a black child, a Confederate President's First Lady and the Southern Presidential Family. The story was written by Gulfport, Mississippi freelance writer, Mrs. Peggy Robbins and is entitled, "Jim Limber Davis." This is my summary of Mrs. Robbins’ splendid story.

On the morning of February 15, 1864, Mrs. Varina Davis, wife of Southern President Jefferson Davis, had concluded her errands and was driving her carriage down the streets of Richmond, Virginia on her way home. She heard screams from a distance and quickly went to the scene to see what was happening.

Varina saw a young black child being abused by an older man. She demanded that he stop striking the child and when this failed she shocked the man by forcibly taking the child away. She took the child to her carriage and with her to the Southern White House.

Arriving home Mrs. Davis and maid 'Ellen' gave the young boy a bath, attended to his cuts and bruises and fed him. The only thing he would tell them is that his name was Jim Limber. He was happy to be rescued and was given some clothes of the Davis ' son Joe who was the same size and age.

The Davis family were visited the following evening by a friend of Varina's, noted Southern Diarist-Mary Boykin Chesnut, who saw Jim Limber and wrote later that she had seen the boy and that he was eager to show me his cuts and bruises.

The Christmas of 1864, would be memorable for the Davis family and probably the best Christmas Jim Limber would ever have. A Christmas tree was set up in Saint Paul 's Church, decorated and gifts placed beneath it for orphan children.

The end of the War Between the States was coming and Richmond was being evacuated. Varina and the children left ahead of Jefferson Davis. The president and his staff left just hours before the occupation of Union troops.

Varina and the children were by the side of Jefferson Davis at his capture near Irwinville, Georgia and again the family was separated. Jefferson Davis was taken to Virginia to spend two years in prison.

Mrs. Davis and her children were taken to Macon , Georgia and later to Port Royal outside of Savannah . At Port Royal their Union escort, Captain Charles T. Hudson, made good at his earlier threats to take Jim Limber away.

As the Union soldiers came to forcibly take young Jim, he put up a great struggle and tried to hold onto his family as they to him. Jim and his family cried uncontrollably as the child was taken. His family would never again see him or know what happened to him.

The Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia is home to a portrait of Jim Limber Davis in the Eleanor S. Brookenbrough Library. I thank Mrs. Peggy Robbins who wrote the Jim Limber Davis story in 1989 and the Southern Partisan Magazine for publishing her story in the second quarter Issue-Volume IX of 1989.


Calvin E. Johnson, Jr. is a freelance writer, author of book ‘When America Stood for God, Family and Country’ and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. His email address is cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net

The Typical Hero of the South

From The Times-Democrat's Christmas Edition, 1892

The Old South has grand memories and the New South has splendid anticipations. The spirit which moved the Old leads the New South.

It is that spirit which seeks truth through roughest paths and heeds no danger in its pursuit. It is that spirit which warmed the hearts and steeled the nerves to bear the burdens of both the Old and the New South. My ideal hero embraced it with superb unselfishness.

Some would say he should be Robert E. Lee, whose great heart and lofty leadership enchained the everlasting affection of the South.

Some would say he should be Stonewall Jackson, whose magic power so often awakened the wonder of the world.

Some would say he should be Jefferson Davis, whose polished manhood held with unyielding nerve the pearl of Southern pride.

Some would say he was among the hosts of cavalrymen and artillerymen, who flashed their swords and pulled their lanyards in battles often won.

Yes! These are the jewels of the South, and there are honors and memories for them; but I would take away the stars and trimmings and titles, for there was charm and inspiration in them.

I would eliminate, too, the higher grades of service.

The purest spirit, the deepest love, the greatest hero, the noblest manhood, was in the infantry private of the South.

He was reared when the "irrepressible conflict" quickened the pulse of the people. He was inspired by the intellectual gladiators of the South.

He gloried in the heroism of his ancestors, which had won the republic from England.

He shouldered the burden of his convictions, he grasped his musket for his cause, he inhaled the smoke of battle, he felt the sting of bullet, he bled from shot and shell.

He dared to die when he could foresee his unurned ashes scattered on the soil of his enemies.

Where is loftier heroism?

Where is nobler patriotism?

Where is truer manhood?

Where is grander chivalry?

Where a more ideal hero?

For principles, he carried the heaviest cross.

For principles, he courted an unknown grave.

He touched elbows in the unwavering line of charge.

He gained victory with the point of the bayonet.

He dauntlessly rushed over earthworks.

He stood like a "stone wall" on the field.

He was strongest in battle.

He was gentlest in victory.

He was most powerful in the face of menace.

He was tenderest to the captured. His pride was grand, his bravery exalted, his heroism majestic!

His marvelous simplicity of conduct was consonant with his beauty of heart?

His life in camp was characterized by praiseworthy endurance.

He met his privations with the calmness of a philosopher.

He enjoyed the pastimes of his tent with the guilelessness of a child.

He doted on his faded uniform and jeered at the "slick" silk hat, even on the head of a Confederate congressman.

When the first year of his service had passed he was bright with hope.
Fort Sumter had fallen and Manassas had emblazoned his bayonet with glory!

The second year passed with five hundred and sixtyfour battles and engagements, including Shiloh, the seven days' battle, which made the dark waters of the Chickahominy run red, Second Manassas and Fredericksburg, and his prowess was proved to the civilized world.

The third year passed with six hundred and twentyseven battles and engagements.

It saw his pride at the highest and his hope brightest when, fresh from the victories of Chancellorsville, he invaded the soil of Pennsylvania.

Alas! for human hopes!

Gettysburg turned backward his footsteps and started anxiety in his breast.

How long could these bloody years last?

Surely, not longer than seven, as his ancestors' revolution had cost!

Then the fourth year passed, with seven hundred and seventy-nine battles and engagements.

His anxiety was over.

He saw the inevitable end.

Hope of success was gone.

It was only a question of the days he might be spared before the bullet pierced his heart.

He saw the end before the statesmen in the Capitol at Richmond. He knew overwhelming numbers would crush out the soldiery of the South.

His comrades were falling, and no recruits came to fill their places. He saw the end and felt it in the summer of 1864, but his allegiance to the army, his duty to himself and his family bade him go almost daily to a hopeless slaughter, and often he marched to battle for his personal honor, without the slightest hope for his country's independence.

Can you imagine heroism more sublime than the private infantryman's who held the front lines of the Confederacy during the last half of 1864 and the winter and spring of 1865?

Around Petersburg along the disastrous line of retreat to Appomattox, and even there he shouldered his musket and yielded ready obedience to the order for a charge, until his matchless commander said his duty to his country had been "faithfully performed,” and further resistance would be a useless sacrifice.

He had enlisted as a private, he fought as a private, he surrendered as a private, and then he returned to private life to battle for bread. His country was lost, but a dauntless spirit directed him in the evolution to another citizenship. He guided the plow, wielded the axe, and did whatever his hand found to do, with the same unassuming fortitude which marked his career in the army.

He inspired courage in the young. He gave life to the weak, and grappled the new order of things with masterly mind.

Napoleon said: "True heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life in whatever shape they may challenge him to combat."

The infantryman not only felt as the illustrious warrior when he uttered this sublime sentiment, but he has demonstrated its truth by rising superior to all the evils of disaster, imbuing his associates with that resolute endurance which made him the breakwater of the Confederacy, and has made the bone and sinew of the progress and prosperity of the New South.

As his is the glory of the past, so his is the strength of the present. Whenever you find him, whether laboring on your streets, building your ships or tilling your fields, pause and lift your hat, for the Confederate private infantryman is the typical hero of the South.

He is entitled to the absolute respect of the grandest in the land. Already many stately granite shafts commemorate our hero leaders, but shall there not be one higher by an hundredfold and a thousand times more beautiful in design than any of these, dedicated to the infantry privates of the South?

Aye! I wish a shaft of burnished gold could lift its head from Virginia's valley, in which sleep the remains of Lee and Jackson, in memory of the private infantrymen of the Confederacy, emblazoning their glory to coming generations, for their heroism is the grandest type of all the thousand bloody fields which heralded Southern valor.

The private infantrymen were lowest in rank, yet highest in their loyalty to the finest sense of honor the human mind can conceive--grandest in humility, greatest in sincerity, purest in purpose; and never can temples of fame enshrine the memory of knightlier souls!


WILLIAM H. STEWART,
Late Lt.-Col. 61st Va. Infantry, C. S. A.,
Portsmouth, Va.
Source: Southern Historical Society Papers, Vol. XX.
Richmond, Va., January-December. 1892

FLORIDA'S GREATEST CONFEDERATE HERO

By Bob Hurst

If you have been reading CONFEDERATE JOURNAL regularly I would imagine that you are aware that the Florida Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, primarily through the efforts of Marion Lambert and members of the General Jubal Early Camp in Tampa, have for the past several years been developing a park east of Tampa to honor our Confederate ancestors and their effort to establish an independent South. The centerpiece of this park is a huge Confederate Battle Flag flying atop a 139 foot flagpole that has drawn much media attention. Given the current state of the media in this country, much of the coverage has been unfavorable which says much more about leftwing media bias than about the park, the flag, honoring one's heritage or private property rights.

I'm happy to report that the flag flew throughout Super Bowl week in Tampa and, despite the trepidations of some of the politically-correct crowd, there were no riots (race or otherwise) and I don't believe the world now thinks any the less of the Tampa Bay Area because the flag was flying. In fact, we've gotten many reports of visitors coming to the game from all over the country who thought it was thrilling to see that magnificent flag flying in the blue Florida sky.

The dedication of the park is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 2009 and a grand affair it will be. There will be people from all over coming for the event plus some outstanding speakers from throughout the Southland. There will be gentlemen in Confederate uniforms, ladies in period clothing, cannon salutes, food, entertainment... just a fine occasion in every way. The main star, though, will be the park itself and there is much more to the park than just that beautiful flag.

The park is designed to be an educational experience for all who visit and one of the prime elements of this effort is a collection of plaques (eventually there will be about thirty) dedicated to telling the story of individuals, battles, groups and other aspects of the War for Southern Independence with an emphasis on those most pertinent to Florida's role in the War. I and a fine gentleman from Tampa, Dave Anthony, have been requested to write the texts for these plaques - at least the initial group to be installed.

In a recent telephone conversation, Dave and I divided the topics for the plaques thus far purchased so we could begin writing the plaques texts. When I say "purchased", I mean those plaques which already have a monetary sponsor.

I have written all of this to lead into this month's column.

One of my assignments is the plaque for General Edmund Kirby Smith and, after my research on this great individual, I am happy to have this particular assignment. Prior to this research, I knew a little about this great Confederate but certainly not enough and I want to use this month's column to write about some of the accomplishments of this marvelous Floridian.

Edmund Kirby Smith was born in St. Augustine on March 24, 1824. His father was a territorial judge and both his father's family, the Smiths, and his mother's family, the Kirbys, had been prominent in their native state of Connecticut. It was said that every person of culture who passed through St. Augustine was a visitor at the Smith home.

Kirby Smith attended college at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Upon graduation in 1845, he first saw military service in the Mexican War where he served under General Winfield Scott and General Zachary Taylor. He was brevetted for gallantry in the battles of Cerro Gordo and Contreras. After the war, he returned to West Point to serve as an assistant professor of mathematics for three years. He then returned to service in the field on the Texas frontier. During this time he had risen to the rank of major.

When Florida seceded from the Union in January of 1861, he resigned from the U.S. Army to return to his native state and offer his services to the Confederacy. He was immediately commissioned a colonel of cavalry.

Kirby Smith fought on every front of the War and proved to be one of the Confederacy's most valuable and resourceful officers. In 1861 he organized the army in the Shenandoah while serving as chief of staff for General Joseph E. Johnston. He was later severely wounded at First Manassas. In 1862 he was placed in command of the Department of East Tennessee which included Kentucky, east Tennessee, western North Carolina and north Georgia. He invaded Kentucky where he cleared the Cumberland Gap of federal troops and also won the Battle of Richmond. Because of his successes and outstanding leadership ability, he was successively promoted over a sixteen-month period to brigadier general, major general and then lieutenant general on October 9, 1862.

In 1863 he was ordered to Richmond, Virginia where he reorganized the Confederate Army. He was given command of the Department of Trans-Mississippi, one of the three major components of the Confederate Army, and it was at this assignment that he won his greatest fame.

The Trans-Mississippi encompassed Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and the Indian Territory (Oklahoma). During his command he oversaw the production and exportation of cotton, the importation of machinery for manufacturing processes and the production of beef and grain products to feed his troops in addition to commanding his army. The Trans-Mississippi, in fact, became known as "Kirby-Smithdom".

For his outstanding management skills and military leadership, he was promoted to the rank of (full) general on February 19, 1864. Kirby Smith was one of only eight Confederates to achieve the rank of (full) general.

Long after the other generals had surrendered their armies in the East, Kirby Smith finally surrendered his troops on May 26, 1865. His was the last Confederate Army to surrender.

After the War ended, he served as president of an insurance company and as president of the Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph Company before returning to the field of education in 1870 as the Chancellor (President) of the University of Nashville. He spent the last eighteen years of his life as a professor of mathematics at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. He died March 28, 1893 and is buried in Sewanee at University Cemetery. He was the last surviving full general of either army that fought in the War for Southern Independence.

Edmund Kirby Smith truly had an amazing career as a warrior, civilian businessman and educator.

One mystery still remains for me, however, concerning this outstanding Confederate. After researching more than a half dozen books and other materials on the general, I can find no consensus on whether his name should be hyphenated or not. The fine biography on him by Joseph H. Parks is titled "Edmund Kirby Smith C.S.A.", no hyphen. In Clayton Rand's wonderful book SONS OF THE SOUTH, he is listed as "Edmund Kirby-Smith", with hyphen. In WHO WAS WHO IN THE CIVIL WAR, his listing is "Edmund Kirby Smith". In that great compendium, GENERALS AT REST, where the grave sites of the 425 official general officers of the Confederacy are pictured, the monument over his grave in Sewanee reads "Kirby-Smith". Yet Ezra Warner in GENERALS IN GRAY omits the hyphen.

It gets even more complicated. In T. Harry Williams' NAPOLEON IN GRAY about General P.G.T. Beauregard, the index listing is for "Smith, Edmund Kirby". Nathaniel Hughes, however, in the index of GENERAL WILLIAM J. HARDEE lists "Kirby Smith, Edmund" using both names but no hyphen. Paul C. Anderson in BLOOD IMAGE about General Turner Ashby uses "Smith, Edmund Kirby" in the index listing while Sam Davis Elliott in SOLDIER OF TENNESSEE about General A.P. Stewart uses "Kirby Smith, Edmund". And finally, the SCV camp in Jacksonville, which is one of the largest in our confederation, is officially the "Kirby-Smith Camp #1209".

I'm still not sure if his last name is "Smith", "Kirby Smith" or "Kirby-Smith". One thing is for certain, though. He is one of the brightest stars in the pantheon of Confederate heroes and he is the most illustrious of all the great Floridians who wore the sacred gray.

DEO VINDICE

Bob is the Commander of the Col. David Lang Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, in Tallahassee and is 2nd Lt. Commander of the Florida Division, SCV. You can contact him at confederatedad1@yahoo.com or 850-878-7010.

Confederate POW Flag

Brothers and Sisters of the Confederate Nation thank you for allowing me to share with you a project I’ve been working on for the past year. What is heritage? It can be described as pride, courage, strength, determination, sense of purpose, commitment, REMEMBERANCE) I believe that there lies within each of us as Southerners a passionate embrace of remembrance be it for an ideal, a cause, a way of being, or a life lived by those who have passed before us.

It’s an intense feeling one gets when viewing the battle flag, when attending heritage events, when observing or participating in an re-enactment . . . it’s like time stand stills and your transformed back to the 1860’s and your able to grasp even for a moment the way “things” were back then the sights, sounds and smells that can trigger this “Deja Vu” experience. Think back to situations when your heart swells with pride, when the goosebumps begin their march up and down your spine. When you start to shake with excitement and anticipation it’s like a spiritual force comes upon you. You can’t explain it, it just is. I call it the Spirit of Remembrance.

I would like to share with you this flag and the symbolism that it represents:

The grey represents the Confederacy and the grayness of the times. During the winter when it was bitterly cold and our ancestors were far from home, thinking about their families, the crops, and wondering if they were ever going to make it home, the gray rainy days prior to a battle, hoping and praying they were going to survive and make it through the day. The grayness of their hopes and joys, their sorrows and despair. We will remember.

The yellow star represents all those who died in the conflict; Approximately 50,000 Southern civilians were killed and brutalized by the Union army. Many black and white people were robbed, tortured and starved by these “Northern Liberators” as well as the Confederate POW’s themselves. No one talks about those who were left behind for those four long years. . . .1861-1865. There are no memorials or statues to those who kept the home fires burning, who tilled the fields and brought in the crops and endured their share of trials and tribulations. . . .until now. We will remember.

The Seal of the Confederacy is surrounded by the bounty of the agricultural South, the cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sugar, beans that the South grew to use and export destroyed by the Northern invaders. Here, George Washington is showing the way to independence 80 years prior. We will remember.

The Circle of Honor represents the 13 Confederate States; South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Missouri and Kentucky. The Confederate Nation. We will remember.

The navy blue St. Andrews Cross is the color of mourning. The SCV can mean many things, Son of Confederate Veterans, Southern Confederate Veterans, or Scala Caeli Vale which means “The ladder of heaven – farewell” to those who have gone before us. The Deo Vindice at the bottom of the seal states that God Vindicates the POW’s – MIA’s and the innocent civilians as well. This too will be remembered.

Approximately 215,000 Southerners were captured and confined in Union POW camps. Of these around 26,000 Confederates died while in captivity. In many of these prison camps records were minimal or not kept at all. The conditions were heinous.

Lack of clean water, food, inadequate clothing, and inadequate medical care contributed to the deaths and dismal conditions in the camps. We will remember.

Brutality by the guards, commanding officers and the federal government itself took its toll. Broiled rat was regarded as cuisine and any dog that wandered into the camp was killed and eaten. At Camp Morton POW camp located in Indiana, 24 black Confederates and 1 Hispanic Confederate are buried. It is estimated that between 250-300 black, Hispanic and Native American Confederates passed through this camp. These veterans faired as badly as their white brothers in arms. We will remember.

At Rock Island POW camp the United Daughters of the Confederacy erected a monument that states:

In Memory Of The Confederate

Veterans Who Died At The

Rock Island Confederate

Prison Camp. May They Never

Be Forgotten. Let No Man

Asperse The Memory Of Our

Sacred Dead. They Were Men

Who Died For A Cause They

Believed Was Worth Fighting For And

Made the Ultimate Sacrifice

Brothers and Sisters of The Confederate Nation, We say “You Shall Not Be Forgotten” As long as duty, honor and sacrifice define Southern heroism your memory will live forever.

This flag proudly flies in SCV camps and private homes in the following states; Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, New York, and Mississippi. It is under consideration for adoption as the National Confederate POW Flag by the Sons of Confederate Veterans National Executive Committee. If you support this project, please contact the National SCV headquarters and let them know of your support.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this flag goes to fund:

SCV Camp 2086
Dixie Defenders
Cross City, FL

Please visit our website at www.confederatepowflag.com

My Ole' Kentucky Home

As our Constitution continues to be ignored, side-stepped, and generally trashed I believe it is time to re-evaluate what it means to be a citizen in these "days and times." The basis of this government is the notion of "consent of the governed." What has happened to us in the last 145 years? In the mid 19th century everyone knew what the government was supposed to do and what it could not do under the Constitution. If you asked someone where they were from they would invariably answer with the name of their state - the state was their country. I am a Kentuckian. This was because everyone knew that all government was LOCAL GOVERNMENT. When the notion that the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT was the final arbiter of what happens locally took hold and the people forgot what kind of government they were supposed to be living under was lost - so was the basis of the government. It has been transformed into a Socialist State. Where the federal government determines where you can spend your money, how you can run your farm or business, who you can hire or fire, who you must associate with, go to school with, what is to be done with the inheritance that your fathers and mothers worked a lifetime to store up for you, where they will send your sons and daughters to - to die in conflicts in which there was no declaration of war (just has been done to us in every conflict since WWII), and at what rate (when taken all together it is currently 35 - 45% of your income is paid in taxes in one form or another) you will pay homage to the Godless masters in Washington D.C. I have lost faith in the government. It has lied and stolen far too much from me and you to ignore any more. I love my country - Kentucky. But, I will no longer fly the flag of the federal government. I will instead fly the flag of resistance, of states rights, and yes of rebellion - the last flag of the Confederacy - the third national flag. The last flag of a people who knew what the government had the right to do - not in any support of slavery (which they knew was dying) but as a sign that not everyone has been taken in by the media and the powerful rich that would rule over us and keep all of us - all races - in bondage. Join me in this silent protest and help educate those around you to the danger that we currently find ourselves.

"Denny" Lee Lacy
CSA Citizen KY1-Cn01
Commander, Southern Confederate Front, Kentucky Division, Confederate Society of America.
Deo Vindice Resurgam
Sons of Confederate Veterans

“A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
-- John Stuart Mill

Hollywood comes to North Georgia

By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr.

Have you ever seen the movie ‘I’d Climb the Highest Mountain?’

This wonderful classic movie was made during the 1950s, when families spent quality time at the movies where Coca Cola was a nickel, hot bettered popcorn a quarter and for a mere quarter you might see a double-feature film, cartoon and newsreel. Parents did not worry about the sexual, bad language or graphic scenes of the early films because most were family friendly.

It was also during June 1950, when North Korea invaded South Korea and soldiers said goodbye to their mother, father, sister, brother and sweetheart to fight a war many miles away from home.

America saw sad times during the 50s but there was also much excitement in the North Georgia Mountains. This was the year that the movie ‘I’d Climb the highest Mountain’ was filmed in Georgia’s red clay hills. The 1910 novel that became a movie was written by Georgia’s own Corra Harris and was entitled ‘A Circuit Rider’s Wife.’ It told the story of a young Methodist preacher and his bride as they moved to the Georgia hills to pastor a local church. Much of the movie was shot around Helen and Cleveland in what is called the Blue Ridge Mountains.

When Corra Harris died in 1935, Hollywood screenwriter Lamar Trotti, an Atlanta, Georgia native, wrote the screenplay of her book. Trotti earned his fame far from Georgia but had kept his love of his home and its history. After World War II, Henry King, a successful director, worked with Trotti to produce the movie for Twentieth Century-Fox. King had made the religious films ‘David and Bathsheba’ and ‘Song of Bernadette.’ He was born in Christiansburg, Virginia.

Susan Hayward played the role of Mary Elizabeth, the preacher’s wife and narrates the story. Reverend William Thompson is played by William Lundigan. Both give fine performances about a country preacher, his wife and the Christian life of a small town in the rural South. Their faith is tested by a deadly flu epidemic, a child drowning at the church picnic and the miscarriage of their child. The faithful strength of this couple brings the people closer to one another. Mary even talks a tight fisted old man out of money and buys Christmas presents for the poor children.

The supporting cast includes Rory Calhoun and Gene Lockhart, father of actress June Lockhart. Alexander Knox, of the movie ‘Wilson’, played a non-believer who was touched in the end by the goodness of the preacher and his wife. Even though Knox lost a child, he now sees his children just as happy as other children and tells Reverend Thompson that he and his family would look into the future with an open mind.

There is an emotional scene where Minister Thompson asks all married couples to hold hands and repeat their marriage vows. This is a scene worth repeating—many times! The movies climax is classic Hollywood. Thompson, as a circuit-riding minister is transferred to another church. He and Mary bid their congregation farewell. Susan Hayward became very fond of the mountain people, many of whom played extras.

An early 1900s automobile was needed for the movie. The producers found Otis Mason in South Carolina with a 1912 vintage Overland in running condition. However, he was the only one who knew how to drive it. Mr. Mason appears in the movie as the driver and just had one line ‘Yes Ma’am.’ What would you give for just one line in a movie? Especially a line that husbands use all the time!

The movie ends with the ‘Lords Prayer’ sung slowly and reverently. The original music by Sol Kaplan and music direction by Lionel Newman is wonderful. This beautiful Technicolor classic is about the dirt roads, farmlands, old buildings and Georgia Mountain folks. Edward Cronjager received praise for the films Technicolor cinematography.

‘I’d Climb the Highest Mountain’ was filmed during the golden era of Hollywood. It premiered on February 17, 1951, at Atlanta Georgia’s Paramount Theater. Susan Hayward was honored by the Georgia State Senate with a resolution declaring her an ‘adopted daughter of Georgia.’ Hayward, born in New York, married a Georgian and they made Carrollton, Georgia their home.

Today, this film is rarely seen on commercial television. The Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), a Christian Network, did air the movie several times during the month of February 2007 that marked the movies 56th anniversary.

They don’t make movies like this anymore!!


Calvin E. Johnson, Jr. is a freelance writer, author of book ‘When America Stood for God, Family and Country’ and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. His email address is cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net

Southern National Congress Denounces “False Stimulus” Bill

Rome, GA; February 10, 2009. On behalf of the fourteen State Delegations to the Southern National Congress (SNC), the SNC Board of Governors announced today its strong opposition to the stimulus-and-bailout bills now making their way through the U.S. Congress.

We are deeply concerned about our fellow Southerners who have lost their jobs, their homes, or the value of their retirement accounts. We pledge ourselves to help wherever we can, and we encourage all Southerners to help relieve the suffering of the jobless and homeless.

However, no so-called “stimulus bills” solve our economy’s problems. In fact, more government pork-and-spending will make things worse. Government spending will impede a genuine recovery by further weakening the U.S. dollar and increasing the growing risk of hyper-inflation. Make no mistake, the two bills on the table are spending bills, pure and simple. They contain “so much pork that you’d think Ji mmy Dean wrote them himself.”

President Obama said on Monday that America can no longer afford the old failed policies that got us into the mess. But that’s exactly what he proposes – the same old failed spending, gargantuan government debt, and phony money created by the Federal Reserve that brought us here.

Thomas Moore, SNC Chairman, noted, “This is classic Washington folly. In response to the crisis that the Federal Government itself created, it demands more of our money and more power over us. President Obama’s approach may create a temporary stimulus. But it will be a false one - in the same way a junkie gets a ‘stimulus’ when he shoots up with heroin. He may feel good for a little while, but he will eventually crash from this high and runs the very real risk of ultimately dying from his addiction.”

“The U.S. is also addicted - to a lethal mix of loose credit, runaway debt, and profligate spending. This is made possible by fiat money – money the Federal Reserve creates from nothing and backs with nothing. We denounced this practice at the First Congress on December 6, 2008, and we continue to abhor it.”
(See www.southernnationalcongress.org/resolutionsindex.shtml)

“Professional politicians who live by pandering to special interests and un-elected and unaccountable bureaucrats are simply unqualified to address the deepening economic meltdown. The current crisis was largely caused by these same people. We loathe putting our economic security and that of our families into the hands of these incompetents. If this continues, these people will obliterate the America most of us were born into. We are now clearly threatened by domestic, internal decisions which will ultimately destroy the country.”

The American people are sick of being plundered by Wall Street and Washington. Calls to Capitol Hill are reportedly running seven to one against the so-called stimulus package. Yet the Feds appear determined to produce a bill by the end of this week. Pat Hines, Board Member for South Carolina, reports, “70% of Americans nationally, and 90% of South Carolinians, are opposed to this and every so-called bail out bill so far, even though South Carolina’s unemployment rate is soaring. By continually ignoring the will of the people we can all now plainly see the basic disconnect between the national government and the governed. This government is broken and cannot be repaired.”

The SNC Board laments the absence of any effective opposition to the Obama crusade to socialize the U.S. economy. The Republicans were eager supporter of the $700 billion Bush-Paulson payoff to Wall Street back in October 2008 and now lack all credibility. Their formerly abandoned but newly discovered commitment to free enterprise convinces no one. Indeed, the critical votes to pass the Senate version of the monstrosity came from Republicans. Any effective opposition to the juggernaut of socialist spending bearing down on us must now come from us - the States and from the people. We must act for ourselves and our families.

This irresponsible legislation proves that career politicians of both parties have failed us; or worse, actively betrayed us. But the people still need representatives who will defend their interests. That’s why it’s up to citizen-leaders - folks like us - the delegates to the Southern National Congress, to step into the breach. When the stimulus bill brings about its inevitable havoc and destruction, remember who really spoke out for our benefit.

The Board of Governors of the Southern National Congress is the oversight body of the SNC and comprises one Member elected from each of the fourteen State Delegations. The Board is authorized to speak for the Congress when it is not in session.

More information about the SNC can be found on the website, www.southernnationalcongress.org, or by contacting the Chairman of the SNC Media Committee Jonathan Ingram, at jonathaningram@juno.com

Looking for Lincoln...Through Southern Conservative Eyes

Why and How the War of Northern Aggression Began

Commentary by Frank Conner

Editor's Note: PBS will broadcast a new documentary entitled Looking for Lincoln beginning on Feb. 11, 2009

Part 1. The Election of 1860 and its Aftermath

The winter of 1860-61 was full of nasty surprises for everyone. Neither the North nor the South ha d wanted a war, so the Republicans had forsworn their popular presidential-candidates, Salmon Chase and William Seward, as being too warlike; and instead they had chosen Abraham Lincoln, an unknown, because he appeared to promote peace. Similarly, when the Southern Democrats broke from the national party, they split into three groups with three presidential candidates; but all three of them were solid Unionists.

The 1860 election results jolted everyone. Although the Republican party was only six years old, and was purely a Northern party, containing the Conscience Whigs and the Free-Soilers, and was not even on the ballots in a number of Southern states, still it won the presidency and both houses of Congress with big margins. And had the Democratic party not split up in 1860, the Republicans would still have won! The Republicans now rubbed their hands in glee: they were planning to use the federal government to tax the South dry (via big import-tariffs, etc.) to speed up the industrialization of the U.S.—-which would not benefit the South at all.

The Southern leaders were in shock. The elections of 1860 had demonstrated beyond question that the population shift to the North during the first half of the 19th century had been so great that the South could no longer defend its own interests in Congress, and would never regain that capability. This was the situation that the Founding Fathers had tried so hard to prevent when planning the U.S. Constitution. They had attempted to balance the power between the North and the South in the federal government into the far-distant future, because they knew that the North and the South despised each other; and if one side became dominant in government, it would grind the other side into the dust; and then the other side would promptly secede from the union and form its own country.

That is what happened now. Although both sides used “slavery” as their rallying cry, the split was about economics. (Slavery had been written into the Constitution, and the South knew full well that it would take a constitutional amendment to abolish slavery, and that as long as the South remained in the Union, the North could not possibly get enough votes to enact such an amendment; But the North could and would now use the federal government to break the South economically if the South remained in the Union.)

The first U.S. government charter, the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, adopted in 1781, had specifically prohibited the secession of any state after it had joined the Union—unless all states seceded at the same time to junk that charter. But in 1789, the U.S. had junked the Articles and adopted the U.S. Constitution, which pointedly did not prohibit the secession of any unhappy states. So the Southern states now had the perfect right to secede if they wished to do so.

South Carolina seceded on 20 December 1860, followed by six more states in the Deep South; Texas was the last of them to go, on 1 February 1861. On 18 February 1861, President Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as the first president of the Confederate States of America. Lincoln’s inauguration was scheduled for 4 March 1861.

Part 2. Lincoln’s Dilemma

The secession of the first seven Southern states came as a great shock to the North. The South had been threatening to secede ever since the Tariff of Abominations of 1828, but the North thought that those threats were just so much hot air, because the advantages of remaining in the Union were so great that the North had really believed that the South would hold still for being squeezed dry economically and turned into the agricultural colonies of the North.

The secession of the Sou thern states hit the Northern capitalists heavy blows in their pocketbooks, in two ways. First, the capitalists had expected to squeeze the Southerners with big import-tariffs, to finance the rapid industrialization of the U.S. Second, many of the Northern capitalists had been earning fortunes by factoring the Southern cotton crops; by transporting the cotton in their coasters and green-water ships; and by buying cotton cheaply to process in their New England textile-mills. Now the British stood ready to take over all those chores at competitive prices.

The Northern capitalists decided that this situation was all Lincoln’s fault. Until he was elected, everything had gone fine; but now—following the election—seven Southern states had seceded from the Union, and nobody knew how many more might follow. If Lincoln wanted the continuing support of the capitalists, he would have to bring those Southern states back into the Union, now!

This was a very serious problem for Lincoln, because the Northern capitalists were his sole support-base. He was a Whig, not a Republican. His goal was to implement Henry Clay’s “American System,” to convert the U.S. from a federation of states into a nation-state with an all-powerful central government, which would tax the citizenry (but primarily the Southerners) heavily to speed up the industrialization of the U.S. Chase and Seward—both abolitionists—were the Republicans’ real heroes; if the capitalists now deserted Lincoln, Chase and/or Seward—who both had respectable support-bases of their own—would slice him up like chopped liver the first time he made a wrong move. So he would now have to conquer the South in war and drag it back into the Union to appease the Northern capitalists.

Part 3. Lincoln Starts His War

Immediately after the election, Lincoln had sensed what was coming. Whe n Congress sought a compromise position to bring the nation back together, Lincoln told a negotiator, "Have none of it. The tug has to come, and better now than later."

On 12 December 1860 (eight days prior to the secession of South Carolina), President-elect Lincoln sent a secret message to the commanding general of the U.S. Army, saying, “Please present my respects to the general, and tell him, confidentially, I shall be obliged to him to be as well prepared as he can to either hold or retake the (Southern) forts, as the case may require, at and after the inauguration.”

During his inaugural address, Lincoln stated his clear intention to go to war with the Confederate States of America, to drag it back into the U.S. at bayonet-point. And he stated then that the war would not be about slavery.

The Confederate States of America sent negotiators to Washington to work out a peace treaty with the U.S. They offered to buy the forts that has belonged to the U.S., but were now located in a foreign country. Lincoln stiffed them.

Lincoln had to start his war with the C.S.A. while making it seem that they had started the war against him. His best bet lay in Charleston. There, Major Robert C. Anderson commanded a force of 80+ cannoneers plus bandsmen and civilian contractors in an unfinished fort named Fort Sumter on an artificial island in Charleston Harbor. Following the election, President Buchanan had sent reinforcements of 250 soldiers to Fort Sumter aboard the a passenger vessel named the Star of the West, but Confederate cannons had driven her away. The U.S. government had taken no follow-up action.

Meanwhile, newly-elected Governor Francis W. Pickens of South Carolina had sensed that Fort Sumter could easily be made into the casus belli of a war of the North agains t the South. He learned that Major Anderson had written to a prominent friend in Charleston saying that he had enough food in the fort to last until May, but it would be nice to have fresh beef again. Pickens had South Carolina’s Secretary of War Robert N. Gourdin open negotiations with Maj Anderson. By 2 February, the negotiations had been completed, and the Charleston market began supplying Maj Anderson with all the meat and vegetables that he wished to buy. (Historian John S. Tilley documents all of this in Chapter 9 of his book, Lincoln Takes Command, with letters, telegrams, and field orders drawn directly from entries scattered from pages 2 through 291 of Ser. 1 Vol.1 of The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, published in Washington, D.C. from 1890 through 1901.)

Major Anderson subsequently wrote to a friend in Washington, “I do hope that no attempt will be made by our friends to throw supplies in; their doing so should do more harm than good.”

On 12 March 1861, Lincoln’s postmaster general, Montgomery Blair, brought his brother-in-law, Gustavus V. Fox, a retired naval officer, to Lincoln with a plan to reinforce Fort Sumter in such a way that the South would be forced to fire the first shots, thus giving Lincoln his excuse to wage war against the C.S.A. Lincoln successfully pressured his cabinet to go along with that, and on 29 March, Lincoln wrote secret orders to Secretary of War Cameron as follows:

“I desire that an expedition, to move by sea, be got ready to sail as early as the 6th of Aril next (1861), the whole according to memorandum attached, and that you co-operate with the Secretary of the Navy for that object.

“(Enclosure No. 1.) Navy Department. Preliminary orders.—Steamers Pocahantas at Norfolk, Pawnee at Washington, Harriet Lane at New York (Treasury Department), to be under sailing orders for sea, with stores, &c, for one month. Three hundred men to be kept ready for departure from on board the receiving ships at New York.
“(Enclosure No. 2.) War Department. Preliminary—Two hundred men to be ready to leave Governor’s Island in New York. Supplies for twelve months for one hundred men to be put into portable shape, ready for instant shipping. A large steamer and three tugs conditionally engaged.”

The Pocahantas and the Pawnee were U.S. Navy warships; the Harriet Lane was an armed Coast Guard cutter. The “large steamer” was the passenger ship Baltic. The three tugboats were to assist the other ships to navigate the sandbar at the entrance to Charleston Harbor. This was to be an expedition to reinforce massively the little Union force at Fort Sumter; the assumption was that the Confederate forces would fire first upon the approaching unarmed tugboats, whereupon Lincoln would be fully justified in waging his war of aggression against the South.

Congress—-many of whose members favored evacuating Fort Sumter, because it was now in a foreign country—got wind of Lincoln’s planning. The Senate called in Gen Winfield Scott (commander in chief of the U.S. Army ) for testimony regarding the practicality of resupplying Fort Sumter. He disapproved. The Senate passed a resolution requiring President Lincoln to submit to it the written reports of Maj. Anderson in Fort Sumter (as was the right of Congress under the Constitution). Lincoln stiffed the Congress. The point here is that nobody but Lincoln (and some capitalists) wanted a war.

Southern sympathizers in Washington and New York realized that some action was to be undertaken at Fort Sumter. They alerted the C.S.A. Lincoln had ordered his naval force to arrive at Charlest on Harbor on 11 or 12 April. He sent an Army captain to deliver an ultimatum to Governor Pickens on 8 April saying that he would resupply (actually reinforce) Fort Sumter peacefully or by force. This was an act of war, in anybody’s book. The C.S.A. government took it as such. It ordered all outgoing mail from Fort Sumter to be opened and read—which revealed Lincoln’s plot. It then ordered Fort Sumter to surrender. When Maj. Anderson refused, the C.S.A. opened fire on the fort at 4:30 AM on 12 April, before the Union Navy arrived.

Gen. Beauregard’s cannons gradually reduced the fort, which was persuaded to surrender on 7:00 PM the following day, without loss of life. The Pawnee arrived during the firing, and Gustavus Fox (who was in charge of the expedition, ordered the captain to join the fight; but her captain refused to do so without explicit written-orders telling him to begin a war against the C.S.A. Following the surrender of the fort, the Union soldiers were permitted to board the Navy vessel and return to the U.S.

The Northern newspapers had a field day with the Fort Sumter bombardment: innocent U.S. soldiers attacked without cause by the dastardly rebels, when the U.S. Navy was simply trying the deliver bread to feed those starving men. (Most mainstream historians today still peddle those very same lies.)

Lest there be any question about Lincoln’s true intentions, Lincoln later wrote to Gustavus Fox, ending his letter by saying, “You and I both anticipated that the cause of the country would be advanced by making the attempt to provision Fort Sumter, even if it should fail, and it is no small consolation now to feel that our anticipation is justified by the result” (emphasis added). Lincoln also told Orville Browning, an old political ally from Illinois, “The plan succeeded. They attacked Sumter—it fell, and thus did more service than it otherwise could .”

Now Lincoln had his excuse for a war, but that didn’t necessarily mean that he would get one. The Northern newspapers could con the public, but the Congress knew what was going on, and was not likely to declare war on Lincoln’s say-so at this point. So although only Congress could declare war, Lincoln found an obscure 1795 law that permitted him to deal directly with an insurrection on a temporary basis. Consequently, Lincoln labeled the lawfully-chartered C.S.A. an “insurrection” against the U.S.; and on his own, he called up armies to invade and conquer the South. He called upon the remaining states to provide him with 75,000 men initially. At that point, four more Southern states seceded—to avoid having to fight against their own countrymen—and joined the C.S.A.

By the time Lincoln convened a special session of Congress on 4 July, he had already sent his armies to invade the South; the bloodletting was well underway; and at that point, Congress could only rubberstamp his war.

Without Lincoln--—who initially was politically vulnerable—--in the presidency, it is doubtful that we would have had a war. Basically, he got 623,000 men killed and many hundreds of thousands more wounded so that he could get elected to a second term. Some may call Lincoln a great hero for his actions; based upon his actions, I call him a megalomaniacal sociopath, who rendered into a sick joke America’s proudest boast: that it governs only with the consent of the governed. Lincoln converted the U.S. into just another hypocritical empire that rules its less-favored subjects at bayonet-point.
Author's Note: Most of this material came directly from my 2002 book, The South Under Siege 1830 – 2000, subtitled, A History of the Relations Between the North and the South. If you would like to know what the North has done t o the South since then, my book is one of the very few histories written from the Southern-conservative viewpoint that cover the period from the 1830s until now. If interested, you can get a copy of it from Confederate booksellers or from Amazon.com, for $34.95 (postage included).

Frank Conner is the author of "The South Under Siege 1830 - 2000/A History of the Relations Between the North and the South," currently available from Amazon.com and Southern-conservative book sellers.

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Georgia Heritage Council | P-6 2363 North Cliff Colony Drive
Gainesville, GA 30501 | Phone: 770.297.4788
Email: chairman@GeorgiaHeritageCouncil.org

Defendants move McClaren case to Federal Court

Case will be heard in February, 2010

MEMPHIS, TN – A local court has granted a petition by defense attorneys to move the case of McClaren v. Compass Intervention Center to Federal Court.

The suit, in which Tennessee psychologist Paul McClaren charges that he was wrongfully discharged over Confederate-themed license tags on his vehicle, was originally filed in the Circuit Court of Shelby County, Tennessee. Defendants for Compass made the request for removal on grounds that its parent company, United Health Services, Inc., was chartered in Delaware and has its headquarters in Pennsylvania. SLRC officials stated that kicking the case further up the judicial ladder had no practical purpose other than as a nuisance maneuver by the defendants.

“This is nothing but a self-serving tactic by the defense,” said SLRC Chief Trial Counsel Kirk Lyons. “It’s designed to do nothing but delay hearing the case on its merits and cause additional work and expense on our part.”

The SLRC initially considered filing a motion for remand, which if approved would have returned the case to the original court. That idea was discarded, however, when research indicated that since compass is an LLC (limited liability corporation) it can declare its “home” to be wherever the shareholders say it is; thus, the parent company can demand to be heard in federal court. Nonetheless,” said Lyons, “we are comfortable with our case’s new home and we look forward to advocating on Paul McClaren’s behalf in federal court.”

At a scheduling hearing held by phone conference on Jan. 30, the court set February 16, 2010, as the date for the case to be heard.


The Southern Legal Resource Center is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, and contributions to it are fully tax deductible. Credit card and PayPal donations may be made at our website by clicking on “How You Can Help.” Checks payable to the Southern Legal Resource Center should be mailed to P.O. Box 1235, Black Mountain, NC 28711. “Thumbs Up for Dixie” stickers are available for SLRC and local heritage fundraising projects. Contact us for details at slrc@slrc-csa.org, (866) 564-8747 (toll free) or (828)669-5189.

SLRC argues Burleson case in Federal Appeals Court

NEW ORLEANS – SLRC Chief Trial Counsel Kirk D. Lyons presented the case of two Burleson, TX, high school students, who were suspended for carrying Confederate flag-pattern purses to school, to the Fifth U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday (Feb. 4).

Lyons and opposing counsel representing the Burleson Independent School District were allowed 20 minutes each to state their respective cases. Afterwards, Lyons said he “felt comfortable” with the judges’ reception. The court’s ruling will likely not be handed down for several months.

The case was originally filed in February, 2007, shortly after Burleson High students Ashley Thomas and Aubrey McCallum were suspended for refusing to surrender the purses, which they had received as Christmas presents, to school authorities. Ashley and Aubrey have since graduated; Ashley’s sister, Megan, subsequently joined the suit. A lower court issued a summary judgment in favor of the plaintiffs and the SLRC appealed to the Fifth Circuit.


Hear oral arguments in the Burleson case online

A complete court recording of both sides’ arguments in the Burleson case is availavle online at: http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/OralArgRecordings/08/08-10477_2-4-2009.wma


Burleson lawsuit earns SLRC ‘Bum Steer” award from Texas magazine

Texas Monthly, an Austin-based publication that bills itself as “The national magazine of Texas,” named the SLRC as one of the recipients of its annual “Bum Steer Awards,” which appear in its January issue. The “awards” are a listing of previous-year happenings that the magazine’s editors consider to be stupid, bizarre or of dubious worth.

The SLRC’s entry showed a photo of a Confederate Battle Flag purse similar to the ones carried by the Burleson plaintiffs, under a headline reading “Rebels Without a Clue.” The citation reads, “The Southern Legal Resource Center filed a suit on behalf of Burleson teens Ashley Thomas and Aubrie McAllum, who felt that Burleson ISD had violated their rights by banning them from carrying purses displaying the Confederate battle flag in school.”


The Southern Legal Resource Center is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, and contributions to it are fully tax deductible. Credit card and PayPal donations may be made at our website by clicking on “How You Can Help.” Checks payable to the Southern Legal Resource Center should be mailed to P.O. Box 1235, Black Mountain, NC 28711. “Thumbs Up for Dixie” stickers are available for SLRC and local heritage fundraising projects. Contact us for details at slrc@slrc-csa.org, (866) 564-8747 (toll free) or (828)669-5189.

The National Civil War Museum Opens 7 Days a Week

February 4, 2009 (Harrisburg, PA) – The National Civil War Museum announced today that the Museum will now be open 7 days a week, effective Monday, February 9, 2009.

Previously, the Museum had been closed on Mondays and Tuesdays from Labor Day through March 31. This limited schedule had been in effect since 2005.

CEO, David Patterson noted the Museum had been unofficially admitting visitors who were unaware of the operating schedule on days it was closed. "One of our primary goals at the Museum is providing world-class customer service. As a result of being closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, we were turning away out-of-state visitors and often visitors from other countries. This made it difficult to deliver on our promise to educate and serve the public,” Mr. Patterson commented today.

The National Civil War Museum also recently announced that it will be open additional holidays, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day and Christmas Eve.

"Coupled with an upcoming PPL Corporation Community Free Day on Saturday,
February 14th, it is our hope that these initiatives will provide visitors more opportunities
to come face-to-face with history," Patterson said.

Opened in February 2001, The National Civil War Museum is a non-profit educational institution dedicated solely to the American Civil War. It is the largest Civil War museum that addresses the war from both the Northern and Southern perspective, and from both a military and civilian perspective. The Museum protects some of the nation's treasures, including General Robert E. Lee's personal Bible, and more than 24,000 artifacts, documents and photos, worth an estimated $20 million.

SOUTHERN NATIONAL CONGRESS

REPORT FROM THE CHAIRMAN
February 2, 2009

To the SNC Family:

Warm greetings in a cold season from Tom Moore.

With this message I’m inaugurating a regular monthly Report from the Chairman, providing updates on the SNC’s progress and commentary on developments that relate to our important mission. I hope you’ll find it useful as you continue working with your State Delegations and fellow Southerners to build a credible, authoritative, and legitimate forum to defend the interests of the Southern States and People.

UPDATE AND PROGRESS REPORT

While it may not seem this way unless you’ve actually been involved in one of the ongoing projects and committees, we have not been idle since December 7. Far from it. Here are the major projects and initiatives we’ve been working on.

Remonstrances and Petitions for a Redress of Grievances

The Remonstrances have been sent to all State Delegations, twice, in fact, just to make sure. But if any State Chairmen have not received them, please let me know and I’ll make sure you get them. You should have the text file version and the beautiful ‘typeset’ version rendered by Collin Houseal. The reaction I’ve received, both as to content and appearance, has been uniformly favourable. And even on those points where correspondents have disagreed with our positions, we have been credited with a mature and thoughtful effort. Even in cases of dissent, our resolutions have stimulated thought and debate and demonstrated our seriousness of purpose.

State Delegations are responsible for sending the Remonstrances to your own US Congressional Delegations and State and local officials you deem appropriate; likewise any local media you have access to. “Headquarters” will send them to the President and other US Government officials. And yes, I know, I know. Few if any of these wretches are likely to pay attention to them, although we mustn’t rule it out altogether. The point is that we have tried; that we are exhausting all peaceful remedies in the exercise of our citizenship responsibilities. If the politicians who are supposed to be accountable to us the ci tizen, voter, and taxpayer refuse to heed our petitions, then the moral responsibility lies on them for whatever outcomes follow.

Virtual Congress

The ad hoc Virtual Congress (VC) Committee, composed of Mike Crane (GA), Doc Smith (TN), Jason Waggoner (TX), Paul Vaughn (TN), and Terry Compton (VA), have been working diligently since December to create a secure, online forum in which the Congress can continue to operate – debate and vote on measures – just as if we were in actual session, except that Delegates will be at their keyboards instead of in an assembly hall. The VC team has conducted several tests of the various components, and Committee Chairman Mike Crane predicts we will be ready to launch it sometime in February.

This is an extremely important initiative for the SNC. It will allow us to maintain our momentum, which would be problematical if we were limited to one physical session per year. It will allow us to speak authoritatively on behalf of the Southern States and People in “real time,” responding to the major events that are unfolding around us. Concurrently, it will provide occasions for news stories, allowing us to build our visibility and credibility in the Southern community. We owe a great debt of thanks to Mike Crane and his VC team for applying their highly specialized talents and skills so assiduously. Look for an announcement sometime in February, and for guidance on how to participate if you’re a Delegate.

Information Technology (IT) Committee

The VC Committee has been so successful – or so it appears; we won’t know for sure until we launch – that I asked Mike Crane and his VC team to convert to a standing IT Committee once the Virtual Congress is operational. This effort will rely on the same talent that built the VC, plus Collin Houseal (AR). Their mission is to look at all our IT needs and bring about a comprehensive IT program that gives us the maximum efficiency and effectiveness. For example, one initiative is expanding our e-mail address list (in essence, our membership). After roughly 120 days of sending out invitations, Mike has doubled the size of our confirmed List. This ongoing process is producing a growth in Southerners interested in the SNC in some fashion by about 18% per month. Again, many thanks to the IT Committee for this vital work.

And though this is not, strictly speaking, an IT Committee function, Doc Smith has organized a follow-up contact effort for all those who queried the website recently or applied to become a Delegate. This is an interim measure until the IT Committee perfects an automated response. My deepest thanks to Doc for this extra but vital effort.

Media Committee

Jonathan Ingram (GA) has kindly agreed to serve as Chairman of the Media Committee. If you were at the First Congress, you’ll recall that the Media Committee is one of two standing committees created under the By-Laws, attesting to its importance. (The other is the Finance Committee). Terry Compton will assist, as will Kirkpatrick Sale (SC). But I’m sure Jonathan can use additional volunteers for this essential mission of seeking new and creative ways to tell our story. If you’d like to serve, please let him know, or contact me via e-mail and I’ll pass your name on to him. Thanks to Jonathan and his media team.

Finance and Banking

On January 16 I met with Dr. John Cook (SC), Finance Committee Chairman, in Aiken, SC to discuss the all-important task of raising funds, and I spoke at another event in Columbia, SC where some funds were actually pledged. John has taken on perhaps the hardest and most critical mission of all and will need all our help. We are all in his debt for assuming this responsibility. I urge y’all with relevant experience to volunteer to join him and his other Committee members, including Peter Gemma (FL) and Treasurer Dennis Blanton (SC) to help raise funds. Our expenses are not enormous, but we do have some recurring costs and they will grow as the SNC continues to grow.

Treasurer Dennis Blanton is moving forward to set up an SNC bank account, presumably done by the time you read this. We’re now in position to receive and disburse funds.

Next Congress

Vice Chairman Mark Thomey (LA) has agreed to put his considerable management and organisational skills to work on our behalf to plan the next actual Congress in the fall of 2009. Cordial thanks to Mark and to the Site Selection Committee, Steve Betsill (AL), George Crockett (NC), Mike Hicks (VA), and Pam Baker (VA). Initially it looked like the Site Selection folks had settled on Guntersville State Park and Resort in northeast Alabama. Our Board of Governors has approved that choice. But subsequently new information has emerged that caused the Site Selection team to re-visit this decision.

In any case, there does appear to be a consensus to hold the next event in Alabama. Mark Thomey also recommends that we aim at an earlier date than December (as in 2008) so that we avoid conflicting with folks’ Thanksgiving and Christmas plans.

More later; stay tuned.

‘WE ARE THE SEED CORN.’

I deeply appreciate all the e-mails that followed the First Congress. Y’all are a high-spirited as well as public-spirited bunch of folks, and I’m always glad to hear from you, especially with news or media links to events that have a bearing on our work in the SNC. (chairman@southernnationalcongress.org).

Many of you have asked me to post the opening remarks at Kanuga, the “Chairman’s Charge to the Delegates.” I’m chagrined to report that the Charge was not written down. In fact, I almost never speak from a prepared text. But the issues I raised are of vital importance not just to us in the SNC, but to all Southerners. Consequently, I feel I owe y’all a written commentary that can be posted on the SNC website. I decided to expand, illustrate, and better support these themes in what will be in effect a Second SNC Manifesto called “Remonstrance, Resistance, and Restoration.” In this manifesto I’m developing the ideas on the sources of legitimacy and moral authority, the exercise of individual and collective sovereignty, the doctrine of the interposition of the middle magistrate; moral and lawful (and Biblical) resistance to tyranny, and the restoration of liberty and justice in a society that has fallen under tyranny. This is a major undertaking, and so far the pure management responsibilities of the Chairman have taken precedence. This is why I’m so grateful to our fine Vice Chairman and leaders of the various key committees for assuming much of this burden, both now and in the future. Please be patient with me. When I said from the podium in Hendersonville that my flaws and deficiencies weigh heavily upon me, I spoke only the truth.

‘Servant leaders.’

In that connection, here’s the kind of leadership that I hope all of us in SNC positions can provide – servant leadership. A vignette that says it all, far better than I ever could, came to me on Robert E. Lee’s birthday, which we just celebrated on January 19. It’s my practice to read something about Lee on his day, and I thought I was intimately acquainted with the details of his life. But here’s something new I learned (or had forgotten) from Douglas Southall Freeman’s splendid biography.

As you may recall, after the War Lee accepted the presidency of struggling Washington College in Lexington, VA. Like all other Southern institutions, it was impoverished by four years of conflict and enemy depredation. Lee took the job (though he could have earned far more elsewhere) because he believed his duty was to help re-build the shattered country by educating its young men. The most idolized man in the South, he often hosted overnight visitors – prominent businessmen, civic leaders, and former Confederate officers. These unthinking gentlemen, after arriving through Lexington’s unpaved and muddy streets, would often leave their footwear outside the bedroom door to be cleaned, as had been the custom in pre-War days when servants were plentiful and hospitality was expansive. But the Lee family lived a simple life and had no servants. Quietly, without a word, the South’s greatest hero would gather up the muddy boots after his guests had retired, clean them thoroughly, and replace them by the door.

I can think of no conduct that displays the nobility of the man better than this. And I can think of no better example of servant leadership that Robert E. Lee. This is the spirit we need to cultivate in ourselves if we are to earn the respect and trust of the Southern people. It’s not enough just to be right and to speak truthfully about current affairs, important as that is. Many of our fellow Southerners, people all around us and maybe even some of us in the SNC, are suffering – from foreclosures, layoffs, loss of value in retirement pensions. Many of our Kentucky brethren are without electricity during an unprecedented ice storm. We need to pray for them in particular, and we need to show genuine concern for those in our community who are struggling and hurting. Maybe this is trite, but it’s true: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” If we are to lead our People through the dark times ahead, we have to be willing to clean their muddy boots.

For more information, http://SouthernNationalCongress.org

The SCV is back in the race game

The Sons of Confederate Veterans will be gracing the track at the Daytona International Speedway at 4 pm EST on Saturday, February 7th, 2009. The SCV is proud to be working with veteran owner/driver James Hylton from Inman, South Carolina.

The SCV car will be racing in the ARCA RE/MAX series, 46th Annual Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 in Daytona. The race will be 200 miles (80 laps) and can be viewed in Hi-Definition on the Speed channel, coverage beginning at 4pm EST.

James Hylton spent his early years in Roanoke Virginia, and his life centered primarily around farming but he soon found himself, like many other southern teenagers, immersed in the world of stock car auto racing. Hylton's career in auto racing began in the late fifties when he began working as a mechanic for the legendary Rex White. James, Rex and Louis Clements teamed to win 26 races and most importantly the 1960 NASCAR Grand National championship. In 1964, White scaled back his driving duties and James began his tenure as crew chief for the Ned Jarrett / Bondy Long team. During the 1964 season the team won 14 races and finished second in points. In 1965, the team won 12 races and won the NASCAR Grand National championship.

On July 8, 1964, Hylton made his first Grand National start at the Old Dominion 400 at Manassas, Virginia. James finished 19 and collected $100 for his efforts. Things improved dramatically in 1966, as Hylton finished second in the points chase and won the coveted NASCAR Rookie of the Year award. James also captured his first pole at Starlite Speedway in Monroe, NC. Hylton again finished second in points during the 1967 season. James was a model of consistency during this two year period as he had 46 top five finishes in 87 races.

In 1968, James became a car owner / driver, a dual role that continues to this day. James found his way to victory lane for the first time on March 1, 1970 at the Richmond 500, driving the familiar number 48 Ford.

On August 6, 1972, James forever etched his name in the history books by claiming the Talladega 500. Hylton led 106 laps of the 188 lap race and won $ 24,865 for the day. Hylton won by one car length.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans is proud to sponsor this car and this driver with such a rich heritage in this traditional Southern sport.

http://www.jameshylton.com/

http://www.arcaracing.com/schedule.cfm?contentid=1327

Michael Givens
Lt. CiC
givens.scv@gmail.com

Please disseminate as wide as you can

Compatriots:

The free speech rights of all school children in American are at risk - endangered by a federal judiciary that will not hold schools to their burden to prove that a banned symbol would (not might) cause a substantial and material disruption to the educational process at the school. The federal circuit Courts have tended to treat Confederate flag cases involving students as “special” cases, needing special consideration and handling – especially where schools whine about “racial tension.” Racial tension that is never defined or quantified and never mind that any integrated school will have some racial tension.

The 10th (Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Wyoming & Utah) and 11th (Alabama, Georgia & Florida) federal Circuit courts have ruled harshly against Confederate symbols in Schools, the 3rd Circuit (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware) has indirectly ruled in favor of Confederate symbols in schools)

For 7 years the 6th (Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Michigan) Circuits decision in Castorina stood as the pre-eminent school Confederate flag case victory followed by the settlement in the Jacqueline Duty case – which (with active lobbying by the Kentucky Division SCV) restored Confederate flag rights to students in scores of Kentucky schools.

Last Summer, a jury in Knoxville came within one vote of restoring the rights of Confederate kids in a Anderson County, Tennessee schools. The casae will be retried next Summer.

Suspiciously, two weeks ago the 6th Circuit denied Derek Barr and others a rehearing before the full panel of the 6th Circuit United States Court of Appeal in his bid to restore his right to display Confederate symbols at William Blount High School in Knox Country, Tennessee. Citing ill-defined or quantified incidents causing “racial tension- none of which involved Confederate symbols, the full 6th Circuit allowed William Blount High School to run their anti-Confederate flag gulag without interference from the Constitution. The Senior Judge of the Circuit wrote a dynamic dissent – which should be read by every freedom loving citizen – but Castorina is effectively dead unless Barr is overturned by the US Supreme Court.

Ominously, just this past Friday a 3 judge panel of the 8th Circuit (Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, North & South Dakota affirmed one of the most outrageous and patently unconstitutional orders ever appealed to a US Circuit Court of Appeals. Simply by waving the “racial tension” talisman, Farmington High School in Missouri gets a constitutional pass from the 8th Circuit, even though none of their racial incidents (some off campus) involved Confederate symbols at all!

BWA v. Farmington-7 was fought hard and well by a very competent St Louis Civil Rights lawyer. His case well well-argued before the circuit. Even a casual listener would conclude that 1. the student’s attorney made monkeys out of the school and Department of Justice lawyers and 2, it was apparent that 2 of the 3 judges were sympathetic to the students.

But in the privacy of their book-lined chambers the 8th Circuit Judges turned the Constitution inside out and told Confederate kids they have no rights the court is bound to respect. Racial tension trumps everything – truth, fairness, legality, objectivity – student’s rights. The heckler’s veto is now enshrined in our jurisprudence.

Since 1969 it has been an axiom of American law that students don’t shed their rights at the school house door, that the school has the burden at every stage of proceedings of proving that a symbol would (if not banned) cause a substantial and material disruption to school operations.

But if the courts will not hold the schools to their burden, what can we do? Win or lose, SCV members, students, lawyers and citizens must continue to put on record the hypocrisy of the schools and courts where they stamp on inalienable rights of heritage and liberty.

Next week an SLRC team, headed by Chief Trial Counsel Kirk D. Lyons will travel to New Orleans to argue on Wednesday morning before a 3 judge panel of the 5th Circuit (Texas, Louisiana & Mississippi) United States Court of Appeals. Lyons will appeal to the panel on behalf of Ashley and Megan Thomas and Aubrie McCallum, whose crime back in 2006 was to bring Confederate flag purses (Christmas presents from their parents) to Burleson High School in Burleson, Texas.

The school immediately moved in to ban the purses, even though the girls were not causing a disruption and had not caused a disruption in years. The school citing “a rise in racial” tension turned down all the girls administrative appeals.

If the case involved any other symbol but the Confederate flag it would probably be considered a perfect case. ACLU attorneys would be fighting for the right to defend the girls. Numerous sympathetic news articles would run – celebrities would show up to show support – but not for Confederate kids – who are guilty of nothing more than being patriotic and loving their heritage.

But the SCV and the SLRC will support for them and fight for them and the stakes are high. The 5th Circuit has not ruled on a school free speech case involving Confederate symbols. We have been working almost around the clock to prepare for our showdown with Burleson High School’s hired guns.

But notice the timing.

Do you think it is only a coincidence that the 6th Circuit Barr v. Lafon order was issued only two weeks ago before the scheduled oral arguments in the Burleson case?

Do you think it is only a coincidence that the 8th Circuit BWA v. Farmington decision was issued only 5 days before the scheduled oral arguments in the Burleson case?

I don’t either – but whether the fix is in or not – we are going to give it all we’ve got in New Orleans. We will put the School’s hypocrisy on the record. We will show them for the educational tyrants that they are! Never give up the Ship! We shall fight on for the Confederate community as long as we have hands to write and throats to argue. And we might just beat them. We have done it before. We slew them in Castorina in 2001. David did slay Goliath. It can happen! Like our Confederate ancestors we are used to being the underdog and outspent 10-1.

Pray for us and the case as we go to battle for your rights and the rights of every student in the South and America!

Kirk Lyons and Fred Taylor are on their way to New Orleans. Please keep them in prayer for traveling mercies and a successful outcome. Don’t forget us. If you live near New Orleans you are free to attend. Arguments are at 9AM on Wednesday at the US Court of Appeals at 600 Maistre Place in New Orleans.

God Bless us all.

Roger W. McCredie
Southern Legal Resource Center, Inc.
P.O. Box 1235
Black Mountain, NC 28711
exec@slrc-csa.org
www.slrc-csa.org

A TRUE ESTIMATE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN & Vindication of the South

“The South Must Have Her Rightful Place in History.”

By C. L. McWhorter Sr.

March 25th, 2008, the History Channel aired a series on Camp Douglas, the 80 acres of Hell, and also Camp Andersonville. For those who always ask the question about why we in the South continue to fight a war that has long since passed; they should not have missed this series. I am somewhat surprised and absolutely proud of the History Channels almost complete exoneration of Major Henry Wirz. Major Wirz was the only Confederate official to have been tried and hanged for his complicity in the War Between the States, and his refusal to accept a deal that would have put the Honorable Jefferson Davis and General Robert E. Lee in the Yankee hands who conducted the shameful military tribunal that took his life, also speak volumes for his impeccable character. Even the staunchest supporters of the Union would have finally been exposed to the true criminality of those like U. Grant that clearly exposed his complicity in the tragic circumstances that caused the deaths of his own men at Andersonville

Grant and Union General Hooker knew very well about the perjury of their witnesses against Major Wirz, to include the one who gave the most damning testimony against Wirz; he wasn’t even at Andersonville. Grant who responded when asked why he had not set free his slaves after the war, responded, that good help was hard to find, and then he took his station as the President of the United States. If anybody should have been put on trial for war crimes, it should have been Colonel Sweet, the Commandant of Camp Douglas, William T. Sherman and a host of others including Grant that I would surely get into deep trouble for calling out their names. For those who always claim that there were no Black Confederates, the History Channel clearly showed the pictures of how they were immediately shot and left in pools of their blood why rats ate them as they lie dead or dying at Camp Douglas.

The History Channel clearly pointed out how the Industrial Revolution of the 1850’s could easily have led to the end of slavery, instead the greed of Northern industrialist squandered away an opportunity that would have saved the life of over 600,000 of this nations citizens primarily for the production of military weapons against the people of the South for Lincoln’s unconstitutional war.

Even those citizens of Lincoln’s Illinois can find reasons to be troubled as the revelation of how the people of Chicago faced the same tyranny on November 6, 1864 when Colonel Sweet claimed that many of them were conspiring to rescue the Confederate soldiers from the inhumane conditions of Camp Douglas. Lincoln had already suspended the writ of habeas corpus, so Sweet suffered no consequences in his actions of arresting over 200 citizens of that city, many who were very prominent, which included a one Buckner Morris and his wife who was banished to Kentucky.

It is no surprise that those who want to put the North in a virtuous historical perspective during this epoch, want to rid the national scene of our glorious Southern banner and culture. For if the true story is told, not only will there be bills to paid, but there will be some very angry citizens on both sides of the Mason Dixon, Red, Yellow, Black and White, who will finally understand that the South was right for her stand against greed and the criminal circumventing of the Constitution; one that continues to this very day. This nation should be proud that a people had the courage to stand up against insurmountable odds that has unfairly left them in a perpetual historical lie that keep us in a unholy divide.