Southern Heritage News and Views

A Southern Black History Month Moment

2012-01-31T21:45:00.000-06:00

By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., Speaker, Writer, author of book “When American Stood for God, Family and Country and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, www.scv.org.
cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net

The following story should be included during Black History Month.

A magazine article in 1989 caught my eye 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. Robbin's wonderful 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 Confederate White House.

Arriving home Mrs. Davis and maid 'Ellen' gave the young boy a bath, attended to his cuts and bruises and feed 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.

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. She also said, "the child is an orphan rescued yesterday from a brutal Negro Guardian." and "there are things in life that are too sickening, and such cruelty is one of them."

There were some children who addressed Jim as Jim Limber Davis for fun. This was fine with him because he felt he was indeed a member of the family. The Davis letters to friends are an indication of his acceptance as they were written that he was a member of their gang of children.

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. On Christmas evening orphans were brought to the church and were delighted with the presents they got. Jim was happy to help decorate the tree.

Mrs. Robbin's wrote, in her story, that Mrs. Jefferson Davis was a very good story teller who was able to make sounds of different animals in the stories about the critters. Jim was always eager to help.

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 Davis' tried in later years to locate Jim but were unsuccessful.

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 Robbin's 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.

THE SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS OF EVIL

2012-01-31T16:40:00.001-06:00

Dear SHNV Friends,

I just watched the History Channel's "Sherman's March: THE SHOCKING Campaign That Ended THE CIVIL WAR" that sought to deify the greatness of the U.S. military in breaking the back of the Confederate States of America. Sherman is affectionately called "Uncle Bill" throughout the propaganda piece and his exploits in making war on unarmed women and children and "niggers" is extolled as heroism worthy of making him the next President of the USA.

Even the most rank of the Godless wicked must suspend the remnants of whatever moral sensibility that remains in their tortured souls to lend any level credibility to this nonsense. It is the same level of wickedness that led FDR to call Joseph Stalin "Uncle Joe" that also led the men in the USA military to call William T. Sherman "Uncle Bill." And it is the same level of evil that causes Americans today to accept the presidency and "national leadership" of an openly communist Democrat Party. Americans no longer recognize morally evil monsters when they see one.

Add to this the incurably self-justifying nature of evil. Once a war commences the self-appointed guardians of our national soul immediately lose sight of its own moral culpability in starting a war and can only offer an effeminate whine over the greatest atrocities that naturally flow in the wake of self-righteous wickedness and evil. Rather than accepting responsibility for its own actions, its propaganda machine drolls on demonizing the “exceptional” wickedness of our targeted enemy. Of course, the more wicked our enemies the more righteous we must be! Such are the lies that the citizenry of the oppressor's are always all too ready to accept.

This is a mental illness of moral depravity and sickness of the most extreme gravity that has only grown worse amoung Americans through the decades. It has always been the heart of evil to assert and extoll itself as the righteous standard of a "righteous" nation. As Christianity has waned in the USA our citizens have lost the cognitive ability to recognize violent political monsters when they see one, and those who do recognize the evil of the day are considered bitter and unAmerican. Christians are among the first to excitedly proclaim "American Exceptionalism" and call that which is evil "good" and that which is good "evil."

Just change the context of the war to today's level (and that of the past century) of violent warfare and we see Southerner's placing their hands of their hearts pledging their most heart-felt allegiance to be the servant of this continuing militant level of crimes against humanity; otherwise, they would never have joined the military of the same nation who perpetuated the evils committed against Atlanta, Vicksburg, Columbia, Charleston, Richmond, and hundreds more of the Confederacy's civilian populations. The USA has sown the whirlwind and not just the wind and I fear what we shall reap. I thank God for that small remnant that still can recognize evil when they see it.
--
Timothy D. Manning, M.Div
Executive Director
www.TheSouthernPartisan.com
160 Longbridge Drive
Kernersville, North Carolina 27284
Phone: (336) 420-5355
Email: tim@thesouthernpartisan.com

THE GREAT CONTRADICTION

2012-01-31T16:35:00.000-06:00

Dear SHNV Friends,

Too many Southerners today support today's most radical forms of tyranny and political and military suppression and subjugation of themselves, their children and foreign sovereign nations for all the same reasons they "claim" their ancestors were opposed to tyranny under Abraham Lincoln during the 1860s. This is really amazing and contradictory. They suffer from a form of schizophrenia induced by the constant barrage of mind and soul-numbing propaganda proffered by 1) the government school systems at all levels, 2) the entertainment media, 3) the news media and 4) their lying “democratically” elected “representatives” while proudly asserting that they are “Unreconstructed.” While the claim by many may be ever so sincere and honest, their claim is obviously bogus even to the most casual observer.

Southerner's are a subjugated people who continue to willingly submit to their subjugation by the continuing use of the required and forced indoctrination of their children through government schools and by the use of the military or the threat of its use against them in their own States during the last century. They even assist the state in their subjugation and the brainwashing of their children by attending regular parent-teacher conferences. This lets their children know that they want them to comply with the schemes of the state brainwashing institutions. Then their children learn from them as they consistently support, vote for and elect those who represent a more tyrannical set government social engineering pogrom's than the government they claim they are proud that their relatives died to oppose during the 1860's.

Admiring pictures of Robert E. Lee, “Stonewall” Jackson, Nathan B. Forest and Southern plantation's hanging in their offices and homes may only amount to little more than a romanticized view of the past. When Southerner's vote in this corrupt system of government it shows them to be “enablers” of the very system that murdered their ancestors and that they claim to hate. Some speak of a revolution and the desirability of living to see the fall of the USA empire while proudly placing their right hand over their hearts and swearing/pledging their allegiance to this violent empire.

They should be attending conferences like the Stephen Dill Lee Institute, the Abbeville Institute, the Cape Fear Institute, the institutes of the Virginia and North Carolina Heritage Foundations, and the institutes conducted in our States by The League of the South and other worthy organizations. They should be joining and taking their children to meetings of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Order of the Confederate Rose, etc. AND they should be reading books of social, cultural and political substance along with materials about what battle was fought where, etc.

Being proud of their ancestors is one thing. Making their children proud of them is quite another thing. Most Southerners are simply NOT investing their time and money in a better future for their children and their families. The least they can and should do is to STOP being a part of the problem. There is a better way.
--
Timothy D. Manning, M.Div
Executive Director
www.TheSouthernPartisan.com
160 Longbridge Drive
Kernersville, North Carolina 27284
Phone: (336) 420-5355
Email: tim@thesouthernpartisan.com

Confederate Values, Now more than ever!

2012-01-30T07:51:00.001-06:00

San Antonio, Texas
April 25, 2010

COMMANDER DON LAWRENCE,

LADIES OF THE UNITED DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY, AND THE TEXAS SOCIETY OF THE ORDER OF THE CONFEDERATE ROSE, GENTLEMEN OF THE TEXAS HOOD’S BRIGADE, THE TEXAS LONE STAR GRAYS, AND THE ALAMO CITY GUARDS, AND GUESTS

IT IS BOTH A GREAT HONOR AND WONDERFUL PLEASURE TO JOIN ALL OF YOU HERE AT CONFEDERATE CEMETERY, IN SAN ANTONIO TO HONOR OUR CONFEDERATE DEAD ON CONFEDERATE DECORATION DAY.

SAN ANTONIO, AS THE HOME OF THE ALAMO, IS OUTFITTED BY THE ALMIGHTY FATHER, AND OUR HISTORY AS UNIQUELY APPROPRIATE TO CELEBRATE THE SELF SACRIFICE, PATRIOTISM AND BRAVERY OF THOSE MEN WHO WORE THE GRAY. THE ALAMO STANDS ALONE IN THE ANNALS OF AMERICAN, SOUTHERN AND TEXAS HISTORY AS THE EPITOME OF AMERICAN DEFIANCE IN THE FACE OF OVERWHELMING ODDS. IT IS HERE, IN SAN ANTONIO THAT THE STANDARD FOR AMERICAN HEROISM WAS SET.
IT IS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO THAT CONFEDERATE COURAGE FOUND ITS BIRTH.

HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, AMERICANS, SOUTHERNERS ONCE AGAIN TOOK UP ARMS TO CONTINUE THE LEGACY PASSED TO THEM BY PATRICK HENRY AND THE SOUTHERN PATRIOTS WHO REVERSED THE DISMAL PERFORMANCE OF THEIR NORTHERN BRETHEN IN THE FIRST WAR FOR AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE.

ONCE AGAIN MEN WOULD OBJECT TO OPPRESSION AND THE DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS, AND ONCE AGAIN, HERE IN SAN ANTONIO MEN WOULD OFFER THEMSELVES KNOWINGLY … AS THE SACRIFICE TO CREATE WHAT CAN ONLY BE EARNED THROUGH BLOOD, FREEDOM AND HUMAN DIGNITY, THE MOST PRECIOUS GIFTS OF OUR CREATOR.

IT IS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO THAT ALL SOUTHERNERS LEARNED THE TRUEST MEANING OF PATRIOTISM. HERE IN SAN ANTONIO SOUTHERN COURAGE WAS FORGED IN THE FIRES OF WAR.

HERE, MORE THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN AMERICA, THE STANDARD WAS SET.

DURING THE WAR FOR SOUTHERN INDEPENDENCE, ON BATTLEFIELDS FROM GETTYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA TO PALMITTO RANCH ON THE RIO GRANDE, AND FROM GLORIETA PASS, NEW MEXICO TO FLORIDA, CONFEDERATE COURAGE WAS THE ONLY MILITARY ASSET WHICH THE SOUTH POSSESSED IN SUPERIORITY TO THEIR YANKEE FOE.

THE NORTH WENT TO WAR WITH A SUPERIORITY IN MANPOWER, AND TREMENDOUS ADVANTAGES IN MANUFACTURING MIGHT, AND FINANCIAL STRENGTH.

THE SOUTH PLACED ITS HOPE IN THE INTANGIBLES OF AN ESTABLISHED CHRISTIAN FAITH, SUPERIOR MILITARY LEADERSHIP, AND THE COURAGE AND CHARACTER OF THE SOUTHERN PEOPLE, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN.

THE MEN BURIED IN THIS CEMETERY, INCLUDING SUCH NOTALBLES AS GENERALS WILLIAM HUGH YOUNG, HAMILTON BEE AND COL. RIP FORD PERFORMED THEIR DUTIES AND LIVED THEIR LIVES TO THE STANDARD OF THOSE WHO PRECEDED THEM AT THE ALAMO.

ONE MUST QUESTION, AS WE APPROACH THE SESQUICENTENNIAL, IS THERE SOME LESSON FROM THEIR BRAVERY FOR US IN THE OPENING DECADE OF THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY?

AS WE LOOK AROUND AMERICA TODAY, WE SEE THE CLOUDS OF DECLINE AS DESCRIBED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. WE LOOK AT A ONCE MIGHTY NATION, NAY A SEEMINGLY INVINCIBLE PEOPLE, NOW ON THE VERGE OF DECLINE. NO MORE DOES AMERICA APPEAR THAT SHINING CITY ON THE HILL. NOW WE MEEKLY RESIGN OURSELVES AND CHILDREN TO THE MEDIOCRITY WHICH ENGULFS THE REST OF THE WORLD.

WE SEE AN ECONOMY IN SHAMBLES, A PEOPLE DAZED AND CONFUSED. WE SEE ON TELEVISION A MENU OF MORAL FAILURE AND CHALLENGES WHICH ARE SEEMINGLY AS NUMEROUS AND AS UNSTOPPABLE AS THE YANKEE HORDES WHICH SWEPT OVER THE SOUTH IN THE LAST YEARS OF OUR WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE.

THESE PROBLEMS, POVERTY, CRIME, SEXUAL IMMORALITY, AN INABILITY TO CONTROL OUR NATIONAL BORDERS, AND DRUG ABUSE SEEM AS POWERFUL AND AS INEVITABLE AS THE BLUE COLUMNS INVADING OUR SOUTH IN 1864 -1865. SOCIALISM CREEPS FORWARD CONSUMING HUMAN LIBERTY AND INDEPENDENCE AND ROBBING OUR POSTER-IETY OF THEIR AMERICAN INHERITANCE.

IT IS NOW MORE THAN EVER THAT WE NEED THE COURAGE, FORTITUDE AND DEDICATION OF THE MEN WHO REST IN THIS HALLOWED GROUND.
IT IS NOW MORE THAN EVER THAT OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH MUST BE OUR SHIELD TO ALL THE TEMPTATIONS BEING OFFERED BY SATAN AND ACCEPTED BY SO MANY NEIGHBORS.

IT IS NOW THAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND OUR PLACE AS INDIVIDUALS, AND AS ORGANIZATIONS IN THE CULTURE WAR FOR WHAT WILL BE AMERICA’S FUTURE.
AND SO THIS CEREMONY TAKES ON A NEW SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE. THESE ARE NOT CEREMONIES TO HONOR SOME PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS, BUT TO RALLY FOR THE CHALLENGES OF TODAY. THEY ARE NOT CEREMONIES TO SUSTAIN A CONNECTION WITH THE PAST, BUT RATHER ARE IMPORTANT MOMENTS WHEN WE STEEL OURSELVES FOR WHAT MUST BE DONE IN OUR OWN TIME, IN OUR FIGHT TO PASS ON THE AMERICAN LEGACY.

IT IS HERE ON THIS SACRED GROUND, CLOSE TO OUR GOD, AND WHERE WE WILL REST WITH OUR KINSMENTHAT WE COMMIT OURSELVES TO THE VALUES, TRADITIONS, AND HERITAGE LONG HELD BY OUR FAMILIES, AND OUR PEOPLE. IT IS HERE, INSPIRED BY THOSE WHO MADE HISTORY, WHO GAVE ALL, WHO DID NOT SHRINK FROM THE CHALLENGE THAT WE RECOMMIT OURSELVES TO BE THE CONFEDERATE HEROES OF OUR OWN TIME!

THANK YOU.

A speech I gave in San Antonio, April 2010. ~ Mark Vogl ~ johnyreb43@yahoo.com

SCV Member/Real Son Passes

2012-01-29T16:28:00.000-06:00

James Brown Sr., 99, of Tellico Village, one of the last real sons of a Confederate veteran, died Thursday afternoon in a Farragut nursing home, his son, James Brown, said Saturday afternoon.

James Brown Sr.'s father, James H.H. Brown, served in the 8th Georgia Infantry's Company K and fought throughout the Civil War.

Mr. Brown would've turned 100 on Valentines's Day.

Norman Shaw, founder of the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable, recalled meeting Mr. Brown.

"It is definitely a direct connection to the past when you can say this gentleman's father fought in the Civil War," he said. "We call them real sons and real daughters of Confederate veterans."

James Brown said his grandfather was 71 when his father, James Brown Sr., was born in 1912.

"My Dad and I are so lucky to be alive," James Brown recalled.

James H.H. Brown joined the Confederate army at the beginning of the Civil War and fought in 19 major battles, including Manassas, Gettysburg, Chattanooga, Campbell Station and Fort Sanders.

"He made it to the end at Appomattox with the surrender of Lee and then he walked back home," James Brown said. "He was wounded twice and, back then with the medical situation, he could've had a leg lopped off and bled to death."

James Brown said his father was 11 when James H.H. Brown died. He said his grandfather wasn't bitter with former Union soldiers.

"I always remember about my grandfather telling my dad he had nothing against Yankees," James Brown said. "They were good men and he was a good man. It was just something they had to do."

Brown Sr. also had a daughter by a second wife. Mr. Brown lived in Tucson, Ariz., for 19 years and was close to his daughter's family, his son said.

Mr. Brown had lung cancer two years ago and had treatment. His son said Mr. Brown's health began to deteriorate quickly in the past few weeks.

"At 100, everything starts to wear out. He went very quietly. He went in peace, comfortable without pain," his son said. "He had a ton of friends who came down to see him the last couple days. He was a popular man, a real country gentleman. He enjoyed people and they enjoyed him."

A memorial service is set for 11 a.m. Feb. 14 at Tellico Village Community Church. Click Funeral Home in Lenoir City is in charge of arrangements.

Atlanta Television Channel Launched by Ray McBerry Enterprises, Inc.

2012-01-25T10:29:00.001-06:00

(Atlanta - January 25, 2012) After working in the radio and television industry for more than a decade, former Republican gubernatorial candidate Ray McBerry announced today that his company, Ray McBerry Enterprises, Inc. will be launching a new local television channel in the Atlanta market on March 5, 2012.

KBN Television will broadcast on the Charter Cable Network, one of the two largest cable providers in Georgia. The channel will initially broadcast as KBN - TV22 in Henry County and surrounding areas south of Atlanta, reaching approximately a quarter million viewers. Plans have already been made to expand the coverage area to include more of the Atlanta market and rural Georgia within the next two years.

The goal of KBN Television is to provide quality, family-friendly programming to the fastest growing region in the southeast. The anchor program of KBN Television will be the "Georgia First" show hosted by Ray McBerry. "Georgia First" will be a political and current issues "hot topic" show featuring guests and topics in the news but always from a traditional, constitutional viewpoint. Ray's former campaign for governor featured the theme "Georgia First," and the concept of state sovereignty and local self-government will continue to be the theme of this new show. Having hosted another weekly political talk show on another channel for the last five years, Ray brings a great deal of experience and information to the new show, which promises an interesting format for viewers.

Ray McBerry previously served as the sales manager and, later, as an independent contractor for SBN Television, the former local television channel originating in Henry County. When SBN Television ceased broadcasting on Charter in November of 2011, a number of friends and supporters suggested that this was the perfect time for Ray to launch his own local television channel - hence the name Kairos Broadcasting Network. "Kairos" is a Greek word which means the precisely best moment in time to do something; in Christian terms it also represents the fact that Christ came into the world at precisely the right time to fulfill His promise to redeem mankind. "Kairos" embodies the business, political, philosophical, and Christian views of president and founder Ray McBerry.

More information about KBN Television may be found on the website www.KBNtelevision.com. A contact form is provided there.

Georgia Secession Rooted in Lincoln’s Election

2012-01-25T10:19:00.001-06:00

Georgia somewhat reluctantly joined other Southern states in seceding from the Union 151 years ago on January 19, 1861.

Carlton Fletcher
carlton.fletcher@albanyherald.com

ALBANY — For the better part of 150 years, history has proclaimed that Georgia leaders' decision on this date in 1861 to secede from the United States was about its citizens' right to own slaves.

Certainly the millions of dollars invested in slave labor was a crucial economic factor for all 11 of the official Confederate States of America that chose the path of secession, but the continued study of historical documents from that era — particularly by Southern scholars — shows that such reasoning discounts factors far removed from the slavery/anti-slavery cause and effect.

"The key to understanding secession is to look at the mindset of the people of that era, not what anyone in the year 2012 might think," Bernhard Thuersam, a native of Niagara Falls, N.Y., and the chairman of the North Carolina War Between the States Sesquicentennial Commission, said. "By looking at diaries, letters, post-war recollections — historical documents from just before, during and just after the war — you see things through the eyes of the people of that era.

"Then you start to get a true perspective. And it's clear that the South — and Georgia — did not secede merely over the issue of slavery."

When Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860 with only slightly more than 39 percent of the popular vote but with an overwhelming Electoral College majority, the dominoes of secession started falling. South Carolina was first to break from the Union on Dec. 20, 1860, and Mississippi followed on Jan. 9, 1861.

The next day, Florida followed suit when its governor, Madison Starke Perry, declared, “Florida may be unwilling to subject herself to the charge of temerity or immodesty by leading off but will most assuredly cooperate with or follow the lead of any single Cotton State which may secede."

Alabama was the next Confederate state to withdraw from the Union , voting to secede on Jan. 11. Although Georgia followed suit on the 19th, it was clear by the 89 "no" votes of its delegates that the Peach State was not as anxious to pull out of the Union as some of its sister states.

"Georgia actually tended to vote more with the New England states that, with Lincoln, essentially pulled off an illegal military coup in America," former professor and current Executive Director of the Virginia Heritage Foundation Timothy Manning said. "There were influential Georgians like Alexander Stephens (later the vice president of the Confederacy), Herschel Johnson and Benjamin Hill who were opposed to secession, but the election of Lincoln was a crucial factor in the Southern states' decision (to secede)."

Indeed, secessionist Robert Toombs boldly told Georgia delegates in a fiery speech at the state's convention "Give me the sword! But if you do not place it in my hands, before God I will take it!"

Louisiana voted for secession on Jan. 26, and while Texas ' convention delegates voted to secede from the Union on Feb. 1, the Lone Star State held a referendum on Feb. 23 and its populace voted by a 76 percent margin to approve the action of its leaders.

Shortly after Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4, 1861, Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina , and the new president's response was to send 75,000 troops to "suppress the insurrection." His actions led Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina to secede from the Union , and the American Civil War that had been brewing inevitably followed.

The "Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies," or OR, notes: "The people of Georgia , having dissolved their political connection with the Government of the United States of America , present to their confederates and the world the causes which have led to the separation. For the last 10 years we have had numerous and serious causes of complaint against our non-slaveholding confederate States with reference to the subject of African slavery. They have endeavored to weaken our security, to disturb our domestic peace and tranquility, and persistently refused to comply with their express constitutional obligations to us in reference to that property, and by the use of their power in the Federal Government have striven to deprive us of an equal enjoyment of the common Territories of the Republic.

"This hostile policy of our confederates has been pursued with every circumstance of aggravation which could arouse the passions and excite the hatred of our people, and has placed the two sections of the Union for many years past in the condition of virtual civil war. Our people, still attached to the Union from habit and national traditions, and averse to change, hoped that time, reason, and argument would bring, if not redress, at least exemption from further insults, injuries and dangers. Recent events have fully dissipated all such hopes and demonstrated the necessity of separation. Our Northern confederates, after a full and calm hearing of all the facts, after a fair warning of our purpose not to submit to the rule of the authors of all these wrongs and injuries, have by a large majority committed the Government of the United States into their hands. The people of Georgia , after an equally full and fair and deliberate hearing of the case, have declared with equal firmness that they shall not rule over them."

Manning, who was educated in Michigan, served as a minister in Ohio and taught at colleges in Washington, D.C., contends the accepted delineation of "North vs. South" that has emerged in historical accounts of the war are inaccurate.

"If you look at primary sources, and in particular the OR, you find lots of inaccuracies in that Northern states versus Southern states line of thinking," he said. "You see that there were actually 20 states — the 11 official Confederate states, the four border states that Lincoln invaded early to head off secession, West Virginia, Delaware, the Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona territories — that opposed the Union Army.

"What's not so well known is that seven Democratic northern states, including New York , Pennsylvania , Indiana , Ohio , Michigan , Illinois and Wisconsin , actively opposed Lincoln and took up arms against the Union . The OR shows two significant facts: That 80 percent of the warfare of the Union Army was carried out against civilians — including torture, which is never talked about — to demoralize the South, and that 50 percent of the Union’s troops were dispatched to fight northern citizens who'd taken up arms against the North."

James King, the commander of the Albany Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp, said in a recent article that while "New England greed, New England radicals, New England fanatics, New England zealots and New England hypocrites" were the human elements responsible for the Civil War, his research points to a number of root causes that led to secession.

"In actuality, if you look at the causes of the war, it's a simple matter," King said. "The North wanted the goods it got from the South for pennies on the dollar, and the South simply fought against an invading army.

"But there were some very clear reasons Georgia and other Southern states seceded."

King's list of the 10 primary causes of secession includes excessive tariffs, centralization vs. states' rights, Christianity vs. secular humanism, cultural differences, control of western territories, Northern industrialists' desire for southern resources, slander of the South by Northern newspapers, attempts by New Englanders to instigate slave rebellion, slavery and northern aggression.

"What many don't realize is that a majority of Northern politicians supported acts of terrorism; 68 of 117 actually signed a document advocating terroristic activity against Southern citizens," King said. "Most educated Southerners of that time favored gradual emancipation of slaves and knew the institution of slavery would soon be dead.

"But what they could not abide was the unconstitutional acts carried out by Lincoln and the New Englanders who treated the South as an agricultural colony with the intent to bleed it dry. Their acts were not only immoral, they went against the very constitution upon which the Union was founded."

Thuersam, the native New Yorker who jokingly refers to himself as "Dances with Wolves" in that he grew to not only understand but agree with the Southern perspective on the Civil War after serving at Army bases in Alabama, Kentucky and Georgia, said many of the accepted factors surrounding the Civil War that are being called into question by current historians come from a refusal — particularly by Northerners — to "look at that era, warts and all."

"Surely the South invested millions of dollars in slave labor," he said, "but many seem to overlook the fact that most of the slave ships were outfitted and financed by northern traders. The North has done a good job over the years of covering its footsteps in the slave trade.

"Many influential Georgia leaders of that era — Toombs, Hill, (Henry) Benning, Stephens, Johnson, (Howell) Cobb, (Joseph) Brown — were opposed to secession, but what they saw was only intense sectional hostility; what they didn't see were practical and peaceful solutions from abolitionists to end the slavery controversy without bloodshed. Those Georgia leaders wanted peaceful settlement of the question, but got nothing but hatred, the inciting of slave insurrection and murder instead. They did what any sane person would do: sever ties with the fanatics to the North who threatened the peace and form their own political union, as proclaimed in Jefferson 's Declaration, with those they had something in common with.

"A more perfect union is what they were after, and with the consent of the governed."

Remembering John B. Gordon’s 180th Birthday

2012-01-24T20:37:00.003-06:00

By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., American-Historical Writer, Speaker, Author of book ‘When America Stood for God, Family and Country’ and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. http://www.scv.org
cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net

Stephen D. Lee, Commander-in-Chief, United Confederate Veterans, said of John B. Gordon:

‘He was a devout and humble Christian Gentlemen. I know of no man more beloved in the South, and he was probably the most popular Southern man among the people of the North.’

February is Black History Month. It is also the birthday month of George Washington, our first president. And it is the birthday month of John Brown Gordon of Georgia.

John B. Gordon, born February 6, 1832, was an orator, lawyer, statesman, soldier, publisher and governor of the state of Georgia. He is best known as one of General Robert E. Lee's generals. At Appomattox, his corps' encounter with the Union soldiers under Joshua Chamberlain is a classic story that began the healing of America.

Carter G. Woodson, father of Black History Week, has much in common with Gordon. Both believed that accurate American history should be taught in our schools. Woodson believed the study of Black history should include those African-Americans who fought on both sides of the War Between the States.

Black History Week became Black History Month in the 1960s.

Woodson, eleven years after the first Black History Week, founded the Negro History Bulletin for teachers, students and the public.

Gordon also stressed the need to tell the true story of those who fought for the Confederacy.

John B. Gordon believed in the South's Constitutional right to secession, but after the war, he worked to unite the nation and helped white and black Southerners the war made poor.

The 1st Annual General John B. Gordon birthday celebration in Atlanta, Georgia was held on Saturday, February 6, 1993, in front of the state capitol. An estimated one thousand people came to remember Gordon on a beautiful warm day.

When the band played ‘Dixie,’ the people stood up straight and proudly sang the words.

Many speakers praised Gordon. One man turned to the statue of Gordon and asked "General Gordon what do you say about those who would change American History?" Gordon, the Confederate, the Southerner might have answered firmly, "Take your history and teach it or others will teach their history!" He set up a publishing company after the war to help teach young folks Southern history.

In 1995, the weather was cold and snowy but hundreds still came out. That year a young African-American man joined the list of speakers. Eddie Page was a true friend and defender of the heritage of America and the South.

John B. Gordon was born in Upson County, Georgia. He was the fourth of twelve children of Zachariah and Malinda Cox Gordon. Young John was an excellent student at the University of Georgia.

He left the university before graduating and came to Atlanta to study law. There he met and married Rebecca Haralson and their union was long and happy.

September 17, 1862, is known was the bloodiest day in American history. Confederate General Gordon was there, defending a position called the sunken road. Wave upon wave of Union troops attacked Gordon's men. The casualties were beyond today's understanding. Gordon was struck by Yankee bullets four times, but continued to lead his men. Then, a fifth bullet tore through his right jaw and out of his left cheek. He fell with his face in his hat and would have drowned in his own blood except for a hole in his hat. Though Gordon survived these wounds, the last one left him permanently scarred. That is why in later photographs of him you see him only from the right side.

For years the John B. Gordon celebration, in Atlanta, Georgia, was concluded by a mile long march down Martin Luther King Drive to historic Oakland Cemetery where the general is buried. Not since past Confederate Memorial days has there been a scene on this street of soldiers in Confederate gray and women and children of black mourning dress.

The spirits of Carter Woodson and John Gordon were there with us on those February days when Confederate gray marched through the black neighborhood. Though 130 years separated today from yesterday there was a spirit that transcended time and color.

When John B. Gordon died in 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt said of him, ‘A more gallant, generous, and fearless gentlemen and soldier has not been seen in this country.’

Woodson and Gordon are still with us---in spirit and, if you listen, they are saying: ‘Teach your children the whole story of America.’

The War Between the States Sesquicentennial, 150th Anniversary, runs 2011 through 2015. The Georgia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans joins the nation in remembering this historic time in our nation’s history. See information at: http://www.150wbts.org/

THE RIGHT ARM OF GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE

2012-01-21T08:41:00.001-06:00

He has fallen, he has fallen, he has fallen they say.
Fallen the great leader of the Stonewall Brigade.
Oh say it isn’t, oh say it isn’t, oh say it is not so!
Not felled by the enemy, but by one of our own!
By what strange circumstance did this calamity befall?
The day’s fighting was ended, they had sounded recall.

When General Lee had learned of his subordinate’s perilous condition,
For Jackson’s recovery, to his Maker, he made his entreating petition.
And to Jackson he sent his sincere salutation.
Each of them had suffered loss, but by Lee’s calculation,
The one who had lost most was most certainly he,
Lost was Jackson’s left, but he was the right arm of General Robert E. Lee

Through hell they’d have marched if he had but asked them to,
Now in stunned disbelief, the brigade cannot believe that his fighting is through.
For he’s crossed o’er the river to rest in the shade ‘neath the trees.
Gone is the right arm of General Robert E. Lee.

He would not know defeat when the Lord gave His call.
No yankee had toppled our beloved Stonewall.
They had feared, they had hated this great Christian warrior,
Never understanding ‘twas by faith that he battled with unswerving fervor.
He knew no harm could ever befall him without his Savior’s consent.
Thus in battle never wavering, as a babe in arms, he had stood quite content.
And his faith was rewarded, no yankee battle prize he,
When fell the right arm of General Robert E. Lee.

Now he’s traversed the river back to this small valley town;
Carried back to his beloved Lexington, he is now laid down.
And here he’ll rest in the shade ‘neath the trees
‘Til the Lord’s trumpet calls forth the right arm of General Robert E. Lee.

©Constance Lee Coffey Dorsey
1/8/2009

(my tribute to our unequaled generals)

RAFFLE - Sterling Silver Hand Made CSA Money Clip

2012-01-20T18:00:00.001-06:00

David and Ann Reif make beautiful jewelry and travel the country selling it at craft fairs. They have donated to Southern Heritage News & Views and The Southern War Room a contemporary design hammer engraved sterling silver money clip with durable nickle alloy clasp. The face is 18ga sterling silver with a hand buffed mirror finish. It has a quality mark, hallmark, and is signed and dated. I will raffle it to bring in funds for SHNV & SWR.

Dave gave the following explanation for engraving it as he did: "Hammer engraving is the proper term but the technique is also called soldier engraving or trench art engraving. Look up "Vietnam Zippos" for a recent example. In the long hours with little to do sometimes soldiers would get a nail and a piece of metal and hammer or punch the metal into patterns, designs, or the name of their sweetheart. Instead of doing a fine-line engraving on the clip I decided to use this technique which is much closer to what our boys might have done."

Raffle tickets are $1.00 and can be sent by PayPal or check. Email me at demastus@aol.com for mailing address.

I won't send out tickets but will put your name on a spread sheet, once for each dollar, and cut them out and draw names in about a month.

Thanks for your support.

Chuck & PoP

AN ADVENTURE AND A CAUSE

2012-01-20T10:55:00.000-06:00

By Bob Hurst
confederatedad1@yahoo.com

Everyone has a place, or places, that they especially wish to visit someday. Often these places are vacation destinations, famous cities or even venues for certain events ( I, for instance, would someday love to attend The Masters and the Kentucky Derby). Generally, these destinations are sites that would be appealing or of interest to a great number of people. At an entirely different and more visceral level is that particular place that calls to us for more emotional reasons which reach to the very core of our being. That place for me has long been the small town of Lexington, Virginia.

My fascination for Virginia began at an early age. When I was just a young lad, not even nine years old, I started studying American history. My first heroes were the American presidents and my favorites were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe, all Virginians. It was not long after this that the wonderful librarian in my hometown of Talladega, Miss Willie Welch, introduced me to the Confederacy and then there were two more larger-than-life figures in my life and they, too, were Virginians. These two giants were Robert E. Lee and Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson.

Reinforcing this feeling for Virginia was the fact that I had an aunt and uncle who lived in Warrenton, Virginia and their visits to Talladega were always much-anticipated by the entire family. She was an extremely intelligent woman and such a free spirit and he was a scientist with a research firm located in northern Virginia just across the Potomac from Washington. Their visits to Talladega were always a very special time and I learned a lot about Southern and Confederate history from talking with them. Uncle Paul, in fact, was the person who taught me the correct pronunciation of the word "Shenandoah". This precocious young boy had mispronounced the word while rattling on about all I knew of the War Between the States.

Now, fast forward about nine years to my freshman year in college at Auburn University. I had entered the summer of 1964 right out of high school and had gone out for "Rush" that Fall. I went to Auburn wanting to be a Sigma Nu because of the number of outstanding men in my hometown who belonged to that fine organization. I was privileged to receive a bid from Sigma Nu and committed early during Rush Week.

It was during my pledge period that Lexington, Virginia, began to become that special place that I simply had to visit someday. It was while studying my pledge manual (which I still have, by the way) that I learned that the national headquarters of my fraternity is located in Lexington. I also learned that Sigma Nu was founded as an honor fraternity at Virginia Military Institute (VMI), which is also located in Lexington, by three cadets at that venerable institution. VMI is the very school where General Jackson was an instructor (although he was not a general yet) before he marched into immortality as the remarkable "Stonewall".

The pledge manual had fine pen-and-ink drawings of Jackson and the impressive military-style buildings at VMI. It also contained drawings of Robert E. Lee and the beautiful architecture of Washington and Lee University (W&L) which adjoins VMI. The manual explained how, after the War, Robert E. Lee had sought a place of culture and refinement where he could use his talents to build a better world. He found it in Lexington as president of a small college (then called "Washington College") . That institution now bears his name and the name of this country's first president and is one of the outstanding institutions of higher learning in this country. Those words, "culture" and "refinement" , came to exemplify Lexington to me. Since Sigma Nu was founded as an honor fraternity and the word appeared frequently in the pledge manual, the mystique of Lexington, for me, continued to grow. Learning later that both Lee and Jackson are buried in Lexington just fueled my desire to visit this historic town.

I almost visited Lexington the summer of 1966 when I spent two and a half months visiting my relatives in Warrenton. I was able to get a job for the summer so I would have spending money but it reduced drastically the time I had for travel and sightseeing. Also, I was given a summer membership in the Fauquier Springs Swim & Tennis Club in exchange for playing on the club team in the Blue Ridge Tennis League and teaching tennis lessons one day a week (I was playing for Auburn at the time). This further reduced travel time. Since I was already into photographing beautiful, old Greek Revival homes (my favorite style of architecture) I spent most of my roadtime in northern Virginia capturing images of wonderful structures such as Carter Hall (Berryville), Oatlands (Leesburg), Oak Hill (Loudoun County) and Montpelier (Orange County). This didn't include the entire day I spent in Charlottesville with my Aunt Sara visiting Monticello and UVA. Lexington was just a bit too far away.

The years after graduation from Auburn included work, marriage, work, graduate school, work, childrearing and work and there was just never time to get to Lexington although the desire still remained.

Then, this past Fall, I read that the city council of Lexington had passed an ordinance prohibiting the flying of any Confederate flag on the lampposts downtown (or any other public place) at any time including the annual parade through town on Lee-Jackson Day. It seems that some of the always complaining people had complained that they were "offended" by the flags and, of course, the mavens of political correctness on the city council naturally caved to the complainers. I knew then that this would be the year that I finally got to Lexington.

I and many other Southerners are sick and tired of history being revised and old traditions done away with so that ignorant people won't be "offended". I knew it was now time to ride to the sound of the guns just as our Confederate ancestors had done so many times in their quest for Southern independence. I also knew that Southerners from all over the South and beyond would be riding to the sound of those guns in Lexington. Thus began the adventure.

It is 726 miles from my house in Tallahassee to downtown Lexington. Even though I no longer wear the clothes of a young man and that mileage indicated a trip of more than twelve hours, I felt certain that Lee, Jackson, Stuart, Ashby, Mosby, Pelham, Hill, Early and so many more would be riding right along side me so it should be a piece of cake - and it was until I turned north at Charlotte onto I-77. By the time I reached the mountains the bottom had fallen out and the sky had turned dark and ominous.

The next few hours on I-77 and then I-81 can only be described as "harrowing". Many times I thought to myself,"What have I gotten into" but then remembered that the generals and all were riding with me and Jedediah Hotchkiss was planning the route so I plunged ahead. I reached Lexington sometime after 9PM (I had left Tallahassee at 7:30AM). It had been 71 degrees when I left Tallahassee Thursday morning - it wasn't when I arrived in Lexington.

When I stepped out of my motel room Friday morning there were snowflakes falling outside and the wind was blowing at what at first appeared to be gale force. I had arisen early as my plan was to first go to Stonewall Jackson Cemetery before people started arriving so that I could spend some quiet time with the general and take some pictures sans people. There is a wonderful statue of General Jackson at his gravesite and as I gazed at that visage in that beautiful cemetery where almost 150 Confederates sleep eternally under the gaze of the surrounding mountains I was deeply touched and felt so close to and proud of my Southern heritage. Yes, I did tear up a bit but it was a warm and good feeling. I also took some beautiful pictures and plan to enlarge and frame some.

After leaving the cemetery I spent some time riding around exploring Lexington and just enjoying the beautiful architecture. I won't try to describe the town, I will merely say that the town has been there since the 1700's when there was much great architecture created in Virginia and there is an abundance of significant architecture in Lexington. The streets downtown are narrow (many are one-way) and some of the shops still have stoops. Wonderful!

I had located Sigma Nu National Headquarters during my exploring and made a point to be there by 9AM. The structure sits atop a hill with a winding drive going up to the front entrance and it is simply stunning. The main two-story central section was once one of the finer homes in Lexington and to this has been added curved one-story wings which beautifully complement the main section. It would fit nicely among the fine old mansions in the Tidewater. I was treated like royalty by everyone I met and was given a complete tour by a fine, young Southern gentlemen named Todd Denson which I truly enjoyed. I also felt honored when a copy of each of my books was accepted for placement in the alumni portion of the headquarters library. This is where books written by Sigma Nu alums are kept and after perusing the shelves I was hoping my two small books would be placed alongside the two shelves of books written by the legendary Zane Grey who was a Sigma Nu at the University of Pennsylvania. Actually, I will be happy with a corner location on a bottom shelf.

Friday afternoon was taken up by a five-hour symposium featuring a number of speakers ranging from university professors to the commander-in-chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. After this we were prepared for the centerpiece of the weekend celebration - the parade through downtown and the other events planned for Lee-Jackson Day on Saturday. And thankfully, when Saturday came it was a good bit warmer than Friday. Still cold, just not as cold.

Everything began Saturday with a dignified ceremony at the grave of Stonewall Jackson. It was a marvelous sight with hundreds of men in Confederate uniforms and period clothing and hundreds of Southern ladies in period clothing, mourning clothes and other suitable attire. And there were flags; oh, were there flags! There were several hundred flags with the preponderance, of course, being Confederate Battle Flags.

I had taken two flags to the event - a CBF and a Lee Headquarters Flag. Fortuitously, earlier that morning I had met a father and daughter from Conway, South Carolina who had, as had I, gone to Lee Chapel on the W&L campus to take photographs. Actually, it turned out that I had previously met the dad, Tony Anderson, at the 2011 SCV National Reunion in Montgomery, Alabama. I mentioned that I had an extra flag and asked if they would like to walk alongside me in the parade and carry a flag. I have got to say that the Battle Flag never looked finer than when it was carried through the streets of Lexington by a pretty 15-year old named Chelsea.

The parade procession received a great reception from the crowd in town and eventually ended at the VMI drillfield. From there most everyone made their way back to W&L (it's just a few hundred feet) to Lee Chapel for a service there. It is an overwhelming feeling to sit in the very chapel where the immortal Robert E. Lee had worshiped during the last years of his splendid life. It is also overwhelming to gaze upon the Edward Valentine sculpture of a reclining Robert E. Lee, in uniform, which is placed directly behind the pulpit and directly over his tomb in the lower level of the chapel.

The service essentially brought to an end the official festivities. There was a luncheon and later an evening banquet at the Virginia Horse Center just a few miles out of town. After the luncheon I returned to the VMI campus and took photographs of the beautiful buildings there. While photographing the statue of General Jackson that stands in front of one of the oldest buildings on campus, a professor who was jogging by stopped and offered to take pictures of me in front of the statue. He was a truly nice man and we had about a 10-minute conversation which again brought to mind the words "culture" and "refinement" as the proper descriptive terms for Lexington.

I hated to leave and delayed my departure until 10 o'clock Sunday morning. I took some more pictures, of course, as I was leaving and then buckled down for the , what proved to be, 14-hour trip back to Tallahassee.

I had finally been to Lexington and it was an experience I will never forget. Not only did it make me prouder than ever of my two fraternities - Sigma Nu and the Sons of Confederate Veterans - but it gave me an even greater admiration for Robert E. Lee and Thomas Jonathan Jackson and the Cause for which they fought and the remarkable lives that they lived. It also gave me a warm feeling to know that so many Southerners would ride to the sound of the guns and from such distances. I spoke with attendees from Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and, of course, Virginia from the Confederate states. I also met compatriots from Illinois and Indiana who might not live in the South but certainly have the South in their hearts. It gave me great hope for the future of our Cause and the veneration of our Confederate ancestors.

GOD BLESS THE SOUTH!

DEO VINDICE

Note: CONFEDERATE JOURNAL in book form is now available online. Volume 1, 2005-2007 can be ordered at http://createspace.com/3540609 and Volume 2, 2008-2009 can be ordered at http://createspace.com/3543269

Bob Hurst is a Southern Patriot who has special interests in the Confederacy and the antebellum architecture of the South. He is Commander of Col. David Lang Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans in Tallahassee and is 2nd Lieutenant Commander of the Florida Division, SCV. He can be contacted at confederatedad1@yahoo.com or 850-878-7010.

COMBAT EFFECTIVENESS IN THE CULTURE WAR!

2012-01-19T22:01:00.003-06:00

By Mark Vogl
johnyreb43@yahoo.com

Let's talk strategy on General Lee's birthday!

For the compatriots of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, whether you like it or not, you are viewed by the rest of the nation as a right wing group. Maybe you don’t like that. Maybe you belong to union, or believe in Marxism. Maybe you don’t think politics should be involved, and that you joined only to honor your ancestor.

But your ancestor fought for the most conservative values possible, family, Christianity, State’s Rights, Secession, and the values embraced by and articulated within the Confederate Constitution. You can insult me, you can cry foul, you can falsely claim that the Sons of Confederate Veterans cannot participate in the politics of governance, but when the smoke clears, when all is said and done, there is not one media person, not one college professor who would call the SCV anything but a conservative right wing group. So if those words hurt your feelings, well, maybe you have some thinking to do.

Now recently, some work by former Texas Division Commander Dr. Ray James and his associates Professors at Texas A & M developed a genealogical formula created to help estimate how many living descendants, (male and female) there could be alive today. The number they came up with was 80 million! Because the number was stunningly high, in my articles I always say between 50 – 80 million. Still a fair amount of Americans.

This is our market. This is the market for the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Can you imagine the changes in the South if even one in five of the potential membership actually joined? Can you see schools being named after General Lee, and can you see Confederate naval ensigns at football games, and Dixie being played at a football game? Can you see the South rising in power and prestige? Can you see people moving South scrambling to find a descendant?

So why doesn’t this happen? Why can’t we speak to tens of millions of Americans?

Answer is simple. Look at the SCV, look at your own division. Which level of the SCV out performs every other level?

The camp. That’s right. All the activities that can be done a camp are done. Handfuls of compatriots, with their wives, or girlfriends and kids, do everything from marching in parades, to living history exhibits at schools, to attending SCV meetings. The local camps do community projects, participate in cemetery clean ups, and honor Confederate dead.

The amount of work done by the camps are the only source of real success for the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

How come?

Because a group of people within the SCV don’t want us to really succeed. This group of people doesn’t want to do real fund raising. It doesn’t want to do advertising. This group doesn’t want to do market research…the same type research that McDonald’s and Ford, and Disney do! Nope. They don’t want to modernize the Constitutions, delegate real power to the Division Lt. Commanders.

This group, that I call the grannies, is the people who don’t want the SCV to become politically active like the veterans organizations, AARP, the NAACP, or other 501c3 organizations. This is the group that are the can’ts.

The combat effectiveness I speak of in the title, is with respect to the politics of the Culture war. Not violence, but doing those things necessary to influence the politics of governance. At present, the SCV and other heritage groups are combat ineffective. If I am wrong, write an essay outlining the big gains, and the big gains just about to come. Did the VA agree to provide the 14,000 headstones for Oakwood Cemetery in Richmond? Are museums opening new exhibits honoring the South and Lee, and all the heroes of the war? Is there going to be a Confederate series of stamps? The list is endless. I am waiting. Please write and outline all our gains so I can apologize for being uninformed.

The grannies won’t allow free speech and open discussion within the divisions, they won’t allow a complete reorganization to maximize modern communications technologies. They won’t empower the member with real power. Nope, they want to be the clique in control. This isn’t in one state, it’s probably all across the Confederation. Now, there may be brigade and division leaders who are doing everything they can to bring their units up to combat effectiveness in the modern culture war. It’s very possible.

I believe CiC Givens, and others, many other leaders want to do what I am talking about. But they know from experience that what I am talking about are hot button issues. They know that anyone who is outside the MOS&B, and anyone who can think in modern terms of validating the Cause will be chastised by many. And since they want to lead, even if they must take miniscule bites of the real challenges before them…well, that’s all they feel they can do.

I remember when elected as Lt. Commander of the Texas Division, I was told by a former commander to attempt only small things because people don’t like change.

I didn’t follow his advice. And yep, I am ridiculed by many who are the can’ts. Now they do things at the camp level. They keep a full calendar. They work their butts off. But you know what boys…if you work at McDonald’s, and work and work and work, you still wont have any measurable effect on the corporate balance sheet. Big money, big gains come with innovations and change. And in the present environment, with the present Constitutions which hobble real progress, I will be astonished if we break thirty five thousand by the end of the Sesquicentennial.

Gentlemen I am willing to happily accept all the insults, all the abuse, be removed from my position which I worked pretty hard for, if, in the end the membership rises up and says, hey…leaders, why are we failing as bad as the US government? Why are we not getting laws changed? Why are we not raising money? Why are we not doing things, new things to get us noticed during the Sesquicentennial?

To the many camps and members of the Texas Division who elected me…thank you for the honor. I wanted to serve, and though brief, I have done all I could to meet the Charge!

PLEASE VOTE NO IN THIS POLL!!

2012-01-13T17:08:00.003-06:00

Should Lexington limit the use of its public lampposts to fly only the U.S., Virginia and Lexington flags?

VOTE NO HERE

The article is dated, Friday, January 13, 2012 today.... A repost of an older article and could have been republished to get a more current opinion from folk because of the flaggings in Lexington.???

The article is also headed, Confederate flag; protest rally planned [poll]

Either way, folk are voting and those votes are being seen. Anytime we can generate interest in our cause is time well spent.... GB/PoP

“GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE” COMES TO TAMPA BAY JANUARY 28

2012-01-12T16:45:00.004-06:00

TAMPA FL, January 19, 2012 – The legendary personage of Confederate General Robert E. Lee will charge into the Tampa Bay area on January 28 with a one-night appearance by nationally renowned Lee portrayer Al Stone.

Stone’s living history performance will depict scenes from Lee’s life and is being sponsored by the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) General Jubal A. Early Camp 556, Tampa. Tickets for the $20 per person dinner event, to be held at the Embassy Suites hotel, 10220 Palm River Rd., Tampa, are available at caul337@gmail.com.

Selected to portray General Lee in the documentary titled “April 1865” for the History Channel, Stone has been described by historians as presenting today’s most accurate impression of General Lee. Stone was also given this designation by Robert E. Lee IV and other Lee family on January 19, 2007, during the celebration of the General’s 200th birthday.

The uniform worn by Stone is an exact replica of that worn daily during the 1861-1865war by General Lee.

Stone is an upstate New York native and current West Virginia resident. He has two great-great grandfathers who served as volunteers in The War Between the States.

General Jubal A. Early Camp 556, commanded by Michael Herring, is the Tampa Bay area chapter of the national SCV www.scv.org. Founded in 1896, the SCV serves to honor, promote and commemorate the true history of the Confederate soldier. Membership in the Sons of Confederate Veterans is open to all male descendants of any veteran who served honorably in the Confederate armed forces. The SCV does not discriminate with respect to race, religion or nationality.

Editor’s Note: On August 9, 1960, former President Dwight D. Eisenhower said of Robert E. Lee:

"General Robert E. Lee was, in my estimation, one of the supremely gifted men produced by our Nation. He believed unswervingly in the Constitutional validity of his cause which until 1865 was still an arguable question in America; he was thoughtful yet demanding of his officers and men, forbearing with captured enemies but ingenious, unrelenting and personally courageous in battle, and never disheartened by a reverse or obstacle. Through all his many trials, he remained selfless almost to a fault and unfailing in his belief in God. Taken altogether, he was noble as a leader and as a man, and unsullied as I read the pages of history."

“From deep conviction I simply say this: a nation of men of Lee’s caliber would be unconquerable in spirit and soul. Indeed, to the degree that present-day American youth will strive to emulate his rare qualities, including his devotion to this land as revealed in his painstaking efforts to help heal the nation’s wounds once the bitter struggle was over, we, in our own time of danger in a divided world, will be strengthened and our love of freedom sustained.”

Sons of Confederate Veterans Federal Lawsuit

2012-01-11T13:12:00.001-06:00

The Lawsuit: The Sons of Confederate Veterans hereby give notice of the intention to file a federal action against the City of Lexington, in the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Virginia, Roanoke Division on Thursday, January 12, 2012. The Sons are represented by the law firm of Strickland, Diviney, and Strelka of Roanoke which has worked in conjunction with The Rutherford Institute, a Civil Liberties organization based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Attorneys Thomas E. Strelka and Correy Diviney are serving as lead counsel.

Conference: The Sons and their attorneys will hold a Press Conference at the steps of the Federal Courthouse located at 210 Franklin Road in Roanoke at 3PM on January 12th. If weather is severe, the press conference will occur at the law offices of Strickland, Diviney, and Strelka located nearby at 23 Franklin Road, Roanoke.

Background and Merits: This case is to be filed by the Sons in reaction to the City Council of Lexington’s adoption of a flag and banner ordinance. The Sons assert that the ordinance was adopted due to the sole reason of the City's disapproval of the Sons’ Constitutional rights to display historic Virginia state and Confederate flags. The Sons requested that these flags be hung for the annual observance and ceremonies for Lee-Jackson day in January, 2011. The Sons advised the City Council that it believed the adoption of the ordinance would be a violation of a 1993 Federal Court Order and Consent Decree. The Court Order was entered subsequent to a prior dispute between the Sons and the City over the public display of Confederate flags.

The Order, endorsed by a Judge of the Western District of Virginia, provides: “The City of Lexington . . . [shall not] deny or abridge the right of the plaintiff organization or its members . . . to wear, carry display or show, at any government-sponsored or government-controlled place or event which is to any extent given over to private expressive activity, the Confederate Flag or other banners, emblems, icons, or visual depictions designed to bring into public notice any logo of ‘stars and bars’ that ever was used as a national or battle flag of the Confederacy.” The federal action to be filed will further contend that the ordinance is a violation of the Son's First and Fourteenth Amendment rights under the Constitution.

The filing requests that the Court issue a Judgment against the City for equitable relief; find the City Council and officers to be of civil contempt; requests the awarding of attorney’s fees, costs and sanctions; requests compensatory, liquidated and punitive damages; and requests such other and further relief as may be just.

ANNUAL ROBERT E. LEE/STONEWALL JACKSON EVENT SET FOR JAN. 28th

2012-01-07T13:07:00.000-06:00

Knoxville -- The Longstreet/Zollicoffer Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans will host their 19th annual celebration of the birthdays of Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson at the Foundry Restaurant located at the north end of World’s Fair Park in downtown Knoxville on Saturday January 28. Instead of the usual keynote address, the event will feature a first person presentation of Anna Jackson who was “Stonewall’s” beloved “Esposa” by Nora Brooks.
A native of Monroe N.C., Ms Brooks has earned degrees from both the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Charlotte and has studied at St. Andrews University, Scotland. Among her achievements was the development of the elective Civil War Studies for the Union County, NC Public Schools. Ms. Brooks has been recognized for her outstanding contributions to education with many awards including Teacher of the Year, The UDC Jefferson Davis Medal and the North Carolina Inspirational Teacher Award.

Come and hear Nora Brooks in character as Anna Jackson, as she presents the life story of T. J. “Stonewall” Jackson. This should be an entertaining as well as an educational evening for all who attend. Make your reservations soon and help Camp 87 Celebrate the Sesquicentennial with this great event
Each year we gather to honor the births of Robert E. Lee and Thomas Jonathan Jackson who were born Jan. 19, 1807 and Jan. 21, 1824 respectively. In Tennessee, Lee’s birthday is an official State Day of Special Observance.
The Lee/Jackson dinner, as always, is open to and the public is welcomed. It is always a dignified, family friendly event with a dress code and men are encouraged to wear jackets and ties. Business or period attire are also acceptable. The dinner will open with a brief drill and flag presentation ceremony by uniformed Confederate re-enactors.
Doors open at 6 p.m. for a social hour. The buffet-style dinner is at 7 p.m. Cost is $30 per adult, $15 per child 12 and under. Several door prizes will be awarded. Advance reservations with full payment are required, and must be received no later than January 20th as seating is limited.

Mail reservation requests with payments to Lee/Jackson Day Dinner, c/o SCV Camp 87, P.O. Box 943, Knoxville, Tenn. 37901. Make checks payable to Lee/Jackson Dinner. Reservations should be received no later than Wednesday January 25th.
For additional information, call Ron Jones at 865-947-3394; John Hitt at 865-689-4592; Brian Fox at 986-5259; Arthur Harris at 865-742-8755 or Scott Hall at 865-607-9559.

Robert E. Lee: Remembering an American Legend

2012-01-03T20:57:00.000-06:00

By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., Speaker, Writer, Author of book ‘When America Stood for God, Family and Country and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net

Sir Winston Churchill once remarked, ‘Lee was the noblest American who had ever lived and one of the greatest commanders known to the annals of war.’

Dear students, teachers, parents, church, community leaders, historians and folks everywhere,

January is the birthday month of War Between the States Generals; James Longstreet born on January 8, 1821, Thomas Jonathan ‘Stonewall’ Jackson born on January 21, 1824, George Pickett born on January 28, 1825 and

Thursday, January 19, 2012, is the 205th birthday of General Robert E. Lee, whose memory is still dear in the hearts of people everywhere.

Many events are planned around the nation that include….

The Georgia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans Robert E. Lee Birthday Celebration in Milledgeville, Georgia on Saturday, January 21, 2012, in the Old Legislative Chambers of the Old State Capitol Building at 11 AM. A Parade will begin at 10:45 AM from the Old Governor’s Mansion to the Old Legislative Chambers.

Did you know that….

During Robert E. Lee’s 100th birthday in 1907, Charles Francis Adams, Jr., a former Union Commander and grandson of US President John Quincy Adams, spoke in tribute to Robert E. Lee at Washington and Lee College’s Lee Chapel in Lexington, Virginia? His speech was printed in both Northern and Southern newspapers and is said to had lifted Lee to a renewed respect among the American people.

Who was Robert E. Lee?

Robert E. Lee, a man whose military tactics have been studied worldwide, was an American soldier, Educator, Christian gentlemen, husband and father.

Robert E. Lee was born on Jan. 19, 1807, at ‘Stratford’ in Westmoreland County, Virginia. The winter was cold and the fireplaces were little help for Robert’s mother, Ann Hill (Carter) Lee, who suffered from a severe cold.

Ann Lee named her son ‘Robert Edward’ after two of her brothers.

Robert E. Lee undoubtedly acquired his love of country from those who lived during the American Revolution. His Father, ‘Light Horse’ Harry was a hero of the revolution and served three terms as governor of Virginia and as a member of the United States House of Representatives. Two members of his family also signed the Declaration of Independence.

Lee was educated at the schools of Alexandria, Va., and he received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1825. He graduated in 1829, second in his class and without a single demerit.

Robert E. Lee’s first assignment was to Cockspur Island, Georgia, to supervise the construction of Fort Pulaski.

While serving as 2nd Lieutenant of Engineers at Fort Monroe, Va., Lee wed Mary Ann Randolph Custis. Robert and Mary had grown up together, Mary was the daughter of George Washington Parke Custis, the Grandson of Martha Washington and adopted son of George Washington.

Mary was an only child; therefore, she inherited Arlington House, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., where she and Robert E. Lee raised seven children.

In 1836, Lee was appointed to first Lieutenant. In 1838, with the rank of Captain, Robert E. Lee fought in the War with Mexico and was wounded at the Battle of Chapultepec.

Lee was appointed Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1852.

Gen. Winfield Scott offered Lee command of the Union army to Lee on April 17, 1861, but he refused. He said, ‘I cannot raise my hand against my birthplace, my home, my children.’

The Custis-Lee Mansion ‘Arlington House’ would be occupied by Federals, who would turn the estate into a war cemetery. Today Arlington House is preserved by the National Park Service as a Memorial to Robert E. Lee. http://www.nps.gov/arho/

Lee served as adviser to President Jefferson Davis, and then on June 1, 1862, commanded the legendary Army of Northern Virginia.

After four years of death and destruction, Gen. Robert E. Lee met Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia and ended their battles.

In the fall of 1865, Lee was offered and accepted the presidency of troubled Washington College in Lexington, Virginia. It is today Washington and Lee University.

Lee was called Marse Robert, Uncle Robert and Marble Man.

Robert E. Lee died of a heart attack at 9:30 AM on the morning of October 12, 1870, at Washington College where he is buried at Lee Chapel.

Dr. Edward C. Smith, respected African-American Professor of History at American University in Washington, D.C., told the audience in Atlanta, during a 1995 Robert E. Lee birthday event, ‘Dr. Martin Luther King and Robert E. Lee were individuals worthy of emulation because they understood history.’

On August 5, 1975, 110 years after Gen. Lee's application, President Gerald Ford signed Joint Resolution 23, restoring the long overdue full rights of citizenship to Gen. Robert E. Lee. Read more at: www.ford.utexas.edu/library/speeches/750473.htm

Lest We Forget!

Tallapoosa Possum Droppings

2012-01-01T15:29:00.000-06:00

From: GeorgiaFlagger@JoiMail.com

I arrived at the Possum Drop event about 10:45pm, and parked 2 blocks away for easy leaving.

I decided to bring along my 6 foot pole and 3x5 nylon Confederate Battleflag to help me and others ring in the New Year. It was almost as popular as the big 'River Rat" they had walking amongst the crowd.

The rat was a gimmick being employed by a local river rafting company, but myself, along with dozens of others had mistakenly thought it was a possum, and he was a hit with all the young ladies running up to get a pose with it on their cameras.

I asked the PR man walking in human form alongside of the rat if I might get a picture of it holding the flag, to which he said sure he didn’t see why not, so after waiting in a line of about 4 groups, I finally was next and asked about the pic and flag and he began waving his hands frantically and shaking his big rat head in fear. He was not a Haralson County Rebel (which is what the High and Middle school are named), but a yankee carpetbaggin rodent. Since I know where their business is www.tallapoosariver.com , scaredy rat will see a flag or two in warmer climes. Prices and Flags are coming soon...

I moved towards the center of the crowd, which really wasn’t elbow to elbow, but very respectable for the local event. As irony would have it, the dead road kill was attached to the same building that served as a backdrop to our pictures of SCV vehicles in the Dogwood Festival and 4th of July parade.

I set up shop directly across from the possum ball, and under a street light. The very first song the band began to sing after I stopped moving was Dukes of Hazzard, so UP went the CBF and I began waving it like a good Hazzard citizen. The camera flashes helped with enthusiasm :)

Other songs of flag waving note was Hank Jrs Family Tradition, Sweet Home Alabama, and Travis Tritt's Homesick, all punctuated by flashes of light from cameras.

I will admit that quite a few folks came over and thanked me for having the flag and waving it, and 3 people - 2 guys and 1 woman at different times stopped and had a pic made with the flag. Of really special note was a former co-worker of mine named Donnie, who was rabidly anti 56 Ga State flag at work, flaming democrat and a photo of him and Ex Gov Roy Barnes on his desk. But this was in 2002, and we had a bet of $100 that Barnes would lose while polls showed a 10 point favorite. Well barnes lost by 10% but I never collected on the winnings, however I see Donnie all the time at big county functions, and as he walked over to me in the crowd last night with a goofy smile and hand stuck out, he says "You always have a Confederate Flag with you" which I do be it as a Flagger or SCV.

The last song played in Tallapoosa in 2011 was American Trilogy by Elvis, who came back from netherworld to sing it for us, and of course, the first 3rd of the song was strongly supported by vigorous CBF waving. No respect for BHOTR!

As the countdown to drop the stuffed road kill was underway by local famous radio personality Rhubarb Jones starting at 10, 9, 8... I started my camera video, and caught the final 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, as Spencer was lowered to the ground and cheers went up - then so did the CBF.

Fireworks and a Confederate Flag to say hello to 2012 in downtown Tallapoosa.

Happy 2012 to y'all too! Let's get them flags up and protected y'all! Advance the colors and keep up the skeer!

Billy Bearden

Washington National Opera's Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists Present Songs of the Civil War

2011-11-20T11:55:00.001-06:00

Free Concert in Willard InterContinental Hotel LobbyWashington DC, November 17, 2011 -- In conjunction with the Willard InterContinental's year-long commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, members of Washington National Opera's Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program present Songs of the Civil War. The free, lunchtime concert takes place in the Willard Hotel lobby on December 1, at 12:30 p.m. The program, designed by Ken Weiss, Music Administrator for Washington National Opera and narrated by Dr. Denise Gallo, Head of Acquisitions and Processing in the Music Division of Library of Congress, explores songs reflective of both Union and Confederate sentiments. The program includes Union Songs such as We are coming, Father Abram, Confederate Songs, Goober Peas, both the Union and Confederate versions of Battle Cry of Freedom/Rally Round the Flag, songs of slavery and abolition, home front songs, and those sung on both sides. The concert culminates with Battle Hymn of the Republic written by Julia Ward Howe at the Willard Hotel 150 years ago, in November, 1861. This poignant exploration of war expressed in music, features emerging young vocal talents groomed by Washington National Opera's Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. Artists include soprano María Eugenia Antúnez, mezzo-soprano Sarah Mesko, tenor Jeffrey Gwaltney and bass Kenneth Kellogg, with piano accompaniment by Robert Mollicone. Willard Hotel and the Civil WarAs America marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War in 2011, the Willard InterContinental highlights its significant history of the period with Willard Hotel and the Civil War. This yearlong event in conjunction with Destination DC's regional Civil War to Civil Rights commemoration highlights various aspects of the Willard's history during this period through exhibitions, lectures, tours, concerts, discussion panels and related events. The Willard's programming includes partnerships with such cultural and historic entities as Lincoln at the Crossroads Alliance, The International Spy Museum, Ford's Theater, the Civil War Preservation Trust and Washington National Opera.

Love Me Tender Premiered in New York

2011-11-02T12:34:00.001-05:00

By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., Speaker, Writer, Author of book “When America Stood for God, Family and Country”—looking to republish and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net

Did you know that Elvis Presley had Cherokee ancestry and November is American-Indian Month?

Let me tell you about an exciting time before the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dixie Cups, and Diana Ross and the Supremes came on the music scene with their wonderful music.

In 1956 Americans loved President Dwight Eisenhower, Fats Domino sang “I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill”, Buddy Holly and the Crickets appeared at New York’s Paramount Theater and “Love Me Tender” starring Richard Egan, Debra Paget and introducing Elvis Presley premiered at the Paramount Theater that is located at 43rd Street and Broadway in New York’s Times Square Theater District.

It was a time of Henry J automobiles, shopping at Woolworths Department Stores, going to drive-in double-feature movies and drinking a RC Cola with a moon pie and….

Fifty five years ago Elvis Presley fans gathered at New York’s Paramount Theater under a huge 40 foot cut-out of the King of rock and roll, on Thursday, November 15, 1956, to take part in the premiere of “Love Me Tender”, a wide screen, “Cinemascope” motion picture?

In 1956, Coke was still a nickel, popcorn a quarter and a movie just a quarter for a kid. It was a time when wide screen movies that included the 3-D dimension were first introduced.

Elvis Presley appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956 and performed “Love Me Tender” for the first time....And, because of the unprecedented advance sale of over a million copies of that RCA recording, making it a “Gold Record” before it was even released; the producers for the movie changed the title from The Reno Brothers to Love Me Tender.

Love Me Tender was a great hit for Twentieth Century-Fox, despite a few negative reviews. Many more, however, gave it thumbs-up saying “Elvis can act.” Young ladies, Elvis’ true fans, could not control their excitement and screamed for joy throughout the movie.

If you could hear the movie with all the excitement, you were treated to a good story…..

About a Mother’s love for her family and the love triangle within a Southern-Texas family who were recovering from four years of terrible war. To make things more complicated, the Reno Brothers and fellow Confederates held on to the money that they took during a raid on a Union gold shipment. They did not know the war had ended when they took the money.

What a movie, with Elvis Presley singing 4 songs, a wonderful musical score by Lionel Newman and the great movie direction by Robert D. Webb who also directed: The Proud Ones and On the Threshold of Space during that same year.

The song “Love Me Tender” came from the Southern War Between the States era song “Aura Lee.”

The movie also starred veteran actors Neville Brand, Robert Middleton, James Drury, William Campbell and a very credible and heart-warming performance by Mildred Dunnock as the Mother of the Reno Brothers.

Elvis Presley attended a private screening of the movie on November 20th at the Loews State Theater in Memphis, Tennessee prior to its nationwide release on November 21st. During the screening Elvis’s Mother, Gladys Presley cried at the death of her son’s character at the end. Elvis Presley would insist that his characters would not die again on the screen. The death scene, however, would become famous as many people, young and old, wept at the movies ending that highlighted Elvis’ character singing Love Me Tender as the family walked away from his grave.

The True South Through My Eyes, HK Edgerton

2011-10-31T10:13:00.002-05:00

HK Edgerton, a black Confederate advocate, tells of his fondness for the South, the Confederacy, the distinction between the original Klan and another formed forty years later for totally different purposes, and the rarely told truth about Nathan Bedford Forrest.

A Critique of Topsy Turvy

2011-10-29T22:24:00.001-05:00

Part 1

By Joan Hough

An advertisement of Anya Jabour’s Topsy Turvy (1) led me to believe that her book actually told, as presented under its title on the cover, “How the Civil War turned the World Upside Down for Southern Children.“ On the back of the book’s cover I read “Sweeping from the late antebellum period to the aftermath of the war, with balanced coverage of both white and black children from across the South, Jabour’s volume is wonderful social history that deepens our understanding of the trauma and positive consequences of the conflicts. It is filled with apt quotations and sharp insights. Anyone interested in the history of women, gender, family, and slavery---much less the Civil War----should read this book.” These words were those of John B. Boles, author of The South Through Time.

The cover of Jabour’s “history book” captures a drawing from a novel by the imaginative female novelist who penned Uncle Tom's Cabin. That, in itself, reveals the bias of Jabour.

I have now concluded another few hours of dealing with Jabour’s “same old, same old—same song, millioneth verse,” echo of all that politically correct historians have spewed forth since Lincoln, his Marxist buddies, and their newly imported, non-English speaking or reading foreigners destroyed the heart and brain of America.

Jabour does sprinkle a few historical facts about on the pages of her "historical novel," but for the most part she writes a twisted saga designed to enthrall the liberated, beguiled, bothered and bewildered women in her "women gender" history classes. These students are programmed to appreciate her digs at white Southern children and their wicked, prejudiced, slave-beating parents. Jabour does not reveal that she is aware that northerners owned white slaves and black ones and were exceedingly harsh owners, but then, books reporting hideous treatment of the north’s slaves by northerners neither sell nor earn academic distinctions for their authors.

Jabour contends that white daughters of Confederate mothers merely reflected their parents’ perverted views. Children can absorb parental beliefs-- what an earth-shaking revelation! Jabour must conclude, then, that daughters of the morally superior northerners mirror the beliefs of their parents. (Do hold that thought in mind for later consideration—perhaps when you learn that General Sherman, who had children of his own, believed children, should be killed if they were Southerners. Must we accept that Sherman’s children, including the one who became a Catholic priest, agreed with their papa? Radical Republicans such as Republican Senator Benjamin Wade insisted that hideous forms of torture should be applied to helpless Confederate prisoners. He had the U.S. Senate issue the demand for such and that practice was initiated in every Union prison for Confederates. Surely Jabour has concluded that Wade’s children, James F. Wade and Henry P. Wade, mirrored their father’s beliefs.

Certainly it is a fact that white families in the North did own and did cruelly mistreat slaves. Many of those slaves were black and many were white.(2) One can only wonder why Jabour deigns not to mention the treatment of the Grant family’s black slaves by General Grant’s white wife and white daughter or that the good general, the Radical Republican’s darling, was elected to the Presidency despite the truth that the Grants kept slavery alive in their home long after the end of the so-called “War to End Slavery.”

Jabour, like Republicans back then, proves, quite obviously by ignoring truth, that she considers slave owners evil only if they were Southerners.

Readers will not learn the real facts from a Jabour convinced that the War was fought by noble Northerners to free Southern slaves; she cannot tell what she has yet to learn. She is uninformed about the presence of a multitude of Marxists generals and Colonels in the Union’s army and the plan of European Communists to take over the U.S. She is unaware that Southerners could have stopped the war at any time and kept slaves forever by paying Lincoln and his Republicans the humongous tariffs. We now suspect that despite impoverishing Southerners, the payments would have forced the Radical Marxist- Republicans to gain their ends via other machinations. Jabour has no idea why the Union and its Marxists were determined to eliminate Confederates. She is oblivious to the fact that the Union’s chief propagandist, a second generation American Socialist, was also a Marxist.

The Marxists fought their War of Northern Aggression for the purpose of continuing their failed Socialist European Revolution of 1848.(3) Their plan for a new world order depended on the establishment of an all-powerful central government. Adhering to the ‘goals” delineated in The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, they played “footsies” with crazed New England abolitionists and started the Republican Party. Hochbruck in his article mentions “Republican Party” activities, of the Communist/Socialist Germans he lauds.(3) Walter Kennedy and Al Benson, Jr. in their Red Republicans and Lincoln’s Marxists: Marxism in the Civil War give us all the details concerning the Communist affiliations of these same Germans.

The Marxists' plans insured that Christian beliefs would lose all influence in the U.S. government. Southerners had to be destroyed for many reasons—one of them, religion. Communists loathe religions and people who believe that man’s rights come from God and NOT from government. All persons resisting government’s assumption of the role of God must be destroyed. (So everyone believing in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution must die.)

In the middle of the war when Lincoln was losing it and his citizens were refusing to fight any longer, men in the north had to be hired at $1000 each if they were to fight in Mr. Lincoln’s army. American Marxists came to the rescue of the U.S. They imported many thousands of Germans and other Europeans eager for loot and ‘get out of a European jail free cards. ” They filled the U.S. army with non-English speaking soldiers. They prevailed on Lincoln to “emancipate” slaves—but only in places where he had no power, so slavery remained intact in those areas controlled by the Union.

To motivate northern citizens to continue the war, a great flurry of anti-South Socialist reports was created by a member of the Fourier Communist Society, the master propagandist-gifted journalist, Charles A. Dana. He became Lincoln’s Assistant Secretary of War. Dana’s journalistic expertise enabled Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War, to promulgate thousands of pages of vile, vicious, anti-South propaganda, painting Southerners as repulsive, slave-raping monsters. This propaganda won back Northern supporters and guaranteed that the South’s slaves would not be freed as had slaves elsewhere in the world --gradually after training, without the necessity of the loss of a single life. It also made sure that the U.S. government or northern slave merchants would not be forced to buy back slaves and free them.

White Southerners were painted in hues of decadence and shades of sadism so revolting those gullible northerners and their men of God came to believe Southern men, women and children deserved annihilation. U.S. generals declared extermination of Southerners was their goal. Cultural genocide in the South became “a must.” The Southern Holocaust became a reality.

Despite Jabour's impressions, the war of Lincoln and his crew of Radical Republicans, demonic Democrats, and maniacal Marxists was not begun to free slaves, nor was the north’s invasion resisted by Southerners so that a small percentage of slave owners could own slaves and continue furnishing northern factory owners with cotton. Jabour would have us believe that Southerners were stupid enough to die so a few folks could be slave masters. She seems to think that northerners had the only claim to the belief that slaves should be free. Jabour is either ignorant of the truth or deliberately ignores it, for never does she mention that Southern slave owners had been freeing slaves in large numbers for many years before the war. Louisiana, for example, was full of free black men and women who were educated and prepared for freedom. Not only were they free, but they were prosperous, religious, and joyful. Before the north’s invasion, “the good times rolled” in New Orleans and Louisiana. (What was common knowledge to Louisianans must have shocked the Germans and others under command of Beast Butler, and the multitude of foreigners in Mr. Sherman’s ranks, so of course it was found unbelievable by the Union’s black troops posted in Louisiana’s during the twelve years of Reconstruction’s military reign there.

Jabour states: “Children of all backgrounds agreed that the central issue of the war was slavery.” With these words, this female historian joins the ranks of Radical Republicans and Marxist mythmakers.

Who can believe that Jabour or anyone else polled Confederate children of all backgrounds? Certainly there is plenty of proof that adult Southerners, prior to public school Civil War brainwash, did not believe slavery the cause of the war, although they feared Yankee-designed slave uprising ending in white slaughter. Southern kids, as intelligent as any in the world, took lessons from the invaders, and learned justifiable hatred for them once they watched Yankee soldiers torture Southern mothers, tear off the lobes of the mother’s ears to obtain earrings, break fingers to steal wedding rings, destroy all the food in the house, steal the children’s toys, the baby’s clothes, and even their mother’s dresses, take the linens from their beds, choke and or rape their black friends and their white friends, stomp live chickens, dig up their dead grandfather, defecate in their piano, and chop off heads of puppies and kittens, destroy Bibles, family portraits, furniture, every speck of food—leaving nothing for hungry children, chop up and/ or burn the home and the church, etc., etc., etc. Southern children, both black and white ones, were witnesses to genocide and a holocaust. How could they ever forget? Some did not. Their descendants today testify to this truth.

Although Southern children were well aware of the horrors facing them, their mothers, their grandparents and their friends and neighbors at the hands of Union troops and well knew “freeing slaves” was not the reason for such, Jabour seems totally brainwashed into believing something else. Obviously Professor Jabour is not cognizant of the findings of Dr. Donald Livingston, a professor of Philosophy at Emory University. Dr. Livingston completed a study of the twelve years of U.S. military occupancy of the South. He found 800,000 to 1,200,000 black Southerners killed by Mr. Lincoln’s soldiers and 1,000,000 whites killed. He was interested in the official statements in the U.S. War Department’s records which stated that 80 percent of the USA war was against the South’s civilians—women, children and the elderly. Other researchers have noted Union approval for destruction of the South’s churches and for genocide and extermination of Southern people (Timothy D. Manning, Southern Heritage News and Views, “Re U.S.A. Genocide Against the Christian South” October 25, 2011).

Slavery, as the cause of the war, was not even something believed by the soldiers who invaded the South before the new European recruits arrived. (David C. Edmonds, ed. The Conduct of Federal Troops in Louisiana During the Invasions of 1863 and 1864: Compiled From Sworn Testimony).

Most Southerners knew the war was about shredding the U.S. Constitution—plundering the South’s riches, transforming the Republic into a type of all powerful government controlled by an oligarchy which would appropriate and redistribute even the fertile earth around little farm houses. Most Southerners were not planters-- they were farmers! And they owned no slaves. Without the Constitutionally-protected States’ Rights, the South’s beautiful forests, its deep water ports, its gold, and even the amazing climate which gave life to plants unable to thrive in the north--all would be taken over by the Republican Radicals. Hunger and poverty would reign supreme throughout the once richest, most productive part of America. Most Southerners were aware that another important goal of the enemies was to eliminate the very type of Southern mentality that had inspired that first secession—the one from Great Britain –the one that engendered the creation and acceptance of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution.

Various goals delineated in the Communist Manifesto were achieved by the victors of the deadliest war in America’s history. Although Southerners and many northerners were unaware that Marxism even existed, Marxist seeds were well planted in America’s soil in the middle of the 1800’s. They grew well, bloomed and continue today to produce noxious fumes easily detected by anyone not a complete idiot, or completely brainwashed by government-controlled education. The fulfillment of the goals was enabled by genocidal murders of thousands upon thousands of helpless Southern women, children and imprisoned Confederate soldiers. Murders, rapes, and tortures of civilians occurred more often than the politically correct historians [such as Jabour] can even imagine but are, finally, being called to the attention of Americans by historians such as Edmonds. (David C. Edmonds, The Conduct of Federal Troops in Louisiana. During the Invasions of 1863 and 1864: Official Report of the Teche Campaigns and the burning of Alexandria –Compiled from Sworn Testimony Under direction of Governor Henry Watkins Allen). Even black children and their mothers were raped, tortured, and deliberately killed by the invaders. It was not unusual that the Yankee soldiers would even shoot and kill black men and young boys who refused to go away with them ( Walter Brian Cisco. War Crimes against Southern Civilians, p.174).

Jabour fails to mention a single atrocity committed by northerners against Southern Women and their babies. She seems only to embellish rather silly interactions which make the blacks look mistreated, their psyches/self concepts bruised by white children and women. She cites as factual one case wherein a mentally ill woman causes a candy stealing black girl to be injured. (This case may be no more real than the famous one of “Sybil” which was so believed by the psychiatric profession that a Hollywood movie resulted from it. Only recently did the lady called “Sybil” announce that the entire thing was faked.)

Because Jabour ignores the relationships of the South’s black women plantation owners and their daughters with hundreds of black slaves, one must conclude that Jabour believes only white folks living in the South owned slaves.

If Ms Jabour studied the servant classes elsewhere in the world, she would find Southern blacks during the antebellum period were, customarily, better treated than most. Certainly Southern slaves were better treated even than the north’s white factory workers then--far better than those white children put to work throughout the United Kingdom as chimney sweeps. America’s northerners certainly mistreated the poor little Irish children and Scottish ones sold by the English to Northerners as "bondsmen”. Southern blacks had food in their stomachs, clothing, roofs over their heads, plenty of sunshine, warmth in winter, health care and some happy holidays. They were not kicked out to die when they grew old. Their lot in life beat the heck out of that of the north’s white “factory slaves who were worked to death or spent their lives, hungry and shivering in dark factories.

To be continued

(1) (Don Jordan and Michael Walsh. White Cargo: The Forgotten history of Britain’s White Slaves in America).

(2) Wolfgang Hochbruck. “Achtundvierziger” in den Armeen der Union: Eine voriaufige Liste” –“Forty-Eighters in the Union Armies: A Preliminary Checklist.”- found on free pages of Ancestry.com

(3) (David C. Edmonds, ed. The Conduct of Federal Troops in Louisiana During the Invasions of 1863 and 1864: Compiled From Sworn Testimony Official Report of the Teche Campaigns and the burning of Alexandria –Compiled from Sworn Testimony Under direction of Governor Henry Watkins Allen).

( 4) Walter Brian Cisco. War Crimes against Southern Civilians, p.174).

Old Jubilee's Near Miss

2011-10-22T06:00:00.001-05:00

By Bob Hurst

Those of you who are regular readers of this series will possibly recall that the October 2010 article was about a missed opportunity by the Confederacy to capture Washington after routing the Federal Army at the Battle of First Manassas. That situation involved General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's desire to follow the fleeing yankees into the practically undefended city and capture the northern capital and possibly Abraham Lincoln himself. This possibly would have brought a quick end to the War. That action did not come to fruition, though, as President Jefferson Davis would not allow General Jackson to go on the offensive by launching an attack on the capital since the Confederate president was committed to the Confederacy taking the high road and maintaining only a defensive strategy for the War.

This column will be about another narrow miss by the Confederates in capturing Washington which occurred much later in the War and involved another of my favorite generals of the Confederacy, Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early. Before we look at the missed opportunity, let me first tell you a bit about General Early, or "Old Jubilee" as he was frequently called.

Jubal Anderson Early was born into a fine Virginia family of Franklin County. He graduated high in his class at West Point (Class of 1837) and, after a brief stint in the military returned to his home county to begin a practice in law. He served as a member of the Virginia Secession Convention and was actually opposed to secession. He immediately offered his services to his State, however, when Virginia voted to secede. He joined the Confederate Army and was recognized as someone with great potential by Robert E. Lee and was given the rank of colonel. He rose quickly through the ranks because of his command skills and was promoted to brigadier general from July 1861, major general from January 1863 and lieutenant general from May 1864.

General Early was considered outspoken and of strong opinion. He was recognized as an expert strategist and one of the outstanding combat commanders of the Confederate Army. Altogether he was an accomplished person and military commander. One of the things I have always admired about Jubal Early came after the War had ended. He served as the first president of the Southern Historical Society and maintained a solid and well-reasoned defense of the Confederate effort and especially of Robert E. Lee during a period when many were trying to attack both. Jubal Early lived for almost thirty years after the War ended and remained unreconstructed until the day he died - truly a man that I can admire.

Now that we've discussed a bit about this outstanding Southerner, let'e look at how he came so close to taking Washington and bagging Abraham Lincoln in the process.

This episode in the history of the War began in mid-June 1864 when General Robert E. Lee sent a dispatch to General Early concerning a rather ambitious plan for summer action. At this time Jubal Early was commander of the Army of Northern Virginia's Second Corps which was known as "The Army of the Valley".

In this plan General Lee wanted General Early to first take Lynchburg and then make a sweep through the Shenandoah Valley to the northern extremities of Virginia before turning south through Maryland and eventually end by making an assault on Washington . Two other elements of this ambitious plan, in addition to overthrowing Union garrisons along the way, were to destroy telegraph and railroad lines in the vicinity of Washington and Baltimore and also have part of the force make a lightning strike into southern Maryland to free the Confederate prisoners being held at the infamous Point Lookout prison.

The plan was extremely ambitious but General Lee knew that the South was running out of time and it would take something daring to turn the tide on the scourge in blue which had a vastly larger supply of soldiers to extend the War, money to finance the War and supplies to support its army. Plus, Lee had always been a risk-taker and in General Early he felt he had the most capable commander to successfully execute such a daring plan since the death of the redoubtable "Stonewall". Another element of this bold plan was to hopefully draw the armies of Grant and Meade away from the Richmond/Petersburg theater when they realized an attack was being made on Washington. This would offer some relief to General Lee's army.

General Early's sweep northward through the Shenandoah Valley began well with a resounding defeat of the blue coats at Lynchburg on June 18 and 19. This victory was especially gratifying since the yankee commander was General David Hunter, one of that group of reprobate northern commanders who delighted in attacking Southern civilian targets a la Sherman and Sheridan.

By early July General Early's forces had reached as far north as Harper's Ferry and Martinsburg where federal garrisons were taken by the boys in gray. Early, at this point, slowed down the approach to Washington to allow his weary troops to rest and relax for awhile and enjoy the feasts intended for the yankee troops at the captured garrisons. General Early also spent time in this area ransoming some of the neighboring towns to make the northern sympathizers pay for the destruction done to the Shenandoah Valley by the likes of Hunter and Sheridan. This delay in the advance on Washington, however, created problems as we shall soon see.

A major hurdle on the advance toward Washington occurred at Monocacy. Under the outstanding leadership of Early and generals John B. Gordon, John C. Breckenridge, Stephen Ramseur, John McCausland and Robert Rodes the Confederates inflicted massive casualties on the federals (more than 20% of the federal troop count) and the victory opened the way to Washington but the battle proved more difficult than anticipated and caused another delay in the approach to the capital by the weary troops. [ An interesting sidenote to the battle is that the Union commander, General Lew Wallace, after the War authored the marvelous book BEN HUR: A TALE OF THE CHRIST which was many years later made into an Oscar-winning motion picture. That picture to this day remains one of the all-time favorites of a certain fellow who first saw it as a young boy growing up in Alabama. OK, I'll admit that some yankees did accomplish some things worthy of recognition.]

By July of 1864 the city of Washington resembled a fortress. Since the beginning of theWar, some 60 forts had been built around the city in addition to 37 miles of earthworks containing sites for artillery. More than 31,000 troops were available for the defense of the city but few of these were regular troops or battle-hardened veterans. Many were troops in training and even government workers and few had the ability to capably handle artillery duties. All of this was known to General Early since Washington was filled with Confederate spies.

By July 10 General Early was ready to make the final approach to Washington. Unfortunately the Confederate troops, wearied by month-long campaigning over long distances in the stifling heat, were near exhaustion. On the afternoon of July 11 it was reported to General Early that it likely was possible to breech the defenses at Fort Stevens, one of the chain of forts surrounding the city. As the Confederates advanced, however, they were being met by Federal reinforcements of regular troops that had begun arriving that morning. General Early and his officers decided to not force the issue that day but to give the men another day of rest and survey the situation the next morning.

The final advance on Washington began in the morning of July 12. By this time Federal reinforcements had flowed into the city - by some estimates as many as 20,000 troops. The 14,000 Confederates engaged the Federals for most of the day and there were numerous skirmishes and some artillery fire but Washington was not going to fall that day.

The most interesting event of the day, however, involved Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln and his entourage had traveled out to Fort Stevens in the afternoon to watch the battle. Lincoln's group was standing on the parapet of the fort viewing the action when a Confederate sharpshooter stationed almost 1000 yards from the fort noticed a tall man wearing a top hat standing among a group atop the fort. The sharpshooter took aim and fired and saw someone go down. It was impossible, though, to determine exactly which person he had hit because of the distance and the haze created by the extreme heat of the day.

The individual who was killed by the shot was a physician named Cornelius Crawford. Crawford had been standing beside Abraham Lincoln. When the group realized how close Lincoln had come to being killed they quickly rushed him down from the parapet. As Lincoln removed himself from his position of vulnerability, he issued an order authorizing artillery bombardment of the area harboring the sharpshooters. This included the civilian homes in the area.

At the end of the day of skirmishes, General Early ordered his troops to withdraw back to Virginia.

In his dispatch to General Early, General Lee had indicated that he wanted Early to "threaten Washington". This could be interpreted as meaning General Lee never envisioned the capital being taken but merely threatened to the point that forces under Grant and Meade would be pulled from the Richmond/Petersburg theater, thus taking pressure off Lee's army, to rush to the defense of Washington.

Hindsight indicates that had Jubal Early been able to get his troops to Washington just a day or two earlier then it is entirely likely the city could have been taken. The overall plan was so ambitious, though, that it exhausted the Confederates trying to cover such a great distance and accomplish so much. The battle at Monocacy also played a major role in delaying the Confederate forces in reaching Washington before reinforcements arrived and likely saved the city from being captured.

It seems certain that if Early could have taken Washington or if the sharpshooter's bullet had found Lincoln then things would have been changed drastically in the summer of '64. It's even possible that the Federals would have called a cease-fire since losing their capital would have certainly created a damaging psychological blow to the North. The War never was very popular among the civilian population of the North.

As it stands, though, it is just another "what if". Of course, you cannot change history. I truly wish that General Early and the boys in gray could have gotten to Washington just two days earlier. Ah, well, as Whittier so wisely wrote: "For of all sad words of tongue or pen the saddest are these: it might have been!"

DEO VINDICE

Note: CONFEDERATE JOURNAL articles from 2005 through 2009 are now available in book form. Book 1 contains articles from 2005-2007 and can be ordered online at http://createspace.com/3540609. Book 2 contains articles from
2008-2009 and can be ordered online at http://createspace.com3543269.

Bob Hurst is a Southern Patriot who has strong interests in the Confederacy and the anrebellum architecture of the South. He is Commander of Col. David Lang Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, in Tallahassee and is also 2nd Lieutenant Commander of the Florida Division, SCV. Contact information is confederatedad1@yahoo.com or 850-878-7010.

Lexington Lee-Jackson Day

2011-10-21T13:59:00.002-05:00

ATTENTION FLAGGERS

2011-10-21T09:31:00.001-05:00

ESPECIALLY IN DEEP SOUTH !!!!
Most all of us are well aware of the MAJOR Heritage Violation that has taken place at Plant Wansley in Heard County earlier this month, and most everyone has heeded the call and have shot off angry communications to people in Plant Wansley, Georgia Power, and Southern Company. This is what caused Ga Power to replace the Flags. -THIS NEEDS TO CONTINUE!

But there comes a time where all we do is reach the same people and they become a blocking filter to all other personel and it keeps exposure to a minimum.

I call upon ALL FLAGGERS, and those angry at the CRIMES that were committed by Ga Power against our Confederate ancestors to pick your targets in the 1st ever Multi-State Flagging. Instead of having Flaggers travel to Plant Wansley gates, who are very much aware of the situation, You have in your local communities a Georgia Power office, an Alabama Power office, or a Mississippi Power office, as well as maintainance barns - all of which fall under the umbrella of Southern Company. (if any are aware of other related businesses, include them)

Travel to one or more of these local places in your community and set up shop.

This will increase the public's as well as employees knowledge (how many real Southerners work for this conglomerate?) and may end up in your local media as well.

To refresh your mind on the events read these links, and make copies of the applicable laws that were violated. While the flags are back on a 'temp' basis, this is not any kind of permanent solution, PLUS the CRIMES are still unresolved and need to be prosecuted. GRAB y'all's flags and make your signs - show up outside a Southern Company interest, (Uniforms are a PLUS) and give 'em double canister!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TURN UP THE HEAT - KEEP UP THE SKEER !!

SCV Replace Flags on Graves

Confederate Flags at Old Yellow Dirt Cemetery

Confederate Veterans are United States Veterans

Victory Battle Flags Rrestored

Georgia Power Returns Stolen Confederate Flags

Flags Returned to Graves

Georgia Power dragging their feet

Confederate Flag Controversy Continues

VICTORY!!! Battle flags restored!

2011-10-19T10:48:00.007-05:00

Plant Wansley surrenders, Battle flags restored!

The news broke at approximately 3:20pm on October 18th, 2011, that just an hour earlier the Confederate Battle flags that had been stolen from the graves of 7 Confederate Veterans in the Yellow Dirt Cemetery located inside Georgia Power's Plant Wansley only 6 days earlier - with blessing of management -
Have Been Restored!!!!!!!

[><] Yes, Praise God - SWEET VICTORY! [><]
The mounting pressures from unrelenting forces finally woke up the "Southern" Company folks that they had not stepped, but jumped head first into a horrible situation by desecrating the final resting places of 7 Confederate Veterans violating numerous Georgia laws, then attempted to cover it up with denial and obfuscation -
at one point attempting to forbid visitors into the cemetery itself.

From the initial response to replacing the original missing 7 Confederate Battle flags on October 8th by the Haralson Invincibles Camp # 673, when called upon by descendants of one of the Confederate Veterans thru the heartbreaking and very damning media reports from Heard Citizen, News-Banner, Times-Journal and Carroll Star alerting us the flags have been removed again on October 12th, right on thru to those who answered the call to arms from such groups as the Sons of Confederate Veterans and people like Tommy PoP Aaron and his blog support, Charles Demastus for his ever diligent Southern Heritage News and Views, the excellent YouTube video by Chad Smith and the Facebook protest page and web support from Susan Hathaway, strong local efforts from Billy Bearden and Ernie Blevins as well as everyone reading this press release who helped make this moment possible

On this announcement
Thank Y'all very much - YOU HAVE BEEN HEARD AND OBEYED!

HOWEVER, no VICTORY is ever permanent and careful vigilance is always needed to ensure the vanquished do not rise up and repeat their evil deeds. Please do not consider this anything but temporary and we must be on full alert - especially during the next month for any possible corporate maneuvers.

Respecting the 30 day alert status, the time will be used to prepare a defense and strategy should any "permanent plan" not be to the satisfaction of the descendants or the SCV. We know they are using the time as well for their planning.

Guards are posted to ensure the proposed "truce" is honored.

This is a case where the descendants, who not current members of the SCV but planning to join, did much of the work as they had the most ability to claim direct harm, but without support from members of the SCV and many others they could have easily been minimized and run over by the Wansley Plant and Georgia Power.

Again, the descendants of those buried in the Yellow Dirt Church say "Thank y'all, it is truly a Blessing for all you have done for our Confederate ancestors here and throughout America"

STORY

The Confederate Battle Flag With The "St Andrews Cross"

OK Virginians

2011-10-18T12:58:00.003-05:00

Virginians, Are you ready to take a stand?

OK Virginians, here's a chance to to defend the Honour of Old Virginian and Her heroes!

See
Virginia Belle needs HELP!

Virginians are rising up, and taking action against the Heritage Haters and those suffering from Confederaphobia in the streets of the Old Dominion. Are you ready to take a stand? Join us Friday, October 28th as we take to the streets of Richmond in a mass flagging protest of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and their forced removal of Confederate battle flags from the portico of the Pelham Chapel/Confederate War Memorial.

For more information, please contact Susan Hathaway

Virginia Flagger
Susan Frise Hathaway

Video, Georgia Power Removes Confederate Flags From Graves

2011-10-17T13:34:00.001-05:00

By OneWayRawk
He's a devoted Southron with many great videos on the Southern movement:

See them HERE

Past 12 years of Southern Heritage News Views Archives

2011-10-15T17:23:00.002-05:00

SHNV ARCHIVES
YahooGroups
8-12-1999 thru 1-14-2001

Topica3-27-2001 thru today

SOUTHERN HERITAGE NEWS VIEWS is dedicated to the preservation of Southern Heritage and to defend the honour of our Confederate ancestors.

It is FREE and sent to you via E-mail.To subscribe send blank e-mail HERE

STAY ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF THE HERITAGE BATTLE WITH OUR NEWS,
OPINIONS AND UPDATES

141st Anniversary of Robert E. Lee’s death

2011-10-11T18:49:00.001-05:00

By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., Speaker, Writer, Author of Book ‘When America Stood for God, Family and Country” looking to re-publish and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net

Do Americans know more about Fidel Castro and Che Guevara then they do about George Washington and Robert E. Lee? I have been told that some college students wear Che Guevara and Mao Tse Tung tee shirts but are not allowed to wear American History shirts depicting Robert E. Lee, George Washington, the United States flag or Confederate Battle flag.

Are young folks still taught about America’s past?

Every year, the Lee Chapel, at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, presents a lecture and special events commemorating the Washington College presidency of Robert E. Lee on the anniversary of his death. The 2011 program, featuring Dr. James I. Robertson, Jr., is scheduled for Monday, October 10. Dr. Robertson will give his address entitled “Lee and the Mobilization of Virginia Forces 1861” and is free and open to the public, in the Chapel Auditorium at 12:15pm. Robertson is a War Between the States Historian, Scholar and Author. See more information at.

http://chapelapps.wlu.edu/tertiary.asp?ID=40&Parent=43&NavOrder=1

The headline from a Richmond newspaper read, quote

"News of the death of Robert E. Lee, beloved chieftain of the Southern army, whose strategy mainly was responsible for the surprising fight staged by the Confederacy, brought a two-day halt to Richmond's business activities." unquote

General Lee died at his home at Lexington, Virginia at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, October 12, 1870. His last great deed came after the War Between the States when he accepted the presidency of Washington College, now Washington and Lee University. He saved the financially troubled college and helped many young folks further their education.

Some write that Robert E. Lee suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on September 28, 1870, but was thought to greatly improve until October 12th, when he took a turn for the worse. His condition seemed more hopeless when his doctor told him, "General you must make haste and get well---Traveller---has been standing too long in his stable and needs exercise."

Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Cadet William Nalle said in a letter home to his mother, dated October 16, 1870, quote "I suppose of course that you have all read full accounts of Gen Lee's death in the papers. He died on the morning of the 12th at about half past nine. All business was suspended at once all over the country and town, and all duties, military and academic suspended at the Institute, and all the black crape and all similar black material in Lexington, was used up at once, and they had to send on to Lynchburg for more. Every cadet had black crape issued to him, and an order was published at once requiring us to wear it as a badge of mourning for six months." unquote

Read entire letter on Virginia Military Institute website at: www.vmi.edu/archives.aspx?id=5517

The rains and flooding were the worst in Virginia's history on the day General Lee died. On Wednesday, October 12, 1870, in the presence of his family, Lee quietly passed away.

The church bells rang as the sad news passed through Washington College, Virginia Military Institute, the town of Lexington and the nation. Cadets from VMI College carried the remains of the old soldier to Lee Chapel where he laid in state.

Memorial meetings were held throughout the South and as far North as New York. At Washington College in Lexington eulogies were delivered by: Reverend Pemberton, Reverend W.S. White--Stonewall Jackson's Pastor and Reverend J. William Jones. Former Confederate President Jefferson Davis brought the eulogy in Richmond, Virginia. Lee was also eulogized in Great Britain.

Many thousands witnessed Lee's funeral procession marching through the town of Lexington, Virginia, with muffled drums and the artillery firing as the hearse was driven to the school's chapel where he was laid to rest.

Booker T. Washington, America’s great Black-American Educator wrote in 1910, quote “The first white people in America, certainly the first in the South to exhibit their interest in the reaching of the Negro and saving his soul through the medium of the Sunday-school were Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.” Unquote

The Georgia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans joins the nation in commemorating the 150th anniversary of the War Between the States. See more information at: www.150wbts.org

FSU didn't take kindly to my stickers

2011-10-11T12:59:00.003-05:00

Click images to enlarge:

From: Richard Estes
Date: Fri, Oct 7, 2011 at 12:24 PM
Subject: Hello sir
To: hk.edgerton@gmail.com

Hello there Mr. Edgerton, I hope this letter finds you doing well. My name is Richard O'cell Estes and I wanna say I appreciate everything you do for the cause. You're a good man for it and I wish I did more myself. I wonder if I might have a moment of your time. I write to you sir because I'd read something you'd written about folks who have undergone hardships for their beliefs. Now, I haven't suffered like those you've written about, not even close. But I have been harassed and even come to financial ruin for my beliefs. I've had people try to fire me from some jobs, and in the case of this last job, I was fired. Why? Because my car is a mobile Southern defense billboard. I will enclose relevant pictures. I was most recently a contractor for a company that works at Florida State University dealing with cleaning their air conditioner coils. The president of the company is a yankee from Indiana and I believe his vice president is cut from the same cloth. They did not like my often expressed opinions. Apparently the good students at FSU didn't take kindly to my stickers either. As one day the foreman (a man I greatly respect) said word had come down that I have to back my car in if I was to continue to park on campus. Well at first I did not. But then I thought myself clever (doesn't mean that I am) and decided to back it in horizontally. Thereby satisfying their cowardly carpetbagging request, as well as soothing my honour, since my stickers were still rather visible. Even still I feel like a coward for my actions. I feel I let my ancestors down. They died for their beliefs and I can't even park a car? I was so enraged that day that everyone else in the four man crew was trying to calm me down, plus the foreman. They're all good men. I believe it was the 22nd of September when I was fired with a vague "it's not working out." I come to find out from the foreman afterward that it was because of my displays of pride and that they thought I made the company look bad. If you knew the man that ran this company, you'd be struck by the hilarity of that statement. As I do not believe him to be a good man and none of his employees do either. I found out he actually went to church and said something my momma would've, "surprised his skin wasn't burnin'". Well sir I've talked your ear off long enough. Just wanted to let you know it's happening all around. Can't wait to get out of Florida and go somewhere I'm appreciated. Maybe the two places I grew up, GA or SC. Thank you for your time and I hope you have a good one.

Confederately,
Richard O'cell Estes

Flags removed from cemetery

2011-10-10T20:06:00.004-05:00

Group that visited the Yellow Dirt Baptist Church cemetery on Saturday, October 8, 2011 to place roses and replace small Confederate flags that had been removed by unknown person(s). This cemetery is surrounded by the grounds of Plant Wansley near Whitesburg. In the first row are James and Pam Tolbert. From left to right in the second row are Larry Lyle, Eric Tolbert, Billy Bearden, and Ernie Blevins.

UP-DATE!!!

Flags removed from cemetery
Group that visited the Yellow Dirt Baptist Church cemetery on Saturday, October 8, 2011 to place roses and replace small Confederate flags that had been removed by unknown person(s). This cemetery is surrounded by the grounds of Plant Wansley near Whitesburg. In the first row are James and Pam Tolbert. From left to right in the second row are Larry Lyle, Eric Tolbert, Billy Bearden, and Ernie Blevins.

Georgia Power steals replaced Confederate Flags!!!!!!!!!!!

SINCE this article has been written, Georgia Power thought it funny to STEAL these new flags as well, between Wednesday and Thursday this past week.

Georgia Power Plant Wansley is GUILTY OF CRIMINAL TRESPASSING, THEFT OF PRIVATE PROPERTY, VANDALISM, GRAVE DESECRATION, and most importantly of all - SPITTING ON THE GRAVES OF AND DISHONORING AMERICAN VETERANS.

SHAME on them!
With the moving Viet Nam Wall coming to Coweta County to HONOR our Veterans, Georgia Power Plant Wansley is urinating on our Veterans.
SHAME!!!

Confederate Veterans ARE United States Veterans under the eyes of US LAW:

U.S. Public Law 85-425: Sec. 410 Approved 23 May 1958

(US Statutes at Large Volume 72, Part 1, Page 133-134)

The Administrator shall pay to each person who served in the military or naval forces of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War a monthly pension in the same amounts and subject to the same conditions as would have been applicable to such person under the laws in effect on December 31, 1957, if his service in such forces had been service in the military or naval forces of the United States

U.S. Code Title 38 – Veterans’ Benefits, Part II – General Benefits, Chapter 15 – Pension for Non-Service-Connected Disability or Death or for Service, Subchapter I – General, § 1501. Definitions: (3) The term “Civil War veteran” includes a person who served in the military or naval forces of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, and the term “active military or naval service” includes active service in those forces

Confederate Flags ARE protected under Georgia Law:

GEORGIA CODE 50-3-1(4) It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, corporation, or other entity acting without authority to mutilate, deface, defile, abuse contemptuously, relocate, remove, conceal, or obscure any privately owned monument, plaque, marker, or memorial which is dedicated to, honors, or recounts the military service of any past or present military personnel of this state, the United States of America or the several states thereof, or the Confederate States of America or the several states thereof. Any person or entity who suffers injury or damages as a result of a violation of this paragraph may bring an action individually or in a representative capacity against the person or persons committing such violations to seek injunctive relief and to recover general and exemplary damages sustained as a result of such person or persons unlawful actions.

50-3-9. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to mutilate, deface, defile, or abuse contemptuously the flag of the United States, the flag, coat of arms, or emblem of the State of Georgia, or the flag or emblem of the Confederate States of America by any act whatever.

50-3-10. Nothing in this article shall be construed to prevent the use of the flag of the United States or any flag, standard, color, shield, ensign, or other insignia of the State of Georgia or of the Confederate States of America for decorative or patriotic purposes, either inside or outside of any residence, store, place of business, public building, or school building.

50-3-11. Any person, firm, or corporation who violates any provision of Code Section 50-3-8 or 50-3-9 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

Confederate Veteran Graves ARE protected under Georgia Law:

GEORGIA CODE O.C.G.A. 16-7-26 (2010)
16-7-26. Vandalism to a place of worship

(a) A person commits the offense of vandalism to a place of worship when he maliciously defaces or desecrates a church, synagogue, or other place of public religious worship.

(b) A person convicted of the offense of vandalism to a place of worship shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than five years.

O.C.G.A. 16-8-2 (2010)
16-8-2. Theft by taking

A person commits the offense of theft by taking when he unlawfully takes or, being in lawful possession thereof, unlawfully appropriates any property of another with the intention of depriving him of the property, regardless of the manner in which the property is taken or appropriated.

O.C.G.A. 16-7-21 (2010)
16-7-21. Criminal trespass

(3) (e) A person commits the offense of criminal trespass when he or she intentionally defaces, mutilates, or defiles any grave marker, monument, or memorial to one or more deceased persons who served in the military service of this state, the United States of America or any of the states thereof, or the Confederate States of America or any of the states thereof, or a monument, plaque, marker, or memorial which is dedicated to, honors, or recounts the military service of any past or present military personnel of this state, the United States of America or any of the states thereof, or the Confederate States of America or any of the states thereof if such grave marker, monument, memorial, plaque, or marker is privately owned or located on land which is privately owned.

I call upon Heard County Sheriff to become involved, to investigate these crimes, to charge the guilty, and to prosectue them as the HATE CRIMES they are.

I call upon Georgia Power to WRITE UP then FIRE everyone involved in the GRAVE ROBBING SCHEME, to make known publically all names of this illicit cadre of thieves and anti-American Veterans, to pay restitution to the Webbs for the STOLEN FLAGS, and to set up a webcam so that anyone can click on and monitor the gravesite, as Georgia Power Plant Wansley security CANNOT BE TRUSTED.

SHAME ON GEORGIA POWER!!!

Thanks and God Bless
Billy Bearden

Contact Georgia Power
HERE

Virginia Belle needs HELP!

2011-10-10T16:00:00.001-05:00

We have a young lady who has taken up some serious Flagging.

Here name is Susan Frise Hathaway, and has been making some noise in Richmond and Lexington Virginia.

Right now we need to get some real men and other ladies out there with her and support her with actual deeds, not just kind words on a facebook page.

Her page
HERE

Contact this courageous VA Belle HERE and join the fight!

So far the men seem to be fine allowing her to go it alone in downtown Richmond.

Can y'all help and join this Lady Flagger of Old Virginia?????

Thanks and God Bless,

Billy

IN HER WORDS

For me, it all started with the Save Our Flags Rally in Lexington. Billy was instrumental in helping me get started with an online petition and we worked to spread the word online, mostly through FaceBook. Estimated 300+ attended. Billy and CC Lesters got there early and flagged locations through the town, and stopped in Reidsville to flag the spot where the Confederate Statue was removed on their way home. I came after work and attended the rally…

…and spoke at the Council meeting.

Madame Mayor, Council Members, Lexington residents, and guests. I wish to begin by thanking you for the opportunity to address you all on the subject of the proposed ordinance that would ban the flying of Confederate flags from city light poles in celebration of Lee-Jackson day in Lexington.

My name is Susan Hathaway. I am not a Lexington resident. I drove from Richmond after work today to humbly represent those of us who, although we do not call Lexington home, consider it “our” town, as well. My father brought me here as a child, to pay honor to the memory of two of the greatest Virginians that ever lived. We visited their graves, and he taught my brother, my sister, and I, the importance of honoring our history and remembering the brave men who answered the call of duty in defense of Virginia. Years later, I brought my own children here, as well, aspiring to teach them the same valuable lessons.

I understand that the proposed ordinance is a result of the complaints of approx. 300 people who claimed they were offended by the flags that flew during the week leading up to Lee-Jackson Day this past January. With your permission, I would like to present a petition opposing this ordinance, signed by over 1600 individuals…FIVE times as many as the original petition that led to this ordinance…people like me…potential tourists, eager to visit the final resting place of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. My daughter and I attended the Lee-Jackson Day services in January. We stayed at the Lexington Inn, spent time and money in your shops and enjoyed dining in several local restaurants. By my receipts, we spent over $500, money that went directly into the pockets of Lexington merchants.

I know others have made, and will make the arguments about how ridiculous it is to let the rants of a few misinformed, prejudiced people make policy for a town that owes its very existence to these two men, so I will just say this… Those of us who, without malice toward any race, creed, or nationality, choose to honor our Confederate Ancestors and the sacrifice they made, are no longer willing to sit by quietly and allow their honor and memory to be denigrated!

If this ordinance is passed, I will use my sphere of influence and personally spearhead a boycott of Lexington. We will still gather to honor and celebrate these great men, but I will do everything in my power to make sure that everyone from New York to Florida with any interest in the War Between the States is made aware that the town that once accepted the sacred duty as the honored caretakers of our the final resting places of Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee, now despises the association and does not welcome us or our “tainted” money.

I lost my father a few months ago, after an extended illness. He was an amazing example to me of a Christian gentleman in every aspect of his life, and one of the most important things he taught me was to ALWAYS stand firm for what I know is right. It is in his memory, and the memory of so many others who have gone before him, that I stand before you today and respectfully request that if you came to this meeting determined to cast a vote in favor of this ordinance, that you reconsider, ignore the political pressures that you may be facing, and do the RIGHT thing…speak for those who no longer have a voice, and stand for those long buried, who…at least as long as I have breath,…will NOT be forgotten!

Both experiences were life changing for me…

Top 10 things I learned in Lexington last night…

10) Michael Lucas is a tall drink of water, Kelly Hinson is even prettier in person, Jamie Funkhouser and C.C. Lesters are two of the nicest young men I have met, Billy Bearden is not nearly as vociferous as he claims to be, and if your FB profile pic is over 10 years old, you might want to update it, so we will recognize you!

9) If you are going to be out in public with one of our flags, make it an historical one and educate yourself on what you are carrying and why so when people ask you are ready to answer…politely and accurately.

8) If I’m going to take up this flagging thing, I need to find an outfit with shoulder pads! Battle scars after only a few hours of toting a flag…SHEEEESH!

7) The men of the Lexington Police and Fire are some of the nicest folks I have ever met.

6) The meaning of the word Hegemony: : the social, cultural, ideological, or economic influence exerted by a dominant group…(see Timothy Manning, I did go look it up.)

5) The people of Lexington need a WHOLE LOT of education about the flags of the Confederacy and what they represent.

4) Those who are supposedly on the same side of an issue should get together and make sure their talking points are at least similar. The City attorney spent an awful lot of time explaining how the ordinance was specifically designed to eliminate the possibility of the SCV flying their flags from city light poles, in spite of the fact that the Mayor and City Manager had been telling the press for weeks that the ordinance was NOT specifically designed to ban the Confederate flag from city light poles.

3) NEVER trust a Lexingtonian who starts off their speech by “claiming” their Confederate ancestors…because… mark my words… there is a “BUT” or “HOWEVER” coming pretty soon thereafter…

2) If you are going to be herded into an overcrowded building and have to stand for several hours, packed together like sardines and sweating like a sinner on judgment day, there are no better people to be surrounded by than the ones I was with in Lexington last night.

...and the number one thing I learned...

1) Regardless of how much the deck is stacked against you, how much the outcome is predetermined, or how inconvenient it may seem at the time, it is ALWAYS the right thing to stand up and speak out for what is right.

When I got home, Billy and I continued to talk, e-mail, plan (well, mostly just me bugging the heck out of him with a million questions), and organize, starting with some of those who had attended the rally. Within the week, we had organized a group, Virginia Flaggers, and Brandon Dorsey of the Stonewall Brigade began a weekly flagging of Lexington, each Thursday at Noon.

Last week was the fourth consecutive week and it looks like his numbers are growing each week.

Last Saturday, (October 1st) I finally had everything I needed together and did my first flagging here in Richmond, at the Pelham Chapel/Confederate War Memorial, against the VMFA’s removal of the battle flags off of the portico.

Twenty years after Gen. Robert E. Lee rode into Appomattox and surrendered his tattered army, ending the War Between the States, a memorial chapel was built in Richmond in memory of the 260,000 Confederate soldiers who died during the conflict.. The Pelham Chapel – Confederate War Memorial is designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S., and has been granted the status of Confederate Monument by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The organ in the chapel was donated by a group of Union veterans from Lynn, Mass. One of the contributors to the soldiers' home that surrounded the chapel was Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. And a Union private from Massachusetts donated his annual pension to support the home.

A pair of Confederate flags had flown over the Confederate Memorial Chapel in Richmond since 1887. Those two flags did not trouble the Union soldiers who donated the organ to the chapel; nor did they trouble Ulysses S. Grant. They were placed there by Confederate Veterans, to memorialize the Confederate dead, and honor the living.

Fast forward 150 years…on the eve of the Sesquicentennial Commemoration of the War Between the States, June 1st, 2010, these two Confederate Battle Flags were forcibly removed from the Memorial by a restriction in the lease renewal, at the insistence of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

This is in direct violation of Virginia law, which clearly states: “it shall be unlawful for the authorities of the locality, or any other person or persons, to disturb or interfere with any monuments or memorials so erected, or to prevent its citizens from taking proper measures and exercising proper means for the protection, preservation and care of same. For purposes of this section, "disturb or interfere with" includes removal of, damaging or defacing monuments or memorials, or, in the case of the War Between the States, the placement of Union markings or monuments on previously designated Confederate memorials or the placement of Confederate markings or monuments on previously designated Union memorials.” (§ 15.2-1812)
As citizens of Virginia and descendants of Confederate soldiers who gallantly answered Virginia’s call to defend her, we demand that the VMFA remove these blatantly prejudicial restrictions and allow the Confederate Battle Flags to once again fly on the Confederate War Memorial.

The following Monday (October 3rd) , the group got word that Steven Spielberg was coming to the Executive Mansion and a who’s who of Virginia’s finest was coming to celebrate the Richmond location for the upcoming “Lincoln” movie. We scrambled and had a contingency at the event. Two flagged the perimeter…

And two of us greeted guests as they arrived…

(That's former Governor Wilder in the Benz)

Saturday, (October 8th) I went back to the Chapel.

BEAUTIFUL day in the Capital of the Confederacy, as you can see in this pic from earlier this afternoon. It was the only photo I got with my blackberry today, as I was flying solo with no one to take photos. Had many gre...at conversations. Most were receptive to hear what I had to say and many agreed with the point of the protest.

There were a few obscenities screamed... out of car windows or from bike riders (I am learning that the favorite word of the uneducated starts with an F and rhymes with truck), but they were the exception to the rule. Most were friendly waves, honks, or shouts of support.

I gave out about two dozen flyers and spoke with about 25 people total. Best conversation was with a black man who asked to take my picture. We ended up talking in depth about use of flag during civil rights, days, etc… He was pretty defensive to start, but by the end of the convo, took my email and said he would send me pic. The worst was a couple who tried to hurry past. Not going to happen on my watch…I smile and say “good afternoon”. She turns on her heels (never stops walking) and starts shouting “Why are you doing this? You are a creepy (female dog)! The war is over you loser” “I’d love to discuss it with you” I say when she takes a breath. “In your dreams (female dog)” she shouts, jumps in car, slams door and pulls out like bat outta hell. As they pull away, I check the tags on the BMW and it all makes sense…NEW YORK!

Other highlights are the kids…when they walk up and ask about the flag, I don’t go into all the details, just tell them “because my Great-Great Grandaddy was a soldier and fought for this flag and for Virginia and I am very proud of him”. “Cool!” they usually shout (or something like that) and run off.

For the last several days, Mr. Beters has been pestering me for an explanation of why I am a flagger. Walking and talking today, I realized that although I could write a three page essay on the subject, I can sum it up best this way…

As the direct descendant of 4 Confederate Soldiers, I feel it is my duty to speak for those who do not have a voice, my honor to stand up for those long buried who cannot defend themselves, and I truly believe that God has placed me in this moment and given me the knowledge, gifts, talents and courage that allow a chance to make a difference…for such a time as this.

That’s where you find us. Thanks to Billy's encouragement, mentorship and inspiration, we currently have 15 people in the “group.” …and I am confident that as word spreads, more people will join.

A Hispanic Month Tribute to Moses Ezekiel

2011-10-05T13:44:00.000-05:00

By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., Speaker, Writer, Author of book “When America Stood for God, Family and Country” looking to re-publish and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net

September 15th -October 15th is Hispanic History Month and the Educational Committee of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, a national-historical and educational organization, has included an informative Hispanic History Month fact sheet about those who served in the Confederate and Union Armies at: http://www.scv.org/documents/edpapers/hispanichistory.pdf

"The death of Moses Ezekiel, the distinguished and greatly loved American sculptor, who lived in Rome for more than forty years, caused universal regret here"
----1921, The New York Times Dispatch from Rome.

Do your children know who Sir Moses J. Ezekiel was?

Arlington National Cemetery is located in the shadow of the Custis- Lee Mansion (Arlington House) that was home to General Robert E. Lee and his family until 1861, and the beginning of the War Between the States. This cemetery was first used in 1864, for the burial of Union soldiers.

Tours, through this famous burial place of President Kennedy, General Wainwright and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, are conducted daily. I have been told that another part of this cemetery (section 16) may sometimes be overlooked. It is, however, an important part of our nation's history and should be a part of your guided tour through Arlington.

On June 4, 1914, the President of the U.S., Woodrow Wilson spoke at the dedication of a new Confederate memorial at section 16. The monument, to those Confederate soldiers who were re-interred there in 1900, has been called by some people as both striking and unique. This monument was trusted into safe keeping to the U.S. War Department by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1914. It was a tradition of American presidents to place a wreathe and some even spoke there on Memorial Day. What has happened to this wonderful tradition?

Dr. Edward Smith, a Professor of History at American University, has described this monument as probably the first to honor the Black Confederate soldiers. This monument includes a depiction of a Black Confederate marching in step with the white soldiers.

The United Daughters of the Confederacy commissioned a Jewish- Confederate Veteran, Sir Moses J. Ezekiel, to do the work on this monument. Some people say that he might have been the first Jewish- American to do this type of sculpture. It is written that the UDC was pleased with his work which depicts the multi-cultural makeup of the late Confederate States of America.

Moses J. Ezekiel was born on October 28, 1844, in Richmond, Va. He was one of fourteen children born to Jacob and Catherine de Castro Ezekiel. He was born in a house on "Old Market Street" that is said to have been in the poorer side of town. His grandparents came to America from Holland in 1808, and were of Jewish-Spanish Heritage.

Ezekiel talked his parents into letting him attend Virginia Military Institute and he did enroll on September 17, 1862. Some people say, he was the first Jewish-American to enter there at this the school of General Stonewall Jackson.

After three years at VMI, Ezekiel saw military service during the War Between the States. The Cadets, of Virginia Military Institute, were called to support Confederate General John C. Breckenridge at the Battle of New Market, Virginia. Ezekiel joined his fellow cadets in the charge upon the Union lines.

Ezekiel would travel to Italy to study and work as an artist and would become known worldwide. He was honored by King Emmanuel who knighted him and gave him the distinction of "Sir Moses Jacob Ezekiel."

It was Ezekiel's wish to return to his native Virginia but World War I kept him for doing so. He spent his final days in Italy where he died in 1917. His remains were not brought back to the states until 1921.

Among his many great works are: "Christ Bound for the Cross", "The Martyr", and "David Singing his Song of Glory."

His funeral service was held at the amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery. Cadets, of the Virginia Military Institute, stood by his casket that was draped with a flag of the United States. Ezekiel was buried at the base of the Confederate monument. Also buried around the monument are 450 Confederate soldiers, wives and civilians.

Genealogy: Having Blood In the Game

2011-09-17T14:05:00.000-05:00

This isn’t your father’s genealogy: The Internet and information technology make genealogy accessible and feasible for a much wider audienceBy Steve Scroggins … featuring Hu DaughtryVeterans TodayREAD IT HERE

HERITAGE NOT HATE: CONTROLLING OUR AGENDA

2011-09-14T22:45:00.001-05:00

Dear SHNV Friends,

Controlling our own agenda is a learned skill that the enemies of freedom will not respectfully recognize or honour. We must learn to be on the offense and not expect the enemies of freedom to like it. Being on the offense often means growing a thicker skin and being purposely offensive when necessary. Trying to always be "nice" is rarely conducive to initiating meaningful reform and political change. Inviting the devil to dinner will get us nowhere.

We should 1) identify "self-aware" Southerner's, 2) make available attractive substantive reading, 3) followed by thoughtful dialogue, and 4) develop an "action plan" that is educational in nature and local in influence. The restoration of freedom begins by building a local and regional consensus. We cannot expect to put a true constitutionalist in the office of POTUS (President of the United States) while our cities and school boards are in the hands of Marxists.

"Heritage Not Hate" is weakly self-defensive and I have stopped using the expression. I do hate tyranny, forced union (is not real union), pragmatism, fascism, socialism, egalitarianism, etc. The phrase permits others to keep us on the defensive. To them the phrase means nothing. When they call us a "racist", we should respond, "And just what is your point?" The accusation is an insult made by people with whom we should not waste our breath.

The phrase “Heritage Not Hate” is unproductive in accomplishing our goal though it represents how we feel about our own Southernness. Using the phrase with others does not necessarily mean you are a coward. Most people just have not taken much time to think about it and it does readily sell as a bumper sticker slogan.

Most proto-Southerners (novices in becoming a “self-conscious” Southerner) like the term upon first hearing it used. That is normal and an attempt to deny being called a “sociopath”, but that means nothing to the manipulative egalitarian and contributes nothing to a conversation about freedom and constitutional government.

Calling someone a “racist” is like calling them a "meany." It demonstrates what someone wants to think of us for their own reasons. It is anti-intellectual, demonstrates a deep seated hatred of the targeted person and avoids the topic of conversation. "Diversion" is a popular propaganda technique because it works so often. Beating up (invalidating) on a designated and useful enemy redirects people's attention from the issues that really matter.

Anyone to whom you feel compelled to say “No, it represents my heritage and is not a symbol of hate” does not deserve your thoughtful responses and will not understand them when you present them. They have an agenda that does not take much intellect to follow and it is apparently popular with those of limited intelligence even though being popular is NOT a measure of truth or of that which is right.

--
Timothy D. Manning, M.Div
Executive Director
www.TheSouthernPartisan.com
160 Longbridge Drive
Kernersville, North Carolina 27284
Phone: (336) 420-5355
Email: tim@thesouthernpartisan.com

Civil War Tour at Osceola Missouri

2011-08-31T23:35:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, 22 October 2011 the Colonel John T. Coffee Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, will host a Civil War Tour at Osceola, Missouri. One of a number of educational events sponsored by the John T Coffee Camp this tour will include two sessions and a complimentary “Southern Fish Fry” for those who participate. The tour is open to the public.

The first tour will begin at 8:30 AM and the second tour will depart at 12:30 PM. The fish fry will happen between the two tours and will be hosted by the women and friends of the Coffee Camp.

The guided tour will include sites on private property not generally open to the public. The areas to be visited are gun emplacements and forts cut into the rock ledges to repulse an expected attack by Union troops from Kansas. Visitors will see campgrounds and coffer dams built by troops under Confederate General Sterling Price on the Osage River, the “Missouri Brigade Monument” erected to commemorate Missouri’s brave Confederate soldiers, the “Osceola Confederate Monument” remembering the burning of Osceola and honoring the 12 men murdered by Gen. James Lane during the raid. .

Tour will also consist of visits to sites important to the story of Jesse James and the Younger Brothers who were all Confederate veterans. Participants will get to see “Younger’s Lookout” and the scene of the “Roscoe Gunfight” which was part of the ongoing war of suppression that came after the War Between the States. Many other places will be visited.

The Civil War Tour will have some short walking for those who wish to see the entire event and will require reservations no later than 15 October 2011. There is a suggested $15.00 per person donation which includes the complimentary Fish Fry. Send your reservations to, Richard Sunderwirth, PO Box 543, Osceola, MO 64776: Call him at: 417-646-5538, or rfsunder@yahoo.com

Colonel John T Coffee Camp website: www.coffeecamp.net

Cumming pictures / An Open Letter HK

2011-08-26T20:16:00.003-05:00

Dear Lt. Commander Johnny & King Doug,
It was truly an honor and privilege for me to speak to the Col. Hiram Parks Bell Camp #1642, and the members of the public on Monday evening, August 22, 2011 at the beautiful Bell Research Center in Cumming, Ga.. I love the pictures that King Doug sent of himself and the babies. It seems that I'm always having a good time when I'm around him.

However, I want to highlight the smiles on the faces of these babies and myself as I stand amongst them donned in the uniform of the Southern soldier, recapturing a moment in time which is clearly indicative of the kind of love that existed between White folks and Black folks in the Southland of America.

It is a moment that I relive almost daily as this nation prepares to relive a moment on the Capitol Mall when a man proclaimed that he had a dream that one day the sons and daughters of slaves and the sons and daughters of former slave owners would sit down at the Table of Brotherhood. It is a table where the conversation almost inevitably leads to the place of honor and dignity earned beside a man that the African people freed or indentured not only called Master, but also Family and Friend. And never a fearful or evil sigh is leveled at the Christian symbol of our soldiers that depicts those of us present as being Southern . God bless you Sir!
Your brother,
HK

HK, it was a pleasure seeing and being with you at the Cumming, GA, SCV meeting last night.

Here are a couple of pictures

Doug Allen, Roswell, GA

Donate to H.K.

Football, Cheerleaders and the Band Played Dixie

2011-08-26T18:12:00.000-05:00

By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., Speaker, Writer, Author of book “When America stood for God, Family and Country” looking for a publisher and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net

Do you remember the crisp-cool autumn days of high school and college football when….

The Ole Miss Cheerleaders and school Mascot Colonel Reb lifted the spirit of fans who waved Confederate flags and cheered to the band playing Dixie? Today, however, Colonel Reb has been replaced and flag waving discouraged. Some call for sensitivity and understanding toward some people but apparently this respect does not apply toward Southern-American’s who love God and are proud of the old traditions of their native South land of which many books and movies are written about.

And, do you remember the aroma of hot dogs and fries and fairs during those lazy fall days when….

School bands from North and South of the Mason-Dixon Line played Dixie during school sports games? Do you know the history of the Dixie that is a joyful sound of inspiration and pride for many people?

In 1859, Ohio Native Dan Emmett first performed “Dixie” in New York City to an enthusiastic-cheerful crowd.

Two years later, on February 18, 1861, the band played Dixie at the Inauguration of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Montgomery, Alabama.

And on April 14, 1865, after General Robert E. Lee’s surrender, President Abraham Lincoln said: “Now Let the Band Play Dixie; it belongs neither to the South, nor to the North but to us all.”-—New York Times Sunday Magazine, August 11, 1907.

For 150 years American school bands have played Dixie including the Milton High school “Dixie Eagles” Band who performed Dixie at the invitation and inauguration of the late Lester G. Maddox as Governor of Georgia in January 1967.

Dixie was played in 1976, during America’s Bi-Centennial birthday, at the Old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia and the late Johnny Cash sang Dixie at the Ford Theater in Washington , D.C. to then President Jimmy Carter and members of the United States Congress.

Dixie has been performed by many great musicians including; Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Lawrence Welk, Louis Armstrong, Dinah Shore, John Phillip Sousa, Osmond Brothers, Boxcar Willie, Jane Froman, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Mitch Miller, Johnny Hartman, Patsy, The Rebelaires and in 1943 the late great Bing Crosby portrayed Dan Emmett in the wonderful Paramount movie “Dixie.”

Roz Bowie, a proud Black Southern Lady, sang Dixie in 1986 at the reburial of a Confederate Soldier in Columbia, South Carolina.

So, what happened to the song Dixie that has lifted the souls of students, teachers, parents and fans? Many of our institutions of learning have stopped playing Dixie even though the song is universally loved.

What happened to “Dixie" that was the official band music of the Confederate and Union Armies? What happened to this song that Northern and Southern children sang from their schools standard song book?

Today, men and women serve overseas to free the people of Iraq and Afghanistan....But school bands are no longer allowed to play “Dixie" and "Under God" is under attack in the pledge of allegiance.

In a cemetery in Mount Vernon Ohio lies Dan Emmett, the Composer of Dixie, whose headstone reads: "Daniel Decatur Emmett 1815 - 1904 whose song ' Dixie Land' inspired the courage and devotion of the Southern people and now thrills the hearts of a reunited nation."

Three miles North of Emmett’s grave are the graves of Ben and Lew Snowden of a Black musical family. On their tombstone are the words “They taught “Dixie” to Dan Emmett.

Dixie is a song for all people of all races and backgrounds. Let the band play Dixie!

Re-enactment of Flag Presentation Ceremony

2011-08-22T11:53:00.003-05:00

Click Image to Enlarge

Re-enactment of Flag Presentation Ceremony

This announcement provided free by SHNV

Florida Veterans Hall of Fame

2011-08-19T23:51:00.001-05:00

By Bob Hurst

It seems that the well-intentioned plan of the Florida Legislature to create a Veterans Hall of Fame has become embroiled in controversy. The controversy has centered around two primary areas - the inclusion of the sitting governor as a nominee for induction into the Hall and the inclusion of six former Confederates, all of whom also served as governor of the state, among the list of possible inductees. There has also been some complaining that the list of the first twenty-one nominees is not diverse enough but that type complaint has almost become a given in this day and age.

The first controversy has been settled as Governor Scott has asked that his name be withdrawn from consideration. This is good since it is bad form for the sitting governor, or any official currently holding a high state office, to be considered for this recognition. The second primary controversy, which involves detractors claiming that no Confederate should be considered among the possible honorees, makes no sense. Yes, I know there are people so afflicted with Confederataphobia that even the mere mention of the "C" word sends them into a debilitating state of apoplexy. These individuals also seem to have the irritating belief that their feelings should always trump those of everyone else.. They also tend to be historically ignorant. Let me explain.

Public Law 85-425, enacted in 1958 during the administration of President Dwight Eisenhower, recognizes Confederate veterans as American veterans and grants to all Confederate vets the same rights and privileges as any other American vet. This includes providing headstones and footstones for the graves of Confederate veterans at no cost just as with all American veterans. This completely negates the claims by the haters that Confederates were "traitors".

During the Spanish-American War, some thirty years after the War Between the States ended, four former Confederate generals (Fitzhugh Lee, Joe Wheeler, Tom Rosser and Matt Butler) and one Confederate colonel (William Oates) served as generals in the U.S. Army. It is highly unlikely that the U.S. government would have approved the promotion to the rank of general officer of any individual even suepected of being a "traitor".

It is also unlikely that the U.S. government or military would approve the naming of major U.S. military installations for "traitors". Interestingly, the largest military post in this country, Fort Hood, is named for a Confederate general - John Bell Hood. Likewise, Fort Benning is named for Confederate general Henry Benning. Fort Bragg is named for Confederate general Braxton Bragg. Fort Polk is named for Confederate general Leonidas Polk. Fort Gordon is named for Confederate general John B. Gordon and the list goes on including Fort Campbell, Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Rucker and others. By the way, there is no Fort Benedict Arnold anywhere in the country.

Undoubtedly, then, Confederates should be eligible for nomination and induction into the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame. The guidelines for nomination include performing admirably during military service or making significant contributions outside the military. Let's then consider the six Confederates included among the first twenty-one nominees for the Hall.

Madison Starke Perry was the 4th governor of Florida serving from October 5, 1857 to October 6, 1861. Starke Perry's term in office was marked by much development of railroads in Florida thus opening many parts of the state for development. It was Governor Perry who called for a state convention to consider the question of secession and it was during his administration that Florida became the third state to secede. When his term as governor ended in October 1861, Starke Perry became colonel of the 7th Florida Infantry Regiment and served the Confederate army in that capacity until failing health forced him to resign at the end of April 1863. He died in 1865 before the war ended. The city of Starke, Florida is named in his honor.

Abraham Allison was serving as president of the Florida Senate when Governor John Milton committed suicide in April 1865. He became acting governor from April 1, 1865until May 18, 1865. His greatest contribution, to me, was his military service at the Battle of Natural Bridge. That Confederate victory, of course, prevented the blue coats from taking the capital and allowed Tallahassee to remain the only Confederate capital east of the Mississippi not to fall to the yankee horde.

William Bloxham was the first native-born Floridian to serve as governor of the state. He served two non-consecutive terms as governor. His first term was from 1881 to 1885 and his second term was from 1897 to 1901. He was, thus, Florida's 13th and 17th governor. Prior to being elected governor he had served as secretary of state. During the war, Bloxham organized and commanded an infantry company. He was born on his family plantation in Leon County and is buried in Old St. John's Cemetery in Tallahassee.

Edward Aylesworth Perry was the 14th governor of Florida with his term running from January 7, 1885 through January 8, 1889. Perry entered the Confederate Army as a private and ended the war as a brigadier general. He was a general of distinction and was thought of highly by Robert E. Lee. He was the type general who led from the front and was wounded several times in combat, severely at the Wilderness. He was also stricken with typhoid fever during the war and was unable to lead the Florida Brigade at Gettysburg. During his administration as governor, Florida adopted a new state constitution and established the state board of education. The city of Perry, Florida is named in his honor.

Francis Fleming was the 15th governor of the state with his term running from January 8, 1889 through January 3, 1893. He served the Confederacy as a captain in the Confederate Army and commanded a volunteer company at Natural Bridge. During his term as governor he formed the state board of health. He was also responsible for the creation of the current state flag. The old flag had been a solid white field with a state seal in the center. Governor Fleming had red saltires added to the flag thus giving it its present (and far more becoming) appearance. After his term as governor, he was offerred a seat on the Florida Supreme Court but turned it down to return to private practice of law in Duval County.

Henry Laurens Mitchell served as the 16th governor of the state with his term running from January 3, 1893 to January 5, 1897. He was serving as the attorney general of the state when the war began and resigned his position to enlist in the Confederate Army. In July 1863 he left the army to take a seat in the Florida House of Representatives to which he had been elected. He was appointed to the state supreme court in 1888 and served until 1891. He left the court to run for governor and was subsequently elected. His home for most of his life in Florida (he was born in Alabama) was in Tampa and he is buried at Oaklawn Cemetery there.

This is certainly an impressive list of outstanding Floridians to be considered for induction into the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame but there are two glaring omissions from this list - Edmund Kirby Smith and David Lang.

Florida's greatest Confederate hero was General Edmund Kirby Smith. Kirby Smith was one of only two native-born Floridians to attain the rank of general officer in the Confederate Army. In fact, he was one of only eight Confederate generals (out of 425) to reach the rank of full general (4-star equivalent). He commanded one of the three armies of the Confederacy (the Army of Trans-Mississippi) and, as such, was equal in rank to General Robert E. Lee.After the war he returned to the field of education and served as a university president and mathematics professor until his death. His statue is one of two statues of prominent Floridians (along with Dr. John Gorrie) to stand in the United States Capital as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection.

Another omission is Colonel (later General) David Lang. Colonel Lang (C.S.A.) was an outstanding military leader who commanded the Florida Brigade at Gettysburg in the absence of General Edward Aylesworth Perry. His greatest contribution to the state, however, was after the war. David Lang was appointed adjutant general of the Florida Militia by Governor Edward A. Perry and, in this capacity, General Lang oversaw, and was greatly responsible for, the evolvement of the militia into the great organization known today as the Florida National Guard. In fact, David Lang is known as the "Father of the Florida National Guard". General Lang is buried in the Old City Cemetery in Tallahassee. A state historic marker stands alongside his grave.

These two along with General (later Governor) Edward Aylesworth Perry are the three former Confederates who absolutely must, without doubt, be included in the Veterans Hall of Fame. This is not to say that other Confederates should not be inducted but, merely, that these are the best of the field. Certainly the other governors mentioned above deserve serious consideration along with educator, judge and missionary James Hamilton Wentworth.

In closing, let me say that if the always complaining people and the various chattering classes of Confederate-haters are successful in having all Confederates dropped from consideration for the Hall then it is time for the State of Florida to establish a Confederate museum so that the true story can be told.

DEO VINDICE

Note: Previous articles of CONFEDERATE JOURNAL are now available in book form. Volume 1 (2005-2007) can be ordered online at:
http://createspace.com/3540609
and Volume 2 (2008-2009) can be ordered online at:
http://createspace.com/3543269

Bob Hurst is a Southern Patriot who has a deep and abiding interest in the Old South, especially the Confederacy, and the antebellum architecture of the South. He is Commander of Col. David Lang Camp in Tallahassee and 2nd Lieutenant Commander, Florida Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans. Contact information is confederatedad1@yahoo.com and 850-878-7010.

CONFEDERATE BATTLE FLAG MAKING A COMEBACK IN GEORGIA

2011-07-27T20:21:00.001-05:00

(Atlanta - July 27, 2011) After more than two decades of misinformation about the history of the Confederate Battle Flag, and Southern heritage in general, in Georgia politics and the media, there is a large and growing movement of citizens who are harkening back to their roots and arming themselves with the truth. An audio CD entitled "The Truth About the Confederate Battle Flag" put out by the Georgia Sons of Confederate Veterans is raising eyebrows now that it has sold more than 70,000 copies and orders continue to flood into the Georgia SCV headquarters.

The project began several years ago when a local SCV camp in the Atlanta area, the Chattahoochee Guards, made the decision to "go out on a limb" to have 10,000 of the CD's produced. Since that time the number has continued to climb. While orders for the CD have come from all across the country, the vast majority of the CD's have been distributed throughout the state of Georgia. In addition to the 70,000 CD's which have been sold, a free online version of the CD is available for download at the Georgia SCV website where thousands of additional listeners have heard the presentation online.

"The Truth About the Confederate Battle Flag" is a historically accurate and powerful presentation made by Pastor John Weaver of south Georgia who has served in the ministry for more than 40 years and is a past Chaplain-in-Chief for the SCV national organization. Pastor Weaver is a native Georgian who is one of the most requested revival preachers in America. His presentation on the battle flag incorporates historical information about the creation of the flag and also traces the Christian origins of its design, showing why Southerners have no reason to be ashamed of their flag.

As the CD continues to climb upward to the 100,000 copies sold benchmark, public interest is climbing exponentially. Georgia Division Commander Jack Bridwell of the SCV had this to say about the number of requests for the CD: "It has been amazing to see the interest in young and old alike. So many who hear the CD remark that 'I knew there must be another side to the story. Now I feel like I have the facts that have been left out.' The Georgia Sons of Confederate Veterans are honored to be able to help set the record straight after all of the hate-filled misinformation that has been said about the flag of our veterans." The Georgia Division has just received a new pressing of the CD in order to keep up with the continuing demand.

For more information about the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, or to order copies of the CD "The Truth About the Confederate Battle Flag," visit www.GeorgiaSCV.org or email the Chattahoochee Guards directly at either joelkc2442@gmail.com or timfpilgrim@yahoo.com

When Rucker Called the Roll — A Soldier’s Story

2011-07-27T17:18:00.001-05:00

By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., Writer, Speaker, Author of book, looking to republish “When America Stood for God, Family and Country” and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net

The following should be included in American History studies in schools.

Mrs. Daisy Anderson was the last widow of a Black Union soldier whose husband Private Robert Ball Anderson served in the 125th United States Colored Troops. She and Mrs. Alberta Martin, the last widow of a Confederate soldier, met in Gettysburg, Pa. in 1997. Both of these grand ladies have sadly passed over the river to rest in the shade of the trees.

The Confederate flag, which continues to come under attack, was the proud banner of Black, White, Hispanic, Jewish and Native American sons and daughters of Dixie who stood nobly in defense of their homeland and way of life during the War Between the States. Once upon a time neither the Confederate nor the Union Veterans or their blood stained battle flag needed any defense.

The following is one of over 50,000 stories of the Black Confederate Soldier, slave and free, who stood honorably and proudly for Southern Independence, 1861-1865. After the war many of these men attended the reunions of Confederate soldiers including that at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

On August 10, 1905, Amos Rucker, an ex-Confederate soldier and proud member of the United Confederate Veterans, died in Atlanta, Georgia. His friends of the UCV had previously bought a grave site and marker for him and his wife Martha who had a limited income.

Amos was a servant and best friend to Sandy Rucker. Both men joined the 33rd Georgia Regiment when the South was invaded. Amos fought as a regular soldier and sustained wounds to his breast and one of his legs that left him permanently crippled.

Amos Rucker joined the W.H.T. Walker Camp of the United Confederates after the war in Atlanta, Georgia. He faithfully attended the meetings that were held on the second Monday of each month at 102 Forsyth Street. He was able to remember the name of every man of his old 33th Regiment and would name them and add whether they were living or dead.

Amos Rucker and wife Martha felt that the men of the United Confederate Veterans were like family. Rucker said that, "My folks gave me everything I want." The UCV men helped Amos and wife Martha with a house on the west side of Atlanta and John M. Slaton helped with his will and care for his wife. Slaton was a member of Atlanta's John B. Gordon Camp 46 Sons of Confederate Veterans and was governor of Georgia when he commuted the death sentence of Leo Frank.

A funeral service for Amos Rucker was conducted by former Confederate General and Reverend Clement A. Evans. An article about the funeral related that Rucker was clothed in a gray Confederate uniform and a Confederate flag covered his casket. It is written that both white and black friends of Rucker came to pay their last respects. There was not a dry eye in the church when Captain William Harrison read a poem, entitled, "When Rucker called the roll."

A grave marker was placed in 1909 by the United Confederate Veterans that for many years marked the graves of Amos and Martha Rucker but some say it was taken many years ago. A few years ago the Sons of Confederate Veterans remarked Rucker’s grave.

The Georgia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans joins our nation in remembering the 150th Anniversary “Sesquicentennial” of the American War Between the States. See additional information at: htttp://www.150wbts.org/

Information for this story came from the book "Forgotten Confederates- A Anthology about Black Confederates" compiled by Kelly Barrow, J.H. Segars and R.B. Rosenburg."

DECENDANTS SOUGHT of TAMPA TOWN’S “SUNNY SOUTH” SOLDIERS

2011-07-27T09:47:00.001-05:00

Tampa – 150 Years ago, 100 of the “Darling” sons of Tampa Town, with patriotic ferver, organized themselves into an infantry company known as the “Sunny South Guards” for the defense of Tampa and Florida.

Descendants of these men are sought for recognition at an historical re-enactment commemorating a Military Flag Presentation by the citizens of Tampa Town to these brave men who joined the armed forces of the State of Florida.

The date is planned on September 17, 2011 just steps from the actual event, which occurred at Fort Brooke.

Assigned to the Army of Tennessee, Hardee’s Corps, the Guards were assigned the unit designation of 4th Florida Infantry, Co. K. The 4th was engaged at Murfreesboro and Jackson, participated in the Campaigns of the Army from Chickamauga to Nashville and saw action in North Carolina. Some of these men will killed in the line of duty, some were held as prisoners of war, while others returned home to help re-build the war-ravaged South.

The names of the soldiers being honored are:

OFFICERS:

EDWARD BADGER
JACOB A LASH
ROBERT J. BIGELOW
JOHN T LESLIE
W LL BOWEN
JAMES MCKAY
CC BURKE
JP MCLAUGHLIN
HL CRANE
M WHIT SMITH
EDWARD HOPKINS
HG TOWNSEND
J P HUNT
HAMILTON M WEEDEN
J M KILPATRICK
RL WIGGINS

ENLISTED:

FLOIRE F. ANDREW
JOSEPH BETHEL
WILLIAM M. BOWEN
JAMES H. BRANDON
ROBERT J. CARNEY
JESSE COLLINS
JOHN COLLINS
JAMES N. COLLINS
CHARLES COOK
THOMAS COTHRAN
HENRY COWART
H C CRANE
BERRY M. CREWS
W R DAVIS
STAFFORD DAVIS
WILLIAM DEASE
DENNIS DRIGGERS
JOSEPH EADY
DARLINGTON FILLMON
JOHN FINLEY
THOMAS J. FINLEY
AMOS J. FISHER
HENRY FUTCH
G W GANT
WILLIAM GODWIN
FRANCIS M. GRIFFIN
GEORGE W. GRIFFIN
ADET GRILLON
OLLIOT GULLION
JAMES HAMILTON
GEORGE W D HANDCOCK
JOSEPH HARRIS
J T HASKELL
JAMES P B HASKINS
GEORGE S HEARD
CHARLES W HENDRY
CHARLES W HENDRY
JOHN M. HENRY
THOMAS M. JOHNSON
JAMES H 2ND JOHNSON
JAMES 1ST JOHNSON
PATTERSON JOWERS
PERRY O KEEN
ROBERT P LACTER
WILLIAM W LUMACKS
CHARLES LYNCH
J A LYNN
MIDDLETON MARSH
HENRY R. MCLEOD
HIRAM A. MCLEOD
JOHN MELLON
SAMUEL A. MILEY
HENRY L. MITCHELL
FRANCIS M. MITCHELL
JOHN B. MOBLEY
SIMON B. MOODY
NATHANIEL M. MOODY
JOHN D. MOODY
JOSEPH F. PHILIPS
FRANCIS M. PLATT
THOMAS A. POLLARD
JAMES E. PRINE
GEORGE R. RICE
BENJAMIN L. RICE
MICHAEL F. ROBELS
GEORGE ROBINSON
JULIUS ROCKNER
WILLIAM E. SHEPPARD
JASPER SLOAN
HENRY SMITH
WILLIAM W. SPARKMAN
T K SPENCER
JOHN E. SPENCER
JOHN STRODE
WILLIAM E. SWEAT
JAMES THOMAS
ROBERT W. THOMAS
SAMUEL D. TRULL
JOSEPH TULLY
BENJAMIN M. TURNER
W B VARN
ALEXANDER G. WATSON
SAMUEL W. WEEKS
JOHN A. WEEKS
WILLOUGHBY WHIDDEN
ELBERT WHITE
JAMES WIGGINS
CALFREY .L WILDER
W WILDER
JOHN W WILDER
MATTHEW H WILLIAMS
JOSEPH H YOUNG

Descendants are requested to register online at www.TampaBay150.org or email info@tampabay150.org or call Lunelle Siegel at 813-727-3920 with the Tampa Bay Sesquicentennial Commission. The Tampa Bay Sesquicentennial Commission was formed to observe the 150th anniversary of the Tampa Bay area of Florida's role in the Confederate States of America. Our members and sponsors are historical re-enactors, genealogists, and descendants of Tampa's pioneer families, as well as other civic-minded individuals and organizations to understand the importance of remembering our history.

48ers

2011-07-26T00:06:00.000-05:00

The 1848ers: Communists Then Helped Set the Stage for War and the New World Order

by Joan Hough

Part I of a Critique of Hochbruck’s “Actundvierziger”

Appearing now on the free pages of genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry is a genealogy article written by Professor Wolfgang Hochbruck entitled: “Achtundvierziger” in den Armeen der Union: Eine vorlaufige Liste” (“Forty-eighters in the Union Armies: A Preliminary Checklist”)

Hochbruck’s article publicizing the military activities of his fellow Germans—and surprisingly, some of their Communist connections—can be found translated into English at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dettweiler/genweb/e006.htm.

Hochbruck declares that his purpose for publicizing the activities of the 48ers is to resurrect the German reputation for bravery. He presents an impressive listing of 142 German U.S. Union soldiers, mostly Generals and Colonels, together with brief histories of these men. Concluding that all were very brave men and deserve accolades, Hochbruck contends that the presence of these Germans in America, in the Republican Party, and in the Civil War is greatly underrated and vastly unappreciated by American historians and journalists.

Before proceeding with the reading of this critique of Hochbruck’s work, it should be noted that Hochbruck presents only a one sided German story. He fails to mention that there were many, many wonderful American citizens of German lineage who fought with the greatest of bravery for the righteous cause of the Confederacy. In addition, there were Germans who came directly from Germany to fight for the South. Hochbruck either does not know of these valiant German-American warriors or refused to accord them the honors they deserve, perhaps because they did not possess the Communist-Marxist ideology of those he chose to eulogize.

The Germans who came directly from Germany to the South just to fight for Confederate liberty, unlike those who went to the north, did not come to swap their battle skills for three meals a day and the promise of loot, citizenship, and Southern land. They were not released from some European jail and forced to leave their native land. Instead, they braved Union blockades to reach the Confederate States, while knowing that they would not be fighting in regiments with thousands of other Germans who spoke their language. They fought skillfully, bravely, and with great zeal. They fought because they believed THE SOUTH WAS RIGHT.

After by sheer numbers, imported Socialists, and vast amounts of munitions, the U.S.A. won its war by killing the majority of Southern males and murdering Southern women and children, some of the South’s own warrior-Germans returned to Germany. Among these noble men was Johann Heinrich Heros von Boreke, recognized by Confederates for his great valor.[i] [i] Boreke was General Jeb Stuart’s chief of Staff. Having been shot in his throat and lungs before Gettysburg, Boreke did not participate in his General’s final battle at Yellow Tavern. Later, with tears in his eyes, Johann stood beside the bed of Jeb Stuart and said good-bye to his dying friend. Then, saddled with a lifetime injury, Boreke returned home to Germany and, with great pride and a heavy heart, placed the beautiful Confederate battle flag in front of his house. [ii] [II]

Baron Maximilian von Meulnier was another German who had a deep devotion to the Confederacy. Other Germans also came to America to risk their lives for the Southern cause. [iii] These gifted warriors were few in number compared with the thousands upon thousands direct from Germany to the north, but the new Germans for the South fought as valiantly as once had their Viking ancestors. After the South’s defeat, they returned to their native lands, taking with them—so different from the north’s imported hired guns, not a single stolen wedding band, or a single earring torn from a ripped away woman’s ear. Union soldiers’ propensity for and manner of acquiring such loot was recorded in sworn testimony taken in Louisiana. [iv][IV]

In his genealogy article, Hochbruck presents the records of Union soldiers who came to America from Germany and other states in Europe after the failure of their Socialist Revolution. He reports: “During the American Civil War, more than 180,000 German-born men fought in the Union armies East and West, plus tens of thousands of Austrians, Poles, Hungarians, and Czechs. Out of this number possibly up to an estimated five thousand had previously served in the revolutionary armies and insurrections in Baden, the Palatinate, in Hungary, the Rhineland, Transylvania, Poland, Bohemia, Berlin, or Saxony.”

Hochbruck declares that these soldiers fought in Europe “to free people from oppression.” According to Hochbruck, as revolutionaries, these Germans joined in the Europe-wide movement of “republican revolutionism.” He continues, “After the last of the European revolutions had been subjugated, many of these early internationalists fled or emigrated to the United States.” He asserts, “The failure of their revolutionary hopes in Europe did not prevent them from taking arms again in 1861 to defend the very principles they had fought for in 1848 and 1849: Union, freedom and democracy.” Hochbruck contends, “Many of them made conscious connection between the two wars.” [Emphasis added.]

The word “Union” is interesting as a German 1800s concept — if Hochbruck is correct in assuming that word was actually in use in Europe by the revolutionaries during that time. But even more interesting is the use of the word “Democracy.” Democracy and Socialism were both scorned as types of government by the U.S. founding fathers that created the United States government as a Republic. Democracy was seen as “mobocracy” destined to turn into Socialism—a progression noted by Frederic Bastiat in his The Law.

Hochbruck considers American impressions of German 48ers totally false. He concludes that such impressions issue from an Anglo-American press comprised of writers with “neo-Confederate” sympathies. He declares that a “tainted image” of Germans (the “Dutch”) as cowardly soldiers has been held and presented by “every generation of American scholars.” He wrote his article with the intention of correcting all of these prejudiced impressions. He finds nothing whatsoever objectionable, but all highly laudatory, about the actions of the 48ers whom he calls "Internationalists. (Americans today might term those same 48ers as New World Order proponents or as COMMUNISTS or Marxists.)

Among the almost two hundred Revolutionary Germans in the Republican Union Army, whose bravery Hochbruck is determined to substantiate, are men identified as Socialists/Marxists not only by Hochbruck but also by noted “truth sayer-historians” Walter D. Kennedy and Al Benson in their book which exposes Communism’s actions under Mr. Lincoln’s scepter. [v] Although only two of Hochbruck’s valiant Germans are mentioned in Part I of the present Critique, in Part II will be found a brief look at a larger number of the socialists/communists clearly identified as such by Hochbruck . Part II also contains additional information concerning these Germans—information made available by Kennedy and Benson.

Attesting to the Communism of Union Colonel FRITZ ANNEKE, Hochbruck goes against the politically correct historians’ zeitgeist by telling the truth that ANNEKE was a member of the “Deutscher Kommunisten, Marx/Engels circle,” however, he relates this membership, not to censor, but to praise. Hochbruck elaborates: “FRITZ ANNEKE published a book under the title Der Zweite Freiheitskampf (the Second War for Liberty).” (Anneke was NOT writing about the successful American Revolution as the First War but about the failed Socialist Revolution in Europe. His “second war” was that of Mr. Lincoln’s.)

Hochbruck recognizes and admires Anneke’s personal relationship with Karl Marx. As all know, Marx and his friend Engels collaborated and produced the COMMUNIST MANIFESTO, a document which commanded many things, including the creation of public education [VI] as an ideal method of distributing their all-powerful government’s brainwash to the masses. Communists were encouraged to foment racial hatred and create a compulsory and progressive Income tax. (The U.S. had no income tax in its history until after Marx’s Manifesto.) Upon the completion of the Communist Manifesto, the group that paid for it relinquished the name of Illuminati and renamed themselves “Communists.”[VII]

Abe Lincoln made Communist Fritz Anneke a Colonel of the Wisconsin Volunteers in the Republican Union Army. Hochbruck tells us this but does not tell us that Anneke was given a court-martial and dismissed in 1863. [VIII] (Something decidedly unusual had to be involved for one of Lincoln’s favorites to receive such treatment.)
Something else Hochbruck fails to share with us is that after FRIEDRICH (Fritz) ANNEKE fled to America, he was tried in absentia in Europe and “condemned to death in ’contumacia’ for his role in leading the Baden rebellion.”[IX]

Hochbruck praises the efforts of the Marxists and informs the reader: “The fact is that these veterans of the European revolutions were an early ‘International Brigade,’ and that their effort bridges the gap between European failures and American success of the world-wide democratic project, has been all but ignored.”

Historical truth shines forth in Hochbruck’s words—perhaps for the first time for some readers. There can be no denying that Communist goals helped create a victorious Republican army. The evidence is strong that these goals were prime movers in the invasion of the South by Lincoln and in the bringing to America of vast numbers of foreigners, especially Germans, to win Mr. Lincoln’s war. No stone was left unturned in Europe by these Marxists, including the emptying of Europe’s jails and the exporting of the prisoners to serve in the Union army.( Present-day descendents have enshrined their Marxist U.S. soldier ancestors with golden memories of magnificent deeds accomplished—all for the good of America, of course.)

Hochbruck declares that in 1848 the new-to-America Germans had fought in Europe for “Union, freedom, and democracy.”(The word “Democracy” appears nowhere in the Declaration of Independence, the State Constitutions, the Articles of Confederation, or the U.S. Constitution. One can only wonder where the word became so popular. Perhaps in Germany?)

From a careful reading of the works of new, politically incorrect historians and government analysts, and of the actual words of President Jeff Davis and President Abraham Lincoln and the Corwin Amendment passed by both houses of Congress
(ratified rather rapidly by Ohio and Maryland and still on the books), it becomes evident that eliminating slavery was not the real reason Lincoln’s army invaded the South and began the war.

Lincoln contended his war was simply to hold the Union together by force, but, in reality, it was to stop the South from resisting the conversion of the United States into a Socialist State via the creation of its requisite, an all powerful central government.

The Hochbruck Ancestry article should be desired reading for anyone with an eagerness to know the real motives behind the so-called “Civil” War. It presents a view of the war seen through the eyes of a great admirer of the high ranking German Marxist-Socialist soldiers who served in the army of the United States of America. There may, however, be somewhat of a shock when the reader discovers that Hochbruck, the great admirer, declares honestly and sincerely that the “Civil War” was a welcomed continuation of the Socialist Revolution in Europe.

[I] “Prussian Confederate Veteran Receives Stone Marker and the Southern Cross of Honor,” Palmetto Partisan: The Official Journal of the South Carolina Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, February 2009.
[II] Ibid.
[III] Ibid.
[IV] David C. Edmonds, ed., The Conduct of Federal Troops in Louisiana During the Invasions of 1863 and 1864: Official Report, 1988: (Lafayette, Louisiana, Acadiana Press), p. 40.
[V] Walter d. Kennedy and Al Benson, Jr., Red Republicans and Lincoln’s Marxists: Marxism in the Civil War (New York: iUniverse, Inc., 2007).
[VI] Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto (New York: New American Library, 1998).
[VII] William H. Mcllhany, “A Primer on the Illuminati,” New American, June 22, 2009. pp. 231-36.
[VIII] Kennedy and Benson, Ibid, p. 123.
[IX] ibid

WEEKEND REENACTMENT AT MANASSAS NEAR HISTORIC BATTLE SITE DONATED BY CONFEDERATE SONS

2011-07-25T17:50:00.001-05:00

Thousands of reenactors have descended on Manassas to recreate the first major ground battle of the War Between the States.

The authentic reproduction marks the beginning of observances of the Sesqui-Centennial of America's most devastating war. It will be followed by hundreds of events during the next four and a half years.

Still at issue is the name of the battle which is known by Union standards as the Battle of Bull Run. Confederates have always labeled it as First Manassas. This ties into the contention that still remains between the two sides. Northerners generally call the war the Civil War. Southerners call it the War Between the States.

The reenactment is taking place on land near the hallowed ground where the actual
battle took place on July 2l, 1861. The actual battle ground was acquired by the Sons of Confederate Veterans and donated to the U. S. Park Service in 1938 as a gift to the American people in honor of the soldiers of both armies that fought in the historic battle which was won by the Confederates.

The donation of 130 acres include the Henry Farm and the site of the Visitors
Center. A plaque at the visitors Center describes the donation and land transfer for thousands of visitors annually.

Included in the transfer agreement is the following: "the strictest observance of the accuracy and fairness of the markers and monuments and there will be no development or markers or inscriptions
which detract in any way from the glory due Confederate heroes."

In a special message to all members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans Commander-in-Chief Michael Givens stated "Let us on this 150th anniversary of the First Battle of Manassas observe it as a day of consecration."

Now 115 years old the Sons of Confederate Veterans continue its patriotic mission of education, philanthropy. Its 30,000 members in the United States and several other nations are dedicated to community service in the localities where their camps are located.

Family Conflicts...and not

2011-07-24T19:22:00.000-05:00

BY BOB HURST

War is unlike any other event of humankind. There are those who try to equate politics, business, athletic competition and other endeavors to war but there is no comparison. War can bring out the absolute best in some individuals and the horrific worst in others. The expression "war is hell" best describes this most visceral of human interactions so it is not surprising that war can tear families apart and can also create unique and ever-firm bonds.

The great American epoch, the War Between the States, has sometimes been described as a conflict of brother against brother. This can be interpreted several ways. Since individuals from the several states had banded together to defeat the British in the American Revolutionary War of 1775 to 1783, it could be said, and has, that they fought as "brothers". That conflict did result in independence for the thirteen individual states that comprised the America of that time.To me, it is difficult to apply this broader interpretation of "brother" (people whose forebears had banded together to fight the British) to those individuals who fought in the War for Southern Independence from 1861 to 1865. The differences in worldview, religion, politics, origin and other areas were too great to not consider the people of the North and the people of the South as different entities.

There certainly were, though, instances where families were split by the loyalties of individual members to the Cause of either the South or the North and this did indeed result in war between family members and even brothers by blood. One of the most interesting of these family splits, to me, involves the legendary Confederate cavalry hero, General J.E.B. Stuart.

James Ewell Brown Stuart was a son of Virginia. Like many other young men from good families in the South, he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point to pursue a military career. He graduated in the Class of 1854. In the summer of 1855, while serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Military, he was stationed at Fort Leavenworth in the Kansas Territory. It was here that he met a young lady, Flora Cooke, who stole his heart.

Although she had been born in Missouri, Flora's family had deep roots in Virginia. Her father, Colonel Philip St.George Cooke, was a military man who had a long and distinguished career in the U.S. Army. Jeb and Flora were married and the next four years were spent primarily on the frontier.

By early 1861 it was obvious that the Union was dissolving although Virginia had not yet followed the lead of other Southern states and passed an Ordinance of Secession. Jeb knew it was inevitable that his state would eventually leave the Union and wrote to several officials informing them that as soon as Virginia seceded he was casting his lot with his native state. Jeb's brother-in-law, John Rogers Cooke, made the same decision and would eventually rise to the rank of brigadier general in the Confederate Army.

The family problem, though, was that Philip St. George Cooke would not leave the U.S. Army despite the fact that he was a Virginian and his son and son-in-law had given their allegiances to the Confederacy. In addition, his nephew, John Esten Cooke, was one of the great writers of the South and a solid Confederate. This situation constantly bothered Jeb Stuart and he declared often to Flora that he had a great desire to capture her father (who, by now, had been promoted to the rank of general) and put him out of the War. Sadly, General Stuart was killed in the War before he had the opportunity to fulfill his goal.

Another interesting conflict arose in the Terrill family of Virginia when one son, James Barbour Terrill, sided with the Confederacy and another, William Terrill, decided to stay with the Union army. This resulted in their father disowning William. Both brothers achieved the rank of general in their respective armies. An interesting sidebar here is that William Terrill's mother-in-law appealed to General Winfield Scott, head of the Union army, to have William Terrill transferred out West to eliminate the possibility that he might meet his brother on the battlefield.

Another case of divided loyalties involved Confederate general Ben Hardin Helm of Kentucky and his brother-in-law, Abraham Lincoln. Yes, THAT Abraham Lincoln. Brigadier General Helm was married to Emily Todd who was the half-sister of Mary Todd Lincoln. It was reported that when General Helm was killed at Chickamauga, a moment of silence was observed at the White House and that Lincoln sent a note of condolence to the family. I have also read that a senate special committee considered bringing charges of treason against Mary Todd Lincoln because four of her family members were serving in the Confederate Army. War can certainly bring out the emotions in some people.

Brigadier General Thomas Drayton of South Carolina was the commanding officer at Fort Walker on Hilton Head Island in November 1861 when the fort was subjected to a fierce bombardment by a Union naval squadron. The U.S.S. POCHAHONTAS did much of the damage. The ship was under the command of Commander Percival Drayton, brother of General Drayton. Percival Drayton was a native South Carolinian who had strayed from his roots. I doubt that General Drayton invited his brother to a Thanksgiving dinner at his farm any time after the War.

I would also imagine that family relations were a bit strained in the Buford family of Kentucky. Abraham Buford not only chose to serve in the Confederate Army but also rose to the rank of brigadier general and spent much of his war service attached to Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry corps. The magnificent Forrest was unquestionably the most hated by the North of all Confederate generals. This certainly did not set well with General Buford's cousins, John Buford and N.B. Buford, who were each generals in the Union Army.

Another family feud over allegiances involved the Crittenden family of Kentucky. The family patriarch, John J. Crittenden, had been a U.S. senator, governor of Kentucky and Attorney General of the United States.He was also a close friend of Henry Clay. He proposed a compromise early in the War that he thought might stop the fighting and end the bloodshed. Not only was his compromise not adopted but his own sons could not reach a compromise. His oldest son, George, sided strongly with the Confederacy and eventually reached the rank of major general. A younger son, Thomas, would reach the rank of major general in the Union Army. Again, one has to wonder what their relationship was after the War.

While these are a few examples of split allegiances involving Southern families, the stories of Southern families supplying multiple members to wear the sacred gray are legion. There are some well-known examples that deserve mentioning which involve some of the better-known Confederate leaders.

An example that stands out is that of the Lee family of Virginia. Robert E. Lee, of course, was the greatest hero of the Confederacy and served as the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, one of the three major elements of the Confederate Army. He was also one of only eight Confederate generals to attain the rank of full general. Two of his sons, George Washington Custis Lee and William Henry Fitzhugh "Rooney" Lee,reached the rank of major general as did his nephew, Fitzhugh "Fitz" Lee. Fitz Lee was also a nephew on his mother's side of General Samuel Cooper, the senior ranking Confederate general.

John Hunt Morgan, the legendary cavalry leader, had a family just full of Confederate generals. His fellow Kentuckian, Brigadier General Basil Duke, was married to a sister of Morgan and Lieutenant General A.P. Hill of Virginia was married to another sister. Sadly, Basil Duke was the only one of the three generals in the family to survive the War.

There were a number of sets of brothers who served as Confederate generals. Among these are Thomas and Howell Cobb of Georgia, William Wirt Adams and Daniel Weisiger Adams of Kentucky, William Henry and John Forney of Alabama and James E. and Thomas Harrison of Texas.

A loyal Southern family indeed was that of Reverend R.H. Morrison. No less than three Confederate generals - Daniel Harvey Hill, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and Rufus Barringer - each married one of the six pretty daughters of the Reverend.

This exercise could continue much farther but I must conclude now. I do want to mention before ending, though, that Brigadier General Joseph Robert Davis was the nephew of President Jefferson Davis. His confirmation by the Confederate Senate came only after an exhaustive discussion concerning nepotism was settled.

This article has dealt almost entirely with general officers and their family relationships (and not all the generals that could have been included). It would take volumes to detail all the familial relationships within the Confederate Army. Included within this study would have been my great, great grandfather (on my mother's side) Edmund Hooker Ogletree and his five brothers from Talladega County, Alabama. Of the six going off to war to wear the sacred gray, only four returned . This story was repeated in families throughout the South. God bless them all.

While I admire and revere those brave men who fought for independence and self-determination for the South, it always angers me to realize how many died before their time and how many Southern civilians lost everything because of Mr. Lincoln's War. This is why I believe, and always will, that Abe Lincoln is the worst war criminal ever produced in this country. It's painfully obvious that he never read the opening paragraph of the Declaration of Independence. The reprobate would just not allow the Southern States to live in peace. How sad.

DEO VINDICE

Note: All the articles from the early years of CONFEDERATE JOURNAL are now available in book form. These can be ordered online. To order Volume 1 (2005-2007)go to http://www.createspace.com/3540609 and to order Volume 2 (2008-2009) go to http://www.createspace.com/3543269.

Bob Hurst is a Southern Patriot who has a strong interest in Southern history and the antebellum architecture of the Old South. He is Commander of Col. David Lang Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, in Tallahassee and 2nd Lieutenant Commander of the Florida Division, SCV. He can be contacted at confederatedad1@yahoo.com or 850-878-7010.

Heritage Defense - A New View

2011-07-20T22:39:00.001-05:00

For many years heritage defense was understood to be a reactionary activity where Southern patriots, through the Sons of Confederate Veterans engaged lawyers to file law suits to battle for issues and beliefs under attack by our political and philosophical enemies, or by those without an understanding of Southern heritage, symbols and history. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars have been spent to battle in an arena unfriendly to the Cause of the South.

Through the focus of our efforts into the Court room, the membership has been removed from most of the other avenues of political discourse used in this nation. By allowing our concerns to be corralled in the Court House, we have been silenced at the table of public opinion, and we have been distracted from other activities which would establish our flag in communities across the South. Each time we move the debate into the Courtroom we move to an environment unfriendly to our Cause, we expend precious resources in an arena where we have seen little success.

I would like to offer the idea of an expanded view of heritage defense. It is not a view which centers on our reaction to attacks, but includes a positive view of all we do to educate our friends and neighbors about who we (the South) are. Heritage defense is about vindicating the Cause. We do that with every breath, every beat of our hearts.

In my view, the greatest vindication of the Cause are the members of this Texas Division. The great blessing of being a state officer is travelling around the state and meeting all the truly magnificent men who are members of this organization. The hearts are pure, the motives selfless, the pure joy of sharing southern greatness literally blazes in the eyes and smiles of so many of our men. And Christ is with us, there every step of the way. Life is worth living when you embrace all that is Southern.

Reenactments, living history, visiting classrooms all of these activities are good, wholesome, effective ways to reach out to the general public to tell our story. And these activities are being supplemented with programs like Flags Across Texas, and the great memorial Commander Granvel Block is constructing down on Interstate Ten will be a real testament to our heritage, and to the present day Sons of Confederate Veterans. I believe Granvel’s work is the most important project we are currently involved in. Granvel’s efforts will exist for decades, if not centuries, and be a daily reminder to tens of thousands of travellers of the nation that was the Confederate States of America.

In the past, these type activities have been seen more as heritage promotion than heritage defense. But in my view, activities like these sustain our presence in the public mind, spread the word and introduce the idea of the Southern Cause.

Our involvements in major and minor parades around the state are also important heritage activities. The men who keep us in the bigger parades in the Dallas – Ft. Worth area, Houston and San Antonio are keeping us in the eyes of the public. Tens of thousands of people see us in these parades are reminded of Southern pride and our regional identity. In the smaller towns, our involvement in parades keeps our neighbors and friends aware of our continued commitment to the Cause.

I would like to suggest there are other heritage defense operations which need to be engaged in. These operations are more aggressive, more dependent on an advanced knowledge of our ante bellum and political history, and more reliant on funds.

As I have visited camps around Texas I have discovered two things. First, that our camps are filled with dedicated, talented men. Many of the camps have talented communicators, both speakers and writers. And second, that in the hugeness of the Texas, local towns and communities each have their own history, heroes, and stories. These unique heritage aspects need to be developed and written into stories. To defend our heritage people must know what our heritage is. Not just the big issue, big question stories, but the local heritage.

I propose camps should work to research their local areas. Try to find the militia and company rosters. If you have them, try to get local newspapers to publish those rosters. Maybe write a brief story of the unit’s history, but the key is getting the roster published. I believe once the roster is published locals will look to see if their family was involved. This could lead recruiting opportunities. Recently a few senior officers in the Texas Division attempted to estimate how many Confederate descendants there are. I thought there might 10 to 30 million. But it seems, I may be wrong, by a lot. One conservative estimate was 80 million! As many as 80 million Americans living today are of Confederate blood. I doubt many Americans realize that more than 25% of today’s population is of Southern blood.

But back to heritage defense. Write down the histories of your local area. If enough of the 80 camps did that, we might be able to produce a unique Texas history, and publish it as Division book! We are presently working on publishing The Road to Secession which will hopefully generate revenues for the division.

And on a totally separate path, we need to become active in the world of governance in the state of Texas. Our Constitution prohibits us from becoming involved in the election of officers of the state and local governments. That is not an unusual restraint on a not-for-profit organization. However, our Constitution does not prohibit us from contacting local and state officials to lobby for decisions in our favor. In fact, we already do that to some extent. We communicate with the Land Office and Historical Commission. We even have a Legislative Day in Austin where we are encouraged to spend money to travel to Austin to walk the halls.

What we have not done is work as individuals, camps, brigades and as a division to organize politically to influence the decisions of the government. This is an absolutely legal and proper activity. The means of doing this can be as simple as writing letters to your elected state senator and representative, to contacting state departments and County Court Houses about issues, to organizing rallies and working to our needs and wants to the general public.

Gentlemen, I do not promise that if we do conduct the type of activities I outlined above the state of Texas would immediately change it deals with the Sons of Confederate Veterans. But I can promise that it is our complete impotence with respect to how America government works that has led to the present situation where the Sons of Confederate Veterans is treated no better than a nuisance. Recently I wrote an article which discussed the potential size of the number of Confederate descendants nationally. That figure was conservatively estimated at somewhere between 50 and 80 million citizens. Using the same formula, with respect to Texas, (and assuming 30,000 veterans) the number of possible descendants would be well over ten million! That’s a lot of folks.

A strong civic minded effort could also reap recruiting results as people learned more about our organization through our efforts to encourage their own citizen participation in government.

Lastly, each meeting we stand and recommit ourselves to vindicate the Cause of our ancestors. Civic participation is at the very core of the Cause.

I look forward to hearing the views of the general membership, camp and brigade leadership concerning this view of heritage defense. One thing is certain, our past strategies have failed. Reliance on the Court has proven to be an expensive folly.

I wish for each compatriot a great summer, filled with the memories of family. I am, I remain available to camps or brigades to make presentations at camps, or to participate in meetings. I enjoy so much being with you all.

Your Obedient Servant,

Mark Vogl, Lt. Commander
Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans

Revisionist History? Or Correcting History?

2011-07-11T10:04:00.001-05:00

"It has been truthfully said that "history as written, if accepted in future years, will consign the South to infamy;" and only by refusing to acquiesce in it as it is written can we possibly prevent future generations from so accepting it. By keeping these politically dead issues alive as questions of history, freely discussing them, and reiterating the truth in regard to them, we may possibly counteract to some extent the effect of the misrepresentations found in history as it is now written, add something to the luster of the page that records the deeds of the men and women of the South, and hand their story down to posterity so that their children’s children will think and speak of them with pride rather than shame.”

From the forward of the book “The Men In Gray” by Robert Catlett Cave, Copyright 1911

In preparing the committee report I have felt at liberty to use any or all of the individual papers. The committee appointed by the general citizens' and soldiers' meeting, held in Richmond, October 17, 1897, made a second report confirming and explaining the report of 1898. That also is herewith submitted. One member of that committee, Mr. John P. McGuire, made a special report on the whole subject which has been incorporated in this paper.

It was supposed some eighteen months ago that the History Committee of the Grand Camp of Virginia, successful in the efforts of that period, had finished its labors and had no further cause for action or reason for existence. We imagined that books, hostile to the truth and dishonoring to the dead and living of the South, had been driven from our State, and that with them would go opinions derived from them and of like effect, and therefore debasing to those who held them.

The actual situation is such that we consider it wise to begin, this report with a brief description of our position at home and of the forces arrayed against us. It should serve to guide and concentrate our own action. It ought to secure the vigorous cooperation of all the Confederate camps in the South.

We were in error in supposing our work done. We are not altogether rid of false teachings, whatever may be said of the purposes of our teachers. Because of newly aroused thought, the opinions alluded to are less prevalent than they were; but they are still heard from young men who, during the last thirty years, have been misled as to the characteristics of our people and the causes of the "war between the sections," from some who, "looking to the future," as they phrase it, foolishly ignore the lessons of the past, and from others who, thinking themselves impoverished by the war and being greedy of gain, have neither thought nor care for anything nobler. There are a few 'older men who think that the abandonment of all the principles and convictions of the past is necessary to prove their loyalty to the present. There are some who dare to tell us that "the old days are gone by and are not to be remembered;" that "it is a weakness to recall them with tender emotions." To these we reply: "Put off the shoes from off your feet, for the place whereon you stand is holy ground." Young or old, these men are few, but they are ours, and their children inherit their errors.

From Hunter Holmes McGuire 1835-1900, surgeon to Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson, published in the original Confederate Veterans magazine.

As shown from the two excerpts above, many of the better learned men of the South who cast their lot with the olde Confederacy, who believed in the Constitutional validity, the honour and morality of their cause, were already seriously concerned about how future generations would be taught about the history of the War Between The States, as false histories had already been printed and were being taught throughout the country, but especially in the South. And as has been witnessed for many years, yankee columnists, editors, and letter writers continue to cast the South and its leaders as villains of the worst sort. Don’t they know the war is over? Yet when patriotic Southerners enter the debate and rise to defend their ancestors from unprovoked attacks, it is us who are accused of still fighting the war.

Worse, is when someone claims to be a Southerner whose ancestor fought the yankee invader and declares their ancestor to be a traitor, a villain. Such was the fear of the great Jefferson Davis when he wrote and said, "Nothing fills me with deeper sadness than to see a Southern man apologizing for the defence we made of our inheritance & denying the great truths on which all our institutions were founded. To be crushed by superior force, to be robbed & insulted, were great misfortunes, but these could be borne while there still remained manhood to assert the truth, and a proud consciousness in the rectitude of our course. When I find myself reviled by Southern papers as one renewing 'dead issues,' the pain is not caused by the attack upon myself, but by its desecration of the memories of our Fathers & those of their descendants who staked in defence of their rights -- their lives, their property & their sacred honor. To deny the justice of their cause, to apologize for its defence, and denounce it as a dead issue, is to take the last of their stakes, that for which they were willing to surrender the other."

And so it goes 150 years after secession filled the people of the South with hope of a future without the heavy hand of the overbearing hand of the federal behemoth that exists today. The yankee still hurls insults to the South and is affronted when we defend and fire back.

Written by Jimmy L. Shirley Jr.
SCV Camp 1599
James Patton Anderson
West Palm Beach, Fla.
7 February 2011
btzoumas@bellsouth.net

Another History-Challenged, Forgettable, Deep-North Leftist

2011-07-04T18:51:00.001-05:00

A contributor and friend of Chronicles asked my opinion about a recent statement by Michelle Bachmann that the American Framers had "worked tirelessly" to get rid of slavery. I don't know the occasion for the statement or what possible relevance it can have to a 21st century presidential campaign. Here is my quick and irritated reply, which the distinguished editor of Chronicles thought might be shared with other friends. Bachmann is apparently one of the half-dozen forgettable Deep North leftists who are being promoted by the press and the Republican establishment as presidential front-runners. In Bachmann's case, very obviously a neocon spoiler impersonating a Tea Partier. No need to be too hard on the neocons here, because she is merely spouting an imaginary version of American history that has been Republican boilerplate for a century and a half.

That the Framers "worked tirelessly" to end slavery is a total fiction, though one promoted by Lincoln and devoutly cherished by Yankees ever since. Part of the vast lie that governs American history and justifies the brutal war of conquest of 1861-1876. At the time of the Revolution slavery was legal in every State and the only voices against it were Quakers. The Declaration complains that the King has encouraged servile insurrection. Nearly ALL of the members of the Philadelphia Convention, including the Northern ones, were slaveholders.

Here the mystification of the Founding Fathers takes over. It is somehow assumed that the writers of the Constitution were divinely inspired lawgivers who wanted to abolish slavery but somehow did not quite get around to it. It is absurd to think that they wanted to abolish slavery and even more absurd, ludicrously so, that they had the power to do so. They were merely drafting a proposal for approval of the States. No proposal abolishing slavery could possibly have been made (Northerners were still financially invested in it) and certainly not approved.

The Constitution explicitly recognises, indeed takes for granted, the legal existence of slaves in a number of different ways and obligates all the States to return fugitives. Neither Jefferson or Adams were at the Convention but in discussing the Constitution Adams remarked to Jefferson that there was no real difference between the slaves and the lowest class of workers in the North. Slavery disappeared only gradually in the North (for practical rather than moral reasons) and it generally meant the disappearance of black people as well, who were never before, during, or after the Civil War accepted as equals in the North, but as an undesirable population.

Lincoln's platform in 1860 objects only to slavery in the federal territories (future States) which are to be the homes of white people only, and he makes a few pious declarations (the nation cannot endure half slave and half free -- a lie; and slavery should be put on the road to extinction. How? Certainly not by barring its extension which merely bottles it up and hardens it. Northerners were united on one thing---they wanted no black people near them. How then, can they be against slavery?

It is true, and here is their flimsy basis, that a number of Founders and leaders of the next generation, notably Jefferson, spoke of slavery as an evil and a problem -- primarily because it was bad economics and meant an undesirable black population. Even so, this antislavery sentiment was by no means pervasive in the North or South. Nobody, including Lincoln, knew what to do about such an immense problem.

Lincoln's opinion was the same as Jefferson's, if the slaves were set free they could not remain in American society where they had no place as free people. They must be deported. Most Southerners favoured the Northwest Ordinance barring slavery from that territory -- for the good reason that the foreign slave trade was still open, meaning more importations. That was territory. When States came into being there, they could decide for themselves. Indeed, Illinois quite seriously considered legalising slaves at one point.

There is absolutely nothing in the Founding Fathers antislavery sentiment that approves of the kind of fanatical abolitionism that became a Northern movement in the 1830s. It was something entirely new and disfavoured severely by all conservative Northerners. It demanded immediate emancipation without any practical thought whatsoever and it was fueled more by hatred of the South than by benevolence for the blacks.

Lincoln is basing his abolition attribution to the Founding Fathers on the Northwest Ordinance, which implied a restriction of the extension of slavery. But the Union continued to admit slave State after slave State. The treaty acquiring the Louisiana Purchase guaranteed the French inhabitants their slave property.

Yes, Jefferson and most Southerners approved the Northwest Ordinance of 1785, adopted before the Constitution. However, look at what happened when the Yankees tried to bar the admission of Missouri as a slave State (Further importation of blacks was illegal from 1808).

Both Jefferson and Madison reacted bitterly to this effort of the North to interfere with a sovereign State or set such conditions for admission, interfering with the will of a sovereign people. Further, they denounced the Missouri restriction repeatedly to all their correspondents as a cynical trick to increase Northern political power. And as Jefferson pointed out, the Yankee efforts did not free a single slave---they only affected where the slaves were located.

It was here that Jefferson made his famous remark about a fire-bell in the night which marked the destruction of the Union. The firebell was not slavery---it was the fact that the Yankees had created a fatal geographic division.

For your sake I have violated a longstanding policy of mine. Long ago I decided not to bother to reply to the endless attacks and lies of the Enemy on his own time and place. Rather, we should devote our finite selves to positive teaching of the truth to our own people. As I believe Robert L. Dabney pointed out---Yankees are a race that thrives on delusions.

Clyde Wilson

DECENDANTS SOUGHT of TAMPA TOWN’S “SUNNY SOUTH GUARD” SOLDIERS

2011-06-24T10:20:00.001-05:00

Tampa – 150 Years ago, 100 of the “Darling” sons of Tampa Town, with patriotic ferver, organized themselves into an infantry company known as the “Sunny South Guards” for the defense of Tampa and Florida.

Descendants of these men are sought for recognition at an historical re-enactment commemorating a Military Flag Presentation by the citizens of Tampa Town to these brave men who joined the armed forces of the State of Florida.

The date is planned on September 17, 2011 just steps from the actual event, which occurred at Fort Brooke.

Assigned to the Army of Tennessee, Hardee’s Corps, the Guards were assigned the unit designation of 4th Florida Infantry, Co. K. The 4th was engaged at Murfreesboro and Jackson, participated in the Campaigns of the Army from Chickamauga to Nashville and saw action in North Carolina. Some of these men will killed in the line of duty, some were held as prisoners of war, while others returned home to help re-build the war-ravaged South.

The names of the soldiers being honored are:

FLOIRE F. ANDREW

JOSEPH BETHEL

WILLIAM M. BOWEN

JAMES H. BRANDON

ROBERT J. CARNEY

JESSE COLLINS

JOHN COLLINS

JAMES N. COLLINS

CHARLES COOK

THOMAS COTHRAN

HENRY COWART

H C CRANE

BERRY M. CREWS

W R DAVIS

STAFFORD DAVIS

WILLIAM DEASE

DENNIS DRIGGERS

JOSEPH EADY

DARLINGTON FILLMON

JOHN FINLEY

THOMAS J. FINLEY

AMOS J. FISHER

HENRY FUTCH

G W GANT

WILLIAM GODWIN

FRANCIS M. GRIFFIN

GEORGE W. GRIFFIN

ADET GRILLON

OLLIOT GULLION

JAMES HAMILTON

GEORGE W D HANDCOCK

JOSEPH HARRIS

J T HASKELL

JAMES P B HASKINS

GEORGE S HEARD

CHARLES W HENDRY

CHARLES W HENDRY

JOHN M. HENRY

THOMAS M. JOHNSON

JAMES H 2ND JOHNSON

JAMES 1ST JOHNSON

PATTERSON JOWERS

PERRY O KEEN

ROBERT P LACTER

WILLIAM W LUMACKS

CHARLES LYNCH

J A LYNN

MIDDLETON MARSH

HENRY R. MCLEOD

HIRAM A. MCLEOD

JOHN MELLON

SAMUEL A. MILEY

HENRY L. MITCHELL

FRANCIS M. MITCHELL

JOHN B. MOBLEY

SIMON B. MOODY

NATHANIEL M. MOODY

JOHN D. MOODY

JOSEPH F. PHILIPS

FRANCIS M. PLATT

THOMAS A. POLLARD

JAMES E. PRINE

GEORGE R. RICE

BENJAMIN L. RICE

MICHAEL F. ROBELS

GEORGE ROBINSON

JULIUS ROCKNER

WILLIAM E. SHEPPARD

JASPER SLOAN

HENRY SMITH

WILLIAM W. SPARKMAN

T K SPENCER

JOHN E. SPENCER

JOHN STRODE

WILLIAM E. SWEAT

JAMES THOMAS

ROBERT W. THOMAS

SAMUEL D. TRULL

JOSEPH TULLY

BENJAMIN M. TURNER

W B VARN

ALEXANDER G. WATSON

SAMUEL W. WEEKS

JOHN A. WEEKS

WILLOUGHBY WHIDDEN

ELBERT WHITE

JAMES WIGGINS

CALFREY .L WILDER

W WILDER

JOHN W WILDER

MATTHEW H WILLIAMS

JOSEPH H YOUNG

Descendants are requested to register online at www.TampaBay150.org or email info@tampabay150.org or call Lunelle Siegel at 813-727-3920 with the Tampa Bay Sesquicentennial Commission.

SOBRIQUETS

2011-06-22T13:52:00.000-05:00

By Bob Hurst

When I was young I truly enjoyed hot weather. It was easier to get loose for sports and I just enjoyed the sensation of heat on my skin. As I approached 40, however, things began changing for me. I was still playing competitive tennis but it was getting harder. My knees, back and shoulder (for some reason) didn't seem the same as they had for so many years. The hardest thing for me to handle, though, was the heat. My solution was to stop playing ( I could never play for fun, I loved the competition too much) so for the last twenty plus years I have spent little time in outdoor endeavors and much time indoors praising John Gorrie and other pioneers in the field of indoor climate control.

So, what does this have to do with anything Confederate? I'm getting to that.

These last few weeks here in upper Florida have just not been my cup of tea. With daily temperatures in the high 90's and low 100's the desire to be outside has been nil and even less. Unfortunately, I had some limbs come down one night recently and had to go out the next day to gather up and haul off. During this process I was sweating profusely and began mumbling to myself some unpleasantries. Then, without even thinking, out of my mouth came a shout of, "Oh, shut up, Grumble Jones", and just like that I was thinking things Confederate.

You see, "Grumble" was the nickname of a Confederate general named William Edmondson Jones. In fact, it has been one of my favorite sobriquets since I first read about Brigadier General "Grumble"Jones. Although he was a highly competent officer, he is best remembered for his irritable disposition and, hence, his nickname.

As I finished up outside I was thinking of other Confederate generals with interesting, colorful or curious nicknames and quite a few were coming to mind. I decided to do some research and see how many established nicknames I could find for that select group. (Note: It takes very little to give me an excuse to do some reading about Confederate generals.) Nicknames have been a part of our culture for decades and, in addition to being interesting, can also give us a glimpse into the personal side of an individual.

What I have found, so far, will be the topic of this article.

The array of nicknames for Confederate generals runs the gamut. Some are very well-known, some are somewhat well-known (especially regionally), some are descriptive, some are sarcastic and there are even some generals who have actual names that sound like sobriquets. I will begin with my two favorite nicknames of our Confederate generals - "Stovepipe" and "Stonewall".

Brigadier General Adam Rankin Johnson accomplished one of the most remarkable feats of the War and, in so doing, earned a memorable nickname and a place in history. General Johnson and a small band of twelve men captured the town of Newburgh, Indiana. Did you get that - 12 men. This was the first Northern town to fall to Confederate forces. (Note: As I hope you know, the South fought a defensive war against the North seeking only independence and separation from "those people" and not conquest so excursions into Yankeeland by Confederate forces were very rare.) Newburgh actually had a large contingent of militia on site but General Johnson and his men found an abandoned wagon and mounted two pieces of stovepipe onto the running gear so that it appeared to be a cannon. Worked beautifically - Yankees surrendered - General Johnson known forever as "Stovepipe", how I love this story!

You're all familiar, I'm sure, with General Thomas J. Jackson being given the nickname "Stonewall" at the Battle of First Manassas when the South Carolinian, General Barnard Bee, sought to inspire his troops to fight on by pointing to Jackson and shouting, "See, there is Jackson standing like a stone wall" and Tom Jackson marched into immortality as "Stonewall". By the way, General Jackson did not like the term "Stonewall" applied to him personally but did like the moniker applied to his brigade. Gen. Jackson was also called "Old Jack" and "Old Blue Light" (for the strange blue color his eyes turned during battle) by his men.

Two very appropriate nicknames were tagged to Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk and Major Gen. Joseph Wheeler. Polk was known as "The Fighting Bishop" since, in addition to being a Confederate general, he was also Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana. Wheeler was a general who led from the front and had sixteen horses shot from under him during the War. That, by the way, was second to only the 29 horses that were shot out from under the magnificent Nathan Bedford Forrest so General Wheeler well deserved his nickname of "Fighting Joe".

Concerning nicknames that were descriptive, one of my favorites was the sobriquet given to General Jerome B. Robertson by his troops. He was very popular with the soldiers and always showed great concern for the welfare and well-being of his men so they referred to him as "Aunt Polly". A similar situation involved General Sterling Price who was orderd by Missouri governorClaiborne Fox Jackson to reorganize the state militia and since Price was white-haired and the troops were mostly quite young they christened him "Old Pap".

Two generals, George Anderson and William c. Cabell, had the same nickname, "Tige" (short for "Tiger"), because of their tenacious fighting spirit. General Elisha Paxton was dubbed "Bull" because he was heavily built and had tremendous body strength. By contrast, the great lieutenant general Ambrose Powell (A.P.) Hill was called "Little Powell" because of his frailty and small physique.

Since most generals were a bit more seasoned than the troops they led, many nicknames began with the descriptive term "Old". There was "Old Reliable", Lt. Gen. William Hardee, since he could always be depended upon to perform admirably. General Henry Benning was "Old Rock" because of his soldierly qualities. Then there was "Old Straight", General Alexander P. Stewart, who was a professional educator and known for his clean-living habits and demeanor. General Edward Johnson was known as both "Old Allegheny", because of his Kentucky mountain home, and "Old Clubby" , because of his penchant for leading his troops into battle while carrying a large walking stick rather than a sword. We certainly cannot forget "Old Blizzards", General William W. Loring, whose battle cry upon approaching the enemy was, "Give them blizzards, Boys". I have not a clue what that meant. Then there was General Roger Hanson, "Old Flintlock" to his troops, who had almost an obsession for military discipline. Finally, at least for the "Olds", a rather cruel nickname of "Old One Wing" was hung on General James Green Martin because he had had an arm amputated. That seems a bit cold to me.

Quite a few nicknames were a bit sarcastic. General John Magruder was known as "Prince John" because of his flamboyant uniforms and flamboyant personality. General Nathan Evans was called "Shanks" because of his long, skinny legs. General Camille Armand Jules Marie, Prince de Polignac was called "Polecat" by his troops who, generally , could neither pronounce or remember his name. The fine lieutenant general, Richard Ewell, was called either "Baldy Dick" or Old Bald Head" after he lost his hair and his egg-shaped head and large eyes became more prominent.

One of the best of the sarcastic nicknames was "Extra Billy" which was applied to General William Smith. The sobriquet originated from pre-war business dealings of Smith. He had been given a contract by President Andrew Jackson's administration to deliver mail between Washington, D.C. and Milledgeville, Georgia (then the capital of the state) along routes he had established for mail and passenger coaches. He extended the routes by adding many spur lines thus generating extra fees. When later investigated by the Post Office agents, these extra fees became public knowledge and Smith gained the nickname "Extra Billy" which stuck with him. Didn't hurt him much, though. He was later elected governor of Virginia.

Nature always supplies a balance and perhaps that is why General David Jones was nicknamed "Neighbor" because of his pleasant personality and demeanor which balanced that of another Jones that we have already met, "Grumble".

Past events also played a role in the nicknames applied to various generals. General John Stuart Williams was referred to as "Cerro Gordo" for the exceptional gallantry he displayed at that battle in the Mexican-American War a few years earlier. General George Hume Steuart's nickname was "Maryland" which referred to his affection for his home state.

General Robert E. Lee laid a nickname on General James Longstreet without intending to. After the Battle of Sharpsburg (Antietam in the North), General Lee was looking around for Longstreet and when he finally found him he exclaimed, "Ah! Here is Longstreet; here's my old war horse!" After that, Longstreet became "Lee's Old War Horse". Sort of has a ring, doesn't it?

Oh, by the way, "Jeb", the nickname of General James Ewell Brown Stuart, was simply derived from the first letters of his three names. "Jeb" was certainly easier and quicker.

There were two generals whose given names sounded provocative enough to be nicknames. States Rights Gist is a name that I have always appreciated. His father was such a strong supporter of the doctrine that he chose it for his son's name. That's taking your politics seriously. General Gist was a fine commander who, sadly, was one of the six that we lost at Franklin. General Bushrod Rust Johnson has a name that could represent two family names but it certainly sounds like a nickname to me.

I have no clue how the outstanding Texan, William P. Hardeman, got the nickname "Gotch"; or the Mississippian, Winfield Scott Featherston, obtained the nickname of "Old Swet; or why Robert E. Lee's first cousin, Richard Lucian Page, was nicknamed "Ramrod". None of my references helped either.

Finally, I am concluding this article on nicknames with a mystery. The nickname "Mudwall" has been linked with three different Confederate generals with the last name "Jackson". Obviously it was a play on the name "Stonewall" and was meant to indicate that none of the generals reached the level of the immortal "Stonewall" - but, then, how many generals could? The sobriquet "Mudwall" has been used at various times to refer to William Lowther Jackson, John King Jackson and Alfred Eugene Jackson - all generals who saddled up for the Confederacy. The question is, "Who is the real Mudwall ?" To which general was the term initially applied?

Perhaps some of you reading this article have an idea or some information as to the identity of the real "Mudwall". If so, my contact information is at the end of the article. I will eventually do a follow-up piece on this question but, for now, it will just remain a mystery.

While this article is a bit different than the usual CONFEDERATE JOURNAL offering, I hope you have found it interesting reading about this aspect of our generals in gray. Nicknames or not, they were a splendid group.

DEO VINDICE

Bob Hurst is a true Son of the South with interests in Southern history and the architecture of the Old South. He is Commander of Col. David Lang Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, in Tallahassee and 2nd Lt. Commander, Florida Division, SCV. He may be contacted at 850-878-7010 or confederatedad1@yahoo.com

NOTE: All the articles from the first four years of CONFEDERATE JOURNAL are now available in book form.These can be ordered online. To order Book 1 (2005-2007) go to: http://www.createspace.com/3540609 and to order Book 2 (2008-2009) go to:
http://www.createspace.com/3543269

The Gettysburg Reunion of 1913

2011-06-18T16:22:00.000-05:00

By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., Speaker, Writer, Author of book “When America Stood for God, Family and Country” and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net

America will celebrate her 235th birthday on July 4th!

Fifty years had passed since the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1st- 3rd, 1863, when the Veterans of Blue and Gray braved the summer heat to meet again in Gettysburg.

America celebrated her 137th birthday, nearly a century ago, when….

From June 29 to July 4, 1913, 53,407 Confederate and Union Veterans of the War Between the States came to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for a Reunion and encampment. Veterans came from 47 of the 48 states of the Union and the Chief Surgeon said of the event, quote “Never before in the world’s history had so great a number of men advanced in years been assembled under field conditions” unquote.

It was the largest combined reunion of War Between the States Veterans.

Do you know who Gen. Robert Edward Lee, Major Gen. George Edward Pickett and Major Gen. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain were? Are children still taught about these men and all those who met on the famous War Between the States battlefield at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania? Some call the Gettysburg Battlefield the most haunted place in America because so many thousands died on that fateful month of July 1863.

“Comrades and friends, these splendid statues of marble and granite and bronze shall finally crumble to dust, and in the ages to come, will perhaps be forgotten, but the spirit that has called this great assembly of our people together, on this field, shall live forever.”

-----Dr. Nathaniel D. Cox at 1913 Gettysburg Reunion

The youngest Veteran was reported to be 61 and the oldest was 112 years young.

The United States and Confederate flags flew side by side at the Gettysburg soldier’s reunion of honored men who had been enemies on the field of battle.

The State of Pennsylvania hosted the 1913 reunion at the insisting of state Governor John K. Tener. Tener also encouraged other states to arrange rail transportation for the participants. Down South in Dixie, the United Daughters of the Confederacy helped raise money for the transportation and uniforms for their Confederate Veterans.

The soldiers of Blue and Gray, Black and White, came with heads held high and full of war stories. It is written that the hosts did not count on Black Confederates attending the meeting and had no place to put them but the White Confederates made room for their Southern brothers. Black Union veterans also attended this event.

It is written that nearly 700,000 meals were served that included fried chicken, roast pork sandwiches, ice cream and Georgia watermelon. The temperature soared to 100 degrees and almost 10,000 veterans were treated for heat exhaustion and several hundred more were hospitalized. The United States Army was also present in support and it’s written that the old men loved the attention.

A highlight of the reunion was the Confederate Veterans walk on the path of Gen. George Pickett’s charge that was greeted, this time, by a handshake from the Union Veterans.

President Woodrow Wilson said about these men, Quote

“These venerable men crowding here to this famous field have set us a great example of devotion and utter sacrifice. They were willing to die that the people might live. But their task is done. Their day in turned into evening. They look to us to perfect what they established. Their work is handed to us, to be done in another way but not in another spirit. Our day is not over; it is upon us in full tide” unquote.

The War Between the States Sesquicentennial, 150th Anniversary, runs 2011
through 2015. The Georgia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans joins the nation in remembering this historic time in our nation’s history. See information at:
http://www.150wbts.org/

Colonel Reb is coming to the Pine Belt!

2011-06-15T12:03:00.004-05:00

Come out and get your photo with the true Ole Miss mascot on Tuesday, June 21 at 6:30 p.m. at The Gold Club & Grill, 1605 Hardy Street in Hattiesburg, MS.

The restaurant is offering Rebel-inspired dishes on this exciting night. There will also be free collectible Colonel Reb 2011 football schedules, a gift shop with Colonel Reb merchandise, Oxford Eagle sports editor John Davis will share insider info on Rebel football, and Rebel great and NFL alum Kris Mangum will be the guest speaker.

For more information, call 662.801.7295
colonel@saveolemiss.com

Colonel Reb Foundation

After the Storm

2011-06-14T15:17:00.002-05:00

My Experience as a Tornado Relief Volunteer

by Pamela S. Warren
dixiedreamer57@yahoo.com

“We know that nothing can ever separate us from You, that in all conflicts we may be more than conquerors, that all dark and hostile things shall be transformed and work for good to those who know the secret of Your love.” Excerpt from Pastoral Prayer by David Schwingle, 12 June, 2011.

On April 27, 2011, at 3:05 pm, the small town of Hackleburg, Alabama, was struck by a rare EF5 tornado. Moments later, it was hit by a second EF5 tornado. Most of the state had been under a tornado watch that day. At 3:05 pm in Hackleburg, people were going about their day-to-day activities. School had let out early, due to the threat of severe weather. At 3:05 pm in Hackleburg, no weather radio sounded an alert, no tornado siren was heard. There just wasn’t time. The only warning came from a fireman in a neighboring town, who had seen the tornado heading toward Hackleburg. He telephoned the fire station to give them warning. A lone fireman manually turned on the warning siren, just seconds before the tornado reached the unsuspecting town. There wasn’t time to take cover. No time to protect yourself. Scarce little time to even pray.

Less than 24 hours after the devastating tornado struck Hackleburg, my husband Terry (known throughout this article as T), started making plans to go help with the clean up efforts. His father lived in Guin, Alabama, when the first recorded EF5 struck that town on April 3, 1974. T went to Guin the day after to check on his dad, as phone lines were down. He also went to help with the clean-up efforts there. He has told me several stories about living down there, and what it was all like after the tornado. His dad lost everything, several friends, and he nearly lost his life. T told me that he remembered several people coming from Hackleburg to help in Guin, and that he “just had to go back home and return the favor”.

The first thing we had to do was somehow make contact with Hackleburg. We were hearing and reading conflicting accounts whether volunteers were being used or not. It took several days before telephone service was even possible with a cell phone. Finally we called the number listed for the Hackleburg Chief of Police, though we feared it was still a long shot bet, at best, if we would reach anyone. It was great to hear a cheerful voice on the other end of the phone saying “Call Center”, in that distinctive “Bama” accent. I was given the phone number for Beth, the volunteer coordinator, who I called immediately. Again, that same accent, that same cheerful delivery. Beth confirmed that volunteers were indeed, needed and wanted, and for us to come on down, “but do be careful on your trip”, she said to me. Wow, in the face of so much destruction, loss and misery, that “stranger” was worried about us making the drive from Illinois to volunteer. This was not the last time I was awed by an Alabamian, nor the last time I spoke with Beth. In fact, I called her so often, checking this detail and that, asking what we needed to bring, etc., that she came to know me simply as “Pam in Illinois”.

May 22 is T’s birthday, but we were far from planning a birthday celebration. In the early morning hours of that day, we were loading supplies for donating to the clean-up efforts, a cooler of food and water, and basic camping gear, as our van was to be our home away from home while we were gone. Not knowing what type of work we would be assigned to do, we loaded a variety of what we thought we might need: hard hats and safety goggles (a “must” according to Beth), work gloves, long pants, tall boots to avoid snake bites, and more “seasonal” garments for evenings when we wouldn’t be working.

We left Bridgeport around 7:00 am, in a 14-year-old van with 225,000+ miles, not knowing if it would even get us to Alabama, let alone get us back home. It is difficult to describe how I was feeling when we hit the road. I was glad to be going, but I was also afraid how I would deal with seeing first-hand, the absolute and total destruction of a small town. A town not so unlike Bridgeport or Sumner. Since the storm we had been glued to YouTube videos of footage taken after the storm. We knew what we were going into: a war zone of indescribable magnitude; destroyed trees, unrecognizable buildings, devastated lives and death.

We were about an hour away from Hackleburg, and there beside the highway was a row of four or five houses, all totally destroyed by yet another one of Alabama’s tornadoes of April 27. The pit of my stomach started tightening up…this was only four or five houses, how was I going to react when I finally got to Hackleburg? It didn’t take long to find out, for within the hour I would know.

We drove down Alabama Route 17, and all was well. Trees flourished, birds flew through the sky and not a power line was down. But as we crossed Clifty Creek and headed back up the hill, we began to see bits and pieces of debris along the road and lying in fields. Trees were snapped and lay on the ground in a path three quarters of a mile wide and as far as the eye could see, much as those on Mount St. Helen’s. The experts call this phenomenon “convergent” patterns. I later learned that we had just traveled the same path as the tornado had after it destroyed Hackleburg. It then turned and followed along the creek on its way to Phil Campbell, Alabama, still as an EF5 tornado. One must remember this tornado was three quarters of a mile wide, with winds at times, nearing 300 miles per hour, and stayed on the ground 23 minutes, and covered 25.2 miles. It was part of a super cell storm which existed about seven hours 24 minutes and traveled 380 miles, producing 170 tornadoes, 55 in Alabama alone. Thank you to NOAA for this information.

We drove on through what I thought must have been the worst of it, but with each eighth mile of so, there was more and more debris and entire buildings which seemed to have imploded upon themselves. There on the right was the Wrangler blue jeans distribution center. Its roof torn off, its girders lying twisted in a heap and the building’s sides folded inward. Yes, it looked bad on YouTube, but this was real, this was right in front of my face, this was incomprehensible.

We started seeing “Volunteer Sign In” signs as we got farther into town. Work crews were everywhere. Heavy equipment was loading debris from huge, endless piles into the biggest dump trucks I’ve ever seen. Burn fields were smoldering all over the countryside, forever being rekindled with yet another truckload of broken wood. Aluminum, steel and other metals, glass and any recyclable materials were being sorted into yet more piles. As a side note, last Friday, June 10, the Army Corps of Engineers estimated that if all the non-burnable debris piles throughout Hackleburg were combined, the pile would be as large as a professional football field, and a mile high. According to Beth, my original contact person, as of that same Friday, only about half the clean up was done.

At the Volunteer Sign In Station, we filled out required paperwork, got our I.D. badges and were immediately assigned to the food tent. We laughed and asked if it would be all right for us to take a 20 minute break before we started, as we had just driven eight hours to get there. They asked if we wouldn’t rather just start in the morning, but we hadn’t gone to Alabama to sit back, we went there to work. After catching our breath and cooling off for just under 20 minutes (our van air conditioner doesn’t work), we entered the food tent for our assignments. I began serving food to volunteers who were returning from their long day’s work. These volunteers were soaked with sweat, dirty as can be, and very hungry. Clara, a resident volunteer, and I heaped food onto their plates and smiled to one another each time we were blessed with serving these good souls. My husband was assigned a hotter task than I, he was helping with the cooking of the food. A Methodist mission group from the Lexington, KY, area, consisting of a husband and wife, their 17 year old son, another young man, and Billy the helper. I will forever remember Billy’s favorite saying: “It will all work out”. I heard him use this saying more than a few times, and each time, things did work out.

The mission group had brought a large trailer carrying a gas grill, tables, a generator and literally tons of food in a semi-trailer. Two large smokers had been donated from someone in the area, and this group of five had been cooking three weeks straight, three meals a day, for upwards of 500 people per meal, and cleaning up after each meal, too. They were, needless to say, thankful for T’s appearance in their “kitchen”. In addition to the volunteer meals, “to go” containers were readied for the senior citizens of Hackleburg. That food tent was the only place in town to get a hot meal.

My workday ended after 9:30 pm, after all had been fed, and all had been cleaned up and readied for the next day. Before we left the tent, T was asked to work security on the grounds, and even though worn out from the drive and the duties assigned him upon arrival, he heartily consented. The grounds were basically comprised of semi-trailers, most with refrigerating capabilities, full of food and ice, others filled with donated supplies yet to be used, still others carried several huge generators, to power the cooling system for the dining tent. There was an AEMA (Alabama Emergency Management Agency) trailer, supply tent, cook tent, and several other facilities of unknown purpose. Police frequently patrolled the area, but they always feel better knowing there is a “man on the ground” at all times. T’s workday ended at 3:30 am.

The next morning we went to do the required daily sign-in, and found that no one was working the tent. Again I called Beth, and she asked if T and I would work at the tent, signing in volunteers, making sure paperwork was filled out, arm bands were labeled and worn, etc. Wherever we were needed, that’s where we wanted to be. Hour after hour we signed in volunteers, took work requests from residents, and matched up need to assistance. We even signed in three people from Lincoln, Illinois, who had come to help. They were immediately dispatched to get pet and livestock feed from a donor 20 miles up Highway 17, to care for those animals found after the storm, but not yet matched up with their owners.

At the sign in tent, we met a young local man named Jamie. He agreed to take me on a driving tour, so that I could videotape the tornado’s aftermath. I left T to handle the tent alone, and got into Jamie’s mini van. A huge, aluminum extension ladder was between the seats, and ran from front glass to rear. He had been out looking for a mobile home that needed a tarp put on its roof, but had been unable to find it. Keep in mind that the population in Hackleburg is very similar to Bridgeport or Sumner, however, the city limits is comprised of 15 square miles, in comparison to Bridgeport which has a 1.1 square mile area.

As Jamie and I left the volunteer station, I was under the impression that we were a fair distance from the destruction, as none could be seen from where we were staying. One turn and less than a quarter mile down the road, the destruction was playing out through the windshield, like it had played on the computer screen when I saw it on YouTube. On the left were the remains of the Church of God of Prophecy. It had been a new metal building, green roof, white sides, with vestibule in center and smaller sections on either side, and a huge fellowship hall toward the back. All that was left standing was the front sections, though damaged beyond being saved. The fellowship hall was completely destroyed to an indescribable scene of twisted girders and indistinguishable rubble.

We drove past the elementary and middle schools. Both were completely destroyed, as was the high school. Jamie pointed out what had been here and there, but it would take a local to be able to tell that anything had been there at all. Everything was being bulldozed to the side of the roads, so crews with heavy equipment could load it up and haul it off. Areas that looked like nothing but bare, or sparsely forested areas, were once groups of homes. Here and there you could see a house’s foundation, but more often, the house was lifted, foundation and all. As we drove past what had been his pastor’s house, he told me that the pastor had been out of town on April 27, and that the tornado took not only his entire house, but his storm shelter roof, as well, all 5000 pounds of it.

The tiny “downtown” area of Hackleburg had already been cleared of debris. The Piggly Wiggly grocery store, the Dollar General Store, the doctor’s office and pharmacy, were now just a deserted concrete slab. We had many residents tell us that the town looked 90% better than it did after the tornado. To me the clean up looked like several more months to completion, however the locals are pushing, and hoping, for the end of July.

It is difficult to fully describe what I saw on this 20 minute driving tour. Things I’ve never seen before, and hope to never see again. Heavy equipment, piles of debris, downed trees, and the same glazed look on the faces of both locals and volunteers. I was there, I saw it, but I still can’t fully comprehend just what I saw. I am not a writer. When I sat down to compose this piece, I had high hopes that I might be able to recount the sites, sounds and emotions that I experienced. I know in my heart I have fallen short in that endeavor, however, that is of little consequence, for all that I experienced in Hackleburg, Alabama, is embedded in my heart and mind, and shall remain there all the days of my life.

On a brighter note, while Jamie and I were out, we located the mobile home and got the tarp on the roof, so the family could move back into the damaged part of the trailer.

We got back to the volunteer station way later than both T and I expected. While I was gone, T had met with the representative from U.S. Steel, the project assignment director of the Christian Ministries Disaster Relief Association, had met a local lady, distraught over having to have her house pushed to the curb. This cannot be an easy thing to have to arrange. She had a four year old daughter, a two year old son, a baby on the way, and her husband was serving in Afghanistan. She had signed up on the second day that the crews were in her block, but her house was overlooked. This was the final day for her to have it removed pro bono. T arranged with Mike, from U.S. Steel, to have the house moved, despite the fact that the U.S. Steel crew was working on another location. As the lady was walking away with Mike, a battered pickup truck pulled into the parking lot. T said he couldn’t believe it was on the road. A young man and two small children walked up to the sign in table. He questioned T about when and how to sign up, and explained that he was a 100% disabled veteran, and that he couldn’t work that day because he had the children with him. T told me he had a probably three inch difference from hip to hip, and had such an unusual walk, that he was amazed he could walk at all. This young man, a local, detailed his experience on April 27: He and the children had been on Main Street when the EF 5 monster hit. He was pulling out of a side street, and checking for traffic. First he looked over his left shoulder and there was nothing there, then he looked to the right. He heard a sound, he didn’t know if it was a siren or the actual tornado itself, he just remembered hearing a sound. Then he saw the tornado. It hit the truck and rolled it down Main Street. He didn’t know the number of times the truck had been rolled over, but it ended up on its side. The driver’s side door would open and he lifted his children out. Thankfully, he said, he was wearing a seat belt and the children were in car seats. He broke down at this point in time, and started crying. He said, “I’ve lived here all my life. It’s been almost a month, and this is the first time I’ve come to volunteer.” He went on to say that he had wanted to volunteer countless times, but just couldn’t bring himself to do so. He accounted how, when the immediate shock wore off of what had just happened, the first thing that he, and his children alike, saw were mangled bodies, some completely naked, even pulled out of their shoes by the tornado. My husband suggested that he should wait perhaps a bit longer to volunteer. T assured him it had nothing to do with his disability, as there were a ton of jobs that he could do, in fact, there were people working in wheelchairs. It was just T’s opinion that he had been through enough, and was better off spending the time with his children.

It was while I was gone that word reached the volunteer station about the Joplin, Missouri, tornado. All people in the volunteer area started praying for the people in Joplin. Here are people who have lost everything, taking time to pray for others in the same situation they found themselves in less than a month earlier.

As the workday drew nearer to a close, we were informed that the volunteer effort was changing from individuals to organizations, whether they be private or governmental. The volunteer program we came to join was disbanding, for the most part. There was sadness in our hearts, and regrets that we came so late, as to miss out on the immediate needs of Hackleburg. We were faced with the difficult decision of whether to spend yet another night, or to leave out and drive home through the night. A phone call from our daughter told us of the terrible storm here at home that day, and our decision was made immediately. T went to pack the van, while I worked the sign in tent, and find our replacements. Billy was at the tent, in his American flag shorts, and said “It will all work out………I’ll work the tent for ya………..it will all work out, go on home”. We said our good-bys. There were smiles, handshakes, hugs, and plenty of tears. I regret not getting to meet Beth, but she had been assigned to work the call station and wouldn’t be at our location until the next day. I had brought her a desk plaque with the inscription “Faith is daring the soul to believe beyond what the eye can see”. I put our names, the dates we were there, and Bridgeport, Illinois on the back. Luckily a nice lady volunteered to deliver it to Beth for me.

We left Hackleburg around 3:00 pm, and headed north, and home. The drive back was going very well, and T and I talked non-stop about our time in “Bama”. We reached Clarksville, Tennessee, and the sky was getting dark. Just then, the weather alarm went off on the van’s radio. It was a severe thunderstorm watch. The rain fell in buckets, to the point of barely being able to keep driving, and the wind was making it difficult to keep the van on the road. Less than 4 minutes after the thunderstorm watch was issued, another alarm sounded. This time it was a tornado warning. We pulled into a gas station, as we were nearly on empty from driving too fast for conditions just to try and outrun the tornado that was chasing us almost as fast as we were driving. When we were in the station, thinking maybe it was a good place to sit it out for a while, the attendants told us the tornado was still coming, and that we’d best get back in our van and head north. We took their advice. The tornado chased us to Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Lucky for us, not so lucky for others, the tornado changed direction, and headed toward southeast Indiana, where it later touched down.

We arrived home just after 11:00, glad to be home, and glad to see our daughter. The very next day, the day we were scheduled to come home, the NWS issued the fifth “severe risk day” warning of the year, which included Lawrence County. The prior four severe risk days had produced multiple violent, and huge, tornadoes. What this means is, had we stayed in Alabama and driven home on Wednesday, we would have passed through the severe risk area, and several tornadoes. It was a tense time here, that’s for sure, but despite a severe storm, no tornadoes caused severe damage in our immediate area.

I thank the Sumner Press for giving me the opportunity to share our story about Hackleburg, Alabama. Please remember that Hackleburg was only one town to be hit on April 27, 2011. I did not aim, nor intend, to single out Hackleburg as the only damaged place, or the only place where care and concern were needed. The outbreak of April 25-28, 2011, killed at least 344 people, according to Wikipedia, in 21 states, from Texas to New York, and there are still people missing. Alabama alone lost 238 people.

“In every person’s life there are dates, times and places that will always be remembered. For the most part, these remembrances are of the nature of weddings, births of children and grandchildren, and yes, the loss of a loved one. To me, personally, there are two dates and places that I shall never forget, those being Guin, Alabama, April 3, 1974, and Hackleburg, Alabama, April 27, 2011. Two tiny towns, 22 miles apart, surrounded by pine covered mountains, red dirt and rock; forever changed, yet filled with good people of faith, fortitude, and the will to rebuild and prosper. Like a Phoenix rising, let they be an example to us all.” T Warren

Hackleburg Tornado Damage
YouTube

Memories Evoked by Old South’s New Flag

2011-06-06T16:25:00.002-05:00

Part 4 of a 4 part series

by Joan Hough

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
(John 8:32)

By the act of purchasing the wonderful, wonderful new POW-MIA flag and by calling its existence to the attention of others, anyone can join with the members of Dixie Defenders Camp No. 2086 and aid God by disseminating and reminding readers of Confederate truth.

Deo Vindice

One of the most poignantly meaningful attributes of the new flag is found on its great seal where inscribed are the words--"Deo Vindice." According to the message accompanying the flag, these words are defined by the designer to mean "God Vindicates."

The American Heritage Dictionary defines: "vindicate" as:

1. to clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting arguments or proof

2. to prove justification or support for

3. to justify or prove the worth of, especially in light of later developments

4. to defend, maintain, or insist on the recognition of

5. TO EXACT REVENGE FOR--TO AVENGE [emphasis added]

The American Heritage Dictionary defines “avenge” as:

1. to inflict a punishment or penalty in return for; revenge

2. to take vengeance on behalf of

3. from the Latin—to vindicate

Interestingly, four definitions of Deo Vindice given us by a Latin scholar are:

1. Where God is the Avenger 2. Because God is the champion 3. With God as our Avenger 4. God, the origin of our defender.

A Sweet Form of Confederate Vengeance

The telling of the Confederate truth is one of the sweetest forms of vengeance and of the very type that surely the good Lord would approve.

The idea of such truth-telling is captured in the words presented in the bit of verse below (just a portion of a poem) as an important idea in the battle to right Yankee wrongs.

Both Avenger meanings-- “one who revenges” and “defender”—as the definition of Vindice in the following bit of verse. “What was” refers to the Radical’s anti-Confederate propaganda. “What is” tells that it is still ongoing.

Heavy, heavy is my heart,
Tears course down,
Down this Southern face,
Yes, I weep because I know,
Oh, God do I know!

Oh, anguish! I know the truth,
It strikes me with its too sharp point,
Strikes deep in the heart of me,
It tears my soul, it clouds my reason,
Lying enemies accused my kin of treason.

That enemy of my kin is mine
Always and forever,
As the cross is my sign,
How long must what was remain an is?
How can what was, and still is hurt so much?

I hear a long dead whisper,
Feel a long death touch,
Hear a long dead plea,
“Is this too much?
“Seek vengeance, seek it for me,
At least make liars forsake the lie
And with truth testify.”

But how can I obtain what truth needs
When none with U.S. power heeds?
“Vengeance is mine,” saith the Lord,
“Deo Vindice, Deo Vindice,”

But how can I obtain what truth needs
When none with U.S. power heeds?
:Vengeance is mine,” saith the Lord,
“Deo Vindice, Deo Vindice.”
But I must add
“Let Vindice be aided by me.”

This poem by Joan Hough may be read in its three part entirety –one part on each of the following sites.

http://georgiaheritagecouncil.org/site2/commentary/hough_vindice_aided_pt1-042810.phtml

http://georgiaheritagecouncil.org/site2/commentary/hough_vindice_aided_pt2-042910.phtml

http://georgiaheritagecouncil.org/site2/commentary/hough-pledge_3_092407.phtml

(Flag purchase information at http://www.confederatepoweflag.com)

Memories Evoked by the Old South’s New Flag

2011-06-06T16:19:00.002-05:00

Part Three of a Four Part Commentary

By Joan Hough

More on The Retaliation Program

The beautiful new Confederate POW-MIA flag is dedicated to all Confederates who fought, all who were imprisoned, all who died and all civilians who died/suffered/or were imprisoned. These brave Southerners continue to cry out from their graves that the truth about that war against them be told, that the real perpetrators of horrors be revealed and their motives and actions be made known to all Americans. This, then, is the purpose of the following commentary:

Beginning in the mid eighteen hundreds, there was a major influence on the U.S. government by Marxist-Republican-Radicals. It becomes obvious, when one learns the identities of the major Marxists/Communists in the U.S. in that time, that some of them were initially responsible for the creation of the RETALIATION PROGRAM the U.S. Congress put into place in all Union prisons for Confederates.

The creators of the Retaliation Program were sadistic monsters and masters of propaganda. Their propaganda not only motivated the creation and installation of the Program, but convinced the north's citizens to want it as a justified treatment for decadent, despicable, depraved, fiendish Southerners. Some of the Radicals' propaganda then crept into the minds of nearly ALL Americans and sits there still, occasionally spilling out in books or from professors’ mouths.

The First 13th Amendment Ratified by Three States

The probability is that Marxist propaganda gave wings to General Sherman’s desire to deal death to Southern women and their children. Some of that propaganda is still found on the lips of modern politicians (even Southern ones) and is prattled about in positive tones by most journalists, by folks in a “Glenn Beck profession,” and by many Southerners who continue declaring that the war was fought by the north to free the slaves, and by the south, to keep slavery forever. They all appear ignorant of the truth that Lincoln and his Republicans promised slavery forever to the South if Southerners would only pay the tariffs and give the north all the bucks it wanted for internal improvements. Congress supported Lincoln’s promise with the passage of a new laws, that had the South agreed to pay the tariff, and accept them, would have become the 13th Amendment. This amendment was the original Thirteenth Amendment. Named the Corwin Amendment of 1861, it was passed by both houses, and ratified by Illinois, Ohio, and Maryland. Although still on the books, implementation of it was halted when the South refused to pay the “Dane geld” and support the north’s programs of internal improvement “which were nothing more than corporate subsidies that were awarded to a select few, well connected, individuals or businesses for building canals, railroads, and roadways.”

The internal improvement system was to provide protective tariffs that would ultimately help only the Northern merchants. The South was aghast when it wound up paying 90 percent of the tariffs. Secession resulted because the Whig/Republican Party’s political agenda of “protectionism, government control of the money supply through a nationalized banking system, and government subsides for railroad, shipping and canal-building business (‘internal improvements’) simply became more than the South could handle without becoming bankrupt and impoverished.

Communist Propaganda= Virulent Hatred

The stakes were extremely high for the Radicals because even then their “New World Order” was in the game plan—only by a different name. They required the public’s support of their plan if they were to achieve its first step which was the total destruction of the South, the elimination of Constitutional government, the erasing of States Rights, the reduction of Southern religious influence, and the building of an all-powerful, central U.S. government.

In order to obtain the northern public’s support of their agenda, the Radicals employed a secret weapon--that weapon was wartime propaganda. With it they fine- tuned Northern public opinion until it reached the Marxist’ own high level of unrelieved hate. To accomplish this, they called into action their biggest and best propagandists.

Most Americans fail to recall that Sherman’s hatred was so virulent and his sense of human decency, so limited that he, in mad man fashion, waged war primarily on women, children, old folks, sick folks, and inanimate buildings, especially the homes of the defenseless. He burned the civilians out of their homes and destroyed all their animals, and all the food in their houses and in their fields and gardens, leaving all civilians [even babies] to die from slow starvation. Only on rare occasions did he take his troops filled with many European-German foreigners into battle against folks capable of defending themselves—such as when he, joined by other Union troops, fought Southern men in Vicksburg. It seems political correct Americans have selectively remembered Sherman’s words and actions or have deliberately chosen to forget that he said, “There is a class of people, men, women and children, who must be killed or banished before you can hope for peace, and order, even as far south as Tennessee.”

One cannot avoid associating the great New York Tribune propagandist-managing editor with the Republicans remarkably clever propaganda. As you may recall, Charles A. Dana, the Tribune's renowned editor and part owner, was not only the Assistant Secretary of War, but was a known intimate of Karl Marx. Marx was even employed by Dana. Dana traveled about collecting ideas and reporting them to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Of course Stanton made use of his subordinate, Dana’s journalistic-writing expertise. Stanton cranked out huge amounts of vicious, virulent, anti-South,” kill all Southerners” propaganda, but it, obviously, was Dana who was the King-pin, imaginative writer-creator of the most successful of the Stanton issued horror tales presenting Southerners to the north’s public, as brooding, obnoxious, slave beating degenerates. Dana was, after all a professional writer—Stanton was not. Dana was the one with the accomplished propaganda skills, so had high value to Stanton who was deeply involved in the business of propagandizing. Dana’s type of written brainwash was not subtle, was not pretty, but was utterly successful. His work was likely to have inspired a number of Communist-infiltrated groups to involve themselves in the creation and dissemination of lies about Confederates.

Strange, is it not, how all historians have omitted the Master propagandist Republican Dana's responsibility for any of the humongous cruelties created via the Retaliation Program. One would think that the results of all that propaganda--the Congressional approved actions resulting in the tortures and murders of thousands of Confederates in the one hundred and six Union prisons would still be read and studied in the tax paid for history books of children today.

How sad it is that the Republican Party’s past efforts have been so sugar- coated and so concealed by lies that Lincoln cultist authors continually obtain contracts with publishers and fill American schools and book sellers’ shop with scores of new, brightly covered, Lincoln and Sherman aggrandizing tomes containing not a single word about the treatment the Republicans showered upon all of the Confederate prisoners, but pages of lies and more lies about Andersonville, the South’s prison for Union men.

The Republicans with their proud Lincoln roots and their Democratic sycophants have done their utmost to keep Americans from ever learning the truth. They must know that only when more Americans know the truth will it be possible for all Americans to be free from the evils in the all powerful central, unintended by America’s forefathers, unconstitutional government which is still in existence.

Walter D. Kennedy and Al Benson, Jr., Red Republicans and Lincoln’s Marxists: Marxism in the Civil War. (New York. iUniverse, Inc., 2007), p.

Gordon Leidner, “The Thirteenth Amendment,” www.greatamericanhistory.net/amendment.htm

James E. Stallings, Sr. p. xix.

James E. Stallings, Sr. p. xix.

Thomas J. DiLorenzo, The Real Lincoln, (New York. Three Rivers, 2003), p. 54.

Frank Conner, The South Under Siege 1830-2000: A History of the Relations between the North and South (Newman, Georgia. Collards, 2002), p. 1.

Frank Conner, p. 172.

Frank Conner, p. 143.

Mary Deborah Petite. p. 66.

Walter D. Kennedy and Al Benson, Jr., Red Republicans and Lincoln’s Marxists: Marxism in the Civil War. (New York. iUniverse, Inc., 2007), p. 99.

James E. Stallings, Sr., p. xiv.

(Flag purchase information is available at www.confedratepoweflag.com)

Memories Evoked by the Old South’s New Flag

2011-06-06T16:12:00.002-05:00

Part Two of a Four Part Commentary

by Joan Hough

Reconstruction

The Old South’s new flag represents all Confederates imprisoned or dead in Union prisons, all Confederate warriors and all civilians killed during and after the war. Some Southerners see this flag, also, as a poignant reminder of all that Reconstruction was, of all that Confederates lost and all the sufferings experienced by those captured civilians and x-military who were imprisoned, not in a formal prison, but in their own Southern state itself because of the Marxist-Republicans’ program of Reconstruction.

All true Southerners, white ones, brown ones, black ones, red ones—no matter their ages, were, definitely, imprisoned by the U.S. government when all folks in every Southern state became slaves under the total control of the U.S. government’s military leaders. Torture and death could be administered to Confederates during Reconstruction at any time on the slightest whim of any General assigned as the controller of a Southern district. Extortion of Southerners was almost routine. The U.S. Republican-controlled government taxed all true Southerners into poverty and destitution, thus virtually enslaving everyone with any connection with anyone who wore the gray. Even General Sherman and his Republican Senator brother profited economically from dirt cheap Southerners’ lands’ “taxed away by the victors.

The Holocaust

During the war, a true Holocaust was perpetrated by Generals Sherman, Sheridan, Sheridan, Grant and others acting under the auspices and approval of Lincoln, his Marxist- Radical Republicans and the crazed abolitionist -- Democrats. Their acts of genocide and war crimes are still being praised by authors crying out the usual politically correct lies, as seen in the words of biographer Fellman: “Witnessing Sherman’s ever-advancing, seemingly unstoppable, increasingly destructive army undoubtedly was a major fact that caused the Southerners to lose heart, thus leading toward the end of the war. This furious man, with his considerable terrorist capabilities, may have been effective in ending the way in a way more forgiving or at least more limited approaches to fighting the war had not achieved.” [emphasis added]

This new flag is not yet possessed by most Confederate descendants, but the good Lord knows it should be, Folks, no matter where they live, who honor their Confederate lineage should acquire this amazing reminder of the sacrifices made by Southern families. The flag is available in both large and small sizes. Purchase information can be obtained at: www.confederatepoweflag.com

A fascinating article about this new flag was written by Kenn Lightfoot of the Dixie Defenders 2096. In it Lightfoot calls attention to the large numbers of imprisoned Confederate black soldiers, Confederate Indian soldiers, and Confederate white soldiers who met their deaths due to the direct policies of Mr. Lincoln, his Republican Congress, and his leaders in the U.S. military. Lightfoot details some of the agonies inflicted on our imprisoned Confederates by the order of Congress with Lincoln’s approval.

Socialism-Communism

While reading Lightfoot’s words, some will recall that many or most of Lincoln’s congressmen, his military leaders, and his appointees were Republican Party Radicals whom some serious scholars are now identifying as "Communists.” Among this bunch was an American born Socialist-Communist by name of Charles Dana.

It defies all logic to see Charles Dana, Mr. Lincoln’s Assistant Secretary of War—Secretary of War Stanton’s right hand man and chief propagandist, as anything except a Communist. “Communist sympathizer” or “fellow traveler” is too mild a term for such a man.

Retaliation Program of Northern Vengeance

For want of meat,
The dog was eat.
(posted on bulletin board by prisoner at Camp Douglas)

The U.S. government's official program of RETALIATION which started in the summer of 1863, was responsible for an enormous amount of deaths of helpless, imprisoned Southerners. (Was 1863 when the North was losing the war? Even a biased Sherman biographer wrote that in 1864 the morale of Union troops was at an all time low.)

Because of the policy of "Retaliation," horrendous, undeniable evils were committed by the people of the north living in a veritable land of plenty, a land filled with PLENTY--plenty of food, plenty of clothing, plenty of shoes, plenty of blankets, plenty of firewood, plenty of building materials, plenty of medicines, plenty of ways and means to build warm barracks, plenty of high ground to build barracks on, plenty of fresh, uncontaminated water, plenty of physicians and plenty of folks conditioned by clever Marxist-designed propaganda to hate Southerners.

Due to their unquestioning acceptance of superbly invented lies as truth, northerners believed Union soldiers were cruelly tortured by the South. Just as desired by the Marxist lie creators, northerners approved, allowed to be implemented, and even found entertaining torturous treatment of incarcerated, totally helpless Confederates — many of the soldier boys just boys of age fourteen. Northerners became convinced that it was justifiable for Southern men and boys to be forced to freeze to death-by removing blankets or having to strip nude and go out in the snow in below zero weather to take care of bodily needs at night—diarrhea meant freezing. Prisoners were deliberately forced to suffer hideous, easily preventable diseases (such as diet caused scurvy which caused lips and teeth to fall out). Thousands starved to death. Prisoners were deliberately exposed to small pox and used in an early form of biological warfare. Northerners, moral, pious do-gooders that they were, found no fault with prison programs that caused defenseless Confederates to die from “poisoned” water (polluted by raw sewage, etc.) and from forced sleeping on floors covered in cold water and the shooting of numbers of prisoners (always declared accidental, of course) causing their deaths. Northerners were primed to find it amusing when Southerners were beaten with clubs, tortured to death or deliberately murdered.

Proof of this was, certainly evident at Camp Douglas prison when crowds of citizen-onlookers brought picnic lunches to eat as they gawked at mistreated Confederates riding the 2x4 board “mule” or standing barefoot in the snow, hanging from their thumbs, catching and eating rats, and even dogs and cats, maybe even seated sans pants and underpants on ice, forced to stand barefoot in snow for hours, or otherwise experiencing humiliation or death- giving punishment. At Camp Douglas, 20 men were forced to share 6 knives and forks ; 120 men had to share 20 tin cups. Some men were made to wear chains attached to heavy metal balls.

Evidently moral northerners were as entranced by these sights as if they watched any circus tent show or were Romans enjoying the actions in the coliseum. Undoubtedly these sight-seeing humans gave no thought to how similar they were to those folks in other far away “civilized nations” –folks who hastened to the live entertainment offered by the dancing on air--the kicking and writhing of folks being hung for imaginary crimes or crimes as slight as the stealing by a starving man of a loaf of bread for his starving children.

Some Americans may think that Yankees should be excused for their beliefs and their actions because of the avalanche of mind-boggling propaganda to which northerners were subjected — because, after all, some of the imprisoned Confederates were brainwashed into joining the Union’s army, in the west. It is true that a few Confederates did succumb to brainwashing, but only a very, very few despite the fact that all prisoners, once Retribution began, were treated in ways that, it is now realized, approximate at least some of the torture-type brain wash methods later employed, with a few Pavlovian embellishments, on American military captives in Korea and Viet Nam.

The big difference in the “Uncivil” War period and more modern “police action undeclared wars” is that there were few Confederates who ratted on their own kind. None gave propaganda speeches to his fellows, and none of the Southerner- converts to the Union went on to become a U.S. Senator and head a Senatorial Committee which kept parents from learning truths about their missing-in-action sons and the details of the Senator’s own treasonous aid to America’s Communist enemies. No Southerner after his stint in the hands of his enemies, in a fit of anger turned his back on his fellow soldiers’ weeping relatives and walked out on them, rather than tell the truth about their loved ones. And none of those Yankee-made "converts" was then selected by some grand old Party as the Republican candidate for the Presidency.

Michael Fellman, A Life of William Tecumseh Sherman: Citizen Sherman, (Laurence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 1995. Reprinted 1997, Random House, Inc.), p. 182.

Ken Lightfoot. Ibid.

Walter D. Kennedy and Al Benson, Jr., Red Republicans and Lincoln’s Marxists: Marxism in the Civil War (New York: iUniverse, Inc 2007)pp. 196; 140..

Roger Pickenpaugh, Captives in Gray: The Civil War Prisons of the Union ( Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press, 2009), p. 194.

Roger Pickenpaugh, p. 158.

Michael Fellman. Work cited.

Roger Pickenpaugh, p. 141-143.

Kelly Pucci, p. 62.

James E. Stallings, Sr., p, xxv.

James E. Stallings, Sr., p. 81.

Roger Pickenpaugh, p. 180.

Edward Hunter, Brainwashing from Pavlov to Powers (Linden, New Jersey: Reprinted by The Bookmailer 1960, originally printed by Farrar, Straus & Cudahy).

(Flag purchase information at http://www.confederatepoweflag.com)

Memories Evoked by the Old South’s New Flag

2011-06-06T16:07:00.002-05:00

(Part One of a Four Part Commentary)

by Joan Hough

It is with pleasure that I report that I have received an absolutely gorgeous Confederate POW-MIA “Ladder to Heaven-farewell” flag. Pictures of it failed to reveal its true beauty, so I had anticipated neither its array of colors nor its remarkable design. It is spectacular.

Flag purchase information is available at http://www.confederatepoweflag.com

Dedicated to the memory of those who died and those who survived in Mr. Lincoln’s prison camps, this beautiful flag represents all imprisoned Confederates, as well as all Confederate combatants and all Southern civilians (50,000 or more) killed by the Union Army.

I bought this flag in memory of all Confederates, including my very own bone of my bone, blood of my blood, Confederate kin folks—beginning with my cousins, Sam and George Mullinax, and their soldier father, Matthew. George was killed at Second Manassas. Sam was, imprisoned, tortured and murdered at Camp Douglas in Lincoln’s Chicago. The two Mullinax sons were Houghs through their mother Henrietta Hough. Cousin Sam’s body was lost along with thousands of others at Camp Douglas. Our family fears that part of him had popped up through the ground in the driveway of a business next to the Chicago swamp where so many confederate bodies were dumped—or that his young body wound up on one of the northwest medical schools’ dissection tables. His name was not placed on the Memorial monument dedicated by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, but is listed elsewhere. (Fifty percent of all who died at Camp Douglas had their bodies disappear. “During the existence of Camp Douglas prison at least six thousand prisoners perished.” One Civil War prison historian reported, “After the Civil War ended, Chicago faced the problem of disposing of more than 6,000 bodies of Confederate soldiers. . . because no cemetery in Chicago wanted Confederate soldiers buried in its soil, Oak Woods Cemetery, which was outside the city limits at the time, was selected. ..the names of the dead did not appear on the grave site until mandated by federal legislation in 1912.” There is no list containing the names of all the dead.

For me, our South’s new flag, in addition, represents a great, great grandfather of mine, David W. Sedberry who, after being imprisoned in two Yankee prisons, eventually walked home on bare and bleeding feet from Point Lookout to North Carolina. His first imprisonment was in Washington, D.C. on the site where the Supreme Court now meets.

`When I look at this flag I also think of my children’s gggreat grandfather, General Leroy Augustus Stafford, who died bravely at the Battle of the Wilderness, leaving fatherless ten offspring. Next comes to my mind, my great grandfather Henry Clay Hough, who at age seventeen was buried in Vicksburg by cannon balls, dug himself out, then captured and sick, was sent by Sherman and Grant to the hospital in Shreveport. He, still ill, immediately joined fellow soldiers there, helped build “Fort Humbug,” and then waited in vain to fight the Yankees again.

The flag certainly reminds me of my great uncle, John C. Hough. Captured twice by the Yankees, he was left semi-blind after eighteen months of imprisonment in Illinois at Rock Island.

Like thousands of fine Southern men, my relatives listed here and numerous others of my blood lost either their lives or a vast part of their health and their worldly goods at the hands of Marxist-Communist inspired Invaders from the north. Despite this loss, we in my family considered ourselves lucky that our women and children were not burned out of our houses, shot down in the road, and were not forced to beg strangers for food, but could still dig some out of the good Louisiana dirt. We are thankful that, unlike more than two thousand young women and little children captured by Sherman in Georgia’s Roswell and New Manchester, our family members were not shipped into white slavery in the north. Most of the captured Georgians remain lost until this very day, for they, neither alive nor dead, ever returned home again. Surely, memory of them should live on in our old South’s new flag.

Ken Lightfoot. “Narrative: Confederate POW-MIA Flag: A brief overview of confederates in Union POW camps,” (Unpublished paper circulated by the Dixie Defenders, Georgia, 2011).

James E. Stallings, Sr. Georgia’s Confederate Soldiers Who Died as Prisoners of War: and Angels did attend and comfort them, (Saline, MI, , McNaughton & Gunn, 2008), p. 83.

James E. Stallings, Sr., p. 82.

Kelly Pucci, Camp Douglas: Chicago’s Civil War Prison ( Charleston, South Carolina: Acadia Publishing, 2007), p. 101.

James Ronald Kennedy and Walter Donald Kennedy. The South Was Right (Gretna: Pelican, 1998), pp. 123-124.

Mary Deborah Petite, The Women Will Howl (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2008), p. 155.

June 4, 1914 Dedication of Confederate Monument

2011-06-01T17:35:00.000-05:00

By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., Speaker, Writer, Author of book “When America Stood for God, Family and Country” and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

While they lived, few criticized the men of Union Blue and Confederate Gray.

Let me tell you of the Arlington National Cemetery where this nation honored the men who fought for the Confederacy, the Union and those men and women who fought our nations' wars since the War Between the States.

Did you know there are 245,000 service men and women, including their families, buried at Arlington?

The world famous Arlington National Cemetery is located in the shadow of the Custis-Lee Mansion (Arlington House) that was home to General Robert E. Lee and family until 1861 at the beginning of the War Between the States. This cemetery is on the Virginia side of the Potomac River across from the nation's capital.

In 1864, Union soldiers were first buried here and by the end of the war the number rose to 16,000.

The Union burial site at Arlington National Cemetery is at section 13. Also buried in Arlington include: President John F. Kennedy, General Jonathan M. Wainwright and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Around the start of the 20th century this country also honored the men who fought for the Confederacy. This site of men who fought for "Dixie" is located in section 16.

There is an inscription on the 32.5 foot high Confederate monument at Arlington National Cemetery that reads, "A Obedience To Duty As They Understood it; These Men Suffered All; Sacrificed All and Died!

Some claim this Confederate Monument at Arlington may have been the first to honor Black Confederates. Carved on this monument is the depiction of a Black Confederate who is marching in step with the White soldiers. Also shown is a White Confederate who gives his child to a Black woman for safe keeping.

In 1898, President William McKinley, a former Union soldier spoke in Atlanta, Georgia and said, " In the spirit of Fraternity it was time for the North to share in the care of the graves of former Confederate soldiers.

In consequence to his speech, by Act of the United States Congress, a portion of Arlington National Cemetery was set aside for the burial of Confederate soldiers. At this time 267 Confederate remains from and near Washington were removed and re-interred at this new site.

In 1906, the United Daughters of the Confederacy asked permission from William Howard Taft to erect a monument. Taft was at the time serving as the United States Secretary of War and was in charge of National Cemeteries.

With permission the Arlington Confederate Memorial Association was formed and the United Daughters of the Confederacy was given authority to oversee work on the monument.

An agreement and contract was made with Sir Moses Ezekiel who was a Jewish Confederate Veteran by the record of his service at the Battle of New Market while he was a Cadet at Virginia Military Institute. Work started at his workshop in Italy in 1910, and upon his death in 1917, the Great Sculptor, was brought back home and buried near the base of the Arlington Confederate Monument.

Sir Moses Ezekiel was honored in his life by being Knighted by the German and Italian Governments.

On June 4, 1914, the Arlington monument was unveiled to a crowd of thousands that included former Confederate and Union soldiers.

The Memorial Event was presided over by President Woodrow Wilson and the people applauded the stirring speeches given by: General Bennett H. Young- Commander In Chief of the United Confederate Veterans; General Washington Gardner-Commander In Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic and Colonel Robert E. Lee - grandson of General Lee.

The Confederate monument unveiling was concluded by a 21 gun salute and the Arlington monument was officially given to the United Daughters of the Confederacy and was given back to the U.S. War Department for keeping and accepted by President Woodrow Wilson who said:

"I am not so happy as PROUD to participate in this capacity on such an occasion, Proud that I represent such a people."

Since Woodrow Wilson, wreathes have been sent to both sections of Arlington, including the Confederate section, to honor those who died for freedom. Some Presidents have also spoken at Arlington on Confederate Memorial Day.

York County perpetual "Virginia State Flag Day" begins in April 2012

2011-05-27T03:54:00.002-05:00

Y'all,

Here is a new annual event, let's turn it into a statewide tradition.

Please thank Chairman Hrichak!

God Bless
Billy Bearden
790 Harrison Road
Carrollton Ga 30117
678 340 9612

Memorial Day Remembrance of Last Confederate Widow

2011-05-25T17:01:00.000-05:00

By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., Speaker, Writer, Author of book “When American Stood for God, Family and Country” and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net

On Monday May 30th, Memorial Day, let’s remember the men and women who sacrificed all to keep our nation free and Mrs. Alberta Martin, last Confederate Widow, who died on Memorial Day.

The nation lost an historic lady in 2004. Mrs. Alberta Martin, the last known widow of a Confederate soldier, passed away on Memorial Day 2004. She was 97 and a living link to history of which most people know little or nothing.

Mrs. Martin was born on December 4, 1906, at Dannely’s Crossroads, Coffee County, Alabama. The small country intersection has changed little since her birth.

“Miss Alberta” was born into a sharecropper’s family. They went wherever there was work for planters and pickers. She learned the hard work of picking cotton at a young age.

Miss Alberta Martin married W.J. Martin in 1927. Martin was 82 and Alberta was 21. He had been a Confederate soldier over sixty years before they married.

In July of 1997 Mrs. Martin made a pleasant trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to a gathering of descendants of Confederate and Union soldiers. There, Mrs. Martin met Mrs. Daisy Anderson who was the last widow of a Black Union soldier. The two ladies had a good conversation at the historic Dobbs House. Mrs. Anderson passed away in 1998.

She was the widow of Private Robert Ball Anderson who served in the 125th United States Colored Troops.

The last Union widow, Mrs. Gertrude Janeway, died on January 2003.

Mrs. Martin spent much time with the Sons of Confederate Veterans and she believed in flying the Confederate Battle Flag “Cross of Saint Andrew.” In 2000 she participated in a rally in Columbia, South Carolina with 20,000 friends to support the flag which flew on the state capitol. Though in a wheel chair, Miss Martin held her Southern flag and proudly waved it.

In 1996, Miss Alberta was escorted to the National Convention of the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Richmond, Virginia for their 100th birthday. As she entered the meeting hall, everyone came to their feet and began singing “Dixie” to her honor.

People tried to hold back the tears of memory as they laid this Southern lady to rest in Alabama. She is now with Jesus, her family and General Robert E. Lee. She had entered the gates of Heaven, she is home. Happy Memorial Day, Lest We Forget!

OYSTER ROAST/BBQ/CIVIL WAR EVENT

2011-05-25T16:25:00.001-05:00

Lane-Armistead Camp SCV/Mathews Little League

Civil War Sesquicentennial Commemoration/Fundraiser

Piankatank Ruritan Club

June 11-12, 2011

The Lane-Armistead Camp #1772 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans in collaboration with the Mathews Little League are promoting a day long Civil War learning experience focusing on Mathews County, Virginia while raising badly needed funds for the Little League. This is intended to offer a unique and fresh approach to the War by honoring all men who served, both North and South, while also focusing on the future by giving financial support to our Little League which provides physical fitness and character building opportunities for all of our children. We also seek to highlight those whose role is usually neglected such as the children, women, and African–Americans.

The event will offer many new and exciting displays such as never before published images of children, period games, contemporary children’s art, music, rifle-making, artillery demonstrations, re-enactors, living history interpreters, Mathews’ items and artifacts as well as new authors and book signings. Come and experience the sights and sounds of life 150 years ago. Bring your artifacts, papers or ancestors’ names and learn more about them and help preserve our history. Talk to Captain Sally Tompkins - the only female commissioned officer in the Confederate States Army; James Gardner, USCT, Medal of Honor recipient; Major John Pelletier, Regimental Surgeon, CSA; Thomas Chester, free man of color and reporter, Philadelphia Press; or simply, “Spinster Annie” citizen.

The day will finish with an Oyster Roast and BBQ served by the Mathews Little League starting at 4:30 and for those willing to wait until dark, the roar and thunder of firing cannons belching flaming fireworks from their muzzles.

Sunday will also offer an exciting and somewhat unique experience when the public is invited to attend a period church service officiated by Chaplain Alan Farley of Appomattox. Coffee and light refreshments will be provided by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Remember, all proceeds go to support our children through the wonderful efforts of the Mathews Little League. This will be the one sesquicentennial event that you do not want to miss.

ANGELS of the CONFEDERACY

2011-05-19T22:56:00.001-05:00

By Bob Hurst

During the War for Southern Independence, that great conflict that was waged from 1861 to 1865, there were in the Confederate Army a total of approximately 1,050,000 service members. Of these million plus individuals there were roughly 3000 who were commissioned officers. Of these 3000 officers there was exactly one who was female and her story is absolutely remarkable.

Her name was Sally Louisa Tompkins and she was born on November 11, 1833 at "Poplar Grove" in Mathews County, Virginia to a family of wealth. Her father, Colonel Christopher Tompkins, was a veteran of the American Revolutionary War who accumulated a large fortune. He died when Sally was only five years old and left great wealth to Sally and her mother. The two moved to Richmond rather than continuing to live in the rural and isolated environment of Poplar Grove. There they were able to fit nicely into the society of Richmond and were familiar with many of the prominent people of the city.

The Tompkins were still living in Richmond when war broke out between the North and the South at the Battle of First Manassas on July 21, 1861.Very few on either side thought the fighting would be as severe as it proved to be and the hospitals in Richmond were totally unprepared for the large number of Confederate wounded that were brought into the city, primarily by rail. President Jefferson Davis made an appeal to the citizens of Richmond to absorb this multitude of injured by opening their homes to the soldiers and establishing private hospitals.

Sally Tompkins was a person of great kindness and wanted to help with the wounded. She also had some nurse's training. She approached Judge John Robertson, a prominent member of the Richmond community, and appealed to him to allow her to convert a large home that he owned in the downtown area into a private hospital. Sally was very persuasive and the large structure became Robertson Hospital.

The hospital opened on August 1, 1861 with Sally and a staff of six to care for the wounded. Some supplies for the hospital were supplied by the Confederate government but primary funding came from the inheritance that Sally had received from her father.

At first there was some opposition to Sally, her staff and the hospital since the Confederate armies discouraged women from serving as nurses. The prevailing attitude was that men did not want refined Southern ladies exposed to the horrors of war by having to treat the mutilated, sick and dying soldiers in military hospitals. This soon changed and many of the wounded began to request care from Sally, or "the little lady with the milk-white hands" as she came to be called.

After an assessment soon after the establishment of these private hospitals, the Confederate government decided that all hospitals treating wounded soldiers should be put under the control of the Confederate Medical Department. The Confederate Congress passed legislation to this effect and President Davis issued an order making it official policy. This would result in the closing of the private hospitals.

Sally Tompkins went straight to Jefferson Davis to argue her case for leaving her hospital open while other private facilities were being closed down. To support her appeal, she supplied to President Davis numbers from her hospital showing the amazing rate of treatment successes for her hospital compared to others.

Jefferson Davis realized the validity of her argument but he was also aware that the new regulations required all military hospitals be run by military personnel. While discussing this with Sally, the president had to have a brief meeting with Confederate diplomat James Mason who was about to leave for Europe.

As Mason left, Davis turned to Sally and said that Mason had given him an idea concerning how to solve the dilemma of the hospital. Jefferson Davis then appointed Sally Tompkins to the rank of captain of cavalry (unassigned) effective September 8, 1861.

Sally could continue to run her hospital as she was now official military personnel. She also became "Captain Sally", the only woman to hold a commission in the Confederate Army. From that time forward until she died, townspeople and everyone else who came in contact with Sally addressed her as "Captain Sally".

Robertson Hospital stayed in operation until June of 1865, after the War had ended in Virginia. During its existence the hospital treated a total of 1333 wounded Confederate soldiers. Of these, only 73 died. This gave the hospital an astonishing 94.5% survival rate. Because of the good reputation of the hospital, the most severely injured soldiers were assigned to Robertson Hospital making this feat all the more remarkable. In fact, a higher percentage of patients treated there returned to service than from any other Confederate medical facility or Union military hospital. Sally Tompkin's insistence on cleanliness was likely the key to this remarkable record although little was known at that time about the cause of infections.

During the entire existence of the hospital, Sally Tompkins refused to accept a salary from the Confederate government for her work there.

After the War, Sally became one of the most beloved citizens of Richmond. She was active in work for the Episcopal Church and attended many functions of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and reunions of the United Confederate Veterans. She was even made an honorary member of Robert E. Lee Camp, UCV.

Sally also received many offers of marriage during this time. Many of these offers came from veterans who had received care from her at the hospital. None of these offers was ever accepted as this would have interfered with her ability to work for and contribute to worthy causes. And contribute she did! Sally contributed so much to the church and to veterans causes that by 1905 she had completely expended her inheritance. She then moved into the Confederate Women's Home in Richmondwhere she was allowed to live free of charge since she had given everything she had for the Cause.

Sally Tompkins died on July 26, 1916 and was buried with full military honors at Christ Church Kingston Parish Cemetery in Mathews County.

For many years Sally Tompkins was referred to as the "Angel of the Confederacy". There is a large stained-glass window at St. James Episcopal Church in Richmond honoring Sally Louisa Tompkins. The beautiful window depicts an angel hovering above and behind a full-length image of Sally and features a Confederate Battle Flag in one corner.

It is an appropriate and well-deserved honor for this Southern woman who was truly an angel.

If you observed carefully at the beginning of this article, you noticed that I used the plural "angels" rather than the singular "angel" in the title. This is because I have chosen to include in this piece another Southern woman that I believe deserves the recognition of being an "angel" to the Confederate Cause.

Ella King Newsom was born in Brandon, Mississippi in 1838. In 1854 she married a wealthy physician and planter who died only a short time after the marriage. He was a wealthy man and left a fortune to Ella.

When the War began in 1861, this wealthy young woman who was wise beyond her years decided to use her money to provide medical care for Confederate soldiers. She first trained in Memphis as a nurse and then took over a hospital in Kentucky as the administrator. Ella's organizational skills were outstandingand she soon put them to good use by recruiting and training nurses, directing the movement of hospitalized troops and routing supplies to where they were most needed.

Her skills were recognized and appreciated by Confederate officials and in subsequent years of the War she established and administrated military hospitals in Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta and Corinth (Mississippi). Because of her remarkable administrative abilities and her willingness to help wounded Confederate soldiers, Ella Newsom was called the "Florence Nightingale of the Southern Army ".

After the War she wrote a book titled REMINISCENCES OF WAR TIME which chronicled her experiences. By 1885 , Ells's fortune was all but gone so she had to take employment. Being the administrator that she was, she moved to Washington, D.C. and worked for more than 30 years in administrative capacities with the federal government.

Ella King Newsom died on January 20, 1919.

Sally Tompkins and Ella King Newsom were two wealthy Southern women who refused to stay on the sidelines during the War for Southern Independence. Instead, they used their fortunes and their wealth of ability to make outstanding contributions to the Confederate Cause. By their actions and dedication they earned the admiration and remembrance of the Southern people.

Sally Tompkins and Ella King Newsom were truly "Angels of the Confederacy", but there were so many other Southern women who played critical roles during this time of war and turmoil.

A quote from CONFEDERATE VETERAN magazine, Volume 16 (1908) sums up nicely the character, dedication and contributions of the remarkable women of the South:

" It has well been said that if we seek a lofty ideal and a noble
model on which to shape a well-rounded and perfect
womanhood, combining the pure patriotism, the rugged
virtues, the winning modesty, and the tender graces of
Spartan mother, Roman dame, and Carthaginian maid, we
have but to take a retrospective glance down the corridors
of memory for about four decades to find it in that historic
sisterhood of martyrs and patriots, the women of the
Confederacy."

And to think, for so long many of us only thought that Southern women were beautiful!

Bob Hurst is a Southern Patriot who has a strong interest in Southern history and the antebellum architecture of the South. He is Commander of Col. David Lang Camp, SCV, in Tallahassee and 2nd Lt. Commander of the Florida Division, SCV. He can be contacted at confederatedad1@yahoo.com or 850-878-7010.

Note: All the articles from the first four years of CONFEDERATE JOURNAL are now available in book form. These can be ordered online. To order Book 1 (2005-2007) go to http://www.createspace.com/3540609 and to order Book 2 (2008-2009) go to http://www.createspace.com/3543269.

Memorial Day farewell to Jefferson Davis

2011-05-18T21:32:00.001-05:00

By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr., Speaker, Writer, Author of the Book “When America Stood for God, Family and Country”--looking to get published and member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net

Monday May 30th is Memorial Day!

Jefferson Davis, born June 3, 1808, served the United States as a soldier, statesmen and Secretary of War. He was also the first and only President of the Confederacy.

On Sunday, May 28, 1893, a few days before "Memorial Day" in New Orleans, a story began that overshadowed all other news events.

Jefferson Davis died in 1889 and was buried at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans. Four years later, May 27, 1893, his body was removed and taken to Confederate Memorial Hall to lay in state in preparation for the 1,200 mile trip to Richmond for final interment.

At 4:30PM, May 28th, a Memorial service was held for Mr. Davis and a moving address was delivered by Louisiana's Governor Murphy J. Foster as thousands listened. A reverent silence fell among the people as the casket was given to the commitment of veterans from Virginia.

The procession then formed for a slow march to the railroad station on Canal Street. The caisson drawn by four coal black horses came to a halt by the glassed in observation car.

Train No. 69, with Engineer Frank Coffin, waited patiently as the casket was taken to the platform and passed through an open observation car to a catafalque.

Train engine No. 69, of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad slowly pulled out of New Orleans Station at 7:50PM. L and N Railroad later became CSX Railroad.

After a brief stop at Bay Saint Louis, and a slow-down at Pass Christian, where hundreds of people lined the tracks, the Jefferson Davis Funeral Train stopped at Gulfport, Mississippi, near Beauvoir which was the last home of Jefferson Davis. It was here that Davis wrote his book, "The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government."

Uncle Bob Brown, a former servant of the Davis family and a passenger on the train, saw the many flowers that the children had laid on the side of the railroad tracks. Brown was so moved by this beautiful gesture that he wept uncontrollably.

In Mobile, Alabama, the train was met by a thousand mourners and the Alabama Artillery fired a 21-gun salute. Locomotive No. 69 was retired and Locomotive No. 25 was coupled to the train. The new train's Engineer was C.C. Devinney and Warren Robinson was its fireman.

Church bells rang in Montgomery, Alabama when the train pulled into the city at 6:00AM on May 29th. A severe rainstorm delayed the funeral procession to about 8:30AM when a caisson carried the body of Davis to Alabama's state capitol. A procession carried the casket through the portico where Jefferson Davis, in 1861, had taken the oath of office as President of the Confederate States of America.

The casket was placed in front of the bench of the Alabama Supreme Court. Above the right exit was a banner with the word "Monterrey" and above the left exit was a banner with the words “Buena Vista." During the War with Mexico Jefferson Davis was a hero at Monterrey and wounded at Buena Vista.

All businesses and schools closed, and church bells tolled during the procession to and from the capitol. In final tribute, thousands of people of Montgomery, including many ex-soldiers and school children filed by the casket.

At 12:20PM the funeral train departed over the Western Railway of Alabama and Atlanta and West Point Railroad for Atlanta. At West Point, Georgia the train stopped under a beautiful arch of flowers to pick up Georgia's Governor William J. Northen and staff.

At 4:30PM the funeral train pulled into Union Station in Atlanta, Georgia. It is estimated that 20,000 people lined the streets as the funeral procession made their way to the state capitol. Atlanta’s Gate City Guard, which had served as Company F, 1st Georgia (Ramsay’s) during the War Between the States, stood guard over the president.

At 7:00PM the train went north on the Richmond and Danville Railroad, which later became Southern Railway and, today, Norfolk Southern Railroad. The train traveled through Lula, Georgia, Greenville, South Carolina and stopped at the North Carolina capitol at Raleigh.

A brief stop was made in Danville, Virginia where a crowd of people gathered around the train and sang, "Nearer My God To Thee" as city church bells tolled.

Finally, the train reached Richmond, Virginia on Wednesday, May 31, 1893, at 3:00AM. It was Memorial Day. Mrs. Davis met the train and her husband's casket was taken to the Virginia State House.

At 3:00PM, May 31st, the funeral procession started for Hollywood Cemetery.

With Mrs. Jefferson Davis were her daughters, Winnie and Margaret. Six state governors acted as pallbearers. It was estimated that 75,000 people attended this final salute to President Davis. The ceremony concluded with a 21-gun salute and "Taps.

Some Things For Which The South Did Not Fight In The War Between The States

2011-05-18T06:07:00.000-05:00

by Henry Tucker Graham , D, D,, L, L, D.

Foreword

This pamphlet dedicated to the Public Schools of North Carolina by the Anson County Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy, in honor of it's author ,Dr. Henry Tucker Graham, who died January 7, 1951, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. H. G. Bedinger, in Pineville, North Carolina. The author's purpose in preparing this historical treatise was to correct certain prevailing misconceptions concerning the ideals and motives which prompted our Southern leaders to engage our people in a bloody contest of arms with our Northern neighbors, and by a truthful presentation of some generally unknown data., thus to remove any stigma which might unjustly have accrued to their memeory because of a distortion of certain facts surrounding their participation in the War Between the States. The author's interest in this subject was intensified by the fact that his minister father was a personal friend of General “Stonewall” Jackson and often entertained the General and his wife at the manse in Winchester, Va. Dr. Graham, a former president of the Hampden-Sidney College, and for twenty years the beloved pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Florence, South Carolina., was well qualified for this self imposed task, both from the standpoint of scholarship and personal integrity. Because of his burning desire to clear the gallant leader's of his beloved Southland of the unjust charges of petty prejudice and political inconsistency, the arduous task of research and investigation necessary for the preparation of a historical paper of this kind has been, for the author, a labor of love. It is not the purpose or desire of the publishers of this pamphlet to disparage or detract from the character or the courage of our Northern neighbors in the waging of that conflict. But believing that the information contained in this little booklet will serve a legitimate purpose in helping to establish certain important facts of history pertinent to the Southern Cause, in connection with the War Between the States, we heartily recommend this brochure as parallel reading in teaching history in the public schools of our State. Joseph Orlando Bowman Superintendent of Anson County Schools Wadesboro, N. C.

Some Things For Which The South Did Not Fight In The War Between The States

Out of the First World War there came many things of intrest- some tragic , some pathetic, and some comic. I recall one song the Doughboys loved to sing: “I don't what this war's about but you bet by jinks, I'll soon find out.” I speak largely, if not altogether, to those whose kinsmen wore the gray in the War for Southern Independence. In a vague sort of way you probably think they were “right”- but I am wondering how many of you could give a clear-cut statement of the real causes of that great struggle that ended so disastrously for the South, and thus repel the false charges laid against our Fathers and our section? I am especially concerned lest these young people, or their children , should someday be led to think of our gallant Fathers as traitors and rebels. There is grave danger that our school children are learning more about Massachusetts, than about the Carolinas, and hearing more often of northern leaders than of the splendid men who led the Southern hosts alike in peace and war. Not many years ago the High School in an important South Carolina town devoted much time to the celebration of Lincoln's birthday – while Lee, Jackson, Hampton, and George Washington received no mention. You have all heard of Paul Revere's ride made famous by the skillful pen of a New England writer. He rode 7 miles out of Boston and was back in a British dungeon before daybreak. But how many of you have heard of Jack Jouett's sucessful and daring ride froma wayside tavern to Charlottesville to warn Governor Jefferson and the Legislature of the coming of a British squadron bent upon their capture. You have heard of the Boston Tea Party, but how many know of the Wilmington ,North Carolina Tea Party? At Boston they disguised themselves as Indians and under cover of darkness, threw the tea overboard. At Wilmington they did the same thing without disguise in broad daylight. With the utter disregard of the facts they blandly claim that the Republic was founded at Plymouth Rock, while all informed persons know that Plymouth was 13 ½ years behind the times, and when it's Colony was reduced to a handful of half-starved immigrants on the bleak shores of Massachusetts, there was a properous Colony of 2000 people along the shores of the James under the sunlit skies of the South. The fact is that New England has been so busy writing history that it has'nt had time to make it. While the South has been so busy making history, it has'nt had time to write it. Hence to correct this false impression I would talk to you about some of the things for which our Fathers did not fight. 1. They did not fight for a Rebellion. That termed was “coined” by the demagogues to stir the lagging zeal of the North , and to cast discredit on the South. The government itself in publishing the official record of that historic struggle chose this title: “The Official Records of the War of the Rebellion”- a title as false as it is misleading. Our Fathers fought for rights that had never been seriuosly challenged until 1861. Five times before 1861 Massachusettes threatened to secede and there was no talk of an army to force her back into the Union. There was never but one great Rebellion in America, that began in 1775. There was but one great Rebel-that was George Washington. The Government tried to indict Mr. davis for treason, but was forced to abandon the case. They threatened , but did not even dare file charges vs. General Lee. In his first Inaugural ,Mr. Lincoln refers to the seceding States and to the threat of hostilities, but never speaks of rebellion. But by March 1864 he has caught the infection now so prevalent in the North and speaks sharply of rebels and rebellion. 2. They did not fight to “Destroy the United States”. The existence of the U.S.A. was never for a moment impreilled. It's constituency would have been changed and it's boundries altered, but it's destruction was never attempted, or even desired. Whatever the outcome of war the U.S.A. would have still continued to be a great, growing,and powerful Republic. That indeed was one great reason for our failure. Because the existence of the U.S.A. was not even endangered, her bonds and notes could always command a market, whereas the value of Confederate Bonds depended wholly upon the success of the South and so in the last twelve to eighteen months of the war, it was without these “sinews of war' defeat became inevitable- for a nation cannot fight very long without money. Now let us glance at the history of the American Constitution. In May 1787 there met in Independence Hall in Philidelphia ( the same Hall in which the Declaration of Independence had just made eleven years before) the representatives of thirteen free independent Republics to draft a Constitution and so “form a more perfect union” than the loose and ineffective Confederation which then existed. Each State (or Republic) was intensly jealous of it's soverieign rights. Rhode Island soon withdrew because it feared that it's rights as a small state would not be adequately safeguarded. Later it adopted the Constitution as drawn and amended by the Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments) as part of the instrument. William E. Gladstone, the British Statesman, later declared that our Constitution is “the greatest political document ever drawn by a single body in the hsitory of the world”. When the constitution had been adopted by the requiste number of States, the U.S.A. was launched upon the stormy sea of political life with the novel and happy device that populations were represented in the Lower House, while each state, large and small, enjoyed equal representation in the Senate, and thus safeguarded each state vs. the possible tyranny of numbers. The Constitution represented a partnership into which each party entered freely and was equally free to withdraw if it felt that it's best intrests so demanded. Did you ever hear of a political or business partnership that could not be dissolved- once a partner ,always a partner? The right to secede was not written into the Constitution but was tacitly understood by every member of the Convention, and by their constituents back home. Why write into the document that which no one questioned for a moment? But George Mason, astute and farsighted Statesman that he was, saw the danger which that omission may someday provoke, and voiced it in his shrewd comment: “I see the poison beneath the eagle's wing”. Had Daniel Webster been presnt and given voice to the startling veiw later uttered by him- and often quoted since- that the U.S.A. Is an undissovable union of indestructable States he would have been “laughed out of court”, for whoever heard of an “indissoluble partneship”? Or had Abraham Lincoln been present and declared as he later did; “The Union is older than States”, his sanity would have been gravely questioned, for that would have been the exact equivilent of claiming that this building in which we are gathered is older than the bricks of which it is composed. There must have been separate and individual states before there could be a United States. But the word Secession, though assumed by all, was not written into the Contract of Union ,and thereby hangs a tale of “blood, sweat, and tears”. Are you aware in his Inaugural Address (March 4/61) Lincoln made this statement: (Quoting from Repub. Platform 1860) “We denounce the lawless invasion by armed force of the soil of any State or Territory, no matter under what pretext, as among the gravest of crimes”. Yet les than 6 weeks later he called for 75,000 troops to invade the South. Surely, “Consistency, thou are indeed a jewel “rare. Incidentally this drove Virginia (in April) and North Carolina (in May) out of the Union- and these two states furnished half of the total armed forces of the C.S.A. Strangely enough the right to secede was never seriously questioned until after Sumter fell. Wm. Howard Russell, the brilliant correspondent of the London Times , was sent to America early in '61 to give first hand reports on the situation. He landed in Boston early in February, and after some days moved on to New York, Philidelphia, Baltimore and Washington. He talked with leading men everywhere and was surprised to find that no one questioned the right of the South to secede if it so chose. This was true even of the member's of the President's Cabinet. They questioned the wisdom of the step, but no one denied the right of a State to secede if it felt that it's best interests demanded it- and each State must be the judge as to it's own actions in the premises. Moreover the textbook used at West Point when Lee was a student, was Rawle on the Constitution. Rawle a distinguished Philidelphia lawyer, taught the right of secession, and that a citizen's first duty was to his own State. Hence, in withdrawing, Lee was not merely following the principles imbibed with his Mother's milk, but was carrying out the instruction which the Federal Government once had given at it's great War College. Surely this is not rebellion. The late Senator Lodge of Massachusetts says; “When the Constitution was adopted, it is safe to say that there was not a man in the country......who regarded the new system as anything but an experiment entered upon by the states and from which each and every state had the right peacably to withdraw, a right which was very likely to be exercised.” Charles Francis Adams (also of Massachusettes) asks; “To whom was allegiance due in the case of direct conflict between a state and the Federal government?” I do not think the answer admits any doubt at any time anterior to 1825. Nine out of ten men in the Northern States and 99 out of 100 in the Southern States would have said as between the Union and the State, “ULTIMATE ALLEGIANCE WAS DUE TO THE STATE” - cj. Latane's History of the U.S pp.346-7 Perhaps a wordd should be inserted here as to which side was the aggressor in this historic conflict. Who bears the guilt of starting the war? The North has sought to lay this stigma upon the South since we fired the first shot. But the courts (and common sense as well) have decreed that the aggressor is not the one who strikes the first blow, but the one that makes that blow necessary. The ground on which Ft. Sumter stood had been lent to the Federal Government by the State of South Carolina for the erection of a fort to guard it's chief harbor, but when South Carolina withdrew from the Union, the property automatically reverted to the State. A commission was sent to Washington by the C.S.A to make peaceable adjustments of all matters at issue between the two Governments. Chief of those was the evacuation of Ft. Sumter, then manned by Federal troops. Secratery of State Seward, speaking for the U.S.A., gave positive assurance that he was “in favor of peace,” and that “Sumter would be evacuated in less than ten days”. But it later developed that a fleet was being secretly fitted out at New York for the reinforcement of Sumter, and not until this fleet was nearing Charleston was the commission notified of this change of purpose. They at once filed an earnest protest coupled with the warning that the arrival of a hostile fleet before Sumter must be accepted by the South ,and regarded by the world as a declaration of war against the C.S.A. The protest was ignored and the fleet continued on it's fateful way. Then on April 12, 1861, as a defense againt invasion, “the gun was fired whose sound echoed round the world”. Morally and legally, the first blow was struck not at Charleston but when this fleet with hostile intent weighed anchor in the harbor of New York. Hene the guilt of aggression lies at the door of the Federal Government at washington. (See Stephens Hist. Of U.S..,pp.421-429) 3. It is charged that our Fathers fought to maintain slavery. I have attempted to show that the North fought to hold us to a partnership that had become obnoxious to it's Southern memebers. The South fought for it's simple and inalienable right to enter, continue, or withdraw from such partnership as it's interests might dictate. When the attempt was made to force us to remain like all clear thinking, liberty loving men, we fought for our right of choice. To do less would have been cringing and dishonor. But to charge we fought to maintain slavery is to the last degree absurd. The late well informed Miss Milred Rutheford of Athens, Ga.,states that there were 200,000 slaveholders in the Southern armies- about one man in every three. But there were about 315,000 slaveholders in the Northern Armies. Is it not the very essence of absurdity to imply that those thousands in Blue fought to destroy their own property- and especially so, since they could have accomplished the same result with the stroke of a pen and without shedding a drop of blood? Except among a relatively small group of ultra fanatics, enforced aboltion was not thought of. Moreover, the great Confederate Cheiftian had freed his slaves long before the war began, while Grant was a slaveholder whose slaves were not freed until the Constitution had been amended in 1866. He married Miss dent, a daughter of a Southern planter of Missouri ,who gave his daughter 5 slaves which she took with her into the home of Ulysses Grant. Further, Mr. Custis, the father in law of Gen. Lee was a large slave holder. He died in 1857 making Lee his executor. In his will he provided for the liberation of all his slaves five years after his death. Hence late in 1862 Lee paused in the midst of the crushing duties connected with the preparation for a great battle to issue papers of liberation to all the Custis slaves. It may be a slight digression but well worth while to say that Stonewall Jackson was also deeply concerned for the negro and his spiritual welfare .He established a Sunday School in Lexington ,Va. For them. On the night following the strain and stress of First manassas he paused to write a letter to his pastor and enclosed a check for the Negro Sunday School. We are faced, then by the absurd contention that an army led by an Emancipator was fighting to maintain slavery, while an army led by a slave holder was fighting to destroy slavery. Moreover if others had “played hands off” it is more than probable that slavery would eventually have been abolished by voluntary though gradual consent. For many far sighted men with the brilliant President Patton of Princeton believed while legally right, slavery was economically wrong- and more of a burden to the owner than to the enslaved- and urged a policy of gradual abolition. Well known leaders provided for this in their wills. My brilliant, though somewhat eccentric kinsman, John Randolph of Roanoke, so provided in his will and set apart an ample sum to transport his freed slaves to Ohio, and to provide houses and land for them there. They met with a chilly reception and were subjected to grave threats (see Bruce's Randolph ,Vol.II, p.60) Richard Randolph, his brother, also freed his slaves and provided houses and land for them a few miles from Farmville, Va. I have seen this settlement. It is known as Israel Hill . President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamtion has been highly lauded by his admirers as the greatest “Moral Document” ever issued by a human government. Well it was not issued by Government at all, but was the arbitrary act of the President alone- an act without the slightest authority in law. Remember , the slaves were property- so recognized and protected by the Constitution. The president who had sworn to uphold the Constitution had no more right to take the slaves from their owners than he has to take their houses and land without “due process of law”. Morever it is not a moral document at all and does not even claim to be. With pathetic earnestness the President pleads for the kindly judgement of mankind, not because this is a moral act but because it is dictated by “military necessity”. Twice he so declares. He seeks not primarily the freedom of the salves, but to so disrupt the labor system of the South that production would alrgely cease, and riots and disorder would follow, for as Henry W. Grady once declareed “ a 100 lighted torches would have disbanded every Southern Army”. But to the credit of the negro, be it said, not one of them was lighted. The lighted toches were left to “Sherman's Bums” in their march though Georgia and Carolina, and to Sheridan and Hunter in the beautiful and stately valley of the Shenandoah. Let us analyze it a bit and you will find that instead of an Emancipation Proclamtion it is primarily a frank invitation to the South to lay down it's arms. In effect it says “If the States now in arms against the Federal Government do not lay down their arms within 100 days from this date (September 1862) then I will declare the slaves within their borders to be free.” If language means anything that means “if you do lay down your arms, then you may keep your slaves”. It was the outcome of the war, and not the status of the negro that concerned President Lincoln. More than this, all American slaves are not included in the terms of this proclamtion, for he expressly from it's terms all the region around Norfolk and Hampton Roads. New Orleans and all southern Louisana to the gulf for these were by then under the muzzles of Federal gunboats. It does not include in it's terms the District of Columbia or Maryland and other sections broadly included in the term “the South”. Yet there were tens of thousands of slaves in those areas. In other words this Proclamation says in effect if you own slaves in Washington, Baltimore, Norfolk, or New Orleans you may keep them; if you own slaves in Richmond, Raleigh, Columbia or Atlanta I will declare them free ,if you do not come back into the Union. This great “Moral Document” quickly degenerates under searching analysis into a transparent political move. But further the man who penned this Proclamation had declared eighteen months before in the presence of ten thousand heareers gathered in front of the Capitol in washington (I quote): “I have no purchase, directly or indirectly, to interefere with the institution of Slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so”. This is the glaring contradiction of the man who occupied the White House in the crucial days of the 60's. 4. History records no more brilliant fight ever made in defense of home and country and constitutional rights than that of the “men who wore the gray”. Ill fed, ill clothed, unsheltered, and often unshod, and with greatly inferior weapons, except for those captured from time to time from the enemy, yet for four tremdous years they bore the cause of the South on the points of their shiny bayonets. They won victory after victory and held at bay a powerful and determined foe- and ably led. Seven commanders faced Lee in the 2 years and 10 months he led the gallant army of Northern Virginia. In that period his army killed, wonded,and captured 262,000 of the enemy- a number more than twice as great as the total forces under his command during that period. Of the seven officers who opposed him, six were sent to the military “scrap heap”, and the 7th , Grant was defeated more often and more signally than the others but was allowed to hold on, believing, as proved to be true, that the overwhelming weight of numbers and equipment must finally turn the scales. Probably the bloodiest battle in all history, if you consider the numbers engaged and the time involved, was at Cold Harbor, below Richmond, on June 3/64. At daybreak a mighty army of 113,000 leaped it's breastworks and charged towards Lee's lines. The charge lasted 10 minutes- and within 60 minutes the men in blue were back behind their own breastworks- but they had left 12,737 dead, wounded and prisoners behind, while Lee lost only about 500 men. (Cf. Fitzbugh Lee's “General Lee” p. 343) Is it any wonder that when Lord Wolsey was asked to name the 5 greatest generals of the English speaking race he chose Marlborough, Wellington, Washington, Lee and Jackson. And when his questioner said but my Lord you don't include Grant, yet you know Grant defeated Lee. And Worsley replied; “Can you call a General truly great who lost more men in 30 days than his adversary had?” Yes they were never out fought but always outnumbered; never out generalled but simply crushed ny superior and increasing force. Thus the tragic end came at last, and Lee with breaking heart, but with proud head erect and unasahmed, surrendered the mere skeleton of a once great and gallant army at Appomatox- 7892 muskets to the army of perhaps 100,000 men with others within easy call. Furl that banner for 'tis weary. Furl that banner for 'tis weary, Round it's staff 'tis drooping dreary Furl it, fold it, let it rest. Just to remind you of the overwhelming odds against which our Fathers fought, and so place their courage and endurance in an even more brillant light, let me give you a few salient facts. The Confederate Veteran (long published in Nashville, Tenn) states: In the Confederate Army and Navy in 4 years there were 605,000 men. In the Union Army and Navy in4 years there were 2,778,000 men. In the Union Army and Navy in 4 years 680,000 of the above number were “mercenaries ,Negroes, Germans, etc.” When we entered the World War in 1917 our Government was sending across to Germany $83,000 a year in pensions. Of this sum $67,000 was for Civil war pensions paid to aliens hired to subjugate the South. If this sum was still being sent 52 years after Appomatox, how much more must have been sent to these hirelings 10 or 15 years after the struggle ended. One of my former students was palced in charge of teaching the illiterates at Camp Lee in World War 1. At this first meeting a crowded room was asked who is this camp named for! And what did General Lee do? When a lanky mountaineer rose and said; “He's the chap that licked the Huns the other time”. When you consider the facts listed above you realize that there was more truth than error in that ignorant reply. With 75,000 more mercenaries, and many of them Germans, in the opposing force than the total enlistment in all the armies and navy of the South, “Lee was the chap that so often licked the Huns the other time”. I have spoken with the utmost frankness, and I believe I have spoken “by the book”, that you may know assuredly that your Fathers were not traitors or rebels but brave men and true, who know their rights and knowing dared maintain them. For loyalty is not nurtured on untruths. Patriotism is not bred by distorting or supressing the plain facts of history. Our Fathers fought long and gallantly- and lost. We frankly accept the result without one tinge of shame or apology for them, but rather with swelling pride that in our veins flows the blood of gallant men who dared to fight for the right as God gave them to see the right. But for us- their children- there is now but one country- the good old U.S.A. There is but one great National love; the land of the Free and the home of the Brave. Our attitude is expressed in these simple lines whose author I do not recall; Here's to the Blue of the wind swept North As they meet on the fields of France. May the Spirit of Grant be with them all As the Sons of the North advance. And here's to the Gray of the Sun-kissed South As they meet on the fields of France, May the spirit of Lee be with them all As the Sons of the South advance. And here's to the Blue and Gray as one As they meet on the fields of France, May the spirit of God be with them all As the Sons of the Flag advance. 1st Edtion July 1945

Union Army Code of Conduct

2011-05-14T09:31:00.003-05:00

The Civil War, 1861-65

Compiled by Lewis Regenstein
regenstein@mindspring.com

THE FOLLOWING RULES AND REGULATIONS SHALL APPLY TO ALL OFFICERS AND ENLISTED MEN SERVING IN AND UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FOR THE DURATION OF THIS CONFLICT:

TREATMENT OF CIVILIANS

1) Be Humane to civilians. After shelling cities, but before burning them, try to give the surviving women & children time to escape if this does not interfere with your schedule of advance. Allow them to take their most treasured possessions; this will facilitate subsequent requisitioning of valuables.

2) Do not be overly hasty in burning the homes of enemy civilians. Try to take time to first remove the silver, gold, jewelry and other transportable booty of war.

2-b) Civilians should not be wantonly subjected to torture and mock executions unless the purpose is to ascertain the location of hidden valuables.

3) Any officer who permits or commits atrocities against civilians can expect to have his promotion to general – by President Lincoln -- held up until after his court martial is completed (the “ Col. Turchin” rule).

4) Show compassion when occupying enemy cities. Respect the rights of civilians, especially the privacy of women. When forcing a female to have sexual relations with you, separate her from her children first; never molest a woman and her daughter in the same room.

5) If you have to shoot a father or husband trying to protect a woman with whom you are forcibly having sexual relations, try to refrain from openly laughing about it in her presence, as this might cause additional and unnecessary stress. But afterwards, as a morale booster, you may want to prop up the dead body in a comical position for the amusement and entertainment of your comrades,[as Potter's Raiders so effectively did in Sumter, S.C.].

6) Be kind to animals. Shooting enemy livestock, horses, & pets between the eyes provides the quickest & most humane death, unless you are short on ammunition. If you nail a pet dog to a family's front door, first make sure the beast is dead, or at least dying. This display of a beloved pet could be considered gruesome by sensitive individuals, and may result in temporarily upsetting enemy civilians. But remember the importance of boosting the morale of your troops through whatever spontaneous recreational opportunities may arise.

6-b) Take good care of your own draft animals in enemy territory. Churches can effectively be used as stables, and overturned pews make excellent feed troughs, and can later be used for firewood. Churches can also be used as slaughterhouses, and this will help impress the enemy as to the seriousness of our purpose.

7) Restrictions on the shooting of civilians and on firing indiscriminately into crowds of rowdy people do not apply to draft riots and other civil disturbances in New York and other cities in the United States of America, especially if they involve newly-arrived immigrants.

8) Reassure your religiously and morally observant soldiers not to be dismayed by the utter destruction we are inflicting on the South and its civilian population. After the War, we will institute a major “Reconstruction” program.

POLICY ON INDIANS

9) If you have men under your command who are especially skilled at and delight in openly and wantonly killing women & children, immediately have them transferred to the West, where they are needed in our war against the Indians.

9-b) The war-like tribes of brutes and savages in the western U.S. are never to be referred to as “Native Americans” but rather as “Indians” or “Redskins.”

10) There are extra opportunities available for troops who have excelled at warfare against civilians and who are desirous of engaging in post-War genocide in the cause of Freedom and Union. They may be eligible to apply to generals Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, or Custer for extensions of tours of duty and eventual transfer to the Western Theater’s Indian Wars, which these officers will be leading. Experience in killing helpless women and children, without hesitation, preferred.

11) By using Colored Troops (“Buffalo Soldiers”) whenever possible to wipe out the Indians, you can accomplish this objective while avoiding the appearance of “racism” and “imperialism.”

RESTRICTIONS ON LOOTING

12) Anyone observing a Union soldier engaging secretly in the looting of valuables shall report to his superior officer the name and unit of the perpetrator and the types and number of valuables being taken. This will allow for a proper appraisal, distribution and sharing of the goods.

13) Be ethical when appropriating silver & other valuables from homes. Try to minimize the anguish of the family involved. For example, if silver service is being requisitioned, promise to return it after it is used for that evening’s meal. Remember to treat these valuables with care and respect, and that they must be shared with your commander and other officers.

14) Do not requisition or remove hard-to-transport valuables such as paintings, books, historical documents, family Bibles, furniture, or large antiques. These categories are generally not to be looted, but should be burned instead. In the case of bales of cotton, check with your quartermaster.

TREATMENT OF PRISONERS

15) Treat your Confederate POW’s with respect. After they surrender, shooting just a few prisoners should suffice to intimidate the rest. It may not be necessary, in most circumstances, to shoot them all, even though they are guilty of the capital offense of treason. Such restraint will also aid in the conservation of ammunition.

16) POW’s can be useful in maintaining the morale of your troops under difficult circumstances. Be creative in utilizing such entertainment for your men. Consider the fact that a large number of your Rebel POW’s will be hungry, shoeless, and in tattered uniforms, and many will be young boys and old men. Calling attention to the plight of the Rebels in a scornful and derisive manner can elevate the self-esteem of your men. This may also provide important recreational opportunities for your troops, such as engaging in humiliation and derision of your prisoners and their quaint devotion to “honor” and ‘country.”

17) Every prison administrator and guard should familiarize himself with and closely adhere to the rules governing the care and treatment of POW’s, which should meet or exceed “Point Lookout” standards. For example, it is strictly required that one blanket be issued for every sixteen prisoners. No more than forty prisoners may be placed in Sibley tents designed to hold 16 men.

18) It is our duty to ensure that prisoner deaths from starvation, malnutrition, disease, and shootings not exceed 25%, and incidences of diarrhea and malaria be held to under 50%. If the prison is located on a swamp or shoreline, be alert for possibilities to supplement prisoners’ diet with dead seagulls and rotting fish on the beach. And while infestations of lice and rodents may be considered by some to be a nuisance, it can also be an important source of protein when other nourishment is scarce or unavailable.

19) Proceeds from the sale of food and clothing diverted from POW’s must be properly accounted for and shared with superior officers.

20) Keep in mind that the high incidence of malnutrition and disease among POW’s, while regrettable in some respects, serves to weaken the prisoners, lessen the chances of escape, and ultimately mean fewer mouths to feed.

21) The aforementioned rules on POW’s do not apply to The Indian Wars, as we do not take Indians prisoner. Policy in this regard is governed by General Philip Sheridan’s dictum, “A good Indian is a dead Indian.”

MILITARY TACTICS

22) When burning cities, libraries, courthouses, hospitals, churches, and other such institutions and structures in the South, always blame retreating Confederates .

23) Do not worry that burning crops & farms will deny food to Union POW's held by the South, whom Union policy prevents from being exchanged for Rebel POW’s. We must think long-term, and be aware that starving Union prisoners will provide us with good propaganda, and after the War, an excuse for war crimes trials.

24) Do not be too eager to attack the enemy; remember that our manpower reserves are virtually unlimited. Wait for your reinforcements & until you outnumber the enemy 5 to 1, or even better, 10 to 1. Consider having your units of Colored Troops lead the charge and take most of the casualties.

25) When shooting retreating U.S. Colored Troops, try to place the blame on the Confederates for such “massacres.”

POLICY ON SLAVES AND SLAVERY

26) If you or some of your men, or your families, own slaves, do not be concerned about The Emancipation Proclamation, it does not apply to you, only to the States in Rebellion.

26-b) Likewise, President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (“Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation…dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal…”) applies only to White Males, not women, Blacks, or, most emphatically, Indians.

27) If your unit is being followed and bothered by liberated slaves, the best way to get rid of this nuisance is to cross a river and burn the bridge. Do not delay your advance by trying to save freed slaves who appear to be drowning while trying to cross the river. They may just be exuberantly enjoying a dip in the water. In any event, our mission is to free the Southern slaves, not feed and take care of them.

28) Do not worry about the temporary state of lawlessness and chaos among freed slaves. President Lincoln has promised to send most of them back to Africa (“Colonization”: “Send them to Liberia, their own native land”), and has assured that those who remain will never be treated as the equal of Whites.

29) The lynching of uncooperative freed slaves is discouraged when done openly, except when helpful to morale or to set an example for others, or when a slave refuses to leave his home and remains loyal to his or her former owners.

30) In order to expedite our War being fought for Human Rights and against the oppression of the Negro, all military units are to be kept strictly segregated, and salaries for U.S. Colored Troops are to be calculated at approximately 50% those of whites.

MAINTAINING MORALE OF THE TROOPS

31) Orders to “Live off the land” when conducting operations in enemy territory shall be liberally interpreted, as virtually unlimited permission to loot, pillage, burn, rape, kill, and destroy.

32) Always remember, we are fighting for freedom and liberty. That is why it is necessary to close any Northern newspaper and jail anyone that opposes our cause; to abolish numerous civil liberties guaranteed by the Constitution, such as the right of Habeus corpus; to shoot antiwar demonstrators in New York; to burn the cities of enemy civilians; to expel “Jews as a class” from conquered territories (General Grant’s general order # 11); and to extirpate the Native Americans from their homelands.

33) Troop morale can often be improved by permitting limited and appropriate interaction with Rebel POW’s. This can also benefit the prisoners by providing opportunities for exercise and play. Some recommended activities (which have been successfully employed at Point Lookout) include: having prisoners kneel and pray for President Lincoln, and carry prison guards around on their backs. However, care must be observed in such interactions as many if not most prisoners suffer from diarrhea, typhoid fever, malaria, and other diseases.

34) In some cases, it has been found that shooting prisoners randomly at night while they sleep has effectively raised morale and self-esteem among guards while increasing discipline among the POW’s.

35) Humor, properly utilized, is an excellent way to boost and maintain morale under stressful circumstances. Try to start off the day by giving your troops a good laugh, such as announcing, at breakfast, “Today, men, we’re going to go out and fight fair, and obey the internationally-accepted rules of warfare.”
35-b) When in enemy territory, it has been found that digging up coffins, splitting them open with an axe, and standing them on end can provide an attentive “audience” for impromptu concerts or other such entertainment events.

36) Since our troops have been indoctrinated with the view that the enemy consists of evil racists and traitors fighting for slavery , be prepared for your men to become confused when they encounter among enemy soldiers large numbers of Native Americans, Jews, Hispanics, Asians, and poor Irish, German, and Italian immigrants, even black Confederates, and almost no owners of slaves -- all of whom think they are fighting for their families and homeland against an invasion from the North.

37) Respond to inquiries from your troops who wonder what they are doing in the South by repeatedly emphasizing that “the War is being fought to end slavery and free the slaves.” If asked about the slaves owned by General Grant's family and other Northerners, deny they exist.

38) If any of your men ask about Rebel claims that the U.S. Constitution permits states to secede from the Union, see # 37 above. Above all, do not permit any copies of the Constitution to be laying around that might be seen or read by your troops.

39) It is strictly forbidden to call The Commander in Chief, even jokingly, a “tyrant,” a “dictator,’ a “warmonger,” “mentally ill,” or more commonly, “an ape.” President Lincoln is rather to be referred to as “The Great Emancipator,” “The Great Conciliator,” “Honest Abe,” or in other such laudatory terms. He is unaware of and not responsible for any atrocities that have occurred (such as the burning of cities), even if he ordered them.

40) President Lincoln is to be portrayed in all writings as “wise”, “kind,” “compassionate,” “a healer,” and pictured whenever possible with his arm around his young son, Tad. Southern leaders, including Robert E. Lee, are to be described as cruel and evil, and fighting to defend not their homeland but slavery, even if they oppose the institution.

IN CONCLUSION

To summarize, the honor of the Union soldier and the vindication of our cause, as reflected in this Code of Conduct, are of paramount concern in our waging of this War. It is therefore of the utmost importance that the story of this conflict be properly and accurately recorded.

That is why any erroneous accounts -- those that contradict our version of events -- should be eliminated or discredited, through the burning or other destruction of cities, libraries, homes, courthouses, and any other Confederate repositories of historical documents and records.

History, as we write it, will be our judge.

The Truth – as we tell it – shall prevail.

(These rules of conduct, unwritten until now, were compiled, satirically, based on actual, documented policies, behavior, incidents, and activities undertaken by the United States Army and government during, and for a few years after, The War Between the States. Some were based on the recorded experiences of members of my extended family ( the Moses’ of Georgia and South Carolina, about two to three dozen of whom fought for the Confederacy), who were subjected to death in battle, execution, imprisonment, and occupation of their home by the Yankees.
This document can be reprinted and posted with permission and only in its entirety, as long as the copyright and credit at end are included.)

Copyright 2003 Lewis Regenstein

More on Dodge County Courthouse

2011-05-11T22:22:00.000-05:00

NAACP: “The flag must go!”

The flag must go!” That was the message the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) relayed at a rally on the front steps of the Dodge County Courthouse in reference to the Confederate battle flag that flies on the courthouse grounds on Tuesday, May 3 at approximately 5:30 p.m., just before a board of commissioners meeting was to be held.

Read it HERE & comment

Fairfax Civil War Day Set for May 7

2011-04-30T00:22:00.002-05:00

FAIRFAX, Va. — Experience American Civil War camp life and weapon-firing demonstrations during Fairfax Civil War Day to be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 7 at the Historic Blenheim Estate, 3610 Old Lee Highway. The event kicks off the city’s year-long program of activities commemorating the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War.

Fairfax Civil War Day features re-enactors and activities, including all-day demonstrations on blacksmithing with an 1862 traveling forge, railroads, and soldier research. Special guests will portray historical figures General Robert E. Lee, Colonel John S. Mosby, photographer Matthew Brady and a “Yankee Schoolmarm.”

Scheduled events include talks on a variety of Civil War-related topics — slave life, the telegraph, soldiers’ graves, special presentations on Lee’s resignation and the Skirmish at Fairfax — in the award-winning Civil War Interpretive Center. The center will feature guided tours of its gallery, including exhibits on secession and the Blenheim house attic graffiti.

Other activities include firing demonstrations of a Howitzer cannon artillery gun as well as youth activities, such as a “boot camp” for kids, scavenger hunt and more. Enthusiasts of all ages can enjoy wagon rides through soldier camps, period music by Home Front and dancing with the Victorian Dance Society.

The Blenheim house, built circa 1859, is nationally renown for the Civil War soldier inscriptions left on house walls. The City of Fairfax purchased the Blenheim house and the surrounding 12 acres of land in 1999, and the house currently is under restoration.

Admission is $5 per adult and $3 per child age 12 and younger. Proceeds benefit the restoration and maintenance of the Historic Blenheim Estate. Free parking and shuttle service are provided at Fairfax High School, 3501 Rebel Run.

This event is produced by the City of Fairfax; Historic Fairfax City Inc.; and the 17th Virginia Infantry, Company D “Fairfax Rifles.” For information — including directions, parking, and a complete event schedule, plus a list of the city’s sesquicentennial events — visit www.fairfaxva.gov or call 703-591-0560.

VISTORS TO PARALYZED VET WHO DISPLAYED COPNFEDERATE FLAG IN HOSPITAL ROOM SAY VA SECURITY THREATENED THEM, SIEZED THEIR CAMERAS, DESTROYED PICTURES

2011-04-28T23:56:00.002-05:00

MEMPHIS, TN -- Family and friends visiting paralyzed Korean War veteran Perry Thrasher in his room at the Veterans' Administration Hospital in Memphis say hospital police "harassed and threatened" them, temporarily confiscated their cameras and removed pictures from them Wednesday.

The hospital police said they were acting in accordance with a "VA policy" which they would not name or explain, witnesses say.

Several people were in Thrasher's room taking pictures of black Confederate activist H. K. Edgerton visiting Thrasher and presenting him with a full-sized Confederate battle flag. Earlier this month, hospital administrators had demanded that Thrasher, the grandson of a Confederate soldier who died at the Battle of Petersburg, remove a miniature Confederate flag he had placed on the wall inside his own hospital room and put it away it in a drawer because it "offended" unnamed staff and patients.

News of the hospital's action went viral on the Internet and has sent waves of outrage through the South and beyond. Well-wishers have sent Thrasher dozens of letters and cards of encouragement, many containing tiny Confederate flags. The Sons of Confederate Veterans has made him a life member. And The Southern Legal Resource Center and Memphis Attorney T. Tarry Beasley II have sent a letter on behalf of Thrasher to Memphis VA Hospital Director Jay Robinson, demanding that the hospital cite any legal authority they rely on for banning Thrasher's flag from his private room, an action which the SLRC says is in gross violation of the hospital's own Patient Bill of Rights. The letter also demands an explanation of the "policy" under which the hospital police siezed the cameras and removed the pictures.

"It's disgraceful that a veteran who defended his country should be treated in this manner in a Veterans Administration Hospital where the protections of the Bill of Rights should theoretically apply," said Edgerton, himself a Vietnam era veteran.

"Mr. Thrasher displayed his flag to honor the memory of his Great Grandfather, Sgt. Gilbert Thrasher, Co I, 44th Alabama Infantry Regiment who died of wounds received in action at the Siege of Petersburg. We support Mr.Thrasher's stand to honor his ancestor's sacrifice." said Forrest Camp member Karl Amelang.

"This type of outrageous infringement should not happen to a veteran, in America, in a federal facility," said attorney Beasley.

"Ever since this story broke three weeks ago, there has been widespread support and sympathy for Mr. Thrasher. The VA needs to do the right thing and let him display his flag," said Lyons, who is the SLRC's Chief Trial Counsel.

The Southern Legal Resource Center is a non-profit public law firm that advocates on behalf of persons whose civil rights have been infringed in conmnection with Southern heritage issues.

Southern Legal Resource Center
90 Church Street
P.O.Box 1235
Black Mountain, NC 28711

slrc@slrc-csa.org
www.slrc-csa.org

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