June 2023 Dispatch
Next Meeting: Tuesday, June 27
SCV MEMBERSHIP DUES
It won’t be long before we each receive a membership dues notice from the SCV. Please give this immediate consideration. Like last year we need to have 100% retention in our membership.
WHY?
If not ME, who? If not Now, when?
WHY?
- We have a great camp with great members doing a great job in community service. Your help makes the camp a great team!
- Our membership is all about learning our history, protecting our heritage and honoring our ancestors. What is more important?
- With two significant judgments in our favor by the Georgia Supreme Court, we are slowly winning the battle to save our monuments.
- We need you in our numbers when we approach our legislators. Simply put, the more of us the stronger our voice.
If not ME, who? If not Now, when?
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Since it is SCV dues time, you may wish to become a life member. Should you wish to do so these numbers would represent your investment. Especially if one is older in age, if one looks at this long term, it is quite a deal.
- National Life Membership:
- $875.00 for ages 12-64
- $437.50 for ages 65-79
- $218.75 for ages 80 and above
- Division Life Membership:
- $500.00 for ages 12-64
- $250.00 for ages 65 and above
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June 27th Program:
Griswoldville: Confederate Pistol Factory and Battle
by Robert C. Jones
Griswoldville: Confederate Pistol Factory and Battle
by Robert C. Jones
Robert C. Jones served as President of the Kennesaw Historical Society for 21 years (1994-2015),
and also served as a member of the executive board of the Kennesaw Museum Foundation for 17 years (1998-2015).
The Museum Foundation helped fund the 45,000 square foot Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, GA.
Robert has written 50+ books on historical topics, including “Top Innovations of World War II, “A Guide to the Civil War in Georgia”,
and “Heroes and Heroines of the American Revolution”. He will have some books available for sale.
In 2018, Robert was awarded the Women in American History medal from the National Society of the Daughters of the American.
and also served as a member of the executive board of the Kennesaw Museum Foundation for 17 years (1998-2015).
The Museum Foundation helped fund the 45,000 square foot Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, GA.
Robert has written 50+ books on historical topics, including “Top Innovations of World War II, “A Guide to the Civil War in Georgia”,
and “Heroes and Heroines of the American Revolution”. He will have some books available for sale.
In 2018, Robert was awarded the Women in American History medal from the National Society of the Daughters of the American.
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Cleaning Our Confederate Monument
See Community / Activities / May 2023
See Community / Activities / May 2023
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Announcements
- Please pray for our compatriot Woody Woodard. Recently, Woody has undergone back surgery and his road to recovery has not been easy. Please, continue to pray for Compatriot Durham Milburn. And, please pray for Compatriot Shawn King’s mother who is sick in Arkansas.
- Work has begun on cleaning Confederate veterans gravestones at Thomson Memorial Cemetery. A notice will be sent out several days before we intend to work. There will be multiple opportunities.
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June 1862, WBTS
The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, nearby Sandston, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive up the Virginia Peninsula by Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, in which the Army of the Potomac reached the outskirts of Richmond.
On May 31, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston attempted to overwhelm two Federal corps that appeared isolated south of the Chickahominy River. The Confederate assaults, although not well coordinated, succeeded in driving back the IV Corps and inflicting heavy casualties. Reinforcements arrived, and both sides fed more and more troops into the action. Supported by the III Corps and Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick's division of Maj. Gen. Edwin V. Sumner's II Corps (which crossed the rain-swollen river on Grapevine Bridge), the Federal position was finally stabilized. Gen. Johnston was seriously wounded during the action, and command of the Confederate army devolved temporarily to Maj. Gen. G. W. Smith. On June 1, the Confederates renewed their assaults against the Federals, who had brought up more reinforcements, but made little headway. Both sides claimed victory.[3]
Although the battle was tactically inconclusive, it was the largest battle in the Eastern Theater up to that time (and second only to Shiloh in terms of casualties thus far, about 11,000 total). Gen. Johnston's injury also had profound influence on the war: it led to the appointment of Robert E. Lee as Confederate commander. The more aggressive Lee initiated the Seven Days Battles, leading to a Union retreat in late June.[4] Seven Pines therefore marked the closest Union forces came to Richmond in this offensive.
Source: Wikipedia
On May 31, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston attempted to overwhelm two Federal corps that appeared isolated south of the Chickahominy River. The Confederate assaults, although not well coordinated, succeeded in driving back the IV Corps and inflicting heavy casualties. Reinforcements arrived, and both sides fed more and more troops into the action. Supported by the III Corps and Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick's division of Maj. Gen. Edwin V. Sumner's II Corps (which crossed the rain-swollen river on Grapevine Bridge), the Federal position was finally stabilized. Gen. Johnston was seriously wounded during the action, and command of the Confederate army devolved temporarily to Maj. Gen. G. W. Smith. On June 1, the Confederates renewed their assaults against the Federals, who had brought up more reinforcements, but made little headway. Both sides claimed victory.[3]
Although the battle was tactically inconclusive, it was the largest battle in the Eastern Theater up to that time (and second only to Shiloh in terms of casualties thus far, about 11,000 total). Gen. Johnston's injury also had profound influence on the war: it led to the appointment of Robert E. Lee as Confederate commander. The more aggressive Lee initiated the Seven Days Battles, leading to a Union retreat in late June.[4] Seven Pines therefore marked the closest Union forces came to Richmond in this offensive.
Source: Wikipedia
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Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania
David and Myrna rode horses where his Confederate ancestor fought July 1-3, 1863.
David and Myrna rode horses where his Confederate ancestor fought July 1-3, 1863.
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Commander’s Post
Dennis Prager is a columnist for The Daily Signal,nationally syndicated radio host, and creator of PragerU. Slavery, the Left, and Truth By Dennis Prager |
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A generation of Americans is being raised on half-truths and lies about the history of slavery in America. They are given the impression that America was uniquely bad and that American slavery was uniquely bad. They learn nothing about slavery elsewhere. Among the many lies they are told are that “black slaves built America” and that America is systemically racist. Since the only mortal enemy of the Left is truth, here are some truths about slavery.
America’s Slavery Compared to Slavery Elsewhere
If you are interested in morality and committed to truth, you do not ask, “Who had slaves?” You ask, “Who ended slavery?”
Who had slaves?
Cornell professor Sandra Greene, a black scholar of African history, notes, “Slavery in the United States ended in 1865, but in West Africa it was not legally ended until 1875, and then it stretched on unofficially until almost World War I.”
The numbers of slaves
Yet, the American Left never mentions this important moral point—because the Left-controlled education system suppresses facts it finds inconvenient, and the Left is not interested in morality or truth, but in vilifying America.
And then there is Arab/Muslim enslavement of blacks. Professor Paul Lovejoy, in his “Transformations in Slavery: A History of Slavery in Africa” (Cambridge University Press, 2012), reveals that from the beginning of Islam in the seventh century through the year 1600, the estimated number of Africans enslaved by Muslims was about 7 million. After 1600, it was about a million per year. Do American students ever learn about the Arab/Muslim slave trade? How many know, for example, that a great percentage of the African male slaves were castrated so that they could not
have families?
Who had slaves?
- Every civilization throughout history had slaves: Asian societies, Africans, Native Americans, and other Indigenous peoples around the world, and the Muslim/Arab world, which may have had the most slaves of all.
- There was only one thing unique about slavery in the West: It raised the issue of the morality of slavery, ferociously debated it, and finally abolished it there, before it was abolished in any other civilization.
Cornell professor Sandra Greene, a black scholar of African history, notes, “Slavery in the United States ended in 1865, but in West Africa it was not legally ended until 1875, and then it stretched on unofficially until almost World War I.”
The numbers of slaves
- According to the authoritative SlaveVoyages.org, the total number of black slaves imported from Africa into America was 305,326.
- The number of black slaves other countries imported from Africa into the rest of the New World—i.e., into the Caribbean and South America—was 12,521,337.
Yet, the American Left never mentions this important moral point—because the Left-controlled education system suppresses facts it finds inconvenient, and the Left is not interested in morality or truth, but in vilifying America.
And then there is Arab/Muslim enslavement of blacks. Professor Paul Lovejoy, in his “Transformations in Slavery: A History of Slavery in Africa” (Cambridge University Press, 2012), reveals that from the beginning of Islam in the seventh century through the year 1600, the estimated number of Africans enslaved by Muslims was about 7 million. After 1600, it was about a million per year. Do American students ever learn about the Arab/Muslim slave trade? How many know, for example, that a great percentage of the African male slaves were castrated so that they could not
have families?
‘Black Slaves Built America'
This is another lie of the Left.
Those who make this argument point to the lucrative cotton manufacturing and trade in the 19th century—the industry in which black slaves were primarily used in the American South.
But University of Illinois professor of economics Deirdre McCloskey answered this:
Growing cotton, unlike sugar or rice, never required slavery. By 1870, freedmen and whites produced as much cotton as the South produced in the slave time of 1860. Cotton was not a slave crop in India or in southwest China, where it was grown in bulk … That slaves produced cotton does not imply that they were essential or causal in the production …
“The United States and the United Kingdom and the rest would have become just as rich without the 250 years of unrequited toil. They have remained rich, observe, even after the peculiar institution was abolished, because their riches did not depend on its sinfulness.”
But one need not know anything about cotton to understand how false “Black slaves built America” is. All you need is common sense.
Those who make this argument point to the lucrative cotton manufacturing and trade in the 19th century—the industry in which black slaves were primarily used in the American South.
But University of Illinois professor of economics Deirdre McCloskey answered this:
Growing cotton, unlike sugar or rice, never required slavery. By 1870, freedmen and whites produced as much cotton as the South produced in the slave time of 1860. Cotton was not a slave crop in India or in southwest China, where it was grown in bulk … That slaves produced cotton does not imply that they were essential or causal in the production …
“The United States and the United Kingdom and the rest would have become just as rich without the 250 years of unrequited toil. They have remained rich, observe, even after the peculiar institution was abolished, because their riches did not depend on its sinfulness.”
But one need not know anything about cotton to understand how false “Black slaves built America” is. All you need is common sense.
- First, even if slavery accounted for much of the wealth of the South, the Civil War that brought slavery to an end in the United States wiped out nearly all of that wealth and cost the Union billions (in today’s dollars).
- Second, if slavery built the American economy, the most robust economy in world history, why didn’t Brazil become an economic superpower? Brazil imported 4 million black slaves, about 12 times as many as America. Why did the slave-owning American South lag so far behind the North economically?
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Why did England, which,
though it played a major role in the transatlantic slave trade until the beginning of the 19th century, had almost no slaves, become the most advanced economy of the 19th century?
"Black slaves built America” is left-wing propaganda to vilify America and to discredit capitalism.
“America is systemically racist.”
This is the Great Left Lie.
Four million black people emigrated to the United States since the 1960s – and tens of millions more would if they could. Are they all fools? Why would anyone move to a country that is systemically bigoted against them? Did any Jews emigrate to Germany in the 1930s?
Blacks have emigrated to the United States because they know what Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the black woman who fled her homeland of Somalia and who now writes and lectures in America, knows:
“What the media do not tell you is that America is the best place on the planet to be black, female, gay, trans, or what have you.”
Blacks emigrating to America know what Algerian writer Kamel Daoud, writing in Le Monde and Le Point, knows:
It is forbidden to say that the West is also the place to which we flee when we want to escape the injustice of our country of origin, dictatorship, war, hunger, or simply boredom. It is fashionable to say that the West is guilty of everything.
As regards American slavery and everything else, always remember this: Truth is a liberal value, and truth is a conservative value. It is not a left-wing value.
COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS
The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. (June 2023 Commentary)
Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.
Original post on April 18, 2023 on Townhall.com: https://townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/2023/04/18/slavery-the-left-and-truth-n2622075
though it played a major role in the transatlantic slave trade until the beginning of the 19th century, had almost no slaves, become the most advanced economy of the 19th century?
"Black slaves built America” is left-wing propaganda to vilify America and to discredit capitalism.
“America is systemically racist.”
This is the Great Left Lie.
Four million black people emigrated to the United States since the 1960s – and tens of millions more would if they could. Are they all fools? Why would anyone move to a country that is systemically bigoted against them? Did any Jews emigrate to Germany in the 1930s?
Blacks have emigrated to the United States because they know what Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the black woman who fled her homeland of Somalia and who now writes and lectures in America, knows:
“What the media do not tell you is that America is the best place on the planet to be black, female, gay, trans, or what have you.”
Blacks emigrating to America know what Algerian writer Kamel Daoud, writing in Le Monde and Le Point, knows:
It is forbidden to say that the West is also the place to which we flee when we want to escape the injustice of our country of origin, dictatorship, war, hunger, or simply boredom. It is fashionable to say that the West is guilty of everything.
As regards American slavery and everything else, always remember this: Truth is a liberal value, and truth is a conservative value. It is not a left-wing value.
COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS
The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. (June 2023 Commentary)
Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.
Original post on April 18, 2023 on Townhall.com: https://townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/2023/04/18/slavery-the-left-and-truth-n2622075
May 2023 Dispatch
Next Meeting -- Tuesday, May 23
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Sam Davis: Confederate Hero
by Lewis Smith Lewis Smith, born in 1947 at University Hospital, attended local schools and graduated from Richmond Academy in 1965. He attended Georgia Tech two years as a co-op with Southern Railroad and then served four years from 1967-1971 in the US Navy. Graduating from Augusta College in 1974, Lewis worked for CPA firms in Augusta before moving to Thomson to start his own firm in 1981. Lewis retired when his son Jason bought his practice in 2006.
Lewis was the Thomson - McDuffie Museum volunteer Curator and Director for 10 years and has been its Treasurer for 20 years. Lewis wrote many columns for The McDuffie Progress newspaper and has had four articles published in Georgia Backroads magazine. Lewis and his wife JoAnn co-wrote McDuffie County’s 150th Anniversary book. Lewis is a proud member of the Sons of American Revolution and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. |
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National Confederate Memorial Day Service
Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial Park Saturday, April 29 Outstanding Keynote Address by Pastor John Weaver He examined why Confederate soldiers felt it necessary to fight, defending their homeland from invading armies and preserving their freedoms,esp. for self rule. Camp 91 had 9 representatives to enjoy the fellowship and Support the Cause. |
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Announcements
- The 126th Annual SCV Reunion, Georgia Division, is Saturday, June 10, at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, GA. Note: it is a one-day event this year. We are sending four voting delegates: Jimmy Crawley. Tom Holley, Mike Lacefield and Lewis Smith.
- The Sons of Confederate Veterans national reunion is July 19-23 in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is hosted by James M. Keller Camp #648.
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For flag marking and our cleaned monument, see Community / Activities / April 2023.
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WBTS Dates for May
- May 24, 1861 - United States forces cross the Potomac River and occupy Arlington Heights, the home of future Confederate General Robert E. Lee. It is during the occupation of nearby Alexandria that Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, commander of the 11th New York Infantry and a close friend of the Lincolns, is shot dead by the owner of the Marshall House just after removing a Confederate flag from its roof. Ellsworth is the first US officer killed in the war.
- Late May, 1861 - Richmond becomes the capitol of the Confederacy. Richmond was the Confederacy's second largest and most industrialized city.
- May 25, 1862 - First Battle of Winchester, Virginia. After two weeks of maneuvering and battles at Cross Keys and Front Royal, Confederate General "Stonewall" Jackson attacks US forces at Winchester and successfully drives them from the city. The victory is the culmination of his 1862 Valley Campaign.
- May 31-June 1, 1862 - The Battle of Seven Pines near Richmond, Virginia. General Joseph Johnston, commander of the Confederate army in Virginia is wounded and replaced by Robert E. Lee who renames his command the "Army of Northern Virginia".
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- May 18, 1863 - Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi begins. US forces under General Ulysses S. Grant attack Confederate defenses outside the city on May 19-22. If Vicksburg falls, the Mississippi River will be completely controlled by the United States.
- May 22, 1863 - The US War Department issues General Order No. 143 establishes the United States Colored Troops.
- May 5-6, 1864 - Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia, the opening battle of the Overland Campaign. US General Ulysses S. Grant, accompanying the Army of the Potomac under General Meade, issued orders for the campaign to begin on May 3. Lee responded by attacking the Federal column in the dense woods and underbrush of an area known as the Wilderness, west of Fredericksburg, Virginia.
- May 7, 1864 - Beginning of the Atlanta Campaign. With three US Armies under his command, General William T. Sherman marched south from Tennessee into Georgia against the Confederate Army of Tennessee under General Joseph Johnston, the objective being the city of Atlanta.
- May 8-21, 1864 - Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia. Lee successfully stalls Grant's drive toward Richmond.
- May 11, 1864 - Battle of Yellow Tavern. Six miles north of Richmond, Confederate cavalry under General J.E.B. Stuart block Federal cavalry under General Philip Sheridan. General Stuart was mortally wounded during the encounter.
- May 4, 1865 - General Richard Taylor surrenders Confederate forces in the Department of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana.
- May 10, 1865 - Confederate President Jefferson Davis is captured near Irwinville, Georgia.
- May 12, 1865 - The final battle of the Civil War takes place at Palmito Ranch, Texas. It is a Confederate victory.
- May 23, 1865 - The Grand Review of the Army of the Potomac in Washington, DC.
- May 24, 1865 - The Grand Review of General Sherman's Army in Washington, DC.
- May 26, 1865 - General Simon Bolivar Buckner agrees to terms of surrender of the Army of the Trans-Mississippi, which are agreed to on June 2, 1865. With this surrender of the last large Confederate army, the Civil War officially ends. (Confederate Brigadier General Stand Waite did not surrender until June 23, and one Confederate ship, the CSS Shenandoah, docked in Liverpool and surrendered to the Royal Navy on November 6, 1865.)
Source: Civil War Timeline. Gettysburg National Military Park, PA.
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Columbus, Georgia: A Great Place to Visit & Learn about Confederate History
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Left: Dr. Samuel Hollingsworth Stout was the Director of Georgia Hospitals. Camp 91 enjoyed a great presentation about him.
Center & Right: Magnificent museum with largest Confederate warship, the CSS Jackson, and largest collection of Civil War naval flags anywhere.
Center & Right: Magnificent museum with largest Confederate warship, the CSS Jackson, and largest collection of Civil War naval flags anywhere.
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Left: Linwood Cemetery, founded in 1828, in Columbus, GA, has over 200 Confederate graves.
Center: Grave of General Paul Jones Semmes, led Semmes Brigade: 10th, 51st, 52nd, and 53rd infantry regiments of Georgia.
*** Included 10th GA, Co. F, Thomson Guards *** Semmes was mortally wounded the second day at Gettysburg.
Right: Capt. Henry Wirz, although hanged for war crimes, is remembered by local citizens for his valiant efforts in managing the ill equipped Camp Sumter prison in Andersonville, GA.
Center: Grave of General Paul Jones Semmes, led Semmes Brigade: 10th, 51st, 52nd, and 53rd infantry regiments of Georgia.
*** Included 10th GA, Co. F, Thomson Guards *** Semmes was mortally wounded the second day at Gettysburg.
Right: Capt. Henry Wirz, although hanged for war crimes, is remembered by local citizens for his valiant efforts in managing the ill equipped Camp Sumter prison in Andersonville, GA.
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Dr. John S. Pemberton,
pharmacist, Confederate soldier and originator of the Coca-Cola formula |
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Commander’s Post
What did we expect?
What did we expect?
According to the latest Wall Street Journal poll, values that have always defined us as Americans have decreased dramatically in the last five years! Again, what did we expect to happen when:
- Our nation’s commander-in-chief is in fact the abortionist-in-chief. He is leading the charge in denying value of human life. If there is no support for this basic premise of life, which other values are of no consequence. Did you know, New York City is now advertising abortion services in Georgia? It is funded with $1 million dollars and staffed 12 hours a day, six days a week, with bilingual staff. The Federal government just can’t abide state’s rights.
- The Ten Commandments, basic rules, have long since been removed from schools and courthouses. No prayer is allowed. The Federal government, originally founded by Godly men with Godly principals, has vanquished God from our lives.
- From kindergarten through the university experience our children are brainwashed into believing that America is bad. The WSJ poll shows that the focus on equity has decreased tolerance from 80% in 1998, to 58% today. Equity means that we all must become the same. Tolerance means accepting the unique differences in one another.
- Organized religion is railed against from nearly every podium as being the most intolerant institution in our society. Currently, the Methodist church is under assault by its own bishops for not allowing gays in the pulpit. Bible verses are being rewritten or ignored to accommodate equity. The majority of the membership accept gays. But, that membership is not willing to accept gays teaching our children by misrepresenting the Bible to meet their agenda.
- The ability of our armed forces to recruit is at an all time low. Recently, the SCV published an article examining why Southern young people aren’t interested in joining the Woke service. It isn’t about fighting for one’s country any longer; it is about accepting Woke ideology and fighting for warped principles. Patriotism is at an all time low. Again, according to the WSJ’s poll, the importance of patriotism has dropped from 70% in 1998, to 38% in 2023.
- What used to be bad is now readily accepted as normal; please take words for example. Watch any Hollywood movie rated over PG. Cursing has become the trade off for good acting - and, especially, the F-word. I once traveled extensively for business in the northeast and was appalled at how language had degraded into nothing but cussing. That bad language is quickly becoming universal.
- Every night on the news we witness young people robbing stores or assaulting elder folks. (I meant to say Fox News because the other major networks don’t report it; it doesn’t match their liberal agenda). We then learn that either they were not arrested or they were immediately released on ‘no bail’. There are no consequences for their actions. The district attorneys, usually black, raised and promoted thru affirmative action, understand the criminals’ plight.
- Through a cosmic epiphany, all large blue cities in the country have now discovered that the only way to find true equity is to distribute reparations. They are using tax dollars to fund their schemes. Does it not matter that these recipients already receive welfare, social security, housing allowance, food stamps, free cell phones, free computers with free internet, affirmative action, perhaps free university education, Medicare and Medicaid, etc? And, please recognize, in most cases the poorest of the poor white citizens in those same cities do not qualify specifically because they are white. Our illustrious V.P., herself a product of affirmative action, supports this initiative. So, what did we expect
Results - A very close and dear friend of mine spent his year in Vietnam. Terry was perhaps one of the most patriotic people one would ever meet. It could be said that he wore his love for this country on his sleeve. But, during a recent conversation, it is evident that his attitude has changed. He simply cannot stomach watching the country he loves and was willing to die for deny its most sacred values.
Well, what did you expect? At no time in our history has the country been more divided. There is good and there is bad. There is right and there is wrong. But, we can’t or we won’t, even agree on that.
Gentlemen, I have barely scratched the surface of our woes. We are in a war for our culture and our country; the culture and country we grew to love and honor. We (if not us, who?) must get engaged immediately (if not now, when?)! Recruit someone and bring them to our meeting.
Respectfully submitted: Tom Holley
Well, what did you expect? At no time in our history has the country been more divided. There is good and there is bad. There is right and there is wrong. But, we can’t or we won’t, even agree on that.
Gentlemen, I have barely scratched the surface of our woes. We are in a war for our culture and our country; the culture and country we grew to love and honor. We (if not us, who?) must get engaged immediately (if not now, when?)! Recruit someone and bring them to our meeting.
Respectfully submitted: Tom Holley
April 2023 Dispatch -- Supplement
Confederate Memorial Day Commemoration
Thomson Memorial Cemetery -- April 15
Thomson Memorial Cemetery -- April 15
Go to the following sections of this website:
Community / Activities / April 2023
Our Heroes / Cross of Honor
Community / Activities / April 2023
Our Heroes / Cross of Honor
April 2023 Dispatch
Next Meeting -- Saturday, April 15
Confederate Memorial Day Commemoration
Confederate Memorial Day Commemoration
10:30 a.m. -- Thomson Memorial Cemetery, 212 Tom Watson Way, Thomson
12:00 noon -- Lunch and Fellowship at Fernanda’s Grill and Pizzeria
- Please attend our most important event of the year.
- Note that this memorial service will replace our regular monthly meeting.
- Bring friends, children and lawn chairs.
- Period clothing encouraged; we may change clothes at McDuffie Museum before lunch.
12:00 noon -- Lunch and Fellowship at Fernanda’s Grill and Pizzeria
- 127 Main St. -- Parking behind building or in Knox Shopping Center.
- RSVP -- Respond to this email or text Tom. We expect a large crowd so we need to give the restaurant an approximate number for better service.
Respecting Qualities of the Confederate Soldier
By David Hollingsworth, PhD
By David Hollingsworth, PhD
Dr. David Hollingsworth is the keynote speaker for our camp Confederate Memorial Day ceremony. He will discuss the qualities of the Confederate soldier that we all admire. Dr. Hollingsworth received his BA degree in history from Augusta College. He earned his MA degree in Church History at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He received his PhD at the University of Kentucky with a concentration in US and Southern Religious studies. David is married with two college aged children. Since 1998, he had been a high school teacher or a college professor. He often shares his lectures with Sons of Confederate Veterans camps.
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A Special Treat
David Donehoo and his music students provided a wonderful program on the History of Appalachian Music for our March 28th meeting.
The program was enjoyed by everyone! Many positive comments on their music and their overall presence were expressed.
These students are a fine example of what the youth of America can accomplish with proper leadership.
Thank you to David and Terisa Donehoo for coordinating these efforts.
Thank you, Students, for your willingness to share your talents with us.
David Donehoo and his music students provided a wonderful program on the History of Appalachian Music for our March 28th meeting.
The program was enjoyed by everyone! Many positive comments on their music and their overall presence were expressed.
These students are a fine example of what the youth of America can accomplish with proper leadership.
Thank you to David and Terisa Donehoo for coordinating these efforts.
Thank you, Students, for your willingness to share your talents with us.
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At the March meeting of Camp 91, Thomson Guards,
Mr. Jeffrey Martin Hathorn was inducted into the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Jeffrey entered via his ancestor Private John Younger Hathorn of the 7th Mississippi infantry. Shown in the photo are (l) 1st Lt Commander Jimmy Crawley reading the ceremony script to Jeffrey Hathorn (center) while Commander Tom Holley presents the certificate and pin. Congratulations Jeffrey and welcome to the SCV! |
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
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1. 20th Annual National Confederate Memorial Day Service
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2. The John C. Carter Camp will hold its Confederate Memorial Service on Sunday, April 23, 3:00 p.m., at the Confederate Cemetery in Waynesboro.
3. The E. Porter Alexander Camp in Augusta will hold its annual Confederate Memorial Day Commemoration service Saturday, May 6, at 10 a.m. It is always held in the Confederate dead section in Magnolia Cemetery. They always do a good job; please support their efforts.
4. The 126th Annual SCV Reunion, Georgia Division, is Saturday, June 10, at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, GA.
Note: it is a one-day event this year. Camp 91 can send four voting delegates.
5. The Sons of Confederate Veterans national reunion is July 19-23 in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is hosted by James M. Keller Camp #648.
3. The E. Porter Alexander Camp in Augusta will hold its annual Confederate Memorial Day Commemoration service Saturday, May 6, at 10 a.m. It is always held in the Confederate dead section in Magnolia Cemetery. They always do a good job; please support their efforts.
4. The 126th Annual SCV Reunion, Georgia Division, is Saturday, June 10, at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, GA.
Note: it is a one-day event this year. Camp 91 can send four voting delegates.
5. The Sons of Confederate Veterans national reunion is July 19-23 in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is hosted by James M. Keller Camp #648.
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WBTS Dates for April
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Confederacy, is killed on the first day of fighting. The Federal victory further secures the career of US General Ulysses S. Grant.
- April 24-25, 1862 - A Federal fleet of gunships under Admiral David Farragut passes Confederate forts guarding the mouth of the Mississippi River. On April 25, the fleet arrived at New Orleans where they demanded the surrender of the city. Within two days the forts fall to Federal forces and the mouth of the great river is under United States control.
- April 1863 - Federal forces in the east begin a new campaign in Virginia to flank Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at Fredericksburg. In the west, a Federal army has begun a campaign to surround and take Vicksburg, Mississippi, the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River.
- April 30-May 6, 1863 - Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia. US General Joseph Hooker's plan to flank Lee falls apart and Union forces retreat. Lee's victory at Chancellorsville is marred by high casualties, including the mortal wounding of "Stonewall" Jackson, who dies on May 10. Soon after, Lee asks Jefferson Davis for permission to invade the North and take the war out of Virginia.
- April 8, 1864 - Battle of Sabine Crossroads or Mansfield, Louisiana, the first major battle of the Red River Campaign in Louisiana.
- April 9, 1864 - Battle of Pleasant Hill, Louisiana. The United States Army under Banks defeats the attempt by Confederate forces under General Richard Taylor to drive them out of Louisiana. The result of the campaign would be less than desired as it drew to a close in the first week of May with Confederates still in control of most of the state.
- April 12, 1864 - Capture of Fort Pillow, Tennessee. After a rapid raid through central and western Tennessee, Confederate cavalry under Nathan Bedford Forrest attacked and overwhelmed the Federal garrison at Fort Pillow, located on the Mississippi River. Forrest's troops murdered nearly 300 United States soldiers after they had surrendered, most of whom were African American. Congress investigated the affair and while Confederate authorities denied any wrongdoing, the events at Fort Pillow cast a pall over Forrest's reputation and remained an emotional issue throughout the remainder of the war and after.
- April 17, 1864 - Grant forbids prisoner exchange talks to progress unless Confederate authorities agree to treat black soldiers the same as white and until Confederates release enough US soldiers to make up for the large number of Confederates paroled at Vicksburg and Port Hudson.
- April 26, 1865 - General Joseph Johnston signs the surrender document for the Confederate Army of the Tennessee and miscellaneous Confederate troops attached to his command at Bennett's Place near Durham, North Carolina.
- April 15, 1865 - Vice President Andrew Johnson is sworn in as 17th President of the United States.
- April 14, 1865 - President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by actor John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC. On the same day, Fort Sumter, South Carolina is re-occupied by US troops.
- April 9, 1865 - Battle of Appomattox Court House and Surrender, Appomattox Court House, Virginia. After an early morning attempt to break through Federal forces blocking the route west to Danville, Virginia, Lee seeks an audience with General Grant to discuss terms. That afternoon in the parlor of Wilmer McLean, Lee signs the document of surrender. On April 12, the Army of Northern Virginia formally surrenders and is disbanded.
- April 6, 1865 - The Battle of Sailor's Creek, Virginia. A portion of Lee's Army, almost one-third of it, is cornered along the banks of Sailor's (or "Saylor's") Creek and annihilated.
- April 3, 1865 - US troops occupy Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia.
- April 2, 1865 - The Fall of Petersburg and Richmond. General Lee abandons both cities and moves his army west in hopes of joining Confederate forces under General Johnston in North Carolina.
- April 1, 1865 - The Battle of Five Forks, Virginia. The Confederate defeat at Five Forks initiates General Lee's decision to abandon the Petersburg-Richmond siege lines. Source: Timeline, Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania.
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Edwin Pierce Morris
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T. A. Cheatham
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Jesse Skeen
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Thomas C. Williams
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CITIZEN-SOLDIERS
The citizen-soldiers who fought for the Confederacy personified the best qualities of America. The preservation of liberty and freedom was the motivating factor in the South’s decision to fight the Second American Revolution. The tenacity with which Confederate soldiers fought underscored their belief in the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. These attributes are the underpinning of our democratic society and represent the foundation on which this nation was built.
Today, the SCV is preserving the history and legacy of these heroes so that future generations can understand the motives that animated the Southern Cause.
The SCV is the direct heir of the United Confederate Veterans, and the oldest hereditary organization for male descendants of Confederate soldiers. Organized at Richmond, Virginia in 1896, the SCV continues to serve as a historical, patriotic, and non-political organization dedicated to ensuring that a true history of the 1861 - 1865 period is preserved. Membership is open to all male descendants of any veteran who served honorably in the Confederate armed forces.
Source: Army of Tennessee, Sons of Confederate Veterans, "The Sentinel" Monthly Newsletter.
Today, the SCV is preserving the history and legacy of these heroes so that future generations can understand the motives that animated the Southern Cause.
The SCV is the direct heir of the United Confederate Veterans, and the oldest hereditary organization for male descendants of Confederate soldiers. Organized at Richmond, Virginia in 1896, the SCV continues to serve as a historical, patriotic, and non-political organization dedicated to ensuring that a true history of the 1861 - 1865 period is preserved. Membership is open to all male descendants of any veteran who served honorably in the Confederate armed forces.
Source: Army of Tennessee, Sons of Confederate Veterans, "The Sentinel" Monthly Newsletter.
William Miles Watson
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John Lewis Singley
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Iverson Graves Worrill
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Strengthening Our Local Camps Workshop
Jimmy Hill,
Commander of the Army of Tennessee |
Donnie Kennedy,
1st Lt. Commander in Chief of SCV |
Ronnie Kennedy,
Head of Heritage Operations, SCV |
Jason Boshers,
Commander in Chief of SCV |
On March 10, I attended an Army of Tennessee workshop held in Foley, Alabama.
The event was coordinated by the Fort Blakely Camp 1864 which did an excellent job.
The topic for discussion was, “Strengthening Our Local Camps”.
The essence of this was to increase and engage our membership to better fight against the destruction of Southern culture.
It was a very good meeting and I will share what I learned at the next meeting.
The subject was very serious as was evidenced by the pedigree of the speakers.
The event was coordinated by the Fort Blakely Camp 1864 which did an excellent job.
The topic for discussion was, “Strengthening Our Local Camps”.
The essence of this was to increase and engage our membership to better fight against the destruction of Southern culture.
It was a very good meeting and I will share what I learned at the next meeting.
The subject was very serious as was evidenced by the pedigree of the speakers.
March 2023 Dispatch
NEXT MEETING -- MARCH 28
History of Appalachian Music
By David Donehoo and His Music Students
By David Donehoo and His Music Students
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David Donehoo is a retired educator and an amateur luthier who grew up in the small rural town of Roswell, Ga., which at the time was much like Lincolnton is today. His family had come to America from Ireland in the early 1700s and settled in North Georgia in the 1790s. According to Donehoo, “when they came they brought their music with them and have been playing ever since.”
As a child he never thought much about his family’s musical heritage but as he grew older he began to question his elders and soon learned of its history and origin. He is dedicated to preserving the tradition of Old Time Mountain Music; not only does he teach young folks how to play it, he even makes the instruments. Also, he and his group play all over the local area demonstrating the music and explaining its genesis and evolution. He is presently involved in mentoring a rather large group of young folks who range in age from 11 to 17. Much of the music he has taught these young people covers American history from Revolutionary War days through the Civil War era. |
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Dr. John Derden, Professor Emeritus of History at East Georgia College will present Sherman’s March to the Sea event on March 25. The tour bus leaves the Swainsboro campus at 9am and returns at 6pm. Call 478-289-2033 or go online www.ega.edu/shermansmarch for information and tickets.
- Camp 91 will flag the Confederate soldiers graves in the Thomson Memorial Cemetery on Saturday, April 1 at 9:30 am. A photo will be taken afterward at the newly scrubbed Confederate Monument in front of the old McDuffie Courthouse.
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3. Camp 91 will hold its annual Confederate Memorial Day Service in the
Thomson Memorial Cemetery on Saturday, April 15 at 10:30 am.
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4. The 126th Annual SCV Reunion, Georgia Division, is Saturday, June 10, at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, GA. Note: it is a one-day event this year. Camp 91 can send four voting delegates.
5. The Sons of Confederate Veterans national reunion is July 19-23 in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is hosted by James M. Keller Camp #648.
5. The Sons of Confederate Veterans national reunion is July 19-23 in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is hosted by James M. Keller Camp #648.
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WBTS Dates for March
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- March 2, 1864 - US General Ulysses S. Grant is appointed lieutenant general, a rank revived at the request of President Lincoln. Grant assumes command of all United States Armies in the field the following day.
- March 10, 1864 - The Red River Campaign begins. As part of an overall Federal strategy to strike deep into various parts of the Confederacy, a combined force of army and navy commands under General Nathaniel Banks begins a campaign on the Red River in Louisiana.
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The Berry Benson Camp 1652, South Carolina Division, SCV, held a birthday and memorial service in honor of Sargent Berry Benson at his gravesite on Sun., Feb19.
Commander Jerry Pittman led the service. Our own Phil Turner read a beautiful poem. The E. Porter Alexander Honor Guard presented the colors and fired a three volley salute. It was a wonderful event. |
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On Thursday, February 16, Camp 91 Historian Lewis Smith was
guest speaker to the Berry Benson SCV camp in North Augusta. He gave an excellent presentation on Sam Davis, a true southern hero. Thank you Lewis for sharing your time and talents. |
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February 22, Tom, Karen, Gene and Marshall visited
Old Fort Jackson on the Savannah River just south of Savannah. |
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It is a Georgia Historical Site run by the Coastal Heritage Society with NO funding from the state.
Sergeant Braddock gave a spectacular tour of the facility, a medical lesson, rifle loading drills with firing and finally fired a cannon.
It is one of the best living history presentations I have ever seen and we loved it. We all agreed that this was the highlight of our trip.
This same re-enactor presents the Loyalist & Liberty Battlefield Tour at the Savannah History Museum.
Sergeant Braddock gave a spectacular tour of the facility, a medical lesson, rifle loading drills with firing and finally fired a cannon.
It is one of the best living history presentations I have ever seen and we loved it. We all agreed that this was the highlight of our trip.
This same re-enactor presents the Loyalist & Liberty Battlefield Tour at the Savannah History Museum.
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COMMANDER'S POST
Lewis Smith, camp historian, sent me this posting by Victor Davis Hanson, PhD. on January 9, 2023.
Lewis called it an Essay for Patriots. Mr. Hanson is a conservative intellectual that often contributes on Tucker Carlson, Fox News. This should raise an eyebrow! |
ESSAY FOR PATRIOTS
“Did someone or something seize control of the United States?
What happened to the U.S. border? Where did it go? Who erased it? Why and how did 5 million people enter our country illegally? Did Congress secretly repeal our immigration laws? Did President Joe Biden issue an executive order allowing foreign nationals to walk across the border and reside in the United States as they pleased?
Since when did money not have to be paid back? Who insisted that the more dollars the federal government printed, the more prosperity would follow? When did America embrace zero interest? Why do we believe $30 trillion in debt is no big deal?
When did clean-burning, cheap, and abundant natural gas become the equivalent to dirty coal? How did prized natural gas that had granted America’s wishes of energy self-sufficiency, reduced pollution, and inexpensive electricity become almost overnight a pariah fuel whose extraction was a war against nature? Which lawmakers, which laws, which votes of the people declared natural gas development and pipelines near criminal?
Was it not against federal law to swarm the homes of Supreme Court justices, to picket and to intimidate their households in efforts to affect their rulings? How then with impunity did bullies surround the homes of Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, John Roberts, and Clarence Thomas—furious over a court decision on abortion? How could these mobs so easily throng our justices’ homes, with placards declaring “Off with their d—s”?
Since when did Americans create a government Ministry of Truth? And on whose orders did the FBI contract private news organizations to censor stories it did not like and writers whom it feared?
How did we wake up one morning to new customs of impeaching a president over a phone call? Of the speaker of the House tearing up the State of the Union address on national television? Of barring congressional members from serving on their assigned congressional committees?
When did we assume the FBI had the right to subvert the campaign of a candidate it disliked? Was it legal suddenly for one presidential candidate to hire a foreign ex-spy to subvert the campaign of her rival?
Was some state or federal law passed that allowed biological males to compete in female sports? Did Congress enact such a law? Did the Supreme Court guarantee that biological male students could shower in gym locker rooms with biological women? Were women ever asked to redefine the very sports they had championed?
When did the government pass a law depriving Americans of their freedom during a pandemic? In America can health officials simply cancel rental contracts or declare loan payments in suspension? How could it become illegal for mom-and-pop stores to sell flowers or shoes during a quarantine but not so for Walmart or Target?
Since when did the people decide that 70 percent of voters would not cast their ballots on Election Day? Was this revolutionary change the subject of a national debate, a heated congressional session, or the votes of dozens of state legislatures? What happened to election night returns? Did the fact that Americans created more electronic ballots and computerized tallies make it take so much longer to tabulate the votes?
When did the nation abruptly decide that theft is not a crime, assault not a felony? How can thieves walk out with bags of stolen goods, without the wrath of angry shoppers, much less fear of the law?
Was there ever a national debate about the terrified flight from Afghanistan? Who planned it and why?
What happened to the once-trusted FBI? Why almost overnight did its directors decide to mislead Congress, to deceive judges with concocted tales from fake dossiers and with doctored writs? Did Congress pass a law that our federal leaders in the FBI or CIA could lie with impunity under oath?
Who redefined our military and with whose consent? Who proclaimed that our chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff could call his Chinese Communist counterpart to warn him that America’s president was supposedly unstable? Was it always true that retired generals routinely libeled their commander-in-chief as a near Nazi, a Mussolini, an adherent of the tools of Auschwitz?
Were Americans ever asked whether their universities could discriminate against their sons and daughters based on their race? How did it become physically dangerous to speak the truth on a campus? Whose idea was it to reboot racial segregation and bias as “theme houses,” “safe spaces,” and “diversity”? How did that happen in America?
How did a virus cancel the Constitution? Did the lockdowns rob of us of our sanity? Or was it the woke hysteria that ignited our collective madness?
We are beginning to wake up from a nightmare to a country we no longer recognize, and from a coup we never knew.”
What happened to the U.S. border? Where did it go? Who erased it? Why and how did 5 million people enter our country illegally? Did Congress secretly repeal our immigration laws? Did President Joe Biden issue an executive order allowing foreign nationals to walk across the border and reside in the United States as they pleased?
Since when did money not have to be paid back? Who insisted that the more dollars the federal government printed, the more prosperity would follow? When did America embrace zero interest? Why do we believe $30 trillion in debt is no big deal?
When did clean-burning, cheap, and abundant natural gas become the equivalent to dirty coal? How did prized natural gas that had granted America’s wishes of energy self-sufficiency, reduced pollution, and inexpensive electricity become almost overnight a pariah fuel whose extraction was a war against nature? Which lawmakers, which laws, which votes of the people declared natural gas development and pipelines near criminal?
Was it not against federal law to swarm the homes of Supreme Court justices, to picket and to intimidate their households in efforts to affect their rulings? How then with impunity did bullies surround the homes of Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, John Roberts, and Clarence Thomas—furious over a court decision on abortion? How could these mobs so easily throng our justices’ homes, with placards declaring “Off with their d—s”?
Since when did Americans create a government Ministry of Truth? And on whose orders did the FBI contract private news organizations to censor stories it did not like and writers whom it feared?
How did we wake up one morning to new customs of impeaching a president over a phone call? Of the speaker of the House tearing up the State of the Union address on national television? Of barring congressional members from serving on their assigned congressional committees?
When did we assume the FBI had the right to subvert the campaign of a candidate it disliked? Was it legal suddenly for one presidential candidate to hire a foreign ex-spy to subvert the campaign of her rival?
Was some state or federal law passed that allowed biological males to compete in female sports? Did Congress enact such a law? Did the Supreme Court guarantee that biological male students could shower in gym locker rooms with biological women? Were women ever asked to redefine the very sports they had championed?
When did the government pass a law depriving Americans of their freedom during a pandemic? In America can health officials simply cancel rental contracts or declare loan payments in suspension? How could it become illegal for mom-and-pop stores to sell flowers or shoes during a quarantine but not so for Walmart or Target?
Since when did the people decide that 70 percent of voters would not cast their ballots on Election Day? Was this revolutionary change the subject of a national debate, a heated congressional session, or the votes of dozens of state legislatures? What happened to election night returns? Did the fact that Americans created more electronic ballots and computerized tallies make it take so much longer to tabulate the votes?
When did the nation abruptly decide that theft is not a crime, assault not a felony? How can thieves walk out with bags of stolen goods, without the wrath of angry shoppers, much less fear of the law?
Was there ever a national debate about the terrified flight from Afghanistan? Who planned it and why?
What happened to the once-trusted FBI? Why almost overnight did its directors decide to mislead Congress, to deceive judges with concocted tales from fake dossiers and with doctored writs? Did Congress pass a law that our federal leaders in the FBI or CIA could lie with impunity under oath?
Who redefined our military and with whose consent? Who proclaimed that our chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff could call his Chinese Communist counterpart to warn him that America’s president was supposedly unstable? Was it always true that retired generals routinely libeled their commander-in-chief as a near Nazi, a Mussolini, an adherent of the tools of Auschwitz?
Were Americans ever asked whether their universities could discriminate against their sons and daughters based on their race? How did it become physically dangerous to speak the truth on a campus? Whose idea was it to reboot racial segregation and bias as “theme houses,” “safe spaces,” and “diversity”? How did that happen in America?
How did a virus cancel the Constitution? Did the lockdowns rob of us of our sanity? Or was it the woke hysteria that ignited our collective madness?
We are beginning to wake up from a nightmare to a country we no longer recognize, and from a coup we never knew.”
Source: Victor Davis Hanson, PhD. See his profile on Wikipedia.
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February 2023 Dispatch
NEXT MEETING -- February 28
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A Most Famous Man of Georgia of Whom We Know Very Little By Rev. Alan Smith |
Alan Smith is a native of Savannah, Georgia. He and his wife Judy Loyless Murph Smith have two sons, two daughters-in-law and three grandchildren. He is a retired United Methodist Elder and an active historic preservationist. He and Judy restored an 1842 Greek Revival Sand Hills cottage in Thomson, which is on the National Register.
He is the chair of the Wrightsboro Quaker Foundation and the chair of the Rock House Advisory Board in McDuffie County. Alan is the past State Chaplain of the Georgia Society SAR, Past President and current registrar of the William Few Chapter GASSAR. He is also the Assistant General of the Mayflower Society for GA, the Eder and Past Governor of the Pilgrim William White Society. He is the assistant secretary of the Society of the Cincinnati in GA. He is “just” a member of several other lineage groups: Jamestowne, First Families of GA, and the Huguenot Society of SC. Judy is a member of the Manakin Huguenot Society and the Huguenot Society of SC and is serving as registrar of the Capt. John Wilson Chapter NSDAR. So they have at least one group in common.
He has written several family histories. He is in the final stages of editing of a book on Pilgrim history and religion. Their younger two grandchildren are junior members of the GA Mayflower Society and the Pilgrim William White Society. Their son Thomas and older grandson Harper are also members of the Mayflower Society.
Both Alan and Judy were awarded the DAR Excellence in Historic Preservation Medal in 2021 by the Captain John Wilson Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, for their many and varied contributions which benefit historic preservation.
He is the chair of the Wrightsboro Quaker Foundation and the chair of the Rock House Advisory Board in McDuffie County. Alan is the past State Chaplain of the Georgia Society SAR, Past President and current registrar of the William Few Chapter GASSAR. He is also the Assistant General of the Mayflower Society for GA, the Eder and Past Governor of the Pilgrim William White Society. He is the assistant secretary of the Society of the Cincinnati in GA. He is “just” a member of several other lineage groups: Jamestowne, First Families of GA, and the Huguenot Society of SC. Judy is a member of the Manakin Huguenot Society and the Huguenot Society of SC and is serving as registrar of the Capt. John Wilson Chapter NSDAR. So they have at least one group in common.
He has written several family histories. He is in the final stages of editing of a book on Pilgrim history and religion. Their younger two grandchildren are junior members of the GA Mayflower Society and the Pilgrim William White Society. Their son Thomas and older grandson Harper are also members of the Mayflower Society.
Both Alan and Judy were awarded the DAR Excellence in Historic Preservation Medal in 2021 by the Captain John Wilson Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, for their many and varied contributions which benefit historic preservation.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
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2. You can be a tremendous help to our newsletter editor. When you do something Confederate, i.e. visit a battlefield, view a monument, lecture at a brother SCV camp, enjoy a historical event, etc., please take some photos and send them with a small write-up to the editor. Let others in the camp enjoy and learn from your experience.
3. God has been very good to many of our sickly members. Phil Turner has recovered nicely. Bob Gibson’s jaw issue has greatly improved. Durham Milburn’s cancer has shown intermittent improvement. However, Terry Johnson has developed a severe eye issue that requires God’s healing hand and please continue to pray for all and our compatriot, Woody Woodard. Also, please pray for Tami Awe whose father passed.
4. Thanks to all of you who supported the Ft. Lawton Brigade, Millen camp at their wonderful Lee-Jackson
Banquet. We had twelve make the trip. The Christian fellowship was great, the food was superb, the entertainment great and the program about our two most famous Southern heroes was enlightening. It was a great evening.
5. The Battle of Aiken is February 24, 25 and 26. This is a premier event in our area. If you have any possibility carry a child to enjoy this livinghistory.
6. Congratulations William! Our youngest member will be attending North Georgia College in the fall. He intends to study business administration. Best wishes William; we are extremely proud.
7. Please remember that the Camp 91 April meeting will be our annual Confederate Memorial Day service on Saturday the 15th. This service will be held in the Thomson Memorial Cemetery at 10:30 am. Our special guest speaker is Dr. David Hollingsworth from Waynesboro, Georgia. We will flag the cemetery on Saturday, April 1, at 9:30 a.m. Bring a lawn chair, your wife, children and your friends.
8. At the January meeting Camp 91 voted to send our “pass the hat” collection to support the Confederate Museum in Columbia, TN. Adjutant Butler sent a check for $150. Thanks fo the generosity.
3. God has been very good to many of our sickly members. Phil Turner has recovered nicely. Bob Gibson’s jaw issue has greatly improved. Durham Milburn’s cancer has shown intermittent improvement. However, Terry Johnson has developed a severe eye issue that requires God’s healing hand and please continue to pray for all and our compatriot, Woody Woodard. Also, please pray for Tami Awe whose father passed.
4. Thanks to all of you who supported the Ft. Lawton Brigade, Millen camp at their wonderful Lee-Jackson
Banquet. We had twelve make the trip. The Christian fellowship was great, the food was superb, the entertainment great and the program about our two most famous Southern heroes was enlightening. It was a great evening.
5. The Battle of Aiken is February 24, 25 and 26. This is a premier event in our area. If you have any possibility carry a child to enjoy this livinghistory.
6. Congratulations William! Our youngest member will be attending North Georgia College in the fall. He intends to study business administration. Best wishes William; we are extremely proud.
7. Please remember that the Camp 91 April meeting will be our annual Confederate Memorial Day service on Saturday the 15th. This service will be held in the Thomson Memorial Cemetery at 10:30 am. Our special guest speaker is Dr. David Hollingsworth from Waynesboro, Georgia. We will flag the cemetery on Saturday, April 1, at 9:30 a.m. Bring a lawn chair, your wife, children and your friends.
8. At the January meeting Camp 91 voted to send our “pass the hat” collection to support the Confederate Museum in Columbia, TN. Adjutant Butler sent a check for $150. Thanks fo the generosity.
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Join the Confederate Legion
Membership in the Legion supports the Southern Victory Campaign.
Dues and donations are used almost exclusively for a two-thrust marketing and public relations effort which is part of the Southern Victory Campaign led by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Objectives include:
We depend on God and you for the victory we seek. To join go to: http://www.makedixiegreatagain.com/
Dues and donations are used almost exclusively for a two-thrust marketing and public relations effort which is part of the Southern Victory Campaign led by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Objectives include:
- Rebuilding public support for the principles of liberty that America’s founding fathers gave us.
- Rebuilding respect for the Confederate States of America that preferred to leave the Union rather than abandon the principles of liberty as the Northern states were doing under Leftist influences of the day.
We depend on God and you for the victory we seek. To join go to: http://www.makedixiegreatagain.com/
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Adjutant David Butlerand his wife Kelli
at the Lee Jackson Banquet in Millen. David, whose ancestry is Scottish, wore his new family history colors. |
David was recently a speaker to the Berry Benson Camp in North Augusta.
He discussed the Columbia County soldiers (today’s McDuffie County) at South Mountain and Sharpsburg. As usual, he did a terrific job and represented our camp wonderfully. |
Would you like to own a hot/cold insulated drinking cup that
sports our flag? The camp will consider purchasing some to resale at the local festivals, but you could own one now? Ask Tom about it. |
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Questions That Every Liberal Should Answer
- Why is it that when archaeologists find human remains, they always determine that they are either male or female and none of the other dozen genders?
- How is it that the government can’t control petrol prices…but the weather is something they can fix?
- Why are we told to lower our domestic power usage on hot days to prevent overwhelming the electric grid, while being urged to trade in our petrol cars for electric vehicles?
- Why is cancelling student debt a good idea? Does it make sense to reward people who do not honor their financial commitment by taxing the people who do?
- Are we living in a time where intelligent people are silenced so that stupid people won’t be offended?
- Why is talking sexually to adults in the workplace considered sexual harassment…but talking about sexuality to Grade 3 children at school is considered education?
- If your electric car runs out of power on the motorway, do you walk to a charging station to get a bucket of electricity?
- Why are we running out of money for Social Security and Medicare and not for welfare?
- We’re churning out a generation of poorly educated people with no skill, no ambition, no guidance and no realistic expectations of what it means to go to work.
- Mice die in mouse traps because they do not understand why the cheese is free. Just like socialism.
- The most powerful governments on earth can’t stop a virus from spreading…but they say they can change the earth’s temperature if you pay more taxes.
- If you don’t want to stand for the National Anthem, perhaps you should give your legs to a veteran who lost his. That way a real man can stand in your place.
And finally....
History is not there for us to like or dislike ....... It's there for us to learn from it.
If it offends you, even better…because, then you are less likely to repeat it.
It is not anyone’s to erase…it belongs to all of us.
Source: Unknown, it was sent by email.
History is not there for us to like or dislike ....... It's there for us to learn from it.
If it offends you, even better…because, then you are less likely to repeat it.
It is not anyone’s to erase…it belongs to all of us.
Source: Unknown, it was sent by email.
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Adjutant David Butler (r) presents new member certificate to Bob Stephenson. He joined under his ancestor 1st Sergeant Asa Castleberry Stephenson of Company C,
4th Battalion, Georgia State Troops. The sergeant fought in the Battles of Atlanta and he later became a minister at Fredonia Baptist Church in Thomasville, Georgia. Welcome Bob! |
Bob and Camille Stephenson
visit the Hunley Museum in Charleston. |
Tom, Karen and Lewis Smith visited historic Oakley Parkin Edgefield, SC during the tour of homes and SCV Winter Muster, January 28. The home was built in 1835 and purchased several years later by Confederate Major-General Martin Witherspoon Gary. He was the leader of the 1876 Red Shirt Movement and his home was headquarters. Today the UDC operates the house museum and it is dedicated to the history of the WBTS.
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WBTS Dates in February
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- February 6, 1862 - Surrender of Fort Henry, Tennessee. The loss of this southern fort on the Tennessee River opened the door to Federal control of the river.
- February 8, 1862 - Battle of Roanoke Island, North Carolina. A Confederate defeat, the battle resulted in US occupation of eastern North Carolina and control of Pamlico Sound, to be used as Northern base for further operations against the southern coast.
- February 16, 1862 - Surrender of Fort Donelson, Tennessee. This critical fort on the Cumberland River left the river in Federal control. It was here that US General Ulysses S. Grant gained his nickname "Unconditional Surrender" Grant.
- February 22, 1862 - Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as President of the Confederate States of America.
- February 9, 1864 - Escape from Libby Prison, Richmond. After weeks of digging, 109 United States officers made their escape from the notorious Libby Prison, the largest and most sensational escape of the war. Though 48 of the escapees were later captured and two drowned, 59 were able to make their way into US lines.
- February 27, 1864 - In Georgia, Camp Sumter Prison Camp opens. Universally referred to as Andersonville Prison Camp, it will become notorious for overcrowded conditions and a high death rate among its inmates.
- February 14-20, 1864- Federal capture and occupation of Meridian, Mississippi. Federal forces under William T. Sherman enter the city of Meridian, Mississippi after a successful month of campaigning through the central part of the state. The capture of this important Southern town, well known for its industry and storage capabilities, severely hampers the efforts of Confederate commanders to sustain their armies in the Deep South, Georgia and west of the Mississippi River.
- February 17, 1864 - First successful submarine attack of the Civil War. The CSS H.L. Hunley, a seven-man submergible craft, attacked the USS Housatonic outside of Charleston, South Carolina. Struck by the submarine's torpedo, the Housatonic broke apart and sank, taking all but five of her crew with her. Likewise, the Hunley was also lost and never heard from again until discovered in 1995 at the spot where it sank after the attack.
- February 1, 1865 - Sherman's Army leaves Savannah to march through the Carolinas.
- February 17, 1865 - Sherman's Army captures Columbia, South Carolina while Confederate defenders evacuate Charleston, South Carolina.
- February 22, 1865 - Wilmington, NC, falls to Federal troops, closing the last important Southern port on the east coast. On this same day, Joseph E. Johnston is restored to command the nearly shattered Army of the Tennessee, vice John B. Hood who resigned a month earlier.
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COMMANDER’S POST
If not me, WHO? If not now, WHEN?
I first heard this little ditty, as I mentioned before, at the SCV national convention. It is simple but directly to the point. As SCV members, we are acutely aware that radical leftist are attempting and winning the game to destroy and remove our precious southern history and culture. The liberals are relentless and they will not be dissuaded with common courtesy. Action is required.
This leads me to the second phrase I’m hearing very often: Are YOU engaged?
As I have tried to make clear on numerous occasions, politics is very much about numbers. When our government representatives state that there is a voting block of some 3,000 constituents demanding to be heard on a particular subject it has real impact. But, imagine, what is the impact of 5,000 or 6,000 constituents? That is exactly why we must grow our camp, our division and the SCV at large. Many of our friends and acquaintances agree with us and we need their collective voice. So, next meeting, pledge to invite a like-minded friend. Everyone will be glad you did.
Inviting a friend to a meeting, of course, is being engaged. It is critically important. But, bringing that friend is even better. Introduce him to everyone especially to David Butler and me. Make sure we get his mailing address, email and cell phone number. I will see that he receives a ‘thank you for visiting card’ and future Dispatches. You follow up the meeting with a phone call and answer any questions. David is there to assist with questions and do the paperwork to join. A new person will come, perhaps join, and they too will share the message and join the struggle.
Remember this, the struggle must be met by US. There is no one else. If we quit, we lose it all. Once laws are made they are virtually impossible to change. Men, we have everything to lose. We must increase our numbers, We must win this culture battle and We must do it NOW!
I first heard this little ditty, as I mentioned before, at the SCV national convention. It is simple but directly to the point. As SCV members, we are acutely aware that radical leftist are attempting and winning the game to destroy and remove our precious southern history and culture. The liberals are relentless and they will not be dissuaded with common courtesy. Action is required.
This leads me to the second phrase I’m hearing very often: Are YOU engaged?
As I have tried to make clear on numerous occasions, politics is very much about numbers. When our government representatives state that there is a voting block of some 3,000 constituents demanding to be heard on a particular subject it has real impact. But, imagine, what is the impact of 5,000 or 6,000 constituents? That is exactly why we must grow our camp, our division and the SCV at large. Many of our friends and acquaintances agree with us and we need their collective voice. So, next meeting, pledge to invite a like-minded friend. Everyone will be glad you did.
Inviting a friend to a meeting, of course, is being engaged. It is critically important. But, bringing that friend is even better. Introduce him to everyone especially to David Butler and me. Make sure we get his mailing address, email and cell phone number. I will see that he receives a ‘thank you for visiting card’ and future Dispatches. You follow up the meeting with a phone call and answer any questions. David is there to assist with questions and do the paperwork to join. A new person will come, perhaps join, and they too will share the message and join the struggle.
Remember this, the struggle must be met by US. There is no one else. If we quit, we lose it all. Once laws are made they are virtually impossible to change. Men, we have everything to lose. We must increase our numbers, We must win this culture battle and We must do it NOW!
BRING A FRIEND TO THE MEETING!
Respectfully submitted:
Tom Holley, Camp Commander
Tom Holley, Camp Commander
January 2023 Dispatch
NEXT MEETING -- TUESDAY, JANUARY 24
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Confederate Submariners
Our speaker, Mr. Steve Rathbun of Millen, Georgia, will present Confederate Submariners and their groundbreaking activities.
Steve Rathbun graduated from Fitzgerald High School, in Fitzgerald, Georgia, in 1973, before enlisting in the U.S. Army as a Military Policeman in 1974. Completing his enlistment in 1976, he attended the University of Georgia, where he graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice in 1980. After serving several years as a municipal police officer in both Perry and Warner Robbins, Georgia, he reenlisted in the Army in 1983, later earning a Second Lieutenant commission in the Military Police Corps through Officer Candidate School.
As a commissioned officer, he served in numerous leadership and staff positions in both the United States and overseas. His overseas assignments included Korea, Germany, and Saudi Arabia, with combat deployments to Operations Just Cause in Panama, Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf, and Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. Retiring from uniform as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2005, he continued to serve as a Department of the Army Civilian for an additional seven years specializing in Antiterrorism.
His awards include, but are not limited to, the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Superior Civilian Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, and German Military Efficiency Badge. As a lifelong student of military history, he now serves as Camp Historian for the Buckhead-Fort Lawton Brigade, Camp No. 2102, in Millen.
Photos: Steve Rathbun and the Hunley
Steve Rathbun graduated from Fitzgerald High School, in Fitzgerald, Georgia, in 1973, before enlisting in the U.S. Army as a Military Policeman in 1974. Completing his enlistment in 1976, he attended the University of Georgia, where he graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice in 1980. After serving several years as a municipal police officer in both Perry and Warner Robbins, Georgia, he reenlisted in the Army in 1983, later earning a Second Lieutenant commission in the Military Police Corps through Officer Candidate School.
As a commissioned officer, he served in numerous leadership and staff positions in both the United States and overseas. His overseas assignments included Korea, Germany, and Saudi Arabia, with combat deployments to Operations Just Cause in Panama, Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf, and Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. Retiring from uniform as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2005, he continued to serve as a Department of the Army Civilian for an additional seven years specializing in Antiterrorism.
His awards include, but are not limited to, the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Superior Civilian Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, and German Military Efficiency Badge. As a lifelong student of military history, he now serves as Camp Historian for the Buckhead-Fort Lawton Brigade, Camp No. 2102, in Millen.
Photos: Steve Rathbun and the Hunley
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Thanks to all of you who generously donated to the Thomson Memorial Cemetery fund where Camp 91 helps care for the gravesites of 110 Confederate veterans. Currently, the massive volunteer oak trees that look beautiful but are causing so much damage to the gravesites are being removed.
- Thank you for so generously supporting the Georgia Legal Defense Fund. Camp 91 was first to reach the milestone, $10,000. It appears that from the latest court rulings the GA Division efforts are working to save the monuments.
- Thank you also for being so very involved with camp activities this past calendar year. Through December 2022, YOU achieved all Camp 91 established goals. You are living the “charge”.
- Please continue to pray for our brothers Bob Gibson, Durham Milburn, Phil Turner and Woody Woodard.
- The General Robert E. Lee birthday celebration Saturday, January 14, 2023, 11 am is in the Jefferson Davis Park, Fitzgerald, Georgia. There will be a BBQ lunch and speaker.
- Please bring a visitor to the January meeting! The presentation on Confederate submarines promises to be very interesting.
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National SCV Reunion
Hot Springs, AR. in 2023 www.2023scvreunion.org Host Hotel is The Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa Call 1-800-643-1502 Standard Room $109 + Tax and resort fee |
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WBTS Dates in January
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January 1861- Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas secede from the United States.
January 19, 1862- Battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky. This Federal victory weakened the Confederate hold on the state. January 1, 1863- The Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect. The Emancipation Proclamation was a war measure that declared enslaved people in rebelling states to be free, authorized the enlistment of black troops, and outraged white Southerners. The proclamation was an important turning point in the war for the United States and in the eventual shift from the goal of restoring the Union as it was, to building a better Union without slavery. |
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January 15, 1865- Assault and capture of Fort Fisher, North Carolina. United States occupation of this fort at the mouth of the Cape Fear River closes access to Wilmington, the last Southern seaport on the east coast that was open to blockade runners and commercial shipping.
Source: Civil War Timeline, Gettysburg National Battlefield Park, Pennsylvania
Source: Civil War Timeline, Gettysburg National Battlefield Park, Pennsylvania
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On December 3, Compatriot Mike and Dollie Lacefield served as docents at Confederate V. P. Alexander H. Stephens' home in Crawfordville. The home was beautifully decorated for Christmas. The tour of the property, the museum and the home was fantastic. |
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COMMANDER’S POST
Dear Compatriots,
I recently read The Art of War by Sun Tzu. This is a 2400 year old treatise about waging war. It suggests very simple tenets that explain who will win if certain conditions exist. No doubt, if circumstances were known at the start, Sun Tzu could forecast the winner. While I read the book, I tried to envision people and activities during the Confederate War.
“The art of war then is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one’s deliberations when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field. These are: The Moral Law; Heaven; Earth; The Commander; Method and Discipline.
The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger. Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons. Earth comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; the chances of life and death. The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness. By method and discipline are to be understood the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduation of ranks among the officers, the maintenance of roads for supplies, and the control of military expenditure.”
Please reread the last paragraph but envision Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. Apply each of the rules to the army being led by these men. Then consider which civilian population, North or South, might have the most to lose.
“Which of the two sovereigns (North or South) is imbued with the moral law? Which of the generals has most ability? With whom lie the advantages of Heaven or Earth. On which side is discipline more rigorously enforced? Which army is the stronger? On which side are officers and men more highly trained? In which army is there the great constancy both in reward and punishment?”
Were things equal at the start of the War? Had they been, would the outcome have been the same? It is intriguing to think how the change in one or two variables might have made a huge difference. Have some fun considering it.
I recently read The Art of War by Sun Tzu. This is a 2400 year old treatise about waging war. It suggests very simple tenets that explain who will win if certain conditions exist. No doubt, if circumstances were known at the start, Sun Tzu could forecast the winner. While I read the book, I tried to envision people and activities during the Confederate War.
“The art of war then is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one’s deliberations when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field. These are: The Moral Law; Heaven; Earth; The Commander; Method and Discipline.
The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger. Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons. Earth comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; the chances of life and death. The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness. By method and discipline are to be understood the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduation of ranks among the officers, the maintenance of roads for supplies, and the control of military expenditure.”
Please reread the last paragraph but envision Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. Apply each of the rules to the army being led by these men. Then consider which civilian population, North or South, might have the most to lose.
“Which of the two sovereigns (North or South) is imbued with the moral law? Which of the generals has most ability? With whom lie the advantages of Heaven or Earth. On which side is discipline more rigorously enforced? Which army is the stronger? On which side are officers and men more highly trained? In which army is there the great constancy both in reward and punishment?”
Were things equal at the start of the War? Had they been, would the outcome have been the same? It is intriguing to think how the change in one or two variables might have made a huge difference. Have some fun considering it.
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Year 2022, was a dynamic and constructive year for our camp; it was great. Some would say it may be difficult to improve upon. But, we can!
Let’s make 2023, the finest and most productive year ever for Camp 91, Thomson Guards. Since you cherish your ancestors, I know that each of you will continue to meet “the Charge.”
At the national convention, I heard a motto repeated over and over again, and it relates to each of us in service to the SCV. “If not Us who? If not NOW, when?” By continuing to work together to meet our established goals, We can this year!
Respectfully submitted,
Tom
Let’s make 2023, the finest and most productive year ever for Camp 91, Thomson Guards. Since you cherish your ancestors, I know that each of you will continue to meet “the Charge.”
At the national convention, I heard a motto repeated over and over again, and it relates to each of us in service to the SCV. “If not Us who? If not NOW, when?” By continuing to work together to meet our established goals, We can this year!
Respectfully submitted,
Tom
