CALCASIEU GREYS November 2011 LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA

NEXT MEETING

     The next meeting of Captain James W. Bryan Camp 1390 will be from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, November 8, at Pitt Grill Restaurant, 102 Benoit Lane in Sulphur. Compatriot Andy Buckley will give the program on his ancestor, John H. Drennan, who served with Company C, 4th Texas Infantry, Hood's Texas Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia. Drennan fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the war and was wounded at the Battle  of Gaines' Mill, June 27, 1862 and The Battle of Cold Harbor, June 3, 1864. Also we'll be electing officers for 2012 from those who were nominated at the October meeting. Please come for great fellowship and a fascinating program.

Members of the First Texas Infantry, Hood's Texas Brigade, in camp.
(Library of Congress)

Hood Texas Brigade

          One of the toughest fighting units, and most famous, in the Confederate Army was Hood's Texas Brigade. This unit was made up of the First, Fourth and Fifth Texas Infantry regiments, plus the 3rd Arkansas Infantry, and for a short time, the 18th Georgia Infantry, and eight infantry companies from Hampton's Legion of South Carolina. The brigade got its nickname from its colorful and hard-fighting commander, General John Bell Hood, who actually only led the unit for six months before being promoted to higher command.

          Among the famous battles in which Hood's Texas Brigade participated were: 1862, Eltham's Landing, Gaines' Mill, Second Manassas, South Moutain, Sharpsburg (Antietam) and Fredericksburg; 1863, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Chattanooga and Knoxville; 1864, The Wilderness; 1865, Appomattox.  By the end of the war, 4,400 men has served in the various regiments of the brigade, and suffered a 61 percent casualty rate. At the surrender at Appomattox, there were 617 men still serving with Hood's Texas Brigade.

          One of the most famous incidents of the war occurred at the Battle of  The Wilderness when the brigade arrived in a nick of time to help turn back a Union break through. General Robert E. Lee wanted to lead the Texans into the counter-attack but the men, horrified at their famous commander exposing himself unnecessarily, began shouting "General Lee to the rear!" Lee complied with their "order" and the Texans went forward to drive back the enemy.

Pvt. James W. Nicholson joined
Co. L, 12th Louisiana Infantry at
Camp Moore in August, 1861.

Camp Moore Reenactment

            Camp Moore sponsors a Reenactment and Living History program every year.  This event is always held the weekend before Thanksgiving (November 19 & 20, 2011).  This is the major fund-raising event for Camp Moore.  It also gives us a chance to reach out to the community in ways that we would not otherwise be able to do.  It is a great family event.  

           Reenactors are supplied with generous amounts of hay, firewood and water. There is always a Saturday evening meal provided and usually a Camp Dance is the order of the day.  Scripted battles are fought on Saturday and Sunday.  The camping and battle are done on sacred ground....the battle being fought on what was the Parade Ground and parts of Camp Tracy.  In addition, we always have some type of memorial service to honor those men who came through Camp Moore.

           The public is especially welcome to attend this event.  There is only a nominal entry charge.  Sutlers will be on site as well as food vendors.

          Camp Moore is located on Hwy. 51, just north of Tangipahoa, LA.  It is situated approximately seventy-five miles north of New Orleans and 8 miles south of the Louisiana/Mississippi border on Interstate 55.  Take the Tangipahoa Exit No. 57 onto Hwy. 440 and follow the signs.  For more information, call the museum at (985) 229-2438. 

Gen. Stonewall Jackson is one of Lexington's
famous sons. He is buried there along with
Gen. Robert E. Lee. (Library of Congress)

LET THE BRAVE RALLY TO THE

STANDARD IN LEXINGTON!

LEXINGTON LEE/JACKSON VIGIL
           WHEN: FRIDAY JANUARY 13, 2012 & SATURDAY JANUARY 14, 2012
           WHERE: Downtown Lexington, Virginia

           The Heritage Defense Committee of the Sons of Confederate Veterans is sponsoring a confederation-wide vigil and protest in Lexington, Virginia for the city's passage of an insulting, discriminatory and illegal ordinance that bans Confederate flags from flag holders on city owned light poles.

          Off and on since the early 1900's, the Sons of Confederate Veterans have sponsored a Lee/Jackson birthday events in Lexington. Since 2000 the Stonewall Brigade Camp has sponsored a Lee/Jackson Birthday celebration complete with seminars, memorials and a downtown parade festooned with Confederate flags on city light poles.

           In 1991 the SCV was forced to sue the city of Lexington to have their Lee-Jackson parade go forward, the city signed a court enforceable consent decree promising not to interfere with Confederate symbols again.

          Now, in an insulting move deliberately aimed at the SCV, the City has passed an ordinance permitting only government flags (US, VA & city of Lexington) to fly from the city light poles.

           Unfortunately for the city, legal research has shown that if sued over the unconstitutional ordinance, the City of Lexington will most likely lose.  The lawsuit is being drafted as I write.

          Until the filing date, we must put maximum pressure on the city of Lexington to peacefully redress this ongoing insult to our heroes Lee & Jackson, in the town where their hallowed remains lie.

          In response to this ongoing outrage, the Sons of Confederate Veterans urges all available compatriots to attend the Lee/Jackson celebration in Lexington (http://leejacksonday.webs.com ) and to participate in a weekend Flag vigil/protest in downtown Lexington. A resolution by the Commander-in-Chief encouraging your participation will soon follow this notice.
           Remember the excitement generated in 2000 at the Columbia SC Statehouse Rally let's rekindle that excitement! And we will hold this event annually until this insult to our heroes is lifted.

WILL YOU HELP? WILL YOUR CAMP HELP?
IF YES, HERE'S HOW:

           Plan to come to Lexington, VA the weekend of January 13-14, 2012. If necessary, plan your own Camp's Lee-Jackson celebration for the following weekend. If your camp's celebration is the same weekend as the he Lexington event, consider sending a representative delegation to Lexington. Info at: http://leejacksonday.webs.com 

           Have your Camp sign up to man one of the 60+ light poles in downtown Lexington. From Friday 13 January 2PM til dark and Saturday 14 January 10AM until dark your Camp will be responsible for having a 2-member team holding a Confederate flag at the Camp's designated light pole. Your Camp may name the pole to honor a Confederate hero (and will be so listed in the event program). Registration is $100 (which will be used to fund the Lexington Litigation). We suggest no more than 2 hour tours per team. so the Camp needs to make sure they have sufficient maan power to cover their pole. If necessary 2 camps can register for the same pole. Children may participate accompanied by a responsible adult. Each team should have a cell-phone with them.  

          Register at: LexingtonLeeJacksonVigil@gmail.com  or call 828-669-0097. Checks made payable to SCV Heritage Defense (note on check for Lexington) and mailed to P.O. Box 59 Columbia, TN  38402. Follow this event on Facebook at: Lexington Lee Jackson Vigil/Protest  and Save Our Flags / Boycott Lexington, Virginia

COMPATRIOTS WE CAN WIN THIS! REGISTER NOW! 

Yours in the cause of Southern justice & liberty,

Thomas Y. Hiter, Phd
Chief of Heritage Defense
Sons of Confederate Veterans

     
ARKANSAS CIVIL WAR SESQUICENTENNIAL EVENTS FOR NOVEMBER ANNOUNCED

       LITTLE ROCK—November 2011 events sanctioned by the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission include re-enactments, exhibits and lectures, ACWSC Chairman Tom Dupree announced today. A complete listing of scheduled sesquicentennial activities, as well as additional information on the activities listed below, can be found at http://www.arkansascivilwar150.com/events/.   
       Among the Civil War sesquicentennial events during November are:
* Civil War Weekend, featuring civilian and military living history scenarios from the early days of the Civil War, will be held at Historic Washington State Park November 5 and 6; call (870) 983-2684 or email HistoricWashington@arkansas.com for more information.
* “Civil War Arkansas, 1863-1865,” the ACWSC’s traveling exhibit, will be at the Columbia County Library in Magnolia November 7 through 20; call (870) 234-1991 or email library@colcnty.lib.ar.us for more information.
* An Evening with Geraldine Brooks, featuring a lecture and book-signing by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March, will be held November 13 at the Fayetteville Public Library; call (479) 856-7000 or email questions@faylib.org for details.
* “Saline County, Arkansas, in the Year 1861,” a presentation by local historian Anthony Rushing, will be held November 14 in the Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library at Benton; call (501) 778-4766 or email sperdue@saline.lib.ar.us for details.
* “Saving Dunagin’s Farm,” a presentation by preservationist Christene Ashlock on efforts to save an 1862 battlefield in Benton County, will take place during the November 16 meeting of Heritage Trail Partners in Springdale; call (479) 750-8165 or mail syoung@springdalear.gov for information.
* Action at Cotton Plant Historical Marker Dedication, featuring re-enactors and the dedication of an ACWSC historical marker, will be held at Cotton Plant Memorial Cemetery at Cotton Plant on November 19; call (501) 729-4400 or email dspen.gar@gmail.com for additional information.
* Civil War in Northwest Arkansas Podcast Contest, in which students can submit audio podcasts about the Civil War in the region, continues during November; call (479) 750-8165 or email syoung@springdalear.gov for more information.
* “An Enduring Union” Exhibit, an exhibit at the Old State House Museum in Little Rock focusing on why Arkansas commemorates its Civil War veterans, will continue during October; call (501) 324-9685 or email info@oldstatehouse.org for more information.
* “Reel to Real” Exhibit, an exhibit at Little Rock’s Historic Arkansas Museum contrasting artifacts from the movie Gone with the Wind with items from Civil War Arkansas, will continue during October; call (501) 324-9351 or email info@historicarkansas.org for more information.
          For more information on these and other sesquicentennial events, visit http://www.arkansascivilwar150.com/events/.     
          The Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission is housed within the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. The AHPP is the Department of Arkansas Heritage agency responsible for identifying, evaluating, registering and preserving the state’s cultural resources. Other agencies are the Arkansas Arts Council, the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, the Old State House Museum, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and the Historic Arkansas Museum.
CONFEDERATE VETERAN MAGAZINE

           Changes of address can be made on this link, reported by emailing Bryan Sharp at membership@scv.org, or by calling GHQ at 1-800-380-1896 ext. 201.
          The Confederate Veteran magazine is mailed under a nonprofit organization bulk mail rate which costs the SCV about $0.50 per magazine in postage. The post office will normally not forward mail under this class and they discard the magazines that are undeliverable. If you move and do not inform GHQ of your new address, you will not receive your magazine as it will not be forwarded by the post office.
          In addition to the issue of delayed or non-delivery, when GHQ sends a replacement magazine to those that call and enquire as to why they did not receive their Confederate Veteran, it requires that an additional magazine to be printed and costs Headquarters an additional $2.28 in first class postage.
Please report all changes of address to GHQ as soon as possible.
Your cooperation is appreciated and will greatly reduce GHQ mail expense.
Confederately,
Bryan A. Sharp
National Membership Coordinator
SCV HQ / Elm Springs
1-800-380-1896 ext. 201
Posted by Chuck Rand at 6:14 PM

LOUISIANA DIVISION REUNION 2012
         
          The 2012 Louisiana Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, reunion will be held in Shreveport, Louisiana, May 11&12, 2012.
The reunion hotel will be at the Holiday Inn Shreveport West, 5555 Financial Plaza, Shreveport, La. 71129.
           Room rates for Friday & Saturday are $96 per night (regularly $115-$129). For reservations please call 1-800-465-4329  or directly to Holiday Inn West at   318-688-3000 and make sure to tell them the reservation code: Sons of Confederate Veterans.
           The cut-off date for reservations is April 27, 2012. We have blocked off 20 rooms per night (based on past Reunion attendance) and once the 20 rooms have been booked, additional rooms will be on an as available basis. Rooms in the Shreveport/Bossier area book months in advance due to the booming oil and gas industry so we suggest that you please book early to ensure you get a room.