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Contact SCV.org

Friday, March 7, 2014

CALCASIEU GREYS -- MARCH 2014

Joe David Pool

NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of Captain J.W. Bryan Camp will be from 6-8 p.m., Tuesday, March 11, 2014, in Sulphur at  Hollier’s Cajun Kitchen, Ruth Street. At the March meeting the camp membership will address a permanent location for the Sulphur meeting since another organization has reserved the meeting room at the Pitt Grill. Our guest speaker will be Joe David Pool of DeRidder on “A Journal of the 17th Louisiana Infantry Regiment in the Civil War.”
          Monthly camp meetings in Lake Charles have been scheduled and confirmed for Logan’s Road House: Tuesday, April 8; Tuesday, June 10; Tuesday. August 12;Tuesday October 14.

Battle of Calcasieu Pass 150th Anniversary Committee
At the last meeting,  the Camp Commander named a Battle of Calcasieu Pass Commemoration Committee: Mike Jones, Luke Dartez, and Archie Toombs. Because this event is so huge we are requesting additional members volunteer to serve on the committee which will be planning the service. 

Dr. Andy Buckley
Cmdr. Camp 1390

Finding Your Way Home

Commander's Column March 2014

I noticed a posting on the web-page of the Rivers Bridge Sons of Confederate Camp #842 in Barker’s Mill, South Carolina recounting the history of our proud organization:

Within months following the cessation of hostilities between the North and South in 1865, groups of male descendants of those who served in the Confederate Army and Navy were formed throughout the South. Their main objective was the welfare and comfort of the veterans who had "worn the gray." They soon realized their efforts would be more effective if they joined together in some sort of federation. In this way, they could render assistance to support the United Confederate Veterans which had been organized in New Orleans on June 10, 1889.

Such a federation became a reality on July 1, 1896 in Richmond, Virginia during the annual re-union of the United Confederate Veterans. On this date twenty-four "camps" from five Southern states, approved the formation of the "United Sons of Confederate Veterans." J.E.B. Stuart, Jr., was elected the first leader.

Because they had initially formed camps to assist the Confederate veterans, it was only natural that they were committed “to comfort and assist needy, Confederate Veterans, their wives, widows and orphans." Their annual meetings were held on the same date and site as that of the United Confederate Veterans. In 1912 the name was shortened to "Sons of Confederate Veterans.”

These farsighted young men realized that the day would come when there would be no more veterans, widows or orphans to assist. Therefore one of their declared objectives was to see" ...that the events of the War Between the States are authentically and dearly written..." remembered and defended.

I am truly grateful to be a member of a national organization which proudly honors the sacrifices and values of our brave Confederate ancestors and celebrates Southern history and culture. There truly is no other region in our great country like the South. Our beloved South remains generally more conservative than the rest of the United States. Communities in the South have developed strong attachments to their churches as the primary community institution and an expression of our faith in God. Etiquette, respect, honesty, and integrity have traditionally been very important to people living in the South. This is the way it should be. In his landmark book entitled Heritage of the South author Tim Jacobson has written these thoughts about our unique Southern way of life:

"More than any other part of America, the South stands apart. Thousands of Northerners and foreigners have migrated to it...but Southerners they will not become. The South is still a place where you must have either been born or have 'people' there, to feel it is your native land. Southerners are proud to be Americans, but they are also proud to be Louisianans, Virginians, South Carolinians, Tennesseans, Mississippians and Texans. Southerners are loyal too, to an identity that transcends the usual ties of national patriotism and state pride. It is a loyalty to a place where habits are strong and memories are long. If those memories could speak, they would tellstories of a region powerfully shaped by its history and determined to pass it on to future generations."

Please be in attendance at our next monthly meeting March 11, 2014 at Hollier’s Cajun Kitchen on Ruth Street in Sulphur . Joe David Pool of DeRidder will share about a project he has been researching and composing for fifty years entitled "A Journal of the Louisiana 17th Infantry Regiment in the Civil War." It is written through the eyes of one individual soldier of that unit. His perspective is not presented from the commanding officers' viewpoints, but from the common combatant. In his presentation, you will hear about misery and death. You will hear about friendship and entertainment. Of course, you will hear about their participation in battle... at Shiloh, Corinth, Chickasaw Bluffs, Port Gibson, and Vicksburg. He has the rolls of the companies of the regiment and a list of the dead. Mr. Pool has published five books and four magazine articles. He likes to write about the people of Louisiana in which his family has lived for over 200 years. He was Dr. Joe Grey Taylor’s teaching assistant at  Mc Neese State University where he earned the Master of Arts in History. He taught at Barbe, LaGrange, and Sulphur High schools; and on the Navajo Indian Reservation in New Mexico. 

Beginning last month our Calcasieu Greys has added a new feature highlighting the story of a James W. Bryan Camp member’s Confederate Ancestor on a monthly basis. Please be willing to share your ancestor’s story.

This spring will be a busy time for our camp. We need all the members of our Captain James W. Bryan Camp to be present for commemorating the 150 year Battle of Calcasieu Pass on Saturday, May 10 on the grounds of the Cameron Parish Courthouse, 10:00 am-12:00 noon. This will be the first time our camp has attempted to conduct an event on such a large scale.  We are counting on you to make this event a great success.

Dr. Andy Buckley
Commander, andybuckley1224@g mail.com 

My Confederate Ancestor
          The Calcasieu Greys will soon feature the story of a James W. Bryan Camp member’s Confederate Ancestor on a monthly basis.
          Beginning this spring our Captain James W. Bryan Camp will feature the stories of camp member’s Confederate ancestors in our monthly newsletter Calcasieu Greys. We would like to invite members to submit a brief biography of your ancestor for our upcoming issues.  The biography should be 750 words or less and include all service information, rank, place of enlistment, branch and unit, the battles in which your ancestor fought, final resting place, family information, and any anecdote concerning your ancestor. Please include a photograph of yourself and your ancestor. Send your biography to Mike Jones, Editor at m4082@msn.com or Dr. Andy Buckley Commander at andybuckley1224@gmail.com.


Brig. Gen. Matthew C. Butlert
CONFEDERATE OF THE MONTH
Brigadier General Matthew C. Butler of South
Carolina served as a captain in Hampton’s
Legion and then as colonel of the 2nd South Carolina Cavalry. He was wounded at the Battle of Brandy Station and his left foot amputated. He was then promoted to the rank of brigadier general.

Executive Committee  Recommendation.
The Executive committee met on Friday 21 with Dr. Andy Buckley commander, Luke Dartez Adjutant, Al Cochran, Historian, Mike Jones, Editor, and Archie Toombs Past Commander in attendance. 
              The committee discussed the $500.00 of the spring semester scholarship due Shelby Wolfe. Due to difficulty in obtaining applicants the scholarship committee had agreed and requested in April 2012 the amount of the scholarship be raised from $500.00 per year to $1000.00 per year. Scott Thorn agreed to this request and paid McNeese Financial Aid/Scholarship Department $500.00 with a personal check. No receipt of the scholarship award was provided the Captain James W. Bryan Camp from McNeese, as the scholarship check was a personal check from Scott.
          When contacted by Dr. Andy Buckley in December for the second scholarship payment of $500.00, Scott indicated he initially misunderstood the request to raise the scholarship and had moved the funds to a new account and could not make a second withdrawal due to loss of interest. The second half of the scholarship payment for the spring semester of $500.00 has therefore not been paid. The Executive Committee strongly feels the integrity of our promise to Shelby Wolfe requires the Camp to honor its agreement to fully fund the scholarship payment.
The Executive Committee will recommend the Camp provide the $500.00 promised Shelby Wolfe out of our funds and terminate future participation with the Ben W. Burns Scholarship. The Ben W. Burns Scholarship is under the control Scott Thorn, who although is a past Camp Commander, is not an SCV Member, and has not been for a number of years.
              Because there is no direct relationship in the management or oversight of the Ben W. Burns Scholarship with the Sons of the Confederate Veterans or the Captain James W. Bryan Camp #1390, and to protect the good name of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans, we believe the Camp should not continue to participate in the recruitment of applicants, publicity/promotion, or distribution of  scholarship funds for which we have no direct institutional oversight or involvement.
If Scott Thorn desires to continue to offer the Ben W. Burns Scholarship funds at McNeese he may do so as the executor of the Burns estate, but not in the name of the Captain James W. Bryan SCV Camp 1390.
Captain James W, Bryan Camp # 1390
Executive Committee



NEW GEORGIA LICENSE PLATE CELEBRATES SOUTHERN HERITAGE
 (ATLANTA – February 18, 2014)   As of February 1, 2014, the Ga. Div. Sons of Confederate Veterans has a totally new Special License Plate available to all Georgians. The new design has already been approved and is now available as part of the state’s new form which allows for digital images for license plates instead of the traditional raised letter format.
The new design of the SCV’s special license plate features a much more prominent logo of the organization with larger stars and a beautiful Confederate battle flag image in the background and covering the entire size of the plate. Additionally, the plate features a gold frame with the words “Sons of Confederate Veterans” displayed where the county name was previously featured on the plates.
The design for the new plate previously submitted by the SCV also featured the carving on Stone Mountain, the largest Confederate monument in existence; however, Silver Dollar City which has leased the Park from the state of Georgia claims to have the carving trademarked and refuses to allow other entities to use it. At present, the Sons of Confederate Veterans has challenged the right of any private corporation to trademark a symbol which belongs to the people and state of Georgia and is considering further action to void the trademark claim of Silver Dollar City; but the new alternate license plate design was submitted by the SCV so as not to delay its production.
In addition to the promotion of Southern Heritage which comes from every license plate which is on the roads, a financial contribution of $10 from the tag fee is made to the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans to promote Southern Heritage through educational activities and preservation efforts around the state. Since the program’s inception several years ago, hundreds of thousands of dollars from the sale of the SCV specialty plates have gone toward such projects as the cleaning and maintenance of statues and monuments, the preservation of the last standing chimney of the Confederate Powderworks in Augusta, the erection of numerous other monuments across the state, the production of educational literature and posters, and even Southern history segments on radio and television across the state as part of the Sesquicentennial commemoration of the War for Southern Independence.


150-years-ago
RED RIVER CAMPAIGN STARTS WITH ATTACK ON FORT DERUSSY March 14, 1864
(National Park Service summary)

The Union launched a multi-purpose expedition into Rebel Gen. E. Kirby Smith’s Trans-Mississippi Department, headquartered in Shreveport, Louisiana, in early 1864. Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks and Rear Adm. David D. Porter jointly commanded the combined force. Porter’s fleet and Brig. Gen. A.J. Smith's XVI and XVII Army Corps detachments of the Army of the Tennessee set out on March 12, 1864, up the Red River, the most direct route to Shreveport. Banks with the XIII and XIX Army Corps advanced by way of Berwick Bay and Bayou Teche. After removing various obstructions that the Rebels had placed in the river, the major impediment to the Union expedition was the formidable Fort DeRussy, an earthen fortification with a partly iron-plated battery designed to resist the fire of Union ironclads that might come up river. Union Brig. Gen. A.J. Smith’s command had embarked on transports at Vicksburg and then disembarked at Simsport, on the 12th, about thirty miles from Fort DeRussy. Smith sent out some troops on the morning of the 13th to determine if any enemy was in their path. This force dispersed and chased an enemy brigade, after which, Smith set his men in motion up the Fort DeRussy road. They did not proceed far before night. Early the next morning, the 14th, they continued the march, discovering that a Confederate division threatened their advance. Always mindful of this threat, Smith had to place part of his command in a position to intercept these Rebel forces if they attacked. Upon arriving at the fort, the enemy garrison of 350 men opened fire. Smith decided to use Mower’s division, XVI Army Corps, to take the fort and set about positioning it for the attack. Around 6:30 pm, Smith ordered a charge on the fort and about twenty minutes later, Mower’s men scaled the parapet, causing the enemy to surrender. Fort DeRussy, which some had said was impregnable, had fallen and the Red River to Alexandria was open.

DATES OF IMPORTANCE
March 28-29 Battle of Port Hudson Commemoration
April 4-5 Battle of Pleasant Hill Commemoration
April 25-27 Battle of Mansfield Commemoration
May 10 Commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Calcasieu Pass.
May 23-24 SCV Division Reunion DeRidder
Gun Show dates?
Nibblet’s Bluff Festival date?

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