A Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer

General Orders #4 – November 20, 202       Since you were a schoolboy, we have always been led to believe the story of the three-day fall harvest feast and celebration between the Plymouth Colony settlers and the Wampanoag Indians in November of 1621, this would become known as the first Thanksgiving in our history books today. While these facts remain true, the details surrounding this week-long celebration takes on a life of its own with every new generation.     Now, let us argue the fact that Virginia was the first Thanksgiving! Here are the facts…The great Ship ‘Margaret’ landed on the Berkeley 100, now known as Berkeley Plantation, on December 4, 1619. When the settlers landed, they began to give thanks for a safe arrival to the Almighty God. This Thanksgiving was strictly religious and did not include a feast like the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. Thanksgiving itself is an annual national holiday marked by religious observances across the country. But, let us rewind to where this story first begins. In 1618 four men, known as the Berkeley Company, got together in London, England. They received a grant for 8,000 acres of land in Virginia to start a settlement. With the help of Richard Berkeley himself, Captain John Woodlief, 19 crew members and 35 settlers made their way across the Atlantic ocean.     The Berkeley Company in England gave them a list of 10 instructions. One of those was to give thanks for their safe voyage and to say a thankful prayer every year. That was the first English Thanksgiving in the New World.     The way Thanksgiving is observed changes with both history and time. President John F. Kennedy acknowledged Virginia as the first Thanksgiving in the New World after getting a telegram from Virginia State Senator John J. Wicker in 1962. Senator Wicker claimed he had already proven to the Governor of Massachusetts the validity of Virginia’s claim by simply displaying the records to him.     The White House mended its ways when President Kennedy’s next Thanksgiving Proclamation on November 5, 1963 stated that “Over three centuries ago, our forefathers in Virginia and Massachusetts, far from home, in a lonely wilderness set aside a time of Thanksgiving. They gave thanks for their safety, the health of their children, the fertility of their fields, for the love which bound them together and for the faith which united them with their God.” Finally, Virginia, and the South, was given its rightful recognition and place in history!     As we approach this truly Southern holiday, let us remember the blessings that have been bestowed upon us and pray that God will give us the strength to endure the trials that is being placed upon us. Let us pray for our Southland, our families, and our organization so that we will be united against a foe that wishes to destroy our identity, history, and culture.     THEREFORE, as Commander-in-Chief, I am declaring November 26, 2020, not only as a day of feasting but a day of prayer for our Southland and our organization. Please take time out during this holiday to pray for your leaders on all levels in this organization to give them the strength and wisdom to make the important decisions that need to be made in the coming months. Pray that this pandemic will soon be over so that we can enjoy each other’s fellowship and comradery once again at our meetings. Pray for confusion to our enemies as they try to erase our history as well as this nation’s. Pray that we all will do our duty that will further our Cause to the memory of our ancestors and for future generations as we go forward.     The General Executive Council and myself, thank you for your support and prayers for we are nothing without your support. May God bless you and your family during this time.   Deo Vindicie, Larry McCluney, Jr. Commander-in-Chief Sons of Confederate Veterans