CALCASIEU GREYS November 2012

           The next meeting of Captain James W. Bryan Camp 1390 will be from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13, at the Pitt Grill Restaurant in Sulphur. We’ll have election of officers, make plans for our annual Christmas Party and our 2013 Lee-Jackson Banquet.  Please come to this very important meeting.

NEW REGIMENTAL HISTORY

           General Mouton’s Regiment: The 18^th Louisiana Infantry is the story of the men of one of the state’s hardest fighting units in the War for Southern Independence.

              The author, Michael Dan Jones, uses memoirs, diaries, letters, battle reports, etc., to tell the story from the perspective of the ordinary fighting man.

           The original commander of the regiment, colonel then later general, Alfred Mouton of Lafayette organized the unit from the predominantly French-speaking South Louisiana parishes. Mouton was the son of former governor and senator Alexandre Mouton, who was also the president of the Louisiana Secession Convention.

          The 18^th Louisiana Infantry fought at the Battle of Shiloh where Colonel Mouton was seriously wounded. They also fought in the Battle of Farmersville, Miss. Before returning to Louisiana in October 1862 and taking part in the Bayou Lafourche Campaign. Mouton was promoted to brigadier general and the 18^th Louisiana became part of his brigade and served under him until he was killed in action on April 8, 1864 at the Battle of Mansfield.

        The book also has wartime photographs of a number of the officers and men in the  18^th Louisiana, as well as maps, diagrams and other illustrations.

         The book also has a roster of over 2,000 men who served in the regiment, including military service records. The book has 350 pages, footnotes, bibliography and index. It is available from Amazon.com and https://www.createspace.com/3680896.

Former Camp 1390 Cmdr. Thorn Passes

Gerald S. Thorn
Former Cmdr. Camp 1390

          Funeral services for Gerald S. “Poppa” Thorn, 73, of Monroe were held at 1:00 PM, Saturday, October 20, 2012 at First Baptist Church of Swartz with Rev. Jeff Smart officiating. Interment followed at Riverview Cemetery under the direction of Mulhearn Funeral Home, Sterlington Road, Monroe.
          Mr. Thorn passed away Tuesday, October 16, 2012, at St. Francis Medical Center. He retired from a lifelong career of industrial electrical work and was a member of First Baptist Church of Swartz.
          He was the former camp commander of  Captain James W. Bryan Camp 1390, Sons of Confederate Veterans.
          Mr. Thorn was preceded in death by his father, Woodrow Thorn; his mother, Evelyn Hudson Thorn; and his brother Ray Dell Thorn.
          Survivors include his wife of fifty years, Marilyn Sandlin Thorn of Monroe, LA; his children, Gerald Scott Thorn and wife Bonnie of Lake Charles, LA, Gregory Steven Thorn and wife Maria of Geismar, LA, Geoffrey Spencer Thorn of Ragley, LA; grandchildren, Lauren Thorn, Tristin Thorn, Spencer Thorn, Claire Hohensee, Cody Thorn, Damon Thorn, and Cameron Thorn; brother, L.B. Thorn and wife Molly of Monroe, LA, and numerous nieces and nephews and a host of friends.

Pallbearers will be his grandsons and nephews

Maj. Gen. Thomas D. Hindma
(Library of Congress)

150^th Anniversary of  the
Battle of Prairie Grove

        PRAIRIE GROVE, Arkansas -- Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Prairie Grove. The original battle, fought on December 7, 1862, saw about 22,000 soldiers fighting most of the day, with about 2,700 killed, wounded, or missing. Every even-numbered year, Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park hosts a battle reenactment. During the weekend there will be many lead and self-guided activities including tours through the Union, Confederate, and civilian camps, various military drills, cooking, spinning, and lace making demonstrations along with other living history programs. “Sutlers Row” features a number of vendors selling 19th century reproduction, books, and souvenirs. The battle demonstration begins at 1 p.m. each day, featuring charges and counterattacks by Union and Confederate infantry and cavalry. The reenactment is held on the actual battlefield near the historic Borden House. Contact the park (closer to event time) for a detailed schedule. Reenactors, contact the park to register.

           Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman sought to destroy Brig. Gen. Francis Herron's and Brig. Gen. James Blunt's divisions before they joined forces. Hindman placed his large force between the two Union divisions, turning on Herron first and routing his cavalry. As Hindman pursued the cavalry, he met Herron's infantry which pushed him back. The Rebels then established their line of battle on a wooded high ridge northeast of Prairie Grove Church. Herron brought his artillery across the Illinois River and initiated an artillery duel. The Union troops assaulted twice and were repulsed. The Confederates counterattacked, were halted by Union canister, and then moved forward again. Just when it looked as if the Rebel attack would roll up Herron's troops, Blunt's men assailed the Confederate left flank. As night came, neither side had won, but Hindman retreated to Van Buren. Hindman's retreat established Federal control of northwest Arkansas.

Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’ movie

       Steven Spielberg’s movie Lincoln is slated for release November 9 and it is likely to be a one-sided  presentation that will  be little more than Northern wartime propaganda.

Lincoln and His Generals
(Library of Congress)

       Based on the trailers it seems that the movie touches on the Emancipation Proclamation and focuses on his final months in office. Here are some highlights of Lincoln’s reign that the movie may or may not address.
       First, the Emancipation Proclamation  was a war measure to suppress the so-called “rebellion” and to make it easier to subjugate the Southern people.
        It only freed slaves in States that were deemed to be in “rebellion” against the Lincoln regime and but only in areas not already occupied by Union troops. The new state of West Virginia was exempted, as were 13 parishes in Louisiana which  were occupied. If the document was really about freedom, why weren’t the slaves freed in those areas actually occupied by the Lincoln's army?
     Lord Palmerston, the prime minister of England, pointed out that Lincoln undertook to abolish salvery only in places where his regime had no power to enforce it, and protected slavery where he actually did have the power to destroy it.
      Future U.S. President Woodrow Wilson said the proclamation was simply an attempt by Lincoln to make it look like the South was fighting a war to perpetuate slavery, a libel that still holds to this day.
       A New England historian, Edward Channing, who also saw what a sham it was, said “Of course, it did not abolish slavery as an institution anywhere.”
       And Lincoln’s own father-in-law was a slave-owner and his wife’s share of her father’s estate, was partially derived from the sale of slaves.
        It was also well known that Lincoln had been a longtime supporter of an effort to “colonize” “people of African descent” to Central America or Africa.
        Here are some good books to read that will give you a more balanced view of Lincoln:
        Lincoln  the Man by Edgar Lee Masters.
        Lincoln Takes Command and The Coming of the Glory, both by John S. Tilley, M. A. (Harvard).
        The Real Lincoln and Lincoln Unmasked, both by Thomas J. DiLorenzo.
        Lincoln and His Generals by T. Harry Williams.
        Lincoln’s Marxists by Al Benson Jr. and Walter Donald  Kennedy.
        Forced into Glory: Lincoln’s White Dream by Lerone Bennett Jr.
        Lincoln’s Little War: How His Carefully Crafted Plans Went Astray by Webb Garrison.

        America’s Caesar: Abraham Lincoln and the Birth of a Modern Empire by Greg Loren Durand.

 

Arkansas Confederates
(Arkansas History Commission)

GEC Meeting at Elm Springs Held October 27

Condensed Account of the October 27, 2012 SCV General Executive Council Meeting:
1. Meeting opened at 8:00 AM with Prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, Salute to the Confederate Flag and The Charge.

2. Executive Director Sewell reported the SCV, as of 10.26.12, has 30,534 members, approximately 400 more than the same time last year. He stated the needed maintenance on Elm Springs has been minimal and reported on the status of the SCV’s endowment funds.

3. GEC voted to put the Bicentennial Fund under the review of the Investment Committee.
4. CIC addressed several issues:
A. Vision Program Progress
B. Carter House in Franklin, TN
C. Discount for SCV members at the Kissimmee, FL Ramada Inn
D. Appointments to the Disciplinary Committee

5. Lt Commander Barrow reported on the recent Leadership Conference in Colorado, the upcoming conference in Richmond, November 3, 2012, and other conferences in Alabama, Kentucky and possibly Texas and Arizona.

6. ANV Councilman Randy Burbage reported on two Battle flags that have recently been acquired by the South Carolina Division.

7. Chief of Heritage Defense Hogan presented a report on the Reidsville, North Carolina monument, the updated SCV website where heritage violations can be reported on-line and a new heritage defense fundraising program.

8. The GEC adopted additions to the Convention Guidelines to establish a minimum fee for debutants, to define requirements for the memorial service for compatriots who have passed away in the last year and for the Heritage Defense Luncheon held at Reunions.

9. The GEC voted to affirm that the “The Charge” of Gen. S.D. Lee as recorded in the minutes of the United Confederate Veterans 1906 minutes, the minutes of the United Sons of Confederate Veterans minutes from their 1906 Reunion as currently shown on scv.org is the historically correct version of The Charge.

10. Discussion of Sam Davis Youth Camps' legal structure.

11. Budget and Finance Committee reported on five (5) requests:
A. The request for funding for a monument in Ardmore, OK was approved.
B. Funding for the Culp Brothers monument in Gettysburg, PA was approved contingent a contract governing the monument is received and reviewed at GHQ.
C. Assistance requested by the Boy Scouts in St. Mary’s Ohio to mark a confederate grave of an officer from Mississippi. AIC Steve Ritchie will assist with this project - no funding needed.
D. Request for funding for a sculpture Confederate Veteran Richard Payne for an historical park in Winston County, Alabama. Funding approved contingent on agreement with the historical park board regarding conditions of the sculpture being donated.
E. Request for funding for the Confederate Plaza in Palestine, Texas was approved. The plaza has been donated to the General Organization of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

12. Past Commander In Chief McMichael spoke about upcoming Sesquicentennial Events, the next at Beauvoir on March 16, 2013. He also addressed issues regarding The Confederate Museum.

13. CIC Givens made closing comments, including announcing the next GEC meeting will be at Beauvoir in conjunction with the Beauvoir Sesquicentennial event.

14. Meeting ended at 3:35 PM with prayer and the singing of Dixie!!