The next meeting of Captain James W. Bryan Camp 1390, Sons of Confederate Veterans, is 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, August 11 at Logan’s Road House in Lake Charles. Our program will be presented by guest Brandon Shoemaker, Director of the Calcasieu Parish Genealogy Library on Pujo Street. Brandon will be speaking on the subject, “Researching War Between the States Confederate Veteran Ancestors.” Please make every effort to be in attendance and bring a prospect. This is an excellent opportunity for those who may be interested in becoming members to learn how to find their Confederate ancestor.
SCV HERITAGE DEFENSE WEBSITE ESTABLISHED
The Sons of Confederate Veterans has established a special website at SCV Heritage Defense Cmdr.-In-Chief Kelly Barrow wrote, “I am certain I do not need to tell you that we are facing a crisis. In fact, we are facing the greatest threat to our heritage in modern times. The forces arrayed against us are formidable. . . . The radical leftists who are driving this crisis are committed to the complete eradication of all things Confederate. . . . Make no mistake, WE ARE IN A WAR TO SAVE AMERICAN CULTURE. I don’t know how else to say it and we don’t have much time.” Please consider making a donation to the SCV Heritage Defense Fund. You can find it online at SCV-Heritage-Defense. The goal is $100,000 and as of this writing $36,085 has been raised.
Finding Your Way Home
Commander Column August 2015
Several weeks ago I was checking out at the Caboose Hobby Shop, the world’s largest model railroad store located in Denver, Colorado. I was purchasing a used Weaver 0-gauge box car when the clerk, a senior adult woman, asked me, “You aren’t from here are you?” Well, I wanted to know exactly what gave me away. “Why would you think I am not from Colorado?” I asked. “Well, you keep saying yes ma’m and no ma’m, so you must be from the South.”
I love being a Southerner. Here in our beloved south small town values are very important part of our culture and our lives. Never wear your hat inside a building. Say "sir" and "ma'am" to our elders. Christianity is definitely practiced by the majority of us here in the South. Southerners go to church every Sunday or Saturday. Men treat women with special respect and dignity like holding doors open for our wives and daughters. Southerners prefer small government and show great reverence to our ancestors who served in the Confederate Armed Forces. Here in the South we believe monuments should remain unchanged as a part of our history.
In recent days we have successfully defeated a proposal made to the Lake Charles City Council to dismantle the South’s Defender Monument on the grounds of the Calcasieu Parish courthouse. Thanks for every member who participated in the Lake Charles City Council meeting on July15 both by being present and publicly addressing this issue. Our ancestors would be proud. Please be aware I have been assured by key elected officials that the monument issue is dead for now.
Over the past month I have met regularly with Luke Dartez, Scott Romero, Archie Toombs, Greg Newton, Tommy Curtis, Mike Jones, Steve Lanier, and J.W. Helums, as well as UDC president Jan Craven to discuss challenges to our heritage. What I would like to share with our membership in my August Commander’s Column is the collective wisdom of these leaders. I will put my thoughts in the first person, but I have drawn heavily from our discussions and our planning/strategy sessions together as we have prepared to defend the monument.
While there is absolutely nothing on the horizon in the form of a resolution or proposal, any change in the South’s Defender’s Monument’s name, location, or current status must and will be opposed. My conviction regarding the perseveration of this monument is based upon the following eight reasons:
1. This monument has never been directly connected, by 1915 primary historical sources or documents like letters, newspaper articles, or speeches, to the support or maintenance of the oppressive institution of slavery, the promotion of racial segregation, the continuation of Jim Crow laws, the actions of white supremacy groups, nor resistance to civil rights movement.
2. Any name change in the monument would desecrate this honorable war memorial to our local war dead, and serve to mislead and deceive the public about its true meaning and purpose. The United Daughters of the Confederacy erected this statue to memorialize and remember the men from Imperial Calcasieu Parish who fought and died defending their homes and families.
3. The Governor of Louisiana. Thomas Overton Moore, called the men of Southwest Louisiana into military service in 1861. Thousands of men from Imperial Calcasieu Parish responded to this request of the state government therefore the monument belongs on public property.
4. The South’s Defender’s Memorial represents legitimate veterans whose service was recognized by our federal government in the 1958 public law 85-425. Because of this law and other legislation, the Veterans Administration provides, at no cost to families of Confederate veterans, head stones listing birth and death dates, rank and the military unit in which the veteran served.
5. The South’s Defenders Monument has absolutely nothing to do with the national tragedy of the Charleston murders carried out by a hate filled bigot, whose life was steeped in ignorance and consumed with the desire to carry out violence against people of color. He does not represent the men who served in the Confederate armed forces or descendants of Confederate veterans’ today or historical organizations like the United Daughters of the Confederacy or the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
6. All Calcasieu Parish museums are thought to be located on public lands so any proposal to relocate the monument to one of these sites is not a consistent option.
7. The call to remove all things Confederate from our culture is inherently inconsistent at best and hypocritical at worst, further deepening racial division and animosity among us. America is a pluralistic culture and therefore tolerance should be practiced toward all groups including those whose ancestors served in the armed forces of the CSA.
8. The South’s Defender monument was designed to recognize local veterans, together with hundreds of others in towns across the South, to honor approximately 1 million CSA veterans whose 70 million descendants, approximately 25% of our population, are American citizens living in the present. We do not want to dishonor these Americans.
It is for these reasons I encourage our membership and the general public to support the continuation of the South’s Defender Monument in its present location with its original wording. If something comes up regarding the monument from our elected officials, we will let you know. Please do not blanket our elected official with letters and phone calls, until there is actually a challenge. I am confident if this occurs, we will do so in a positive, non- threatening, and gracious way. We will express our convictions in a way that reflects positively upon our ancestors and their great cause. Luke Dartez has shared with me that when we vote on those whose applications are pending, our camp membership will be close to 65 members.
Our next meeting is Tuesday, August 11 at Logan’s Road House in Lake Charles. Our program will be presented by guest Brandon Shoemaker, Director of the Calcasieu Parish Genealogy Library on Pujo Street. Brandon will be speaking on the subject, “Researching War Between the States Confederate Veteran Ancestors.”
Please make every effort to be in attendance and bring a prospect. This month we will vote to approve the following new members: Robert Earl Dartez, Shannon Moon, and Jonathan Duff. Several members have asked if they could purchase our Captain James W. Bryan stickers with our logo. We will discuss this possibility as an item of new business.
Dr. Andy Buckley, camp commander Lake Charles
Members of the Louisiana Division,
As you all must know, many things Confederate have
taken some serious hits recently, be they monuments, the
flag, license plates or even our logo. The bad news is that
I don’t think it is over yet so we must do all in our power
to be prepared, which is the purpose of this mailing. The
Supreme Court decided that the Texas SCV had no right
to a license plate and this decision, along with the hysteria
about all things Confederate, could directly affect us here
in Louisiana pertaining to our state issued plates.
Governor Jindal has said that he was leaving that issue up
to the next session of the State Legislature. At another
time it came out that the issue of the license plates would
be “visited” in the next legislative session. We must do
what we can to try and head this off or at least try to
combat it when the need arises. Currently there are over
900 members of the Louisiana Division, a number that is
rising every day. Less than 200 of our members have an
SCV license plate on their vehicle. This isn’t a very good
average when it comes down to showing an interest in
keeping our plates that were fought for so hard. It would
look so much better when the legislature looks at the
number of SCV plates actually issued if the number was
700 or even 800 instead of less than 200, don’t you think?
This mail out is to implore each eligible member of the
Louisiana Division to get an SCV state issued license
plate before it is too late. There is a cost involved which
is according to your vehicle but this issue is worth the
price paid. Please do not delay as time is short and come
March it may be too late to look back and say, “I wish I
had gotten one of those.” You can download an
application from our website, www.lascv.com. Fill it out,
get a camp officer to sign it, get it notarized, and go to
your local DMV. It is just that easy. You may also go to
www.expresslane.org and enter your plate number, get a
cost for the SCV plate and mail it in. Show your pride in
your organization and be seen with an SCV state issued
license plate on your vehicle. Help us have the kind of
numbers that will attract the attention of lawmakers
when they think about taking it away from us. Thank you
for helping us all. Thank you for being a member of our
Division. Keep up the fight.
Thomas E. Taylor, Commander, Louisiana Division Sons
of Confederate Veterans
CONFEDERATE GRAVES ENDANGERED
Not only are the graves of General Nathan B. Forrest
and his wife in danger of being desecrated by the city
government in Memphis, Tenn., there is now a law in
Congress to ban Confederate flags from being placed
on Confederate graves in federal cemeteries and at
National Parks, such as Gettysburg and Vicksburg. The
bill in the house, an amendment to the Department of
Interior bill, was first passed on a voice vote,
apparently with many congressmen not realizing the
flag ban amendment was even in the bill. When word
got out, some Southern congressmen asked for a
recorded vote. Rep. Steven Palazzo of Mississippi said
he was upset that the flag amendment had been
“slipped into the bill in the dead of night with no
debate.” He added, “Members of Congress from New
York and California cannot wipe away 150 years of
Southern history with sleight-of-hand tactics.” Palazzo
pledged to fight the anti-flag amendments. The bill,
amendment, so far, as of this writing, has not been
brought back up for the recorded vote. The National
Park Service has already reportedly removed
Confederate flag memorabilia from its bookstores and
gift shops.
Lee, Beauregard, Davis monuments threatened
NEW ORLEANS – Mayor Mitch Landrieu in
New Orleans is attempting to remove historic
monuments there honoring Robert E. Lee, P.G.T.
Beauregard and Jefferson Davis. These historic
monuments and works of art have been declared “public
nuisances” by the New Orleans City Council so they can
be removed. The Sons of Confederate Veterans,
Louisiana Division, strongly opposes the desecration
and possible destruction of these priceless historic
treasures. Here a report on a Aug. 1 rally by supporters
at Lee Circle: “Approximately one hundred ardent
supporters of General Lee and the ever-living
Confederate Cause participated in the event, which was
moderated by Lt. Commander Steve Alvarez of the Lt.
J.Y. Sanders Camp No. 2092 of the Louisiana Division
SCV. Confederate flags proudly waved as speaker after
speaker spoke on the importance and significance of Lee
Circle and pointed out that true Southern patriots will
never resort to political maneuvering or “bargaining”
with Mayor Landrieu and his rabble—Southern
monuments should be preserved and protected in
accordance with national state and historic preservation
acts because monuments honoring our history are
themselves now part of history itself!....” Roger Busbice.
CONFEDERATE VETERANS ARE AMERICAN
VETERANS—BY LAW
For those who believe that the Confederate States of America
and the men and women who pledged allegiance to that
constitutionally established government and spilled their blood
and treasure in its defense are somehow illegitimate and not
worthy of honor and protection by the American government,
below are those laws and proclamations honoring them and
their service and which proclaim that they were equal in honor
and worthiness to those who served the Federal cause. Such
official proclamations by the Government of the United States
removes all claims against the Confederacy and those who
served it and protects, defends and honors their symbols,
monuments and heroes. In other words, the current assault
upon all things Confederate is contrary to the laws of the
United States of America and must be resisted vigorously.
Congressional Act of 9 March 1906 ~ We Honor Our
Fallen Ancestors (P.L. 38, 59th Congress, Chap. 631-34
Stat. 56) This act authorized the furnishing of headstones for
the graves of Confederates who died, primarily in Union prison
camps and were buried in Federal cemeteries.
Remarks: This act formally reaffirmed Confederate soldiers as
military combatants with legal standing. It granted recognition
to deceased Confederate soldiers commensurate with the status
of deceased Union soldiers.
U.S. Public Law 810, Approved by 17th Congress 26
February 1929 (45 Stat 1307 - Currently on the books as 38
U.S. Code, Sec. 2306) This law, passed by the U.S. Congress,
authorized the "Secretary of War to erect headstones over the
graves of soldiers who served in the Confederate Army and to
direct him to preserve in the records of the War Department
the names and places of burial of all soldiers for whom such
headstones shall have been erected."
Remarks: This act broadened the scope of recognition further
for all Confederate soldiers to receive burial benefits equivalent
to Union soldiers. It authorized the use of U.S. government
(public) funds to mark Confederate graves and record their
locations.
U.S. Public Law 85-425: Sec. 410 Approved 23 May 1958
Confederate Iron Cross (US Statutes at Large Volume 72,
Part 1, Page 133-134) The Administrator shall pay to each
person who served in the military or naval forces of the
Confederate States of America during the Civil War a monthly
pension in the same amounts and subject to the same
conditions as would have been applicable to such person under
the laws in effect on December 31, 1957, if his service in such
forces had been service in the military or naval forces of the
United States.
Remarks: While this was only a gesture since the last
Confederate veteran died in 1959, it is meaningful in that only
fifty-seven years ago, the Congress of the United States saw fit
to consider Confederate soldiers as equivalent to U.S. soldiers
for service benefits. But the widows of Confederate veterans
continued getting a government pensions into the 1990s.
By the President of the United States of America ~
A Proclamation
The years 1961 to 1965 will mark the one-hundredth
anniversary of the American Civil War. That war was
America's most tragic experience. But like most truly
great tragedies, it carries with it an enduring lesson and a
profound inspiration. It was a demonstration of heroism
and sacrifice by men and women of both sides who
valued principle above life itself and whose devotion to
duty is a part of our Nation's noblest tradition. Both
sections of our now magnificently reunited country sent
into their armies men who became soldiers as good as
any who ever fought under any flag. Military history
records nothing finer than the courage and spirit
displayed at such battles as Chickamauga, Antietam,
Kennesaw Mountain, and Gettysburg. That America
could produce men so valiant and so enduring is a
matter for deep and abiding pride. The same spirit on
the part of the people at home supported and
strengthened those soldiers through four years of great
trial. That a Nation which contained hardly more than
thirty million people, North and South together, could
sustain six hundred thousand deaths without faltering is
a lasting testimonial to something unconquerable in the
American spirit. And that a transcending sense of unity
and larger common purpose could, in the end, cause the
men and women who had suffered so greatly to close
ranks once the contest ended and to go on together to
build a greater, freer, and happier America must be a
source of inspiration as long as our country may last.
By a joint resolution approved on September 7, 1957 (71
Stat. 626), the Congress established the Civil War
Centennial Commission to prepare plans and programs
for the nationwide observances of the one-hundredth
anniversary of the Civil War, and requested the President
to issue proclamations inviting the people of the United
States to participate in those observances.
Now, Therefore, I, Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of
the United States of America, do hereby invite all of the
people of our country to take a direct and active part in
the Centennial of the Civil War.
I request all units and agencies of government--Federal,
State, and local--and their officials to encourage, foster,
and participate in Centennial observances. And I
especially urge our Nation's schools and colleges, its
libraries and museums, its churches and religious bodies,
its civic, service, and patriotic organizations, its learned
and professional societies, its arts, sciences, and
industries, and its informational media, to plan and carry
out their own appropriate Centennial observances during
the years 1961 to 1965; all to the end of enriching our
knowledge and appreciation of this momentous chapter
in our Nation's history and of making this memorable
period truly a Centennial for all Americans.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and
caused the Seal of the United States of America to be
affixed.— President Dwight D. Eisenhower
