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| Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson |
LEE-JACKSON BANQUET 2012
Captain James W. Bryan Camp 1390 will hold its annual Lee-Jackson Banquet from at 6 p.m. Saturday, January 21, at Pat’s of Henderson Restaurant, 1500 Siebarth Drive in Lake Charles. Our guest speaker will be Granvel Block, S.C.V. Texas Div. Cmdr. (see biography page 2).
The banquet cost is $30 per person, including appetizer, main course, dessert, drink and tip. The menu choices are Crawfish Fettuccine, Fried Shrimp, Stuffed Snapper, 10 oz. ribeye (cooked medium), and Italian Chicken Breast; dessert, cheesecake with topping or pecan pie. The appetizer will be friend bite-size catfish and popcorn shrimp.
Please send checks made out to Sons of Confederate Veterans to Luke Dartez,, 908 Henning Road, Sulphur, La. 70665 by January 15. Thank you.
COMMANDER'S COMMENTS
By Mike Jones
I am finishing my tenure as commander of Captain James W. Bryan Camp 1390, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and it has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I would like to thank everyone who has helped me during the past three years to accomplish the various goals I had, all of which have been accomplished. I now look forward to strongly supporting our new camp commander, Archie Toombs, and our new officers to bring the camp to even greater heights of success.
I would also like to encourage everyone to attend our Lee-Jackson Banquet Jan. 21 if at all possible. This is our chance to honor not only our great Southern heroes, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, but also our individual Confederate ancestors who left us an honorable heritage that it is our privilege and honor to immolate and pass along to the next generation. We have a great guest speaker in Cmdr. Granvel Block, who is currently leading the Texas Division and the creation of a major Confederate flag memorial flag park right on Interstate 10 in Orange. This will be a big boost to our Confederate heritage in Southwest Louisiana as well as Southeast Texas.
I hope everyone had a most wonderful Christmas and will prosper and have good health in this new year of 2012. God Bless you all and God Bless our Southland.
Your obedient servant,
Mike Jones, camp commander
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| Cmdr. Gravel Block |
LEE-JACKSON BANQUET SPEAKER
Texas Division Commander Granvel Block, speaker for Captain James W. Bryan Camp 1390’s Lee-Jackson Banquet 2012, has been an outstanding spokesman for the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Texas, as well as the leader of the Confederate Memorial Flag project planned for Interstate 10 in Lake Charles. He is a life member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and of the Texas Division, SCV.
His past offices include Texas Division Lt. Commander, 2nd Lt. Commander, Elm Springs Planning Committee, Flags Across Dixie Committee, 10th Brigade 1st Lt. Commander, Gulf Coast Brigade 2nd Lt. Commander, Gulf Coast Brigade Aid de Camp, Chair Gulf Coast Brigade Historical Committee and Texas Division Awards Committee.
Among his awards are the Distinguished Service Award, Heritage Defense Award, Gen. Jo Shelby Award, Dixie Club Award, SCV Commendation, Bonny Blue Society, Texas Division Gold Cross and Order of St. George.
He has researched and wrote about “The Little Dixie Bell,” which was the only paper machine to be in the service of the Confederacy. The remaining pieces of the machine were salvaged in 2004 before it was destroyed. The restored pieces are now for display in local museums. He has also presented a salvaged piece of “The Little Dixie Bell” for display at the SCV International Headquarters at Elm Springs.
Commander Block is also a member of the “Orange County Historical Commission,” where he was able to have the marker “Orange County and the Civil War” placed on the Orange County Courthouse lawn.
He also designed and commissioned the Davis Guard Medal through the Texas Division. Over $6,000 in sales were received and placed in
the Texas Heritage Defense fund.
“I will defend the fact that our ancestors were honorable men who fought an invading army, and it was their constitutional right to self-government, which compelled their actions to form a new country,” Commander Block said. “I am proud of our Confederate ancestors, and I consider it an honor to be a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.”
BATTLEFLAG RESOLUTION
Resolution adopted at the Anderson Convention offered by Charles Kelly Barrow, Cmdr, Army of Tennessee, SCV
WHEREAS, the approach of the Sesquicentennial will be a time to educate not only the people of these United States but of the world; and
WHEREAS, the most recognized symbol of the Confederate States is the Battle Flag, a flag each of us hold dear; and
WHEREAS, the use of the Confederate Battle Flag by extremist political groups and individuals who seek to clothe themselves in respectability by misappropriating the banner under which our southern ancestors fought for a Just Cause which is as noble as much latter day is ignoble; and
WHEREAS, the Sons of Confederate Veterans are the true inheritors of legacy and symbols for which the Confederate Veterans fought and died; and
WHEREAS, the Sons of Confederate Veterans does denounce the use of the Confederate Battle Flag and any other Confederate symbol by any hate group and/or the Ku Klux Klan as the desecration of a symbol to which any hate group and/or the Ku Klux Klan has no claim; and
WHEREAS, the misuse of the Confederate Battle Flag by any extremist group or individual espousing political extremism and/or racial superiority degrades the Confederate Battle Flag and maligns the noble purpose of our ancestors who fought against extreme odds for what they knew was just, right, and constitutional; and
WHEREAS, the misuse of other flags and symbols of the Confederate States of America and the Confederate States Army, Navy, and Marines is similarly degrading,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Sons of Confederate Veterans in General Convention assembled in Anderson, South Carolina, does hereby condemn in the strongest terms possible the use of the Confederate Battle Flag or any other flag, symbol, seal, title or name bearing any relationship whatsoever to the Confederate States of America or the armed forces of that Government by any such extremist group or individual, of whatever name or designation by which know, and
LET IT BE FUTHER RESOVLED, that the Sons of Confederate Veterans in General Convention assembled, does hereby condemn in the strongest terms possible the inappropriate use of the Confederate Battle Flag or any other flag, seal, title or name bearing any relationship whatsoever to the Confederate States of America or the armed forces of that Government of the Confederate States of America by individuals or groups of individuals, organized or unorganized, who espouse political extremism or racial superiority and that this resolution shall be made known to all media outlets now and throughout the years of the Sesquicentennial and it shall be made patent and entered into the permanent records and archives of the General Headquarters of the Sons of Confederate Veterans at Elm Springs in Columbia, Tennessee.
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| Col. Benjamin F. Terry |
COLONEL BENJAMIN F. TERRY –A FALLEN HERO
By Mike Jones
WOODSONVILLE, Ky. - Colonel Benjamin Franklin Terry, commander of the 8th Texas Cavalry, better known as Terry's Texas Rangers, was killed in action this day, December 17, 1861, in a skirmish with the 32nd Indiana Infantry at Woodsonville, Kentucky.
Ironically, Terry was killed in his native state, having been born in Russellville, Kentucky on February 18, 1821. He moved with his family to Brazoria County, Texas in 1833 or 34. He married Mary Bingham in 1841 and the couple had three sons and three daughters. In 1851, Terry formed a partnership with William J. Kyle to build the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway from Harrisburg and Houston to the Brazos River. Terry was a member of the Texas Secession Convention in 1861 and was one of the senior officers that disarmed federal troops at Brazos Santiago in June of that year. His first service to the Confederate Army was as a volunteer aid to Brig. Gen. James Longstreet, with the rank of colonel, and took part in the First Battle of Manassas on 21 July 1861. Terry and Thomas S. Lubbock were authorized by the War Department to raise a cavalry regiment in Texas and they formed the Rangers with 1,170 men in August of 1861.
His men were sworn into Confederate service in September and designated as the 8th Texas Cavalry in November. There was no uniformity of dress of the men at first. Theywore clothing of red, blue, green and yellow, with sombreros, felt hats and caps. On their way to Virginia, they were diverted to Bowling Green, Kentucky where they joined Brigadier General Thomas Hindman's division of General Albert S. Johnston's army. The 8th Texas and Mississippi artillery were directed to destroy a bridge over the Green River south of Woodsonville. The Texans collided with the 32nd Indiana, a unit made up of German immigrants, and a sharp skirmish ensued. The Rangers charged three times before they were repulsed. Both sides withdrew from the battlefield. Colonel Terry was among the Confederate dead.
The regiment changed it's name to Terry's Texas Rangers to honor their fallen commander. Terry's body was sent to Nashville, Tennessee where the legislature adjouned to excort the remains to the state capitol where it lay in state. Terry's remains also were given honors in New Orleans and Houston. The governor of Texas said of Terry, "no braver man ever lived-no truer patriot ever died." He was buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Houston. Terry County was named in his honor.
Ironically, Terry was killed in his native state, having been born in Russellville, Kentucky on February 18, 1821. He moved with his family to Brazoria County, Texas in 1833 or 34. He married Mary Bingham in 1841 and the couple had three sons and three daughters. In 1851, Terry formed a partnership with William J. Kyle to build the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway from Harrisburg and Houston to the Brazos River. Terry was a member of the Texas Secession Convention in 1861 and was one of the senior officers that disarmed federal troops at Brazos Santiago in June of that year. His first service to the Confederate Army was as a volunteer aid to Brig. Gen. James Longstreet, with the rank of colonel, and took part in the First Battle of Manassas on 21 July 1861. Terry and Thomas S. Lubbock were authorized by the War Department to raise a cavalry regiment in Texas and they formed the Rangers with 1,170 men in August of 1861.
His men were sworn into Confederate service in September and designated as the 8th Texas Cavalry in November. There was no uniformity of dress of the men at first. Theywore clothing of red, blue, green and yellow, with sombreros, felt hats and caps. On their way to Virginia, they were diverted to Bowling Green, Kentucky where they joined Brigadier General Thomas Hindman's division of General Albert S. Johnston's army. The 8th Texas and Mississippi artillery were directed to destroy a bridge over the Green River south of Woodsonville. The Texans collided with the 32nd Indiana, a unit made up of German immigrants, and a sharp skirmish ensued. The Rangers charged three times before they were repulsed. Both sides withdrew from the battlefield. Colonel Terry was among the Confederate dead.
The regiment changed it's name to Terry's Texas Rangers to honor their fallen commander. Terry's body was sent to Nashville, Tennessee where the legislature adjouned to excort the remains to the state capitol where it lay in state. Terry's remains also were given honors in New Orleans and Houston. The governor of Texas said of Terry, "no braver man ever lived-no truer patriot ever died." He was buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Houston. Terry County was named in his honor.
Terry's Texas Rangers went on to become one of the hardest fighting regiments in the war. It was assigned to Wheeler's, Wharton's and T. Harrison brigades. Its battle honors also include Shiloh, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, the Knoxville campaign, the Atlanta campaign. It also fought in defense of Savannah and the Carolinas toward the end of the war, and it surrendered with about 30 men on April 26, 1865.
Other field officers of ther regiment included Colonels Gustave Cook, Thomas Harrison, Thomas S. Lubbock, and John A. Wharton; lieutenant colonels Samuel P. Christian, Marcus L. Evans, Stephen C. Ferrill and John G. Walker; majors William R. Jarmon and Leander M. Rayburn.
"To you, Sons of Confederate Veterans, we will commit the vindication of the cause for which we fought. To your strength will be given the defense of the Confederate soldier's good name, the guardianship of his history, the emulation of his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles which he loved and which you love also, and those ideals which made him glorious and which you also cherish."
Lt. General Stephen Dill Lee, Commander General,
United Confederate Veterans,
New Orleans, Louisiana, April 25, 1906.
United Confederate Veterans,
New Orleans, Louisiana, April 25, 1906.
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| The noble profile of Robert E. Lee. |
Texas Division Files Suit over Plates
December 8th, 2011, a complaint is being filed in pursuant of 42 U.S.C. §1983 to vindicate the rights secured to the “Texas Division Sons of Confederate Veterans” by the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution.
The Texas SCV is a non-profit organization that works diligently to preserve the memory and reputation of the Confederate soldiers, emphasizing the virtues of their fight for the preservation of liberty and freedom. Like many other non-profit organizations in Texas, the Texas SCV sought from the State of Texas, through the Department Motor Vehicles Board, approval of a specialty license plate, both to raise awareness of their endeavors and to raise additional money to fund their activities.
This action is in regards to the recent denial by the of the specialty license application presented to the Department of Motor Vehicles Board by the Texas Division Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Currently, the SCV has specialty automobile license plates available to vehicle drivers in Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, Maryland, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
The Texas SCV initially applied for a specialty license plate in Texas with the Department of Transportation, the proper agency at the time, in August 2009. That application was denied by the Department of Transportation. In 2009, the Texas Legislature amended the Transportation Code to provide that the Department of Motor Vehicles, rather than the Department of Transportation, was charged with issuing specialty license plates. The license plate function moved to the new Department of Motor Vehicles on November 1, 2009. At the time the Texas SCV reapplied with the new governing department, to hopefully have a specialty plate in advance of the Civil War Sesquicentennial, April 12, 2011.
The official public comments were heavily in favor of the Texas SCV’s application for a specialty plate. Following commentary by both proponents and opponents, the Board rejected the SCV plate at the hearing by an 8-0 vote without any discussion. At the same hearing, the Buffalo Soldiers plate, without any discussion, was approved by a 5-3 vote.
Since the Department of Motor Vehicle Board has been charged with issuing specialty license plates, the Sons of the Confederate Veterans plate is the first, and only, to be rejected.Through the members of the Department of Motor Vehicles Board, the State of Texas has discriminated against the Texas SCV based on the ideas and message that the Texas SCV supports, in clear violation of the First Amendment.
The Board seeks to bar the Texas SCV from expressing their viewpoint while allowing all other groups to express their viewpoint: this type of restriction is exactly the type which the First Amendment is designed to erase. The only guideline that the Transportation Code has to offer, which the Board referenced as its reason for rejecting the plate, is that the Board can reject a plate “if the design might be offensive to any member of the public…” This, however, cannot be the standard. It is vague and indeterminable. Essentially, it is no standard at all to say that the Board can discriminate based upon a viewpoint if such speech is offensive to anyone.
The First Amendment clearly protects controversial speech. Additionally, even if simply being “offensive to any member of the public” was sufficient to allow for rejection, the State has approved numerous plates that are “offensive to any member of the public.” In fact, the plate approved the very same day as the Texas SCV plate was rejected – the Buffalo Soldier plate – is offensive to Native Americans because the all-black cavalry helped fight Native Americans in the Indian Wars from 1867-1888. Accordingly, the Texas SCV seeks appropriate injunctive relief, requiring the State of Texas to approve the Texas SCV’s application and implement the specialty plate.
Granvel J. Block
Commander Texas Division
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Since the Department of Motor Vehicle Board has been charged with issuing specialty license plates, the Sons of the Confederate Veterans plate is the first, and only, to be rejected.Through the members of the Department of Motor Vehicles Board, the State of Texas has discriminated against the Texas SCV based on the ideas and message that the Texas SCV supports, in clear violation of the First Amendment.
The Board seeks to bar the Texas SCV from expressing their viewpoint while allowing all other groups to express their viewpoint: this type of restriction is exactly the type which the First Amendment is designed to erase. The only guideline that the Transportation Code has to offer, which the Board referenced as its reason for rejecting the plate, is that the Board can reject a plate “if the design might be offensive to any member of the public…” This, however, cannot be the standard. It is vague and indeterminable. Essentially, it is no standard at all to say that the Board can discriminate based upon a viewpoint if such speech is offensive to anyone.
The First Amendment clearly protects controversial speech. Additionally, even if simply being “offensive to any member of the public” was sufficient to allow for rejection, the State has approved numerous plates that are “offensive to any member of the public.” In fact, the plate approved the very same day as the Texas SCV plate was rejected – the Buffalo Soldier plate – is offensive to Native Americans because the all-black cavalry helped fight Native Americans in the Indian Wars from 1867-1888. Accordingly, the Texas SCV seeks appropriate injunctive relief, requiring the State of Texas to approve the Texas SCV’s application and implement the specialty plate.
Granvel J. Block
Commander Texas Division
Sons of Confederate Veterans
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| Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard was the highest ranking Louisiana Confederate general. The Civil War in Louisiana - Part A Military Activity edited by Arthur William Bergeron, Jr. (UL Press, ulpress.org) The Bayou State inevitably became a target for Union land and naval military operations because of its strategic position at the mouth of the Mississippi River as well as the importance of New Orleans as a manufacturing, banking, and trade center. Though not generally thought of as a major battleground during the Civil War, Louisiana was the scene of four military campaigns and 566 military actions of varying size and significance. Thus Louisiana's military role played an integral part in the outcome of the war and had repercussions that extended well beyond the state line. This volume demonstrates the Union's focus on dividing the Confederacy and securing land access by water. Many battles discussed within detail encounters with Confederates determined to preserve their land and livelihood. This volume offers not only an excellent sample of the state's military experience during the Civil War, but it also highlights the participation of both black Union and Confederate troops (including neighboring Texans), analyzes the career of General Richard Taylor, explores the consolidation of Union troops and the activities of Jayhawkers, and discusses the construction and use of Confederate earthwork fortifications. Moreover, this edition provides a glimpse of both sides of the battlefield and of life on the homefront for Louisiana's inhabitants who faced both violence and economic ruin. This edition takes the reader beyond the Union occupation of New Orleans and the Battle of Baton Rouge and into the trenches, small towns, and backwater areas of Louisiana's bloody skirmishes between Union and Confederate forces. Hardcover, 774 pages, ©2002 ISBN: 9781887366502 Price: Was $45.00 Sale! $10.00 Order Information: Order by Phone or FAX Longleaf Services, Inc. Customer Service 800-848-6224 800-272-6817 (FAX) Order by Mail Longleaf Services, Inc. 116 S. Boundary Street Chapel Hill, NC 27514-3808 Orders and inquiries regarding stock availability, accounts, invoices, and shipping should be directed to our customer service department, 800-848-6224. |
