(SAVANNAH - August 21, 2012) On Saturday, August 18, 2012, in the south Georgia town of Terryville, what may be the last surviving "real" son of a Confederate veteran from Georgia passed away. John Charles McDonald, 76 years old at the time of his passing, was the son of James Malachi McDonald (1847-1941) of the 4th Georgia Cavalry during the late War for Southern Independence.
As did so many Southern boys late in the War, James McDonald joined the Confederate army at the young age of 13 years old and served alongside his brothers in the 4th Georgia Cavalry until he was mustered out of the service at the end of the War in 1865 at the ripe old age of 16. Upon returning home from the service, James married and settled down in Montgomery County, Georgia. The last son born to this Confederate veteran was John Charles McDonald, born in 1936 during the Great Depression. John was just a small boy when his father passed away.
John McDonald was the owner of John McDonald Farms and was very well-known for his cultivation and promotion of the Vidalia onion in south Georgia. His passing on Saturday marks the end of an era in Georgia history - an era when children of the actual veterans who fought so gallantly to defend Georgia against the innumerable masses of Yankee invaders still lived to tell the stories of our fathers who now lie in hallowed graves throughout Georgia and beyond.
At the request of the McDonald family, a Confederate funeral ceremony conducted by the Sons of Confederate Veterans will be held for Mr. John Charles McDonald at the Sammons Funeral Home in Soperton, Georgia at 11:00 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012.
The Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans join the family of John Charles McDonald in mourning his passing but also in commemorating the honourable heritage left by his generation and that of his parents. The Sons of Confederate Veterans was formed in 1896 by "real" sons of the veterans, themselves, for the purpose of perpetuating their stories, their memories, and the truth about the Cause of liberty and freedom from federal tyranny for which they lived, fought, and died. With the passing of Georgia's last "real" son, the SCV in Georgia has committed to redoubling its effort to promote the true history of the South and her sons who fought to defend Georgia.
Interviews and more information may be obtained by contacting the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans online at
www.GeorgiaSCV.org or by calling 1-866-SCV-IN-GA.
