Va Flaggers Call To Action: Sign the Mark Their Graves Petition

Confederate Soldiers are American Veterans by Act of Congress

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/04/14/confederate-soldiers-are-american-veterans-by-act-of-congress/

Sign the Petition to amend the VA's Next-Of-Kin Rules here:

http://www.marktheirgraves.org/

More info:

Group Forms To Amend VA's Next-Of-Kin Rules

(July 2013 Civil War News)

"A new organization that aims to change a federal regulation making it difficult to get government headstones for unmarked veterans' graves has started an online petition campaign. According to Mark Their Graves, the Department of Veterans Affairs began enforcing a rarely-used regulation last year that, in effect, shuts down its Headstones and Markers Program.

The rule – Code of Federal Regulation section 38.632-(1) – precludes veterans' groups, cemeteries, researchers and others from applying for government markers that identify the final resting places of military veterans unless they have permission from the veteran's next of kin.  "This creates an impossible and unnecessary burden for groups seeking to honor veterans who served generations ago in conflicts like the Civil War, Spanish American War and even World War I," says the group. Committee members ask the public to sign the petition at www.marktheirgraves.org and to contact their representatives in Washington and urge them to change the regulation.

The effort is supported by the Civil War Trust, Ohio Historical Society, New York State Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee and the North Shore Civil War Roundtable.  Members include: Jeffrey I. Richman, Green-Wood Cemetery historian and North Shore Civil War Roundtable trustee; William Finlayson, president, Civil War Round Table of New York and North Shore Civil War Roundtable trustee; Robert MacAvoy, co-author of Our Brothers Gone Before and member, New Jersey Sesquicentennial Committee; Also, George J. Weinmann, vice president and instructor, Greenpoint Monitor Museum;  Vance Ingram, president, New York State Sesquicentennial Committee and Friends of the New York State Military Museum; Andrew Athanas, president, North Shore Civil War Roundtable; And, William Styple, author, Kearny (NJ) town historian; member, New Jersey            Sesquicentennial Committee and Co. E, 15th New Jersey Infantry; and Bruce L. Sirak, president, Camp Olden Civil War Round Table & Museum; member, New Jersey Sesquicentennial Committee.

The regulation's effect can be seen at Brooklyn's Historic Green-Wood Cemetery. In the past it successfully applied for and received 2,000 gravestones for Civil War veterans who researchers found to be in unmarked graves. Now, Green-Wood's applications are being rejected, as are those of other researchers.

The petition is addressed to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki. It protests the redefinition of "applicant" as "next of kin" and implores the VA to limit the new regulation by "making it inapplicable to veterans who served more than 62 years ago — so that the veterans who now lie in unmarked graves can have a thankful nation mark where they lie, in tribute to their service."

Within one week of the Mark Their Graves launch, almost 500 people had signed the petition. At press time it had more than 900 signers.  Although Steve Muro, undersecretary for memorial affairs at the Veterans Administration, on April 10 told a Congressional subcommittee "We are actually looking at that reg. And we are going to do some rewrites of it … they made it over restrictive," the committee says pressure must be brought to bear on the VA to amend the regulation.

Among the veterans denied government markers because of the regulation were Civil War veterans George Stillie and William Peter Strickland. Stillie (1839-1919) served in the United States Navy aboard the USS North Carolina, USS Valley City, USS Fernandina and USS Roebuck. He is buried in Melbourne, Australia. His wife predeceased him and their only child died in New Zealand in 1912.  Strickland (1809-1884), chaplain of the 48th New York Infantry for two years, believed that serving the Union was "the most sacred duty of every liberty-loving American citizen." He is interred in Green-Wood Cemetery."

Susan Hathaway
Va Flaggers
suzn68@comcast.net

Save Ball's Bluff (and Get an Update on Slaughter Pen Farm)

With the high tide of the 150th commemoration approaching, we wanted to take a moment to tell you about two opportunities to help protect land where the fate of our nation was decided. The first is a chance to complete the Ball's Bluff battlefield. The rout of Union forces at this battle had political ramifications that would change the nature of the rest of the war. Our three-acre target tract is the site of the Jackson House, where Union and Confederate troops clashed on the morning of October 21, 1861. This is the last significant piece of the Ball's Bluff battlefield yet to be preserved. That's right: save these three acres and Ball's Bluff is preserved forever! Secondly, we need your help to make our annual payment on our Slaughter Pen Farm property at Fredericksburg. We've already raised more than 60% of the money needed to call this pristine land saved and we need your continued help to make it all the way. Please do your part to help preserve the ground that Frank O'Reilly calls "the very heart and soul of the Fredericksburg battlefield."

Map: Target property at Ball's Bluff »

10 Facts: Ball's Bluff »

Video: Slaughter Pen Farm »

Map: Target property at Slaughter Pen Farm »

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The last significant piece of Ball's Bluff yet to be preserved Help save 3 acres at Ball's Bluff »

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Continue supporting the Slaughter Pen Farm property          Help make our annual payment on Slaughter Pen Farm »

Copyright © 2012 Civil War Trust 1156 15th Street N.W. Suite 900, Washington, D.C. 20005 p 202-367-1861 | e info@civilwar.org

Va Flaggers: Cross of Honor Ceremony, Dewey Rose, GA

On Saturday, June 1st, I had the privilege of attending the Southern Cross of Honor Dedication and Wreath Presentation in honor of Private Isham Johnson Booth, Company D, 1st Georgia Reserves, Elbert County Georgia, father of last living Georgia real son H.V Booth in Dewey Rose, GA.

The Georgia Society Order of Confederate Rose, Nancy Hart Chapter No. 1 & Georgia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans, Lt. Dickson L. Baker Camp 926 sponsored the event.  It was a beautiful, well attended ceremony, and I was honored  to represent the Va Flaggers and thrilled at the opportunity to meet Mr. Booth.

ELBERTON, Ga. — For most descendants of Confederate soldiers, their ancestor is maybe just a name in the family Bible, or a picture in a faded photograph of someone perhaps their grandparents recalled meeting.

For Herbert Booth, however, his Confederate ancestor was the man who bounced him on his knee and sent him to the fields to plow behind a mule when Booth was barely grown up enough to reach the plow handles. He was Booth's father.

Booth did something Saturday that he is believed to be the only remaining person in Georgia who could. He took part in a ceremony honoring his father's service in the Confederate Army.

The 94-year-old of Elberton was the guest of honor at a ceremony at Antioch Baptist Church, in the Dewy Rose community, where the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Georgia Society Order of the Confederate Rose made a Southern Cross of Honor presentation at Isham Johnson Booth's grave.

Isham Booth, the youngest of three brothers to serve in the Confederate Army, joined at age 16, serving in Company D of the 1sr Georgia Reserves. He was assigned as a guard to Camp Sumter, the Confederate camp for Union prisoners at Andersonville, Ga.

The camp operated for from February 1864 to April 1865. Built to hold about 25,000 prisoners, its population would eventually be about 34,000, and by the war's end about 45,000 prisoners would pass through the prison. Nearly a quarter of the prisoners would die, most from exposure and disease aggravated by having little food, which was scarce for the Confederates.

The younger Booth recalls that his father never really talked much about the war. But Herbert Booth has a vivid recollection of his father describing the Confederate prison camp as "the awfulest place he ever saw."

Isham Booth contracted yellow fever while at the camp and was sent back to Elberton to recover. By the time the 17-year-old was well enough to return, the war was over. He never returned to Andersonville and was officially listed as a deserter, a situation he corrected in 1928, six years before he died at age 87. It made him eligible for a pension of $25 a month.

Keith Jones, a descendant of Isham Booth and the author of two books about Civil War history, said Saturday that guard duty was not combat duty but neither was it without dangers.

"About 22 percent of the guards at Andersonville died doing their duty," Jones said.

Isham Booth married Herbert's mother, a 38-year-old widow, when he was a 77-year-old widower. Herbert was Isham's 12th and last child, born in 1918."

"(Herbert Booth) is one of our last real connections with those brave men who went off to fight in 1861, not for the enslavement of a race but for basic human rights," said Mike Mull, chief of staff of the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, on Saturday.

Those who seek to revise history, Mull said, especially the history of the South and the Civil War, don't always necessarily lie, "they just don't tell the whole truth."

The ceremony Saturday, organized by the Lt. Dickson L. Baker Camp 936 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, of Hartwell, Ga., drew about 100 people.

Susan Hathaway came all the way from Richmond, Va., for the event, bringing her own Confederate battle flag.

A member of the Virginia Flaggers, a group dedicated to defending the Confederate heritage, Hathaway said she was moved by the ceremony.

"Keeping alive the memories of these (Confederate veterans) is important to our history," she said. "The chance to meet and talk to someone who actually knew one of them is an opportunity almost gone, and we shouldn't miss that chance."

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2013/jun/01/son-helps-honor-confederate-veteran/

Special thanks to Ms. Ronda Reno for issuing me the invitation.  It was an honor to meet Ms. Ronda, and Ms. Amy Roberts and witness the good work they are doing for the Cause.

On the drive to Dewey Rose, I passed a flag display and monument, in the town of Colbert.  It was right on a busy thoroughfare and was a BEAUTIFUL sight to behold. On the way back, I stopped to admire it and took a few pics. Kudos to the Madison County Grays, Camp 1526, Sons of Confederate Veterans for this magnificent display and wonderful monument!

More photos here:  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151708801164274.1073741835.698334273&type=3

God bless Private Booth, and God Save the South!

Susan Hathaway

Va Flaggers

Reunion of the Lost Souls Memorial Service for Elizabeth and Jepthah Crawford And Their Son, Confederate Private Riley Crawford

Program begins at 2:00 PM on June 29, 2013

Blue Springs Cemetery

2800 SW Walnut Street

Blue Springs, Missouri

Presentation of the Colors –

Invocation – Father Richard Rudd, Chaplain B/G John T. Hughes SCV #614

Welcome – John Rogers

Remembering Souls – Marsha Bergman, Historian, Ind. UDC #710, Quantrill Society Board Member

Keynote Speaker – Paul R. Petersen, Renowned Civil War Historian and Author of: Lost Souls of the Lost Township, Quantrill in Missouri, Quantrill in Texas, and Quantrill at Lawrence.

Clan Crawford a Historical Perspective – Mary R. Crawford, Director of Midwest Region, Clan Crawford Association

Memorial Service – Father Richard Rudd, Chaplain B/G John T. Hughes SCV #614

“Amazing Grace” – Patrick Cole, Piper

Address –Trish Spencer, President, Independence #710 UDC

Address –Commander James L. Speicher, Major Thomas J. Key SCV #1920

Address –Larry Yeatman, Commander of the Missouri Society – Military Order of Stars and Bars

Families of the 1425 Grand Ave Prisoners

Connie Clow Bogner – descendant of Ann Elizabeth (Crawford) Selvey

Karen Higman-Austin – GGGrandaughter of Nannie Elizabeth (Harris) McCorkle Lilley; GGranddaughter of Edmond Randolph Lilley

Evelyn Younger Akers & Betty Younger (Akers) Coleman – GGGranddaughters of Sarah “Sally”Ann (Younger) Duncan

(Audience should proceed to the markers)

“Coming Home” –Patrick Cole, Piper

Unveiling of Jepthah & Elizabeth Crawford Marker by Cousin Mary R. Crawford and Don Crawford McClanahan, Great Grandson of Jepthah and Elizabeth, Member SCV Roswell Mills Camp #1547

Unveiling of the Pvt. Riley Crawford Memorial Marker by GGGrandaughter Sarah (McClanahan) Boswell and GGGGrandchildren of Jeptha and Elizabeth Crawford – Ms. Lauren Boswell and Andrew Boswell

Placing of Memorial Wreaths

Benediction – Father Richard Rudd, Chaplain, B/G John T. Hughes SCV #614

Benediction –Chaplain Carl Linck, Major Thomas J. Key SCV #1920

Volley Salute – Honor Guard

“Taps” - Patrick Cole – Piper

Retire the Colors –

Thanks to the Color and Honor Guard. Membership from Major Thomas J. Key Camp #1920, Major Ben Elliott’s Scouts Reenactment Unit, and B/G John T. Hughes Camp #614

Thanks to all of our Contributors, Speakers and Volunteers

Evelyn Younger Akers

Mike and Marsha Bergman

Connie Clow Bogner

Patrick Cole

Betty Younger (Akers) Coleman

Mary R. Crawford

Elliott’s Scouts Reenactment Unit

Duncan Hansen

Independence UDC #710

Karen Higman-Austin

Carl Linck

Don Crawford McClanahan

Paul R. Petersen

John and Rosa Rogers

Father Richard Rudd

SCV #1920 Major Thomas J. Key Camp

SCV #614 B/G John T. Hughes Camp

William Clarke Quantrill Society

Larry Yeatman

James Speicher

Va Flaggers Update: VMFA 6-14-2013

Va Flaggers Update:  VMFA 6-14-2013

From: info@vaflaggers.com

EXCELLENT letter sent to Alex Nyerges, Director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), in response to a Call To Action from the Va Flaggers earlier this week:

"When… there arose in the Northern States an antislavery agit...ation, it was a harmless and scarcely noticed movement until political demagogues seized upon it as a means to acquire power. Had it been left to pseudo-philanthropists and fanatics, most zealous where least informed, it never could have shaken the foundations of the Union and have incited one section to carry fire and sword into the other…. the agitation was political in its character, and was clearly developed as early as 1803…" Jefferson Davis, President, Confederate States of America

With all due respect, sir, what most p.c. "political demagogues" need is a little forbearance and education. While assuming a mantle of tolerance, many today become radically INtolerant of Confederate history. You may already know that the U.S. flag flies over the final resting place of many American veterans all across Europe. Of course, WE won that war too, so how could our "allies" refuse to honor our valiant dead?

As the African-American chairman of the Crestview, Florida city council told a group of "protesters" several years ago regarding the Confederate battle flag, "It's a soldiers' flag. I am a veteran of WW II, Korea, and Viet Nam. As long as I am Chairman of the City Council, the battle flag will fly over those Confederate veterans' graves. It's a soldiers' flag."

Sir, I somewhat understand the pressure on funding that can be applied through governmental channels. But, "It's a soldiers' flag." Is it not time to "do the right thing?" Please return the soldiers' flag to the Confederate Memorial Chapel."

Al Perry
Jesup, GA

Thank you, Mr. Perry for your eloquent and well written letter. We appreciate your support and that of so many others who have called, written, or emailed the VMFA during this campaign. PLEASE help us by continuing the efforts, which provide much needed support those who are boots on the ground in this battle.

Wednesday, June 12th found the Virginia Flaggers back on the sidewalk at the VMFA, forwarding the colors and protesting the forced removal of Confederate Battle Flags from the Confederate Memorial Chapel.

Our next flagging is THIS SATURDAY, June 15th, Noon - 4:00 p.m. PLEASE JOIN US and speak for those who no longer have a voice!

If you cannot attend, please help us by taking a few minutes to contact the VMFA and ask them to return the Confederate Battle Flags to the portico of the Confederate Memorial Chapel. This week, we are asking you to contact Stephen Bonadies, by email at stephen.bonadies@vmfa.museum, or by phone at (804) 340-1400.

TOGETHER, we will RETURN the flags and RESTORE the honor!

Grayson Jennings
Va Flaggers

Try our Confederate and family friendly search engine:  www.confederatearchivescom

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The Gettysburg 150th Anniversary Commemorative Events Guide

http://www.gettysburgfoundation.org/101

Special events and programs
June 29 – July 7

The Gettysburg Foundation and Gettysburg National Military Park are commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg and the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery with special events and programs, including new exhibits, National Park Service interpretive programs, living history events and family activities. We are using this occasion to increase public understanding of the heritage and lasting significance of Gettysburg and Gettysburg’s place within thecontext of the American Civil War. Start your visit to the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center, where nonstop programs are planned Saturday, June 29 through Sunday, July 7. Parking and transportation to events throughout the park are free.

View scheduled programs and events by day via the links below or to the right.

Saturday, June 29
Sunday, June 30
Monday, July 1
Tuesday, July 2
Wednesday, July 3
Thursday, July 4
Friday, July 5
Saturday, July 6
Sunday, July 7

Gettysburg & 2nd War of Independence

Next week the 150th Battle of Gettysburg which was the largest battle of our second War of Independence with over 50,000 men dead. The Patriots of the first War of Independence 1775-1783 were the grandfathers of the men that fought approximately 80 years later 1861-1865. The list goes on and on but this is an example of the connection between the first and second War of Independence.

• CSA President Jefferson Davis was the son of a soldier in the American Revolution.
• Vice President Alexander H. Stephens was the grandson of a soldier in the Revolution.
• Gen. R.E. Lee was the son of a cavalry general in the Revolution and the nephew of two signers of the Declaration of Independence. His wife was the great-granddaughter of Martha Washington.
• Brig. Gen. and Secretary of War George W. Randolph was the grandson of Thomas Jefferson.
• Brig. Gen. James E. Slaughter was the grand-nephew of James Madison.
• Maj. Gen. Daniel S. Donelson was the nephew of Andrew Jackson.
• Brig. Lucius M. Walker was the nephew of President James K. Polk.
• Lt. Gen. Richard Taylor, CSA, was the son of General and President Zachary Taylor and the grandson of a Revolutionary officer.
• At least two grandsons and many other relatives of Patrick Henry served in the Confederate army.
• Lewis A. Washington, a grandnephew of George Washington, was one of the people slaughtered by John Brown on his raid on Harpers Ferry. (Brown stole a sword of George Washington's which he regarded as a talisman.)

Thought you may be interested in the following:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1Xu_Jni4V4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29HFaG9aOqo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q-pkS5JjIE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-3WAhbulFs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpv6g0gz0Gc

 This should be one of the best of the 150ths.

Trooper Bob Capps




          

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND - Monument Dedication, Shelby

What:  Confederate Monument Dedication

When:  10:30 A.M. Saturday, June 29, 2013

Where:  Shelby Iron Works Park, Shelby, Alabama

To commemorate Shelby Iron Company's major contribution during 1861-1865 to the war effort of the Confederate States of America, and To honor Shelby County's Confederate Soldiers

In keeping with the current 2011-2015 Sesquicentennial remembrance of the War Between the States, Shelby Iron Works Chapter #2653, UDC; Captain William Houston Shelby Camp #1537, SCV; and Historic Shelby Association invite you to attend this memorial dedication. 

Shelby Iron Works Park is located on County Highway 42 just west of the intersection with County Highway 47, in Shelby, Alabama. (Approximately 6 miles south of Columbiana.)

Refreshments follow, at Company Hall.

yodelvalleyfarm@msn.com

The most powerful academic guide ever published --- by SCV member Gene Kizer, Jr.

Southrons, I am a member of Secession Camp #4, SCV, in Charleston, South Carolina and my book is powerful because it is EASY to use and fair to the South. I don't give a damn about political correctness. I'm interested in truth. It is 364 pages (softcover) and covers EVERYTHING a student will face in college. Readers will absorb an aggressive, confident attitude toward school. Below are blurbs, and several sample pages that relate to Southern history. There are over 100 sample pages from each of the 10 chapters on www.BonnieBluePublishing.com. Click the link or book covers to go right there. Each book is a first edition signed by the author. You will be pleased with the tone and authority of the narrative.   Gene Kizer was just the kind of college student that professors love --- a mature one who knows what he is doing. He understands the workings of today's higher education well and gives you chapter and verse on how to succeed in it. But his guide can lead you to something even better and rarer. By following it you stand a good chance of getting a real education. Clyde N. Wilson Emeritus Distinguished Professor University of South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina   Congratulations on your new book! You've published a helpful, practical guide to academic success for Southern youths who refuse to be placed on the guilt train "liberal" education has in store for them. James Everett Kibler Department of English University of Georgia Athens, Georgia   Please purchase and donate to libraries, high school and college students, and especially to the historically challenged. Here are sample sections from The Elements of Academic Success, Chapter VIII, "Papers and Writing:" 254. Read primary sources as often as possible when writing history papers. Primary sources are the original documents from the past such as the Declaration of Independence, John Locke's Second Treatise of Government, the Magna Carta, Thomas Jefferson's Kentucky Resolutions, Karl Marx's Das Kapital, newspapers, government documents, the records of Congress, court records, etc. Also, the letters and diaries written by people in the past. 255. Secondary sources are interpretations of history by later scholars. Some scholars are outstanding. Some are pathetic. A LOT are politically correct, interpreting history the way they need to interpret it to get tenure. Make sure you know the reputation of historians you are reading. You need to know how credible they are, and their biases. Unless a historian is well known, do some research to see what other things he/she has published or is known for. Do NOT rely on somebody else's interpretation of the past. Go to primary sources yourself. Read the letters, diaries and documents. Make up your own mind. 256. Be aware of the scourge of political correctness on scholarship and free speech. Since the rise of political correctness, many events of the past are interpreted according to the latest political fashion instead of the standards that existed at the time. This is kin to another scourge, advocacy journalism, in which some "journalists" apply their morals, or lack thereof, to the news, and report on it that way rather than giving us the impartial facts. This is another reason why Americans hold the press in such low esteem these days. Political correctness makes history little more than propaganda, just as advocacy journalism turns the front page into the editorial page. 257. You can not possibly understand history by using today's standards to judge the past. You HAVE to look at the past the way the people who lived in the past looked at it. That's how you understand the past. 258. Political correctness is ignorance and leads to a total lack of historical understanding. You can't define the past by snippets of acceptable history here and there. For example, the South gets beat up all the time for slavery but most slave traders were New Englanders who made huge fortunes in the process. An argument can be made that the entire infrastructure of the Old North was built on profits from slave traders such as Boston's Peter Faneuil of Faneuil Hall fame. That's why most Northerners had NO problem with slavery. Less than 5% were abolitionists, and ironically, many abolitionists didn't like slavery because they didn't like blacks and did not want to associate with them. One such person was Rep. David Wilmot, Democrat from Pennsylvania. Wilmot sponsored the Wilmot Proviso to keep slavery out of the West, though his real goal was to keep blacks out of the West, and he admitted it. Abraham Lincoln also said, in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, that he wanted the West reserved for white people from all over the earth. No blacks allowed. While many say that slavery was the cause of the War Between the States, Abraham Lincoln said it was not. Before the war, Lincoln favored the first 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which would have left black people in slavery FOREVER, even beyond the reach of Congress. That Amendment passed in the Northern Congress after Southerners seceded, and was ratified by some Northern States before the war began and made it moot. There are breaths of fresh air here and there such as the 2005 book Complicity, How the North Promoted, Prolonged, and Profited from Slavery, by Anne Farrow, Joel Lang, and Jenifer Frank of The Hartford Courant (New York: Ballantine Books, 2005). History is always more complex than the self-moralizing, politically correct want you to believe. 259. Southern history as it is taught today is a "cultural and political atrocity," and students are being CHEATED. Esteemed historian, Eugene D. Genovese, who passed away September 26, 2012, was disgusted with the way Southern history is taught today. He writes: To speak positively about any part of this Southern tradition is to invite charges of being a racist and an apologist for slavery and segregation. We are witnessing a cultural and political atrocity---an increasingly successful campaign by the media and an academic elite to strip young white Southerners, and arguably black Southerners as well, of their heritage, and therefor, their identity. They are being taught to forget their forebears or to remember them with shame. (my emphasis). Eugene D. Genovese, The Southern Tradition, The Achievement and Limitations of an American Conservatism (Cambridge, MA and London: Harvard University Press, 1994), xi-xii. A perfect example is William Gilmore Simms. According to Edgar Allan Poe, Simms was the greatest American writer of the 19th century. Simms wrote 82 book-length works including 20 that are very important in American history and literature. He understood the publishing industry of that era better than anybody and wrote about it. He chronicled American westward expansion when Alabama was the edge of the West; and his Revolutionary War novels, set in and around Charleston, are exciting, vivid history as it happened. Simms was a nationally recognized expert on the Revolution. He wrote dramatic, historically accurate scenes of when the British conquered Charleston and marched in, and when they lost the war and marched out, and everything in between. Simms also knew the local Indians extremely well and much of what is known about them is in his work, including their languages. There is a bust of William Gilmore Simms in White Point Gardens at The Battery in Charleston, high up on a beautiful pedestal. But Simms is not studied because he was a slaveholder. 260. Young students of History and literature should examine everything. Don't assume the War Between the States was about slavery when the economy of the North collapsed into near-anarchy as the Southern States seceded. The Northern economy was dependent on manufacturing and selling to its captive Southern market, and without the South, Northern factories stood idle. The South, on the other hand, seceded and was ecstatic at finally having control of its own economy. Southerners had always wanted free trade and immediately wrote into their constitution a prohibition on protective tariffs. The North, at the same time, passed the astronomical Morrill Tariff, which made goods entering the North 40% to 70% higher. This was aimed at Southerners, as all the antebellum tariffs had been, so European goods would be too costly for Southerners to afford and they would have to buy from the North at higher prices. But with the South out of the Union, Southerners were no longer obligated to pay Northern tariffs, and suddenly, much-sought-after Europeans goods were far less expensive for Southerners than Northern goods. 261. Those historians with a vested interest in maintaining that slavery caused the war, are not telling you the truth, and they are cheating you out of understanding much of American history. Economic factors were HUGE in 1861 just as they are today. The collapse of the Northern economy, alone, was enough for Abraham Lincoln to want war. Just look at our own era. We have been quite willing to go to war to maintain the free flow of oil from the Middle East because a disruption of the oil supply means economic hardship, even collapse. Gas prices would soar and cause the price of everything else to jump off the scale. Business would grind to a halt. People would lose their jobs and not have money to feed their families. They would be angry and in the street. You can imagine what would happen if supplies of oil to the United States were cut off abruptly and completely! Fortunately, that would never happen because we would go to war to prevent it. We have. But, "abruptly" and "completely" is exactly what happened to the North when the South seceded and the Northern Congress passed the Morrill Tariff. Instantly, it would cost the rest of the world 40% to 70% more to do business with the North, so NOBODY wanted to. The rest of the world was beating a path to the South, where protective tariffs were unconstitutional and where there was a huge market for goods, and that market was wealthy because it controlled King Cotton, which had been 60% of U.S. exports alone in 1861. The North had shot itself in the leg with the Morrill Tariff - actually, it had shot itself in the head. Northern greed and mismanagement made the economic destruction of the North inevitable, and Northern leaders were in a panic. Don't take my word for it. Read the words of ALL Northern newspaper editors after January, 1861, when it became apparent that the North needed the South, but the South did not need the North. Northern editors were not thinking about slavery. They were thinking about their own wealth and economy, and they were all petrified. War was preferable for them just as the disruption of oil made war preferable for us. An excellent two-volume book makes Northern newspaper editors easy to study: Northern Editorials on Secession, a 1964 reprint edited by Dr. Howard Cecil Perkins, Volumes I and II, published by Peter Smith, Gloucester, Massachusetts. Northern Editorials on Secession was originally published in 1942 by the American Historical Association. 262. Another major issue was unfair taxation - British taxes were a huge issue in 1776 but were MINUSCULE compared to what the South was paying in 1861. For Southerners, 1861 was 1776 all over. Southerners were paying 3/4ths of the Federal Government's taxes, but 3/4ths of the tax money was being spent in the North. Robert Toombs famously called it a suction pump sucking wealth out of the South and depositing it in the North. The level of "taxation without representation" that led to the Revolutionary War was miniscule compared to what the South was suffering prior to seceding. The point is that politically correct historians who tell you that it is cut and dried that slavery caused the War Between the States, are being dishonest and many are lazy because they have not been required, by vigorous academic debate, to look into other issues - especially economics. Many don't understand economics, and why should they bother. It is too easy for them to play up slavery and call anyone who disagrees a racist. However, we have fought two Gulf Wars in our own times to guarantee the free flow of oil because a disruption would cause an economic meltdown and untold problems. No government is willing to risk that, because history has shown us that an economic collapse will get out of control and lead to a collapse of the government itself, and anarchy. War is preferable. It's true today and it was true in 1861. So, look deeply into the entire picture and assume nothing. 263. Be a scholar. Read primary sources. Read the words of the people of the past, their speeches, newspapers, diaries, laws and documents. Pay attention to secondary sources from historians you trust, and give no credence to those you don't. That's fair and responsible. In your writing, debunk the scholars you disagree with, and tell why they are wrong. 264. Write what you want. Don't let political correctness chill free speech and intimidate you into not writing on a topic that interests you. Talk to your professor. The best professors will encourage you. And if one discourages you, find a way around him/her by approaching the topic from a different angle. If he/she brings up some historian who goes against your conclusions, then YOU bring up two who support them. History should always be a vigorous debate. Do exhaustive research and a thoughtful analysis and document everything properly. Argue with power, vigor, confidence, clearly and persuasively. Do NOT use today's standards, or lack thereof, to judge the people of the past. Understand how the people of the past viewed their lives and times, and what their standards were, and why. That's what real scholarship is about. Thank You! Magna est veritas et praevalebit (Great is truth and it will prevail) Gene Kizer, Jr. Charleston Athenaeum Press www.BonnieBluePublishing.com P.O. Box 13012 Charleston, SC 29422-3012

HANK LOCKLIN - FLYING SOUTH 1977 - YouTube

From: south003@bellsouth.net

Howdy Chuck:

I'm really sorry to hear about Pop's recent passing.  Even though I never met him or communicated with him, I appreciate what y'all have done for our Southern Heritage, and heaven has gained a Great Man and Southern Patriot!

I hope you will enjoy this good ole song by a Great ole Country Singer back in the day from my home State of Florida.

Please keep up the Great work, I always look forward to seeing your Wonderful and informative SHNV newsletter in my inbox, and I hope that you don't mind me forwarding the SHNV newsletters to my friends and relatives.

Take care of yourself, and hope your family is doing well too.

Thanks,

Forever Live Dixie!

Matt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjKeA3Pkmf4

UPCOMING EVENTS

Thursday, June 27th:  4:00 p.m. – Dusk – Flagging the VMFA info@vaflaggers.com

Saturday, June 29th:  10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 22nd Annual Point Lookout Pilgrimage, Confederate Memorial Park, Point Lookout, MD. info@vaflaggers.com

Saturday, June 29th:  Noon – 4:00 p.m. – Flagging the VMFA info@vaflaggers.com

July 6 - Meeting Announcement, Battle of Sharpsburg Camp #1582, Sons of Confederate Veterans - Saturday, July 6th, 2013, 6:00 P.M., Party Room, Hempen Hill BBQ, www.hempenhillbbq.com, Fountain Head Plaza, Hagerstown, MD.  We'll be celebrating our yearly chartering dinner.  Space is limited so please RSVP, Camp Commander Michael Wasiljov at mike24745@aol.com or 301-992-3122-C by Sunday, June 30th. 

July 17-20, 2013 - SESQUICENTENNIAL NATIONAL CONVENTION OF THE SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS
Vicksburg, Mississippi
http://2013scvreunion.homestead.com/Index.html

Southern Event Calendar
http://my.calendars.net/shnvcal/

Gen. Jubal Early and his corps marched into Gettysburg today

Gen. Jubal Early and his corps marched into Gettysburg today, but no battle broke out as there were no Union troops to speak of anywhere around. A militia unit put up a brief and feeble attempt at a fight but were hopelessly outnumbered and forced to make tracks out of town, with several of their number captured. Pennsylvania had contributed a great many men to the war, but now that their own state was invaded, they could do nothing. The man who could, Army of the Potomac commander Joseph Hooker, was only as far as Frederick, Maryland, where he counseled the evacuation of parts of Harpers Ferry. Pennsylvania Gov. Andrew Curtin ordered the raising of 60,000 state militia to repel the invasion themselves, but it was impossible to accomplish such a thing in time. Early’s men camped in town overnight before heading toward York.

Tennessee Preacher, Tennessee Soldier, the Civil War Career of Captain John D. Kirkpatrick, CSA, One of Morgans' Men

I am member of the Jerome B.  Robertson SCV Camp in Brenham, Texas, and the author of a new book, Tennessee Preacher, Tennessee Soldier, the Civil War Career of Captain John D. Kirkpatrick, CSA, One of Morgans' Men.  I would greatly appreciate it if you could make the members of your camp aware of it.  It may be purchased at either Amazon or Barnes & Noble.  Here is a summary of the book:

In early 1861, young Cumberland Presbyterian minister John D. Kirkpatrick, following in his grandfather and great-grandfather's footsteps, was preaching at his first church near Nashville, Tennessee.  At that time, war fever was raging in the South, and even before Tennessee seceded, John heeded the call to arms and joined the First Tennessee Volunteers.   It was no surprise that John would enlist in the Confederate Army; like many in the South, his family had a long tradition of military service to their country.  A year later, he became a Captain in the Ninth Tennessee Cavalry, which soon was attached to Confederate General John Hunt Morgan's Cavalry Brigade.  He was with Morgan at the Battle of Hartsville and on the Christmas Raid into Kentucky. Captured in Gallatin, Tennessee, he was able to escape.  At the battle of Vaught's Hill, near Milton, Tennessee, he commanded his regiment. On Morgan's famous Indiana-Ohio raid, John was with the first troops that crossed the Ohio River at Brandenburg, Kentucky. When the Union forces finally defeated Morgan on the banks of the Ohio River at Buffington Island, John narrowly avoided capture because he had been sent across the river just before the battle to secure the east bank.  He then led 110 men to safety through the mountains of West Virginia, arriving in Confederate territory in time to fight under Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest at Chickamauga. He commanded a battalion of Morgan's men on General Joseph Wheeler's raid through Middle Tennessee, and, as Wheeler retreated into Alabama, commanded the rear guard at a bloody fight at Sugar Creek.  John fought at Missionary Ridge, Ringgold Gap, and again under Wheeler at Charleston, Tennessee. He rejoined Morgan after his escape from prison, and commanded a battalion at the Battle of Cove Gap, and on Morgan's Last Kentucky Raid.  Although severely wounded at Cynthiana, Kentucky on that raid, he miraculously escaped capture and, with his right arm disabled, made his way back to Wytheville, Virginia, a two hundred mile trip through the mountains of eastern Kentucky. Undaunted, he spent the last few months of the war trying to get authorization from Richmond to raise a regiment of cavalry to fight under Forrest.  After Lee's surrender at Appomattox, he appears to have been a part of General Basil Duke's force that escorted Confederate President Jefferson Davis into Georgia.  When Duke dismissed his troops near Washington, Georgia, John headed west.  He surrendered at Marion, Alabama, five weeks after Appomattox, and then headed home.  After the war, he successfully led several churches in Nashville, taught theology at Cumberland University in Lebanon, and published a newspaper.  When General Morgan's daughter, Johnnie Hunt Morgan Campbell, died, he helped officiate at her funeral at              the Lebanon Cumberland Presbyterian Church.  On his death, Cumberland University named their new home Kirkpatrick Memorial Hall. This book is his story.

In the event that you are interested in finding out more about this book, go to http://tennesseepreachertennesseesoldier.com/.  You can even listen to some outstanding authentic Confederate cavalry music there that will make you wish you had been born a hundred years earlier.  And if anyone in your camp does decide to buy the book, it would be a great favor to me if they would post a review on the Amazon or B&N web site.

The book also has a Facebook page at  https://www.facebook.com/TennesseePreacherTennesseeSoldier.

Citizens sue Memphis council over Parks

From: lmillar1@yahoo.com

Friends,

A few days ago we filed a lawsuit against the Memphis City Council over their illegal attempt to rename our 3 Confederate parks. It was filed in Chancery Court in Shelby County.

Here is the lead quote from the press release to the Commercial Appeal.

"Nine Memphis residents and a group called Citizens to Save Our Parks filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to overturn the city's renaming of Confederate Park, Forrest Park and Jefferson Davis Park in February.

The lawsuit, filed in Shelby County Chancery Court, names the City of Memphis and the City Council as defendants and claims that the council had no legal or statutory authority to pass ordinances or a resolution to rename the parks. It asks for a court judgment declaring the council's Feb. 5 resolution renaming the parks "null, void and invalid." It says that prior to April 1, the mayor had "the sole authority to rename the parks" and the mayor has taken no action.  The new Tennessee Heritage Protection Act prohibits any renaming after April 1."

And we REALLY need your donations now to help fund this momentous lawsuit.

Please donate:

Citizens to Save Our Parks
PO Box 241875
Memphis, TN 38124

Thanks.

Lee Millar
Citizens To SAVE Our Parks
http://citizenstosaveourparks.org/

Patriots of '61 -- Private John Richard Hood – 35th North Carolina Regiment

Born on 14 October 1841 near Mint Hill, Mecklenburg County, John Richard Hood enlisted in Company H, 35th North Carolina Regiment on 4 July 1862. 

Only seven days earlier and perhaps unbeknownst to him, brother Abner B. Hood received a mortal wound at Gaines Mill. 

In September he was with his regiment at Harper's Ferry and later at Sharpsburg in support of Stonewall Jackson's forces; by February of 1862 his regiment

was at Kenansville, North Carolina to oppose marauding enemy troops operating from occupied New Bern.  From there the 35th Regiment moved to Weldon in late May,

and up to Petersburg in early June – then back to Weldon and a sharp five-hour engagement at Boon's Mill near Jackson. 

Private Hood received a thigh wound at the battle of Plymouth in mid-April, 1864, "most likely at Fort Comfort where many of the 35th North Carolina Regiment were

killed and wounded."  After returning for duty in November, he was captured near Fort Stedman on 25 March 1865 and sent to Point Lookout as a prisoner of war. 

After the war, Hood returned to farming at Mint Hill with his wife, Mary A. Hood -- their union produced ten children. 

John Richard Hood died on 1 March 1909, he and wife Mary are buried at Sardis Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.

(Source: Private John R. Hood, Sam Gambrell, Jr., Confederate Veteran, July-August 2008, pp. 22-23) 

North Carolina War Between the States Sesquicentennial
www.ncwbts150.com
"The Official Website of the North Carolina War Between the States Sesquicentennial Commission"