Thursday, December 31, 2015

Unmatched Eminent Virginians



From: bernhard1848@gmail.com

Senator George F. Hoar seemed unaware of Massachusett's deep involvement in the transatlantic slave trade as he arraigns the South for an absence of morals. Senator John Critcher below served during the war as a lieutenant-colonel of the Fifteenth Virginia cavalry.

Bernhard Thuersam, www.Circa1865.com


Unmatched Eminent Virginians

"In the debate on Education in the House of Representatives, Mr. Hoar, of Massachusetts remarked that slavery in the South was not so observable in the degradation of the slave as in the depravity of the master.

Mr. Critcher, of Virginia replied:

"Reminding the gentleman from Massachusetts that every signer of the Declaration of Independence, except those from his State, and perhaps one or two others, were slave-owners, he would venture to make a bold assertion; he would venture to say that he could name more eminent men from the parish of his residence, than the gentleman could name from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He would proceed to name them, and yield the floor to the gentleman to match them if he could.

On one side of his estate is Wakefield, the birthplace of Washington. On the other side is Stratford, the residence of Light Horse Harry Lee, of glorious Revolutionary memory.

Adjoining Stratford is Chantilly, the residence of Richard Henry Lee, the mover of the Declaration of Independence, and the Cicero of the American Revolution. There lived Francis Lightfoot Lee, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Charles Lee, at one time Washington's Attorney General; and Arthur Lee, the accomplished negotiator of the treaty of commerce and alliance between the Colonies and France in 1777.

Returning, as said before, you come first to the birthplace of Washington; another hour's drive will bring you to the birthplace of Monroe; another hour's drive to the birthplace of Madison, and if the gentleman supposes that the present generation is unworthy of their illustrious ancestors, he has but to stand on the same estate to see the massive chimneys of the baronial mansion that witnessed the birth of Robert E. Lee.

These are some of the eminent men from the parish of his residence, and he yielded the floor that the gentleman might match them, if he could, from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."

(Southern Historical Society Papers, "Degrading Influence of Slavery," Volume 12, Barefoot Publishing, page 59)

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

The South Against a Seceding North




From: bernhard1848@gmail.com

Though South Carolina had been threatened with invasion over nullifying federal law in the early 1830s, no such threats were made to Northern States in the 1850s as they instituted personal liberty laws which nullified federal law and obstructed federal officers. Had Lincoln not won his plurality in 1860, the secession of the North might have been the case.

Bernhard Thuersam, www.Circa1865.com   The Great American Political Divide


The South Against a Seceding North

"There was strong opposition to secession, not only in the Upper South, but also in some parts of the Lower South, the very heart land of the future Confederacy. In every convention except South Carolina's there were votes   against secession, and in Alabama and Georgia the opposition was considerable. In Georgia, Alexander H. Stephens, Herschel V. Johnson, and Benjamin H. Hill gave up their fight for the Union only after their State had seceded and threatened to leave them behind.

In their campaign to save the nation, the [Southern] Unionists resorted both to argument and to delaying tactics. They played on national sentiments; the Revolution and its heroes . . . the Constitution, which largely Southerners had made and was sufficient for all needs if properly interpreted and enforced. Up to this time the South had generally dominated the government, either through Southern-born presidents or . . . Northern men with Southern principles. Most of the Supreme Court had been Southerners, and the court at this time was dominated by the South.

In fact, the whole idea of secession was illogical and wrong, it was argued. The process should be reversed. The North should do the seceding, for the South represented more truly the nation which the forefathers had set up in 1789. Therefore the South should not allow itself to be driven out of its own home.

Henry A. Wise of Virginia was especially vigorous in arguing this point of view. "Logically the Union belongs to those who have kept, not those who have broken, its covenants," he declared. If he ever had to fight he hoped it would be against a seceding North, "with the star-spangled banner still in one hand and my musket in the other."

(A History of the South, Volume VII, The Confederate States of America, 1861-1865, E. Merton Coulter, LSU Press, 1950, pp. 3-5)

The Graves of American Heroes



From: bernhard1848@gmail.com

The first commander-in-chief of the United Confederate Veterans, General John B. Gordon of Georgia, tried repeatedly to retire from his high office "but his comrades would not consent." Below, he spoke in 1890 of the necessity of maintaining unblemished the nobility, heroism, sacrifices, suffering and glorious memory of the American soldiers in grey.

Bernhard Thuersam, www.Circa1865.com    The Great American Political Divide


The Graves of American Heroes

"[The United Confederate Veterans] was created on high lines, and its first commander was the gallant soldier, General John B. Gordon, at the time governor of Georgia, and later was United States senator. General Gordon was continued as commander-in-chief until his death.

The note . . . struck in the constitution of the United Confederate Veterans were reechoed in the opening speech of the first commander-in-chief. General Gordon, addressing the Veterans and the public, said:

"Comrades, no argument is needed to secure for those objects your enthusiastic endorsement. They have burdened your thoughts for many years. You have cherished them in sorrow, poverty and humiliation. In the face of misconstruction, you have held them in your hearts with the strength of religious convictions. No misjudgments can defeat your peaceful purposes for the future. Your aspirations have been lifted by the mere force and urgency of surrounding conditions to a plane far above the paltry considerations of partisan triumphs.

The honor of the American Government, the just powers of the Federal Government, the equal rights of States, the integrity of the Constitutional Union, the sanctions of law, and the enforcement of order have no class of defenders more true and devoted than the ex-soldiers of the South and their worthy descendants. But you realize the great truth that a people without the memories of heroic suffering or sacrifice are a people without history.

To cherish such memories and recall such a past, whether crowned with success or consecrated in defeat, is to idealize principle and strengthen character, intensify love of country, and convert defeat and disaster into pillars of support for future manhood and noble womanhood.

Whether the Southern people, under their changed conditions, may ever hope to witness another civilization which shall equal that which began with their Washington and ended with their Lee, it is certainly true that devotion to their glorious past is not only the surest guarantee of future progress and the holiest bond of unity, but is also the strongest claim they can present to the confidence and respect of the other sections of the Union.

It is political in no sense, except so far as the word "political" is a synonym for the word "patriotic." [It will] cherish the past glories of the dead Confederacy and transmute them into living inspirations for future service to the living Republic; of truth, because it will seek to gather and preserve, as witness to history, the unimpeachable facts which shall doom falsehood to die that truth may live; of justice, because it will cultivate . . . that broader and higher and nobler sentiment which would write on the grave of every soldier who fell on our side, "Here lies an American hero, a martyr to the right as his conscience conceived it."

(The Photographic History of The Civil War, Vol. 5, Robert S. Lanier, editor, Blue & Grey Press, 1987, pp. 298-299)

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Heroes and Idols of the North



From: bernhard1848@gmail.com

Ulysses S. Grant learned quickly who his masters were and who would ensure his government position and pension after the cheering stopped. A man most unsuited to the presidency, he was merely the front-man for corporate interests which rode his popularity into unchecked power. The Captain Winslow mentioned below, ironically was born in Wilmington, North Carolina and fought against his native State; his family ties with the old New England Winslow family caused him to join the revolutionaries of the North.

Bernhard Thuersam, www.Circa1865.com  The Great American Political Divide


Heroes and Idols of the North

"General Grant, in spite of all that is said about his modesty, his integrity and his respect for civil authority, is already beginning to put on princely airs. For a long time he has been very firmly slamming his door in the face of Cabinet members who have tried to look too closely into the affairs of his army. Today he sent Mr. Lincoln a message expressing his satisfaction with his performance and conveying kind congratulations in the tone the Tsar of Russia might use when writing to his dear cousin the Emperor of Austria.

America is at present honoring one of those ephemeral heroes who change from week to week. Grant has a rival for the applause of the masses in the person of Captain [John A.] Winslow. This naval officer, who defeated the privateer Alabama, has been literally borne in triumph from one end of the United States to the other. Boston has just given him a splendid welcome, New York is clamoring for him and the national propensity for imitation—which reminds one of Panurge's sheep — will surely bring him many more ovations. Prominent men like Mr. [Edward] Everett do not hesitate to harness themselves to his triumphal chariot.

You would almost think that the fight between the Alabama and the Kearsarge was the most glorious feat of arms in this century. The hero, puffed up by his unexpected fame, goes from banquet to banquet telling the tale of his great deeds. If you believe all he says, you would think that all by himself on his little boat he held the envious powers of Europe at bay, paralyzed with terror, that he thumbed his nose at the French navy, slapped a British admiral in the face and defied Lord Russell by sailing right up the Thames — indeed, that he has made the name of America shine like a fiery sword in the eyes of a terrified Europe.

The American public soon gets enough of its idols. Clever men never let themselves be exploited in this way; they prefer to be the impresario who sponsors one of these seven-day wonders; in this way they avoid inflating for   themselves the dangerous balloon of popularity that rises so high and so swiftly, but will just as suddenly let fall those it has lifted up."

(A Frenchman in Lincoln's America, Ernst D. de Hauranne, Donnelly & Sons, 1974, Volume II, pp. 92-94 )

Monday, December 28, 2015

Tormenting the Defeated South



From: bernhard1848@gmail.com

Though the South laid down its arms to rejoin the Union without slavery or secession, it would not be allowed the dignity of self-government by the victorious Radicals. Some tormenters "hoped to goad them into violent action or language by forcing them to salute the United States flag or walk under it." The radical German immigrant Carl Schurz visited the South after the surrender and declared that the South was "not impressed with any sense of its criminality" as if the Americans there committed a crime by forming a more perfect union according to Jefferson's precepts.

Bernhard Thuersam, www.Circa1865.com   The Great American Political Divide


Tormenting the Defeated South

"One of the foremost characteristics of a civilized people is its need and desire for government. It was a fearful sight to see law and order disintegrate with the collapse of the Confederate armies . . . Incoming Federal troops prevented the legislators from meeting except in Mississippi, where the legislators were speedily dispersed.

To prevent anarchy the army of occupation marched in [and comprised departments] under a major general. Even if the soldiers had been forbearing it would have had difficulty in preserving order everywhere; but with soldiers singing "John Brown's Body" and exciting the Negroes . . . for a short interim there was little law and order in some parts of the South.

At the end of the war the tendency was for the best element in the Federal army to get mustered out first, leaving a less reliable soldiery to police the South. Many of these troops remaining were Negroes, the number in October 1865 amounting to 85,000. Many of them were scattered widely over the South where they became almost without exception a vicious influence.

Elated over their high station, their uniforms and guns, they took special delight in insulting white people and in instilling dangerous notions into the heads of the freedmen. Occasionally they had bloody clashes with the whites and ravished white women. In Nashville they collided with the police and were disarmed and turned over to the provost marshal; in Beaufort, North Carolina, a Negro soldier raped a white girl and was arrested . . . [the Negro troops in nearby Fort Macon] threatened to turn the guns of the fort on the city; and near Augusta, Georgia, marauding [black] troops demolished the home and threatened the lives of a family who objected to the Negroes drinking out of the well bucket instead of the proffered gourd dipper.

In Newberry, South Carolina, a Confederate soldier returning after the war to his Texas home was beset by Negro troops and murdered because he attempted to protect two white girls from their insults.

Southerners felt especially aggrieved that they should be thus humiliated by their former slaves and by self-obtruding blacks from the North. Was it to show the Southern people that a fundamental revolution was in the making for them?

Even Northerners felt the shame of it. Said one, "I am at a loss to see what good [the black soldiers'] presence here is now. If to humble the Southern pride, that end has been fully accomplished. I have heard black soldiers make the most insulting remarks to Southerners, who are too glad to get by with only that to take notice of them." General Grant, seeing no good purpose served in having Negro troops in the South, advised their removal. Before the end of 1866 practically all had been withdrawn."

(A History of the South, Volume VIII, The South During Reconstruction, 1865-1877, E. Merton Coulter, LSU Press, 1947, pp. 29-30)

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Donation request for preserving 60th Virginia Infantry Flag






Given both the season of giving as well as the intent and goal of the SCV to "preserve the history and legacy of these heroes, so future generations can understand the motives that animated the Southern Cause," I seek your help and assistance to do just that.
I am requesting support and assistance to conserve and preserve the 60th Virginia Regimental battle flag. Please see the attached supporting letters and documentation referencing this confederate battle flag.
I would also like to thank you, your officers, and your Camp Compatriots for doing what you do every day to preserve the memory of our confederate ancestors. It is with immense honor that I dedicate my life in the same fashion.
Happy Holidays to you and your family and I hope you will strongly consider my request in order to preserve this priceless piece of southern history.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

William L. Caynor Sr.
60th Virginia Infantry Flag Sponsor
Black Horse SCV Camp #780 Compatriot



Saturday, December 26, 2015

Don't Miss the 150 Matching Challenge!




-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: Don't Miss the 150 Matching Challenge!
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 2015 13:05:30 -0600
From: Civil War Trust <info@civilwar.org>
Reply-To: Civil War Trust <info@civilwar.org>
Organization: Civil War Trust
To: J B <james@spluuu.com>


Civil War Trust
Civil War Trust
Cannons
Dear J,

Our success at the Civil War Trust would be impossible without the support of dedicated preservationists like you. Together, we have already done tremendous work to save our sacred American spaces this year — and throughout the Civil War Sesquicentennial
As the countdown to December 31st nears, I can't help but reflect on the dual significance to this season of giving. Not only is it the traditional time to make year-end charitable donations, but it also marks the end of our 150th Anniversary commemoration of the Civil War.
In the waning hours of 2015, a generous donor has come up with a way we can do just that— announcing the "150 Matching Challenge." As an exciting final preservation opportunity of the final year of the Civil War Sesquicentennial, this donor pledges to match, dollar for dollar — up to an astounding $150,000 — your gifts to save battlefields. This doubles your impact through the end of the year!
Your gift of $75 to save places like Appomattox — where we are working to save 202 acres at the battlefield on which fate of the war was decided — will be doubled to $150.
Your gift of $150 to preserve places like Gaines' Mill and Cold Harbor — where we continue to thwart housing developers who wish to desecrate this doubly hallowed ground where men in blue and grey fought two battles 150 years ago — will be doubled to $300.
With this 150 Matching Challenge, your gifts will go twice as far, putting us one step — nay, TWO steps — closer to preserving battlefields even in places such as Brandy Station, Bentonville, and Glendale, where we only need to raise $43,000 in order to to save 1,180 acres, including 10 battlefields across 7 states!
There's still so much to be done in the fight to save our battlefields. Please make your year-end contribution today.
Jim
Until the Battle is Won,
Jim Lighthizer
 
Copyright © 2015 Civil War Trust
1156 15th Street N.W. Suite 900, Washington, D.C. 20005
p 202-367-1861 | e info@civilwar.org

Friday, December 25, 2015

SCV Telegraph - Christmas Message





   Sons of Confederate                                                Veterans
                                 SCV  Telegraph
Compatriots and Friends,

In the Gospel of Luke, we find stated in Chapter 2 verses 8-11, "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord."

Tomorrow will be Christmas Day and we thank the Holy Redeemer for the greatest gift of all- Jesus.

Let us praise Him for loving us enough to leave His glory and become one of us.Let us stand in awe of His awesome love and worship Him and Him alone.

As your Commander-in-Chief, my family (Cassie, Georgianah and William) and I would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and I pray that the Lamb of God will be with you and yours as we remember the Christ Child now and throughout 2016.

Palma ut newborn Rex regis,


Deo Vindice!

Charles Kelly Barrow
Commander-in-Chief
Sons of Confederate Veterans
@scvcic



Sons of Confederate Veterans | PO Box 59 | Columbia | TN | 38402


Thursday, December 24, 2015

SCV Telegraph - The Latest on the Situation in New Orleans





   Sons of Confederate                                                Veterans
                                 SCV  Telegraph
  
Compatriots,

Please read the below comments.

Deo Vindice!

Charles Kelly Barrow
Commander-in-Chief
Sons of Confederate Veterans
@scvcic
www.scv.org


Subject: The situation in New Orleans

Fellow Southerners,

As you all know by now, the City of New Orleans voted to remove the Confederate monuments from the city on a "nuisance complaint." This isn't over, so do not overreact to the situation.

A lawsuit seeking to permanently enjoin and prevent the removal of the Confederate monuments was filed in federal court only hours after the vote was taken in the city council. The federal judge has let everyone know to cool it for now. There will be a hearing in January with the New Orleans City Attorney and the attorney for the plaintiffs present and an injunction will be decided after that.

For now, what we need to do is let the legal system work. We have a very strong case that has been in the making for months now. We all knew that this day was coming, so preparations were made and have now been implemented. The time for phone calls and writing has passed. The judge wants all sides to calm down and that is what I am asking all of you to do. It will do no good to aggravate the legal system when we aren't losing anything. The monuments still are where they have always been.

What we will need is financial help. Like the doctor said when Lincoln was born, "This is gonna get ugly." It is also going to be expensive. The plaintiffs, of which the Beauregard Camp No.130 is one, have raised money for legal fees and the Heritage Defense Fund has helped so that we are even money with the attorneys for now. That won't last. Please send whatever you can because come January the fight will be on.

The address to send to is:

Beauregard Camp 130
P.O. Box 145
Arabi, LA. 70032

Please put in the memo line of your check "Monument Defense"

Gentlemen, I know that you all want to storm the gates but please let the people who have handled this awful situation since August continue to do so. They have all proven to be quite competent. I want to thank the P.G.T. Beauregard camp for taking the lead in this. I also thank CIC Kelly Barrow and the GEC for their leadership and support.

Thanks to all of you. Keep praying for justice.

Thomas E. Taylor
Commander, Louisiana Division
Sons of Confederate Veterans





Sons of Confederate Veterans | PO Box 59 | Columbia | TN | 38402


Thursday, November 5, 2015

Helpful Yankee Artillerist


From: bernhard1848@gmail.com

Though the Southern troops below were astonished by a captured Northern artilleryman offering to help “mow those Yankees down,” it is not surprising that soldiers, most likely European immigrants, who enlisted for money rather than patriotism, would fire upon fellow soldiers they had little in common with other than  a blue uniform.

Bernhard Thuersam, www.Circa1865.com   The Great American Political Divide


Helpful Yankee Artillerist

“As a result of [General Matthew C.] Butler’s scouting report, [General Wade] Hampton noted that [the enemy’s] left flank was “in the air.” He suggested that if the infantry attacked the Yankees from the west, holding them in position at Ream’s Station, he could come up from the south to drive the Federals away from the [Wilmington & Weldon] railroad and back to their lines. [General Robert E.] Lee agreed with the plan.

The next morning, shortly after sunrise . . . Butler drove the Yankee skirmishers back toward their lines, then waited for the infantry attack. The enemy, of course, was uncomfortable with Butler on their flank, so they opened an artillery barrage toward his ranks. “They are disposed to be rather familiar this morning,” Butler observed calmly to [General Thomas] Rosser.

[After Gen. A.P. Hill’s assault about 3PM], Butler dismounted his men . . . to approach his adversary from the rear. “The enemy, taken on the front and flank, fell back pell mell,” one stated, “through trees cut down, fence rails, breastworks of every kind . . . thrown up as a defense against us.”

The Rebels captured the [enemy] artillery, but no one knew how to fire the pieces. An enemy prisoner saw the problem. “If you boys will allow me,” he called, “I can mow those Yankees down.”

The astonished Confederates moved aside, and the Union gunner quickly opened a devastating fire on his former friends (many of whom were foreigners who did not speak English, some of whom had only recently arrived from overseas). “[He] seems to enjoy the sport very much,” one of [Butler’s] men recalled.”

(Southern Hero, Matthew Calbraith Butler, Samuel J. Martin, Stackpole Book, 2001, pp. 109-110)

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

The Abolitionists Mad and Fatal Course


From: bernhard1848@gmail.com

Henry Clay, the “great compromiser,” pleaded with abolitionists to cease their incendiary activities which threatened to disrupt the Union in a speech before the United States Senate in February 1839. The States he labels as “free” were former slave and slave trading States which were offering no peaceful and practical solutions to the African slavery they greatly helped nurture and perpetuate.

Bernhard Thuersam, www.Circa1865.com   The Great American Political Divide


The Abolitionists Mad and Fatal Course

“ . . . Abolition should no longer be regarded as an imaginary danger. The abolitionists, let me suppose, succeed in their present aim of uniting the inhabitants of the free States, as one man, against the inhabitants of the slave States. Union on one side will beget union on the other.

And this process of reciprocal consolidation will be attended with all the violent prejudices, embittered passions, and implacable animosities, which ever degraded or deformed human nature. A virtual dissolution of the Union will have taken place, while the forms of its existence remain.

The most valuable element of union, mutual kindness, the feelings of sympathy, the fraternal bonds, which now happily unite us, will have been extinguished for ever.

One section will stand in menacing and hostile array against the other. The collision of opinion will be quickly followed by the clash of arms. I will not attempt to describe scenes which now happily lie concealed from our view. Abolitionists themselves would shrink back in dismay and horror at the contemplation of desolated fields, conflagrated cities, murdered inhabitants, and the overthrow of the fairest fabric of human government that ever rose to animate the hopes of civilized man.

Nor should these abolitionists flatter themselves that, if they can succeed in uniting the people of the free States, they will enter the contest with a numerical superiority that must insure victory. All history and experience proves the hazard and uncertainty of war. And we are admonished by Holy Writ, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. But if they were to conquer, whom would they conquer?

A foreign foe – one who had insulted our flag, invaded our shores, and laid our country waste? No, sir; no, sir. It would be a contest without laurels, without glory; a self, a suicidal conquest; a conquest of brothers over brothers, achieved by one over another portion of the descendants of common ancestors, who, nobly pledging their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, had fought and bled, side by side, in many a hard battle on land and ocean, severed our country from the British crown, and established our original independence.

The inhabitants of the slave States are sometimes accused by their Northern brethren with displaying rashness and sensibility to the operations and proceedings of the abolitionists.

[But] Let me suppose that the people of the slave States were to form societies, subsidize presses, make large pecuniary contributions, send forth numerous missionaries throughout all their borders, and enter into machinations to burn the beautiful capitals, destroy the productive manufactories, and sink in the ocean the gallant ships of the Northern States. Would these incendiary proceedings be regarded as neighborly and friendly, and consistent with the fraternal sentiments which should ever by cherished by one portion of the Union toward the another?

Would they excite no emotion? Occasion no manifestations of dissatisfaction? Nor lead to any acts of retaliatory violence?

I beseech the abolitionists themselves, solemnly to pause in their mad and fatal course . . . let them select some one more harmless, that does not threaten to deluge our country in blood. I entreat that portion of my countrywomen, who have given their countenance to abolition, to . . . reflect that the ink which they shed in subscribing with their fair hands abolition petitions, may prove but the prelude to the shedding of the blood of their brethren.

I adjure all the inhabitants of the free States to rebuke and discountenance, by their opinion and their example, measures which must inevitably lead to the most calamitous consequences.”

(The South, A Documentary History, Ina Woestemeyer Van Noppen, D. Van Nostrand Company, 1958, pp. 258-260)

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

I agree with Mark Vogl


From: cscitizen@windstream.net

Chuck,
       
I agree with Mark Vogl's assessment on the threats made by Black Lives Matter towards the ladies of the United Daughters of the Confederacy who were holding their division meeting in Baton Rouge, La. First off, The Baton Rogue P.D. should have provided around the clock security over these threats as these ladies & their families pay taxes to support the police departments of the state of Louisiana. Had this been any number of black organizations which had been threatened you can bet your last penny security would have been provided in over-whelming numbers.
 
Black Lives Matter is on the same level as the Nazi Party which used threats, intimidation & violence in the streets by their thugs to get what they wanted. The only difference is those were white Nazis in Germany ours are Black Nazis which the government continues to allow to roam America`s streets attacking anyone & everyone at will & with impunity.
 
If the K.K.K. was doing the same things these Black Nazis are allowed to do every Klan member involved would have been arrested, charged, tried & serving prison time as we speak. It is past the time that every American should have stood up & demand that our politicians put an end to the hooliganism being created by the street thugs of Black Lives Matter.
 
It's truly a sad, sad day in America when the lives of the rest of us mean nothing to Washington D.C.

Billy E. Price
Ashville Alabama

Monday, November 2, 2015

Re: Rand Paul Campaign



From: preacherjohnnymack@yahoo.com

Dear all:

Regarding Pastor Atwoods' observations about the Rand Paul campaign:  yes, I think he has hurt himself very badly by pandering to people who would not have voted for him anyway.  I myself was a supporter of Dr. Paul when he was running for Senate in Kentucky, and in his campaign for the presidency.  However, after he came out attacking all things Confederate, I contacted his campaign with a message of disgust, removed his bumper sticker from my vehicle, and removed my email from his campaign list.

Another individual, Matt Bevin - running for Governor of Kentucky - has hurt himself in a similar way.  He has been a "Tea Party" candidate, an advocate of small government.  And I have enthusiastically supported him in the past.  However, this summer, he was one of the first politicians in Kentucky asking for the removal of the Jefferson Davis statue in the rotunda of our state capitol.  I have also been in contact with his campaign, and have also indicated I would not - could not - support him any longer.  I think he will lose the Governor's race to a radical liberal.

How sad when politicians literally ostracize their strongest supporters in order to pander to political correctness, to try to "make points" with people who have shown them nothing but disdain.

What is wrong with these politicians?  It is mind-boggling.

John M. Brown

Sunday, November 1, 2015

From “Defending The Heritage” :


As the years passed, Longstreet became bitter, and his attempts to "set the record straight" made the situation worse. He was naive in many ways. He failed to follow his uncle's advice not to anger people by submitting controversial letters to newspapers. He didn't anticipate extreme, long-lasting Southern hatred toward him, nor that there would be consequences for supporting Grant, becoming a Republican and accepting political appointments.

On January 2, 1904, Longstreet contracted pneumonia. Large quantities of blood began to flow from his mouth, and he hemorrhaged so badly that the throat wound he had received 49 years earlier was reopened. Delirious for some time, he eventually lost consciousness.

James Longstreet died of pneumonia on the morning of January 2, 1904, just six days short of his 83rd birthday. On January 6th when the services began, a local guard unit and representatives of the Longstreet Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy attended. Two priests and Bishop Keiley, one of the general's old soldiers, conducted the services. All the Longstreet children except James attended. After services at the courthouse, pallbearers carried the casket to a hearse, which began the long procession to Gainesville's Alta Vista Cemetery. State and local dignitaries, militia units, Confederate veterans carrying flags, and other groups followed as church bells tolled.

At the gravesite, Bishop Keiley gave a eulogy, after which guards fired their volleys, and Taps sounded its haunting notes. When the news of his death spread across the country, many newspapers had extolled his virtues as a man and his prowess as a general. Too bad they waited so long. As the pallbearers prepared to lower the casket, one of his old soldiers was moved to lay his uniform and enlistment papers on the lid of Longstreet's coffin, saying nothing, but speaking volumes. Despite all the accusations, he still commanded the respect of thousands both North and South, both Blue and Gray.

Larry Spears
Communications Officer
Camp 1524
Prattville Dragoons
Alabama Division, SCV

Battle of Sharpsburg Camp #1582 Sons of Confederate Veterans Christmas Party


Friday, December 4th 2015
7:00 P.M.

Mrs. Gibble’s Restaurant & Candies
7325 Molly Pitcher Highway
Greencastle, PA  17225

We’ll be meeting in the main dining room and will be enjoying an All-You Can-Eat Family Style Menu consisting of Tossed Salad, Corn Fritters, Fried Chicken and Baked Ham with Pineapple Sauce, Mashed Potatoes and Gray, Green Beans, Pie and Drink for $25.00 per person.
Please RSVP Camp Commander Michael Wasiljov by Monday, November 23rd, 2015.  Make all checks payable to Camp Commander Michael Wasiljov and mail to:
Commander Michael Wasiljov
213 Pangborn Blvd.
Hagerstown, MD  21740

For more info, please contact me at mike24745@aol.com or
301-992-3122-C

Name(s):______________________________________________________

Address:______________________________________________________

Phone Number:_________________________________________________


   ********************


“Figure a man’s only good for one oath at a time; I took mine to the Confederate States of America.”

John Wayne as Ethan Edwards
The Searchers

"Black Lives Matter" to protest La. UDC meeting...threats of violence issued


From: johnyreb43@yahoo.com

For the first time in my life, I am now experiencing what so many human beings, in so many third world nations experience.

The United Daughters of the Confederacy annual convention in Louisiana is being targeted by a violent, out of control group which has caused the host hotel to block all vendors from selling items at the convention.  Therefore, I was called today by the president of the La. UDC and told that I could not be a vendor...at an event planned for more six months... product ordered a year ago, made overseas, shipped into the US ...not allowed to be sold because of the threats of violence and vandalism at the host hotel!

The women are experiencing threats of violence.

Business interests now must fold to the threat of violence.

Investments, travel plans, etc.

The police in Baton Rouge appear unable to provide security for the event.

This is the result of the Obama Presidency, the Supreme Court, and the McConnell - Boehner leadership in Congress.  America...petrified.

Where is the FBI?  Where is Homeland Defense when this kind of domestic terrorism occurs?

Folks, if you think this is limited to Southern heritage organizations you are forgetting 1968, and you are forgetting Ferguson and every other race based riot.

It would appear that President Barack Obama has either lost control of "community" or is encouraging a state violence in order to declare martial law... something America has never done, not even during the Civil War!

Thank you to all those in public office, or have been in public office who have allowed this situation in the United States of America.  This is the result of rejecting Christ, rejecting American heritage and culture, and the election of race oriented, anti-American socialist into the White House.  If you say that is not true, please show me President Obama's reaction to the ongoing violence in this nation?!  Please show me his Executive Orders directing the FBI and other agencies to crack down on Black Lives Matter, the New Black Panthers and other Hate groups!

Remember the Jews in Germany?  That's how I as a Southerner feel now..but there is one difference...and I will use it to defend my life, my home, my family and my faith.  And I stand ready to follow that leader who will react to this direct attack on the American Way.

God Bless the South, and I pray for His Protection and Providence.

Mark Vogl

Saturday, October 31, 2015

5 Disturbing Cemeteries in Missouri That Will Give You Goosebumps


Cemeteries are creepy enough without adding ghost stories to the mix.  All of these cemeteries have their share of spooky histories.  CAUTION:  Not for the easily scared!

Read more at: http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/missouri/disturbing-cemeteries-mo//

10 Most Haunted Places in Missouri

Missouri's hauntings reach back centuries to the Native Americans of the region, who had traditions for keeping the dead from returning to this world. Today there are dozens of haunted spots in the Show-Me State. Many of the sites are open to the public (such as the Lemp Mansion) or can be visited during special events.

 

More at: http://paranormal.lovetoknow.com/10-most-haunted-places-missouri 

HAUNTED MISSOURI

There are few places as appealing to the historians and history buffs of the Midwest than the mighty Mississippi River. There is really no other place that conjures up the image of the river as it once was like Missouri. St. Louis has always been known as the "Gateway to the West" and it became the prosperous river town that it did because of the Mississippi.... The river, and the state of Missouri itself,  have long been linked to stories of ghost and haunts and perhaps the strong link between the river and Missouri is what makes this state such a haunted place. Regardless, sit back and plan to enjoy the many tales of ghosts in the "Show Me" state.

Read more at: http://www.prairieghosts.com/hauntmo.html

The Most Haunted Cemeteries In Savannah


http://www.ghostsandgravestones.com/savannah/haunted-cemeteries.php 

A visit to Georgia’s first city is a vacation that will be filled with fascinating history, beautiful natural scenery, magnificent Victorian architecture, and quaint country squares. It is also a favorite destination for those seeking ghostly encounters. Savannah has earned a reputation as America’s most haunted city. It’s not surprising that this lovely Southern city has its share of haunted cemeteries - a must visit for anyone who’s ready to have a paranormal experience.

Colonial Park Cemetery
Considered one of the most haunted places in the city, Colonial Park Cemetery is the oldest burial ground in Savannah and is located within the heart of Savannah’s historic district. Burials here began in 1750 - making it the final resting place of many of Savannah’s earliest residents. The numerous ghosts and apparitions, mysterious sounds and sights are believed to be caused by the tragic deaths of the thousands of victims of the Yellow Fever Epidemic and the many dueling deaths that were too numerous to count. Whatever the cause, it is not disputed that this historic cemetery has its share of eerie events. There’s one ghost that seems to be more visible than the others: A man who was convicted of murder and the story goes he was hung inside the cemetery from a tree. Many who visit say they have seen Rene Rondolier hanging from that same tree; others say they saw him walking amongst the graves. The story of Rene’s ghost has been repeated so many times that some call the cemetery Rene’s playground. The other sightings and mysterious encounters include voices, shadowy figures and more. 

Bonaventure Cemetery 
Located along the Wilmington River, Bonaventure Cemetery is known for its gorgeous magnolia, dogwood and live oaks, colorful azaleas and interesting tombstones. This beautiful setting has made the more than 150-year-old burial ground one of the most photographed cemeteries in the country. Made famous for its role on the cover of the bestseller, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Bonaventure beckons tourists to stop by. But among all the natural beauty, there’s a supernatural side to the cemetery that draws in ghost enthusiasts and curious visitors from all over the world. The most well known spirit here is that of little Gracie Watson who died of pneumonia at 6-years-old. A statue that was carved in her honor stands in front of her grave site and many people place coins and toys at the base of the statue. Those who’ve stood close to her grave site have reported seeing the beautiful little girl and others have said they saw tears of blood streaming down from the angel’s eyes. Bonaventure has several other elaborate statues and guests have told accounts of them grimacing and smiling at them when they stood in front of them. The cemetery is not without its spooky or inexplicable sounds - like that of a baby crying near an infant’s grave, giggling children or perhaps the most disturbing, the sounds of a pack of dogs snarling and barking angrily. No one has ever seen the dogs but many have heard them. Are they real or a figment of imagination? It’s worth a visit to find out. 

Laurel Grove Cemetery
Established in 1853, this ancient cemetery was created after Colonial Park became too full for any more burials. A segregated burial ground, the north side was reserved for the whites, the south for blacks. Among the famous laid to rest here are Girl Scouts Founder Juliette Gordon Low, 24 different Savannah Mayors, a US Supreme Court Justice as well as more than 1,500 confederate soldiers killed in the war. A walk through Laurel Grove will remind you just how separate life was back in the Civil War era and even beyond. In fact, there are two separate entrances and the distinction between elaborately carved figures and headstones and simple grave markers is quite evident. But it is the hauntings that lure in visitors- instances that include the sightings of a woman dressed in a wedding gown wandering about and the sounds of heavy footsteps when no one was in sight. There’s also the ghost story that dates back all the way to 1894 when a trolley line that traveled past the cemetery reported that every time the railway car passed the cemetery, they would hear the sound of a child crying. The crying continued for many years - every day and only in car #28. The workers on board reported that although the sounds were pitiful and spooky, after a while they got used to it. No one ever saw a child inside the car. Take a stroll through this lovely cemetery to enjoy its history and natural scenery; but beware of lingering spirits.

Ghost Stories and Tall Tales of the American South

Chickamauga Battlefield Ghosts

If Georgia has its own Loch Ness Monster, it may very well be “Ol’ Green Eyes,” a legendary creature that, according to numerous ghost hunters and tourists through the years, still haunts the massive national park at Chickamauga Battlefield. Green Eyes isn’t the only apparition roaming the grounds of Chickamauga, but he certainly is the most famous.

Read More: http://themoonlitroad.com/chickamauga-battlefield-ghosts/

Spirits of the Civil War in Alton The History & Hauntings of the Confederate Prison

CONFEDERATE OFFICER FROM CALLAWAY COUNTY, KENTUCKY
Confined to the Alton Military Prison in 1863
When word reached the land where the Great Rivers meet that the United States was embroiled in a Civil War, many of the men from Alton and the surrounding area responded to Abraham Lincoln’s call for volunteers. One of the city’s greatest moments came only a few days after the proclamation of war, when the steamer City of Alton was used to remove military supplies from St. Louis to keep them from falling into the hands of the secessionists in that city.

St. Louis was a city that was sharply divided in 1861. However, when Claiborne Jackson took the oath of the governor’s office of Missouri, his inaugural address left no doubt that he intended to align the state with the rapidly forming Confederacy in the south. State conventions were suddenly being held to discuss secession from the Union. They met for the first time on February 28. In return, moderates began to call for meetings of a Constitutional Union party, hoping to preserve not only the Union, but also peace in the nation and in the state of Missouri.

The Constitutional Unionists and the Black Republicans watched closely the maneuverings of the Jackson men in St. Louis. Armed militiamen were stationed at the Berthold Mansion, where the Missouri secessionist banner with its single bar and crescent waved proudly. Meanwhile, Union men drilled openly and operated a headquarters at Turner Hall. Governor Yates of Illinois sent them 2,000 muskets in a load of beer barrels with which to prepare for trouble. Both groups had their eyes on the well-stocked St. Louis Arsenal near the river. Here, either side could easily capture more than 60,000 guns, along with 200 barrels of powder and other munitions.

Governor Jackson constantly warned that the secessionist men should take the Arsenal, but to no avail. However, he was reassured by General D.M. Frost, who reported that Major Bell at the Arsenal was loyal to the state of Missouri and would not allow the facility to fall into Unionist hands. Meanwhile, Isaac Sturgeon, federal assistant treasurer in St. Louis, was also concerned and not only about the Arsenal, but the funds in his charge as well. With very few United States regulars west of the Mississippi, he contacted Washington with his concerns. A short time later, a detachment was sent to strengthen the forces at Jefferson Barracks. Then, on the urgings of Mayor Oliver Filley, a loyal Union man, a group of soldiers marched into the city, took over the Customs House and removed the government’s money.

The chief military commander in Missouri at that time was General William Selby Harney, a close friend of Jefferson Davis. He was living in St. Louis at the time and saw no cause for alarm over the events that were being set into motion. However, Major David Hunter, who had conferred in the city with Isaac Sturgeon, was not so confident. Soon, Harney received a telegram from the War Department, asking whether or not it might be wise to bring soldiers from Jefferson Barracks to guard over the Arsenal. A few days later, Captain Nathaniel Lyon was sent from Fort Riley to St. Louis with a detachment of troops. Within a short time, he was placed in charge of the Arsenal and General Harney was called to Washington.

By the time that war broke out on April 12, talking had ended and the city was plunged into chaos. The first acts of aggression from the Confederacy sent ripples through the cautious peace in St. Louis and when President Lincoln called for four regiments of volunteers from Missouri, Governor Jackson denounced the call as “illegal, unconstitutional and revolutionary”. Meanwhile, a Committee of Public Safety was formed in St. Louis, headed by pro-Union Republicans and Democrats. They pledged “unalterable fidelity to the Union under all circumstances” and were determined to back the Union at all costs.

Four days after Jackson refused to obey the President’s orders, Captain Nathaniel Lyon was ordered to muster four regiments into public service. Before nightfall, he had them at the Arsenal, supplied with both arms and ammunition. On April 30, Lyon was informed that if he and the Committee of Public Safety deemed it necessary, he could proclaim martial law in the city of St. Louis. The military commanders feared for the safety of the arms that were secured at the St. Louis Arsenal and they ordered Captain James B. Stokes to use the City of Alton to salvage them and move them to Illinois.
Stokes proceeded downriver from Alton with a force of 700 men. They loaded weapons from the Arsenal onto the steamer but to divert the attention of a mob that was forming, he ordered 500 unusable muskets be placed on another vessel. A great show was made of this and while many in the crowd were distracted, others were taken into custody and locked up in the guard house.

Stokes and his men managed to remove 20,000 muskets, 500 pistols, 500 carbines, cannons and ammunition from the Arsenal. They secured them aboard the City of Alton and headed back up the river to Alton. They had not gone far before the steamer was in danger of running aground. It was dangerously overloaded and only by shifting the cargo back and forth were they able to stay afloat. The steamer arrived back in Alton during the early morning hours and when Stokes rang the fire bell, dozens of volunteers flocked to the river. The weapons and ammunition were quickly transferred to a waiting train and sent on to Springfield and into the hands of the forming Illinois regiments.

One of the men involved in the foray into St. Louis was Franklin B. Moore of Upper Alton. In July 1861, he would independently raise a company called the Madison County Rangers. The company became famous for their raids and their battles with Missouri guerilla troops. They were known for their bravery and captured over 1,200 prisoners and huge quantities of arms and supplies. Moore, who was known as “Fighting Frank” was the son of Abel Moore. His brothers, William and Joel, had been killed in the Wood River Massacre.


Read More At: http://www.altonhauntings.com/prison.html 

Greenwood Cemetery Where the Dead Still Walk

The beginnings of Greenwood Cemetery are a mystery.

There is no record to say when the first burials took place on the land that would later be called "Greenwood". The cemetery is the oldest burial ground still in existence in the city today but as the reader just discovered in the preceding pages, it was not the first.

The Native Americans of the Illiniwek Confederation were the first to settle in the area around Decatur. Before they settled here, the lands of middle Illinois were covered in a vast sea of prairie grass for as far as the eye could see. They built villages in the immediate region, hunting the forests and fishing the rivers. Strangely though, none of these villages were ever built on the site of the future city of Decatur. Instead, the area was used as a burial ground. Some "historians" have made excuses for this, citing confluences of rivers and other reasons, but these alternate explanations never see fit to explain the burial mounds that have been found throughout the downtown area. Many of the burial sites have become common knowledge as the years have passed while others have simply vanished with time.

More at: http://www.haunteddecatur.com/greenwood.html

One of America's Most Haunted Cemeteries...

Halloween is fast approaching.  This month, A Grave Interest has taken a look at several haunted cemeteries.  Get ready as we explore one of America's most haunted cemeteries.....  

http://agraveinterest.blogspot.com/2012/10/one-of-americas-most-haunted-cemeteries.html 

Manassas Civil War Ghost

My family and I were on vacation in DC and we went to the Manassas battlefield. We video taped there, and later that day we were watching the tape and we noticed the woman dressed in white walking along the fenceline. There were no reenactments going on that day, and we didn't see her there. If you look to the left 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G27tgEiUE2o 

HAUNTED CEMETERIES IN AMERICA

There is not a single person among us who has not contemplated the mystery of death at one time or another. We all wonder, no matter what we believe in, what will happen to us after we pass on from this world. Some believe that everything comes to an end, that life in this world is our only existence. Others feel that we are born again, as an old soul in a new body, while others believe that our spirits pass on to another place... or perhaps even remain behind as ghosts.
We all wonder about such things... and perhaps this is the reason that we have dreamed up so many rituals and practices dealing with death. Death has been celebrated and feared since the beginning of time itself. We have immortalized it with cemeteries, grave markers and of course, with our darkest and most frightening legends and lore.
It is a common belief among experts of the occult that cemeteries are not usually the best places to find ghosts. While most would fancy a misty, abandoned graveyard to be the perfect setting for a ghost story, such stories are not as common as you might believe. A cemetery is meant to be the final stop in our journey from this world to the next, but is it always that way?
Nearly every ghost enthusiast would agree that a place becomes haunted after a traumatic event or unexpected death occurs at that location. History is filled with stories of houses that have become haunted after a murder has taken place there, or after some horrible event occurs that echoes over the decades as a haunting.
But what of a haunted cemetery? Do such places really exist? Most assuredly they do, but ghosts who haunt cemeteries seem to be a different sort than those you might find lingering in a haunted house. Most of these ghosts seem to be connected to the cemetery in some way that excludes events that occurred during their lifetime. As most spirits reportedly remain in this world because of some sort of unfinished business in life, this seems to leave out a cemetery as a place where such business might remain undone.
Graveyard ghosts seem to have a few things in common. These spirits seems to be connected to the burial ground because of events that occurred after their deaths, rather than before. In other cases, the ghosts seem to be seeking eternal rest that eludes them at the spot where their physical bodies are currently found. Cemeteries gain a reputation for being haunted for reasons that include the desecration of the dead and grave robbery, unmarked or forgotten burials, natural disasters that disturb resting places, or sometimes event because the deceased was not properly buried at all!
Troy Taylor's book, Beyond the Grave, collects cemetery ghost stories from all over the country. No region of America seems to be spared when it comes to haunted graveyards. In the section that follows, we'll briefly glimpse some of America's most haunted cemeteries and also include an  excerpt from Beyond the Grave as well. Those interested in more stories, should check out the book or look into other parts of the website


Get spooked: Five haunted cemeteries

Walking through a hushed cemetery at night with only a flashlight to guide your way can be a stirring experience for amateur ghost hunters this Halloween.
"A lot of paranormal societies use graveyards for training grounds," said Alan Brown, author of more than 20 books on the subject. "If you get an EMF reading in a graveyard, there is no electricity there, so it has to be coming from some other source."
Oftentimes, the spirits you may encounter in a cemetery aren't kind or frightening but rather full of grief in this final resting place.
"Oddly enough, a lot of cemeteries aren't that haunted," said Richard Senate, a historian and ghost hunter of 33 years. "People haunt where they loved. The idea of haunting a cemetery outside of someone who is grieving -- that's what we're picking up, the grief of a person, rather than their spirit linked to a site."

The Top Ten Most Haunted Battlefields


Though the battles have long ago ended and the sound of cannons and muskets is but a distant memory, there are some souls who are still waiting for the call to “Retreat” – and for them, it may never come!