CONFEDERATE FALLEN REMEMBERED AT CAMP DOUGLAS

Illinois confederate group remembers fallen soldiers

by Gabrielle M. Blueand Brianna McClane
April 28, 2010


Members, family and friends of the Illinois Sons of the Confederate Veterans gathered on Sunday to pay tribute the Civil War soldiers who died at Camp Douglas. About 6,000 Confederate soldiers died after they were held as prisoners of war and were buried in Oak Woods Cemetery at 1035 East 67th Street.

See Link Below for Video:

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=163798&terms=Confederate

POLL SHOWS OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR CONFEDERATE HISTORY MONTH

Independent poll shows that overwhelming majority of Virginians support Confederate History Month and reject ‘heritage deniers’

From Sons of Confederate Veterans Headquarters, Elm Springs, Tennessee
News Release - April 25th, 2010

For Immediate Release

For more information contact: (more contacts below)J. A. DavisPublic-Media Relations Committee Sons of Confederate Veterans 770 297-4788 Gainesville, Georgia

An independent survey poll conducted April 20-21, 2010 reveals that the recent controversy over Virginia Gov. McDonnell's Confederate History Month proclamation was manufactured by a small group attempting to besmirch and censor an important part of Virginia's history and indeed, America's history.

The survey was conducted by the Conquest Group and commissioned by the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV). "The poll results cut through the smoke and expose the falsehood of a popular outcry against Confederate History Month," said SCV Commander-In-Chief Charles E. McMichael. "A substantial majority of both native and transplant Virginians have rejected the attempted manipulation---they support more education not less. We stand ready to help," McMichael said.

The survey showed that 66% of Virginians agreed that Confederate History Month (CHM) could encourage more tourism to the state during the upcoming Sesquicentennial. But even more, 69%, believed it could create more educational opportunities for Virginians to more deeply study the complicated historical, cultural and economic issues that led to a war that killed more Americans than all other American wars combined.

"The Sons of Confederate Veterans stand ready to work with Gov. McDonnell and Virginia’s educational system--- or anyone else ---to meet the public demand for greater understanding and perspective," McMichael said. "It is long past time for a balanced presentation of this period without the hyperbole and censorship of the 'Confederate history deniers' who insist that Virginia's history during the period does not merit our interest or study. The poll proves that their simplistic smears and hostile vitriol have been rejected by Virginians," McMichael added.

The poll shows a whopping 86% of Virginians want Confederate memorials and monuments protected by law from the divisive hard core 4% who want them removed. Only 16% of Virginians had an unfavorable opinion of CHM. The SCV believes this can be reduced down to the 4% of hard core heritage deniers through the better education mentioned above.

The corporate media has earned its reputation as anti-Confederate and anti-Southern by its inclusions and exclusions. The poll reveals that 31% view the media as "anti-Confederate" where only 28% saw media coverage as 'fair and balanced.' Hysterical claims of pro-Confederate media bias came in at 13%. These figures demonstrate that most people see that the hard core heritage deniers are attempting to play the victim when they are in fact the aggressors. "Southern heritage advocates do not lobby governors to edit any other group's history month proclamations, nor do we go on TV to insult and smear their sponsors. People of goodwill generally demonstrate better manners," adds McMichael.

"I'm happy to report that this year’s Confederate History Month has been the most successful ever with a record number of proclamations, observances and memorials taking place," McMichael said. "The 50 million Confederate descendents all over America, and especially those fighting in our distant wars, can rest assured that the Sons of Confederate Veterans will fight all attempts to smear the good name of the Confederate soldier who has been honored and studied in military college’s all over the world for 150 years.

We welcome all Americans to visit us at www.scv.org or www.confederate150.com and join with us in honoring the struggles and sacrifices of our ancestors through the ongoing Sesquicentennial commemorations," McMichael added. The 150th anniversary of the war commences in 2011.

Many states (AL, FL, GA, MS, TX) officially observe April 26th as Confederate Memorial Day. In Tennessee, the governor proclaimed April 26th as “Confederate Decoration Day.” Virginia observes Confederate Memorial Day in May with the federal holiday, however North Carolina and South Carolina observe it May 10th (the date Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson died in 1863). Kentucky and Louisiana observe it with Jefferson Davis' birthday on June 3rd.

For more information contact: J. A. DavisPublic-Media Relations CommitteeSons of Confederate Veterans 770 297-4788 Gainesville, Georgia

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS:

Charles E. McMichael
Commander-in-Chief Sons of Confederate Veterans
CiC@scv.org
318-936-7161
Shreveport, Louisiana

Bragdon R. Bowling, Jr.
Commander Army of Northern Virginia
Sons of Confederate Veterans
804-658-1785
Richmond, Virginia

B. Frank Earnest
Chief of Heritage Defense
Sons of Confederate Veterans
chd@scv.org
757-474-0624
Virginia Beach, Virginia

END

JEFFERSON DAVIS STATUE DEDICATED AT BEAUVOIR

Jefferson Davis remembered by Sons of the Confederate Veterans
Posted: Apr 24, 2010 6:22 PM CDT By Jessica Bowman

BILOXI, MS (WLOX) - A new $100,000 statue now sits on the grounds of Beauvoir.
Chuck McMichael said, "In the name of the Sons of Confederate Veterans of all the people of the South, of all the people of good conscience and righteousness throughout the world, we dedicate this statue of Jefferson Davis."

Southern tradition lives on as many bring the confederate heritage back to life.
"That it may stand as eternal testament to a duty well done," said Chuck McMichael.
The President of the Confederate State's of America's legacy lives on, as this statue made of cast iron stands tall at its new home.

Brag Bowling, a national board member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans said he wanted the statue to portray the kind of man Jefferson Davis was. This really humanizes Jefferson Davis, tells a story which isn't really told very often," said Bowling.

There are two young children standing next to Davis with arms linked. One of the children was rescued by Davis' wife during the war." Bowling said, "Jim Limber, the black child being beaten up and pushed around by an older man, and she hopped out of the carriage and pushed him away and grabbed Jim Limber and took him home where he became a functional member of the Davis household."

Chuck McMichael said, "Well, in the South, we know it takes a family to raise a child, and that's what Jefferson Davis was willing to do."

Rick Forte said, "The other child on his left is his son, Joseph Davis. He fell off the balcony of the Confederate White House and was killed during the war." Bowling said this $100,000 statue symbolizes more than history. Bowling said, "It wasn't about slavery. It was about freedom, and the Jefferson Davis statue symbolizes freedom."

A Presidential Library is currently being built on Beauvoir's property. Once it is complete the statue will stand welcoming guests.

http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=12370257

CONSTITUTION OF THE CSA TO BE DISPLAYED

News Release for Confederate Memorial Day—Monday, April 26th
Contact information: Calvin E. Johnson, Jr.,
Chairman of the Confederate History Month Committee of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. 1064 West Mill Drive, Kennesaw, Georgia 30152
Phone: 770 428 0978
cell phone: 770 330 9792

Dateline: Atlanta, Georgia—Confederate Memorial Day.

Monday, April 26th, is Confederate Memorial Day in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kansas and Mississippi.

The Constitution of the Confederates States of America will be exhibited from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm on Monday, April, 26, 2010, in the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library (on the 3rd floor of the Main Library) at the University of Georgia in Athens.

Also, on display will be War Between the States letters, documents artifacts and images.

See complete details at: http://entertainment.georgia.com/athens-ga/events/show/111717005-annual-exhibition-of-the-confederate-constitution

The Confederate History Month Committee of the Sons of Confederate Veterans encourages everyone to make it a family affair in attending Confederate Memorial Day activities throughout the USA and teaching your children about the role the men and women of the Southern Confederacy played in our nation’s history.

See: http://confederatehistorymonth.com and http://confederateheritagemonth.com for Confederate Memorial Day events.

A Statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis will be dedicated on Saturday, April 24, 2010, at “Beauvoir” the last home of Davis located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in Biloxi in celebration of Confederate Memorial Day. The statue depicts Jefferson Davis and two of his sons Joe and adopted black son Jim Limber. See complete details at: http://www.beauvoir.org/

Confederate Memorial Day has been a legal holiday in Georgia since 1874 by an act of the Georgia General Assembly and bill signed by then Governor James Smith, who also served as Confederate Colonel, Lawyer and Congressman.

For over 100 year’s the members of the Ladies Memorial Association, United Daughters of the Confederacy and Sons of Confederate Veterans have kept the tradition of Confederate Memorial Day alive.

The Georgia General Assembly passed Senate Bill No. 27 in 2009 officially and permanently designating April as Confederate History and Heritage Month and signed by Governor Sonny Perdue. In 2010, the Governor’s of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Virginia signed proclamations designating April as Confederate History and Heritage

Month. Lest We Forget!

END

Reenactors in Texas

150 years after the real thing, Civil War re-enactors fight just for the fun of it

Posted Saturday, Apr. 24, 2010
http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/04/24/2139107/150-years-after-the-real-thing.html
By DAVID CASSTEVENS
dcasstevens@star-telegram.com'

Before the drumbeats began and a smell of gunpowder filled the air, the great-great-grandson of Confederate soldier W.C. Moore sat outside a small canvas tent and pondered his impending fate. Raymie Moore is a Civil War re-enactor. As a weekend hobby the bearded 50-year-old Gatesville man puts on a gray wool uniform, sights in his Whitworth rifle and shoots at Yankees.
The Yankees shoot back.

Moore sometimes escapes the fierce fighting, victorious and unscathed. During other skirmishes he will "take a hit" and drop to the ground like a slow-handed gunfighter in a Western movie.
If mortally wounded, he will do his best to lie there still as a statue. "You try," Moore said, "not to fall in a fire-ant bed."

Those noisy engagements continue for a predetermined period, at the end of which the volunteer actors -- dead and alive -- dust themselves off and return to the comforts of the 21st century, each side harboring no ill will toward the other. In defeat, the sons of the South can find a measure of solace in Scarlett O'Hara's declaration of unwavering optimism: "Tomorrow is another day."

150th anniversary

This is Confederate History and Heritage month.

Every April and throughout the year, Moore and other Texans travel to locations near and far to participate in these outdoor living history events. Civil War battles are re-enacted almost every weekend somewhere.

Interest in the most divisive period in U.S. history is expected to increase in the next few years as tens of thousands of Confederate and Union re-enactors commemorate the 150th anniversaries of major battles. Bull Run. Antietam. Chancellorsville. Gettysburg. Chickamauga.

Moore's outfit -- the Coryell County Sharpshooters -- and other re-enactment groups, including one from Tuscaloosa, Ala., staged two battles last weekend at the Confederate Reunion Grounds State Historic Site, a wooded 76-acre property near Mexia.

No Civil War battle was fought there, but 3 of 4 free men in Limestone County served in the Confederate army. Half were killed, wounded, went missing or developed chronic conditions that led to death. Moore can't tell you the total number of Federals he has "shot" over the years, nor can he estimate the number of times he has gone down while defending the honor of his ancestor from Rusk who fought in the Battle of Vicksburg in 1863.

Sometimes casualties are scripted. "Years ago, they lined you up and counted off, 'One, two, three ... one, two, three,'" Moore said, pointing in pantomime. "All the 'threes' died when a flag was raised." Now, he said, a re-enactor's destiny is usually left up to individual discretion.
"If it's real hot," Moore said, "and I'm tarred" -- tired -- "I'll get shot and lay down with my canteen."

The retired Texas prison system employee is a pleasant, outgoing fellow, blessed with a sense of humor and a gift for making music. He plays the banjo and the fiddle, but, as he observes with a grin, "not at the same time." Away from the battlefield, he enjoys picking his Earl Scruggs banjo and sawing jigs and reels on a vintage fiddle.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/04/24/2139107/150-years-after-the-real-thing.html

AUSTRALIAN SCV CAMP ON-LINE

Friends and Compatriots;

I am honoured to inform you that the newest camp of the international Sons of Confederate Veterans, Inc. already has a website on-line. There will be additional information added as it is provided, additional pictures will be added informing the public as to what is occurring in Australia and New Zealand and new categories and links will be added at a later date.

I believe it will end up being one of the best SCV websites online. It provides the story for whom our camp is named, Confederate William Kenyon of Australia, and we are fortunate to have one of, if not the, oldest "Real Son" left alive.

Visit the William Kenyon Australian Confederates Camp 2160 website at www.scvau.com.

Have a look at what has been accomplished thus far and provide us with your comments.


Respectively,

James Gray
Commander
William Kenyon Australian Confederates Camp 2160

Confederate Memorial Day

Confederate Memorial Day
By Calvin E. Johnson Jr.
Thursday, April 22, 2010

Monday, April 26th, is Confederate Memorial Day in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kansas and Mississippi.

The Constitution of the Confederates States of America will be exhibited from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm on Monday, April, 26, 2010, in the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library (on the 3rd floor of the Main Library) at the University of Georgia, in Athens. Also, on display will be War Between the States letters, documents artifacts and images.

The Confederate History Month Committee of the Sons of Confederate Veterans encourages everyone to make it a family affair in attending Confederate Memorial Day activities throughout the USA and teaching your children about the role the men and women of the Southern Confederacy played in our nation’s history. See:confederatehistorymonth.com and confederateheritagemonth.com for Confederate Memorial Day events.

A Statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis will be dedicated on Saturday, April 24, 2010, at “Beauvoir” the last home of Davis located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in Biloxi, in celebration of Confederate Memorial Day. The statue depicts Jefferson Davis and two of his sons Joe and adopted black son Jim Limber. See complete details at:beauvoir.org

Confederate Memorial Day has been a legal holiday in Georgia since 1874 by an act of the Georgia General Assembly and bill signed by then Governor James Smith, who also served as Confederate Colonel, Lawyer and Congressman.

For over 100 years, the members of the Ladies Memorial Association, United Daughters of the Confederacy and Sons of Confederate Veterans have kept the tradition of Confederate Memorial Day alive.

The Georgia General Assembly passed Senate Bill No. 27 in 2009 officially and permanently designating April as Confederate History and Heritage Month and signed by Governor Sonny Perdue.

In 2010, the Governor’s of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Virginia signed proclamations designating April as Confederate History and Heritage Month.

Note: The Governor of Tennessee signed a proclamation recognizing June 3 as Confederate Decoration Day in Tennessee. This day is also Celebrated as Confederate Memorial Day in Kentucky and Louisiana - Chuck Rand

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/22308

SCV RESPONDS TO ATTACKS

Sons of Confederate Veterans Rejects False and Unfair Smears of SCV and their kinfolk, the late Confederate Veterans

From Sons of Confederate Veterans Headquarters, Elm Springs, Tennessee

Press Release - April 18th, 2010 - For Immediate Release


For more information contact:
J. A. Davis
Public-Media Relations Committee
Sons of Confederate Veterans
770 297-4788
Gainesville, Georgia


The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) and the historical truth have come under attack from media outlets like MSNBC, CNN, syndicated columnists such as Roland S. Martin (Creators.com) and Leonard Pitts, Jr., of the Miami Herald. They are attempting to lynch Virginia Gov. McDonnell and others of goodwill who recognize April as Confederate History Month --- which has been observed for many years in states across the country.

We applaud the recognition of various groups and organizations interested in the study of their heritage and their part in American history. Black History Month (February), Women's History Month (March), Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May), Native American History Month (November), Hispanic Heritage Month (Sep.15-Oct.15) and many others stand as examples.

Governors and mayors often issue proclamations observing such events and virtually always without controversy of any kind. Why is it that a Virginia governor is singled out for public pillory and character lynching for recognizing Confederate history? Where is the “tolerance” for diversity these malicious voices profess to revere?

The SCV is a strictly historical and educational organization, and neither embraces nor espouses acts or ideologies of racial and religious bigotry. Membership in the Sons of Confederate Veterans is open to all male descendants of any veteran who served honorably in the Confederate armed forces, regardless of race, colour or creed.

Our Jewish SCV members, like the rest of us, take exception to being labeled as “Nazis”. Our SCV members of Native American, African and Hispanic ancestry, like the rest of us, take exception to being called “racists” and having our ancestors falsely called “terrorists.

CNN's Roland Martin has repeatedly referred to Confederate soldiers and officials as “terrorists” both on televised talk shows (CNN) and in syndicated columns (Creators.com). Martin’s April 9th column was entitled, “Confederates, Al-Qaida are the Same: Terrorists”. Comparing Confederate soldiers, recognized as American veterans by an Act of Congress (1958), to Al-Qaida terrorists is over-the-top, absurd and offensive. All Americans of goodwill should condemn this outrage, but it seems that too many media outlets consider it acceptable discourse to smear certain groups.

Syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts, Jr., of the Miami Herald, recently authored a commentary contending that “The South fought to keep slavery, period.” In it, Pitts refers to the Confederate government as a “white racist government” guilty of “high treason.” Pitts' assertions are as false as they are malicious. Pitts cannot explain why President Lincoln and the U.S. Congress repeatedly asserted that the purpose of the war was to “preserve the Union” and denied any linkage to slavery. Pitts makes no effort to explain why Confederate President Jefferson Davis was held in prison for two years without trial after the war. The U.S. government realized that it could NOT convict Davis of treason in a public trial without convicting the Founders of treason for the Declaration of Independence.

In letters to various newspaper editors, SCV Commander in Chief Charles E. McMichael directly refutes Pitts' nonsense:

“Pitts projects a biased and false motivation on the part of Confederates and their union attackers which is not supported by the historical record. The South did NOT fight to preserve slavery nor did the North attack to abolish it. Despite the relentless repetition of absurd distortions by Pitts and other revisionists, the truth doesn't change.”

The Sons of Confederate Veterans stands ready, willing and able to defend the true historical record and the good name of Confederate soldiers who are officially American veterans by Act of Congress. We unequivocally refute and condemn any suggestion that they were “traitors” or “terrorists” as recent revisionists have maliciously asserted.


The complete letter from Commander McMichael is reproduced below.

McMichael adds, “My great grandfather was a poor Georgia farm boy of 16 whose family owned no slaves and who endured four years of disease, starvation and deprivation, not to mention being shot at. It borders on the absurd to suggest that he suffered the ordeal of war to defend slavery for the benefit of six percent of the population.”

“The 30,000 members of the SCV will never accept the falsehoods of these malicious revisionists seeking to smear Confederate soldiers as “traitors” or their proud descendants as “racists,” McMichael said. “We challenge media outlets to give the SCV fair opportunity to respond to such smears and distortions with equal space and air time,” McMichael added.

For more information about the Sons of Confederate Veterans, its members, and activities please visit: www.scv.org


Charles E. McMichael
Commander-in-Chief
Sons of Confederate Veterans
CiC@scv.org


For more information contact:
J. A. Davis
Public-Media Relations Committee
Sons of Confederate Veterans
770 297-4788
Gainesville, Georgia

LETTER FROM SCV Commander-In-Chief CHARLES E. MCMICHAEL FOLLOWS:


Sons of Confederate Veterans
General Headquarters
P.O. Box 59
Columbia, Tennessee 38402-0059

April 17, 2010


Dear Editors:

Leonard Pitts, Jr. of the Miami Herald opines that “The South fought to keep slavery, period.” Please indulge a contrary view.

Confederate soldiers fought to defend their families and homes from an invading and destructive army. President Lincoln and the U.S. Congress made clear that the purpose of their invasion and blockade was to “preserve the union” and preserve federal revenues.

Lincoln in his first inaugural address expressed support for the constitutional amendment to permanently preclude federal legislation abolishing slavery. He stated that he had no intent or desire to interfere with slavery where it existed. The only thing not negotiable to Lincoln was payment of the newly doubled federal tariffs of which the South paid over eighty percent.

The British and European press saw Lincoln's invasion of the south for what it was, “a fiscal quarrel” and the north's desire “for economic control of the South.”

The U.S. House passed a resolution July 25th, 1861 to specify the war's purpose. It explicitly stated the war's purpose was NOT to interfere with “established institutions” of the states, but rather to “preserve the Union”---meaning tariff revenues.

Lincoln, in letters to Horace Greeley in August 1862, again reiterated that his war's purpose was to “preserve the union” and that slavery was not a priority issue. “If I could save the Union without freeing any slaves, I would do it,” Lincoln wrote. With the Emancipation Proclamation published Sept. 1862 (well over a year into the war), Lincoln essentially promised that slavery would continue in all states (including union slave states) IF the seceded states would merely rescind their secession and return to the union before January 1st 1863. The Confederate states declined – clearly indicatinng motivations more involved than Pitts simplified fabrication.

Everyone is thankful that chattel slavery ended in America, but no war was necessary to end it. No other country in the world required war to abolish it. America certainly didn't.

Pitts projects a biased and false motivation on the part of Confederates and their union attackers which is not supported by the historical record. The South did NOT fight to preserve slavery nor did the North attack to abolish it. Despite the relentless repetition of absurd distortions by Pitts and other revisionists, the truth doesn't change.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans stand ready, willing and able to defend the true historical record and the good name of Confederate soldiers who are officially American veterans by Act of Congress. We unequivocally refute and condemn any suggestion that they were “traitors” or “terrorists” as recent revisionists have maliciously asserted.

Respectfully,
Charles E. McMichael
Commander-in-Chief
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Email: cic@scv.org

END

THE POLITICS OF HATE AGAINST THE SOUTH

Media Paints False Picture of Confederate Flap
By Dan Gainor
FOXNews.com

The media and their friends on the left aren’t being reasonable here. They don’t want to be.

It was inevitable. The race-obsessed media weren’t satisfied calling the right “bigots” and “haters.” So they just kept escalating. They’ve made the presidency of our first African-American commander in chief a referendum on the war -- the Civil War.

The old-media are so intent with besmirching the right that they’ve passed on the Nazi comparisons and mostly moved past comparisons to the Klan. Now anyone who opposes President Obama is a neocon – neo-Confederate that is.

To their way of thinking, those on the right – especially the Tea Party people – must be toothless, inbred Southrons with images of Tara dancing in their heads. And with the national Tea Party events in full force on April 15, the media has gone into full escalation this week.
Conservatives must confess their sins and embrace the new socialist world with all their heart … and even that won’t mollify critics. The left and the media are no longer satisfied with people repudiating the past. Now we must forget it entirely.

New Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell fell into this trap by honoring his state’s history as the capital of the Confederacy, not to mention the site of more than 120 battles listed in the National Park Service’s Battlefield Protection Program. April, the month McDonnell chose, was also the month the war began and ended – with Lee’s surrender in Appomattox, Va. And, given that we are nearing the 150 anniversary of the war, such memories mean a lot to history buffs, descendants of both sides, and tourists.

McDonnell did what politicians do, declare a month as something special to get it media attention. April is also the official U.S. National Poetry Month, National Manatee Awareness Month, National Marching Band Appreciation Month and now National Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month.

But CNN anchor Jim Acosta decided McDonnell’s proclamation was the stuff Tea Partiers supposedly love. Asked by CNN’s John Avlon if McDonnell was “thinking he could score political points,” Acosta said, “This plays well to the Tea Party crowd, right? He's talking about sovereign rights in there.” In the minds of the media even the despicable institution of slavery has become just a way to “score political points.”

And Roland Martin from that same network went even further, attacking those who would defend the actions of Confederate soldiers as similar to “Muslim extremists.” That wasn’t enough for his sweeping assault. “Even if you're a relative of one of the 9/11 hijackers, that man was an out-and-out terrorist, and nothing you can say will change that. And if your great-great-great-granddaddy was a Confederate who stood up for Southern ideals, he too was a terrorist.”

My ancestors on both sides of my family fought for the South. I would like to think I would have fought for the union. But to call uniformed, organized armies defending their homes “terrorists” shows both the hate and simplistic ignorance that the media will stoop to so they can bash the right.

Even NBC’s snarky, journalist-lite Luke Russert made light of the idea that Texas might secede, asking on Twitter: “Can a smart economist out there figure out how much U.S. taxpayers from the other 49 states would save if Texas were to secede from the USA?” Light-weight Luke aside, the cost would be incalculable – a loss of our second largest state and 25 million American citizens, just for starters. All’s fair in love, war and Internet stupidity.

For all the outrage – real and manufactured – over this minor incident, one need only look to the White House to gain guidance on how to treat the South both now and then. President Lincoln (a Republican, you’ll recall) wanted to heal his nation and honor the dead on both sides. His second inaugural address called for “malice toward none, with charity for all.” Even President Obama has been far more charitable to Confederates than the media – going so far as to lay a wreath at a Confederate memorial.

That’s not the way the left would have it. It’s easy to say that Martin and others muddle their correct 21st Century hatred of slavery with a 19th century American reality where states were paramount and not the federal government. But that’s a useless argument because it appeals to reason.

The media and their friends on the left aren’t being reasonable here. They don’t want to be. This latest fight isn’t just about the Civil War any more than it is about health care or the Supreme Court. Their side wants to make it the Third Battle of Bull Run – they sling the bull so Democratic politicians can run in November.

That is their strategy: to make the anniversary cycle of a war that ripped our nation in two just an endless campaign against the right. That, they hope, would ensure an Obama re-election in 2012, and a rewriting of history so that the party of Lincoln is made to pay for someone else’s 150-year-old sins.

Dan Gainor is The Boone Pickens Fellow and the Media Research Center’s Vice President for Business and Culture and a frequent contributor to the Fox Forum. He can also be contacted on FaceBook and Twitter as dangainor.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/04/15/dan-gainor-tea-party-confederate-civil-war-racist-obama/

VIRGINIA TOWNS RECOGNIZE CONFEDERATE HISTORY MONTH

CONFEDERATE HISTORY AND HERITAGE MONTH PROCLAMATION
Town of DAYTON -Town of GROTTOES -Town of MT. CRAWFORD - Town of ELKTON

Whereas: April is the month in which the Confederate States of America began and ended a four year struggle for states’ rights, individual freedom, and local government control, and

Whereas: April is the month in which the Commonwealth of Virginia, after struggling politically to remain with Honor within the Union of States, but being forced by Lincoln’s call for the Militia of the States, upheld her rights as specified in her Constitution, and her ratification of the Constitution of these United States, with the overwhelming support of her citizens by vote, withdrew from the Union on 17 April 1861, and

Whereas: Rockingham County supported the War through the actions of her citizens, numbering some 23,500, both in the military and on the home front - some 3000 men served in the various military organizations raised throughout the County, out of a military aged population of only 4,163, and at least 225 men and boys paid the ultimate sacrifice in response to Duty, Home, and Country; millions of dollars of agriculture were supplied in support of the war effort in Virginia, millions more were destroyed by invading troops during the 1864 Valley Campaign; numerous civilians, both white and black, free and slave, provided support, comfort, and aid to the war effort; three battles of the 1862 Valley Campaign were fought in the County - Harrisonburg, Cross Keys and Port Republic, and

Whereas: Virginia has long cherished her Confederate History and the great leaders, such as General Robert Edward Lee, General Thomas Jonathan Jackson, and General Turner Ashby, and the people of Rockingham County have long cherished her Confederate History and the memory of the men who served in the 10th Regiment Virginia Volunteer Infantry (Bridgewater Greys, Chrisman’s Infantry, Harrisonburg Valley Guards, Mauck’s Company, Peaked Mountain Grays, Riverton Invincibles, Rockingham Rifles), Rockingham Confederates, Harrisonburg Cavalry, Rockingham Cavalry, Letcher Brock’s Gap Rifles, Valley Rangers, Chipley’s Cavalry Company, Sipe’s Cavalry Company, Patterson’s Cavalry Company, Mt. Crawford Cavalry, 58th Regiment Virginia Militia, Rockingham Reserves, and various home guard organizations, who made sacrifices on behalf of the Confederate Cause, and

Whereas: It is vital that Virginians reflect upon the Commonwealth’s past, and honor and respect the devotion of the Confederate citizens, soldiers and civilians, both white and black, free and slave, to the cause of Southern Independence, now

Therefore, we hereby proclaim the month of April 2010 as “Confederate History and Heritage Month” in Rockingham County and encourage our citizens to become more knowledgeable of the role Virginia and the Confederate States of America played in the history of our country.

Proposed and forwarded by
Col. D.H. Lee Martz Camp No. 10-Sons of Confederate Veterans
PO Box 2001, Harrisonburg, 22803

In Honor and Memory of: Private John F. Turner - Co. I, 57th N.C. Infantry
Colonel D. H. Lee Martz - Co. G, 10th Virginia Infantry
Private James Walter Miller - Co. K, 33rd. Virginia Infantry
Private John Calvin Sprinkle - Co. C, 11 Virginia Cavalry
Private Lorenzo Frederick Smith II - Co. C, 7th Virginia Cavalry
Private William F. Sprinkle - Co. B, 7th. Virginia Cavalry
Private James John Comer - Co. H, 33rd. Virginia Infantry
Private Ferdinand Gephart Way - Co. C (2nd), 10th. Virginia Infantry
Private John Weaver - Co. G, 5th Virginia Infantry
Private Samuel Hileman Miller - Co. G, 58th. Virginia Infantry
Private George W. Wiseman - Co. F, 5th Virginia Infantry
Private John Randolph Thompson - Co. H, 12th. Virginia Cavalry
1st. Corporal Michael Summers - Co. H, 10th Virginia Cavalry
General Robert E. Lee - Commander, Army of Northern Virginia
Surgeon Samuel S. Windley - Co. B, 17th Regiment, N.C. Troops
Private Horace Mangrove Gianniny - Co. H, 57th. Virginia Infantry
Private Jefferson Randolph Rives - Co. A, 44th Alabama Infantry
Private William James Gianniny - Co. B, 18th. Virginia Artillery
Private Charles William Perry - Dixie & Purcell Artillery
Private Charles Jones Brock - Co. H, 10th. Virginia Cavalry
Private Cornelius Staley Knott - Co. D, 52nd Virginia Infantry
Sergeant William Mansford Billhimer - Co. G, 10th. Virginia. Infantry
Private Adam Mizer - Co. K, 2nd Virginia Infantry
Private Isaac Calvin Billhimer - Co. I, 1st. Virginia Cavalry
Private John Delawder - Co. B, 18th Virginia Cavalry
Private Abraham Billhimer - Co. I, 1st. Virginia Cavalry
Private David Loker - Co. H, 10th Virginia Infantry
Private Benjamin Franklin Billhimer - Co. I, 1st. Virginia Cavalry
Private Samuel Lewis Menefee - Co. D, 7th Virginia Cavalry
Private John Billhimer - Co. H, 10th. Virginia Cavalry
Private Samuel Baker - Co. H, 12th Virginia Cavalry
Private Gardner Paxton Hutton - Co. I, 4th. Virginia Infantry
Sergeant John W. Rhodes - Co. K, 60th Virginia Infantry
Private Joseph C. Hammer - Co. A, 58th. Virginia Militia
Private William Henry Allen - Co. B, 12th Virginia Cavalry
Private William H. Allen - Co. H, 2nd. Reg., 7th. Brig., Virginia Militia
Private Henry Crawford - Co. D, 10th Virginia Infantry
Private George Robert Derrer - Co. I, 33rd. Virginia Infantry
Private Henry Conrad Hammer - Co. I, 10th Virginia Infantry
Capt. Hiram Alexander Kite - Co. H, 2nd Reg., 7th. Brig., Va. Militia
Private William Howard Carpenter - Co. C, 4th Virginia Cavalry
Private Charles R. Kite - Co. I, 10th. Virginia Infantry
Private Noah Anderson Royer - Co. E, 10th Virginia Infantry
1st Sgt. William Edwin Kite - Co. A, 3rd. Batt., Virginia Reserves
Private James Robert Price - Co. D, 26th Virginia Infantry
1st Lieutenant Joseph Hiram Kite - Co. I, 10th. Virginia Infantry
Private John W. Meyerhoeffer - Co. A, 3rd Battalion Virginia Reserves
2nd Lieutenant William Kite Jennings - Co. I, 10th. Virginia. Infantry
Private William D. Shirey - Co. G, 52nd Virginia Infantry
1st Lieutenant Joseph G. H. Miller - Co. I, 10th. Virginia Infantry
Sergeant George Wilson Baugher - Co. A, 4th Virginia Infantry
2nd Lieutenant Hiram Harrison Miller - Co. I, 10th. Virginia. Infantry
Private Jesse R. Wyant - Co. C, 6th Virginia Cavalry
General J.E.B. Stuart
Private Samuel P.H. Miller - Co. I, 7th. Virginia Cavalry
Captain William B. Yancey - Co. E, 10th Virginia Infantry
Private David Neff Funkhouser - Co. G, 10th. Virginia Infantry
Confederate Cavalry Commander
Private William Patterson - Co. E, 5th Virginia Infantry
1st Corporal James Morgan Philips - Co. I, 10th. Virginia Infantry
Private Felix Joseph Ellis - Co. H, 13th Virginia Cavalry
2nd Corporal Alexander Edward Wyant - Co. I, 10th. Va. Infantry
Lieutenant BenjaminStacy - Co. Co.22nd Virginia Infantry Infantry
Private William Pleasant Lively - 3rd. Virginia Cavalry
Private Robert C. Blakely - Co. G, 29th Mississippi Infantry
Private John Randolph Shaffer - New Market 8th. Star Artillery
Dr. Hunter H. McGuire - Surg., 1st. Brigade, Army of the Valley
Private John Marshall Rhodes - Co. H, 10th Virginia Cavalry
Private Addison Franklin Workman - Co. E, 14th. N.C. Infantry
Major William Taylor - 11th. Virginia Cavalry Laurel Brigade
Private Robert Charles Grabill - Co. B, 7th Virginia Cavalry
Private George Harvey Gooden - Co. I, 10th. Va. Infantry
3rd. Corporal Amos W. Diehl - Co. C, 58th. Virginia Militia
Private Henry C. Hammer - 51st Battalion, Virginia Reserves
1st Lieutenant Michael E. Bowers - Co. K (2nd), 25th. Va. Infantry
Private William Conrad Long - Co. I, 10th. Virginia Infantry
Private Hamilton Cubbage - Co. H, 33rd Virginia Infantry
Private Ebenezer Knicely - Co. E, 58th. Virginia Militia
Private Jacob Samuel Sellers - Co. H, 10th. Virginia Cavalry
Private Robert E. Webster - Co. I, 7th Virginia Cavalry
Private Silas Robert Good - Co. A, 1st. Missouri Cavalry
Private Joseph L. Monger - Co. I, 10th Virginia Infantry
Private Abraham Ritchie - Co. I, 58th Virginia Militia
Private Sampson Orebaugh - Co. H, 7th. Virginia Cavalry
Private Joshua Brenton Painter - Co. I, 33rd Virginia Infantry
Corporal Isaac Ritchie - Co. B, 7th Virginia Cavalry
Private Reuben Long - Co. E, 97th. Virginia Militia
Private Cheed Brown - Co. C., 51st Virginia Infantry
Private Jonathan Ritchie - Co. A, 9th Battalion Virginia Reserves
Private Eston Cyrus Champ - Co. K (2nd), 25th. Virginia Infantry
Corporal Franklin J. Ritchie - Co. B, 7th Virginia Cavalry
Private Jesse Dehart - Co. A, 24th Virginia Infantry
Private Isaiah P. Dove - Co. C, 11th. Virginia Cavalry
Private Jacob C. Ritchie - Co. C, 11th Virginia Cavalry
2nd Lieutenant Nathan John Bayse - Co. K, 7th Virginia Cavalry
Private George Washington Monger - Co. A, 3rd. Batt. Va. Reserves
Sergeant Jeremiah Ritchie - Co. C, 11th Virginia Cavalry
Private Harrison Seldon Grady - Co. B, 62nd Va. Mounted Cavalry
Private Nicholas Honaker - Co. G, 37th. Virginia Infantry
Private Ephraim J. Wean - Co. B, 7th Virginia Cavalry
Private John William Grady - Co. I, 18th Virginia Cavalry
Private Jackson W. Dearing - Co. K (2nd), 23rd. Virginia Cavalry
Private Samuel B. Hollar - Co. B, 7th Virginia Cavalry
Private George Thomas Grady - Co. E, 18th Virginia Cavalry
Private James Meadows - 19th Virginia Heavy Artillery
Private Joseph Edgar Scott - Co. C, 1st Kentucky Cavalry
Private George H. Rosen - Co. D, 5th Virginia Infantry
Private John H. Cromer - Co. E, 2nd. Virginia Infantry
Private John Williams - Co. D, 4th Tennessee Cavalry
Private Elias Powell - Co. C (2nd), 10th Virginia Infantry
Private James Timothy Lee - Co. F, 1st. Battalion, Virginia Reserves
Private Edmond Minnick - Co. H, 10th Virginia Cavalry
Private W. Albert Powell - Co. I, 10th Virginia Infantry
Private Albert H. Long - Co. H, 10th. Virginia Infantry
Private Samuel Minnick - Co. H, 10th Virginia Cavalry
Private Moses Franklin Powell - Co. I, 10th Virginia Infantry
Private John Nathaniel Faught - 22nd Virginia Infantry
Private Harvey Minnick - Co. H, 10th Virginia Cavalry
2nd. Lt. William Chapman Browning - Co. D, 45th. Battalion, Va. Inf. Private David Minnick - Co. H, 10th Virginia Cavalry
Private Abraham Crabill - Co. B., 33rd Virginia Infantry
Private James William Dean - Co. D, 34th Virginia Infantry
Private Jesse Pugh Fry - Co. C. 12th. Virginia Cavalry
Private William Minnick - Co. B, 7th Virginia Cavalry
Private Joseph Cromer, Jr. - Co. I, 33rd. Virginia Infantry
Private Fernando C. Hopkins - Co. H & Co. B, 10th. Virginia Infantry Private Levi Minnick - Co. B, 10th Virginia Cavalry
Private Benjamin Franklin Cromer - Co. I, 1st. Virginia Cavalry
Private Jacob A.S. Kyger - Co. A. 3rd. Battalion, Virginia Reserves
Private Israel Minnick - Company I, 1st Virginia Cavalry
Private Henry W. Ridder - McNeill’s Rangers
Private William J. Carpenter - Co. H. 12th. Virginia Cavalry
Compatriot Lonnie Honaker - Col DH Lee Martz Camp 10 SCV
Private William George Ruddle - Co. F, 25th. Virginia Infantry
Sergeant John Benjamin Monger - Co. I, 10th. Virginia Infantry
Compatriot Henry Lee Billhimer - Col DH Lee Martz Camp 10 SCV
Private Josiah H. Siple - Co. F, 25th. Virginia Infantry
Private Simeon R. McDaniel - Co. H, 97th Virginia Militia
Compatriot Ralph “Junior” Key - Col DH Lee Martz Camp 10 SCV
General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson - Commander, Army of the Valley
Brig. General Turner Ashby - Cavalry Commander, Army of the Valley

APRIL 25 - 2 p.m. Confederate Memorial Day event

MAY 31 - 9:15 a.m. Memorial Day Service, Woodbine
Confederate Section of Woodbine Cemetery, Harrisonburg,
Cemetery, Harrisonburg, Va. by Turner Ashby Chapter U.D.C.
Va. by Col. D. H. Lee Martz Camp 10 SCV (540) 879-2465
& S.C.V. Camp 10 (540) 337-6555 or (540) 879-2465

JUNE 6 - Turner Ashby Monument Memorial Service
Confederate Dead, program by Stephen Lee Ritchie, County
5 p.m. Picnic followed by 6:00 p.m. Service, hosted by
Board of Supervisor’s Room, Gay St., Harrisonburg, Va., hosted
Turner Ashby Chapter 162 U.D.C. (540) 421-9319
by SCV Camp 10 (540) 578-3046

CONFEDERATE MONUMENT PROPOSED FOR NORTH CHARLESTON

Wednesday, Apr. 14, 2010

N. Charleston leaders want Confederate monument

By Schuyler Kropf - The (Charleston) Post & Courier

CHARLESTON -- The battle to erect a public monument honoring the 170 South Carolinians who signed the Ordinance of Secession that would eventually lead to the Civil War has moved to North Charleston.

One month after the idea was effectively killed at Patriots Point, North Charleston appears ready to provide space for the monument along the city's waterfront. Under a plan being unveiled this week, city officials would offer a temporary site at Riverfront Park. The monument would stay there until the museum dedicated to the H.L. Hunley submarine gets built in North Charleston - potentially years down the road.

"I think it's part of the history of the state of South Carolina," Mayor Keith Summey said Tuesday. "Whether you agree with the secession or not, the fact is it did occur and it did happen. We learn from our history." Last month, the Patriots Point's development board deadlocked in a split 3-3 decision whether to allow the monument on their grounds. Afterward, advocates from the state Sons of Confederate Veterans immediately sought out another suitable site.

Summey said Tuesday that after the vote, he invited the group in, offering them riverfront space. The monument will play into the eventual opening of the museum and be a tourism draw, he added.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans' proposal calls for a memorial about 12 feet tall made of blue Georgia granite. It would depict the secession document and two relevant scenes, while listing the names of its signers.

SCV members are backing the monument as a means of commemorating the 150th anniversary of the secession convention held in Columbia and Charleston, Dec. 17 and Dec. 20, 1860.

Read more: http://www.heraldonline.com/2010/04/14/2088405/n-charleston-leaders-want-confederate.html#ixzz0lCn3S8uM


GIVE YOUR SUPPORT TO THE MONUMENT:

Anyone interested in supporting the South Carolina Division initiative for placing the “Signers of the SC Secession Monument” in North Charleston, is asked to contact Mayor Summey commending him for his effort and expressing your approval for the project. Make your call brief and your letter short and supportive.

I. Call this number ONLY : 843-740-2504 (Receptionist – Office of the Mayor)
a. Ask to leave a “Brief” message in support of the monument for the MAYOR.
b. Phone during Business Hours Only (Mon – Fri, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.)

II. Send a Letter showing support
Mayor R. Keith Summey
P.O. Box 190016
North Charleston, SC 29419

III. Send an Email:
Mayor R. Keith Summey
mayor@northcharleston.org

VETERANS HONORED IN TEXAS

Groups gather to honor Confederate veterans
By Celinda Emison

Posted April 11, 2010 Photo by Nellie Doneva, Nellie Doneva/Reporter-News

Gene Skaggas, left, and Blayne Williamson, right, from the De Leon chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, stand by during cannon fire in a Confederate memorial service at Sipe Springs Cemetery on Sunday.

SIPE SPRINGS — Muskets and cannons were fired to honor fallen Confederate soldiers during a memorial service Sunday at Sipe Springs Cemetery, about 70 miles east of Abilene between Rising Star and De Leon.

Members and supporters of several Big Country chapters of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, clad in period attire, gathered at the cemetery to pay tribute to their fallen ancestors who fought in the Civil War. Even though others have angrily decried the flying of what they refer to as the “Confederate Battle flag,” those in attendance of this event defended their right to fly the flag and honor Confederate history. We want to fight back about all this anti-Southern media,” said Dan Hudson, commander of the Captain June Kimble Camp #488 of Eastland.

Hudson also defended the groups’ right to acknowledge Confederate History Month during April. The Sons of Confederate Veterans Web site has a copy of a resolution issued by Gov. Rick Perry in March 1999 recognizing April as Confederate History and Heritage Month in Texas.
“We have Black History Month and Cinco de Mayo, so why can’t we have Confederate History Month?” Hudson asked. “There is nothing new about us. We believe the same thing our ancestors believed.”

Hudson said one way his group and others defended their right to honor their ancestors was by putting out over 1,300 small Confederate flag on the graves of fallen Civil War soldiers.
“So we started putting out grave flags,” he said. The flag campaign was such a success, he said, that the groups organized campaigns to put monuments from the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Eastland. Comanche, Stephenville and Sipe Springs. He touted the groups’ purpose in honoring their ancestry.

“To defend the soldier’s good name, perpetuate the principles of home and hearth and to make sure the true history of the South is preserved for future generations,” Hudson said.
The event also was held to honor Robert Atwood Vernon, a member of SCV Groups in Eastland and Sipe Springs who died in December 2009. Thomas Harrison, commander of the 2nd Texas Frontier Camp 1904 of De Leon, told the crowd that Vernon was a “true southern gentleman” and loyal member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

During the ceremony, the ladies of the Major George B. Erath 2679 Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, wearing their black “Antebellum” dresses, read the names of 44 Confederate soldiers who were buried at the Sipe Springs Cemetery.

http://www.reporternews.com/news/2010/apr/11/no-headline---confederateveterans/

ALABAMA CONFEDERATE HISTORY MONTH PROCLAMATION

STATE OF ALABAMA
Office of the Governor
BOB RILEYGovernor
Press Office

Confederate History and Heritage Month

By the Governor of the State of Alabama

A Proclamation March 22, 2010

WHEREAS, April is the month in which the War Between the States began; and

WHEREAS, the history of the North-South conflict is a significant part of American and Alabamian history; and

WHEREAS, high among those burdens borne upon the shoulders of any citizenry is the burden of armed conflict; and

WHEREAS, Alabamians have admirably answered the grim call to duty when beckoned, from the era of the musket to that of the missile; and

WHEREAS, the ominous clouds of dissension gave birth in the city of Montgomery to the Confederate States of America; and

WHEREAS, Alabamians again heeded the clarion with dignity, both at home and on the field of battle; and

WHEREAS, upon the conclusion of the war, many of these same leaders and citizens worked tirelessly to reunite and rebuild this country and forge reconciliation; and

WHEREAS, our recognition of Confederate history also recognizes that slavery was one of the causes of the war, an issue in the war, was ended by the war and slavery is hereby condemned; and

WHEREAS, the knowledge of the role of the Confederate States of America in the history of our state and nation is vital to understanding who we are and what we are; and

WHEREAS, we honor our past and from it draw the courage, strength and wisdom to reconcile ourselves and go forward into the future together as Alabamians and Americans:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Bob Riley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim April 2010, as
Confederate History and Heritage Month in the State of Alabama.

Given Under My Hand and the Great Seal of the Office of the Governor at the State Capitol in the City of Montgomery on the 22nd day of March 2010.

Governor's Press Office - State
Capitol - Suite NB-06 - Montgomery, Alabama 36130 - (334) 242-7150

For more contact information, visit: http://www.governor.alabama.gov

SONS OF UNION VETERANS SUPPORT CONFEDERATE HERITAGE

Sons of Union Veterans Support Confederate Heritage

Compatriots,

The following is from the USCVW Camp in Columbia, South Carolina:

The Charles Devens Jr., Camp 10 , deplores the recent editorial by CNN commentator Roland Martin in which he characterizes Confederate soldiers as terrorists. His statements reveal his ignorance of history and slander the reputation of the men, both Union and Confederate, whoserved honorably according to the dictates of their consciences.

Brian C. Pierson
Commander, Camp 10.
Columbia, South Carolina

MISSISSIPPI PROCLAMATION

Miss. Confederate History Month ignores slavery

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press Writer Emily Wagster Pettus
Mon Apr 12, 6:50 pm

JACKSON, Miss. – Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour drew criticism for proclaiming April as Confederate Heritage Month without mentioning slavery, the second governor this month to come under fire for the omission. Rep. Robert Johnson, D-Natchez, who is black, said Monday that people need to learn about the "abhorrent, violent, depraved actions of slavery."

Virginia's Republican governor, Bob McDonnell, also named April as Confederate History Month but his original proclamation didn't mention slavery. After coming under national criticism, McDonnell last week revised it to denounce slavery as "evil and inhumane."
Barbour, also a Republican who helped campaign for McDonnell last year, said Sunday on CNN that slavery was bad but a fuss over McDonnell's original proclamation "doesn't amount to diddly."

Barbour's office on Monday did not respond to a request by The Associated Press for a copy of his 2010 Confederate Heritage Month proclamation. The Rev. Cecil Fayard, chaplain in chief for the national Sons of Confederate Veterans, faxed a copy to AP. The proclamation, signed March 15, said it is "important for all Americans to reflect upon our nation's past to gain insight from our mistakes and successes."

Fayard said he agrees with Barbour's proclamation, which called on Sons of Confederate Veterans and other groups to publicize the "rich heritage" of the Confederacy. "The War Between the States was fought for the same reasons that the tea party movement today is voicing their opinion. And that is that you have large government that's not listening to the people, there's going to be heavy taxation," Fayard said Monday from his home in Duck Hill, Miss. "And the primary cause of the war was not slavery, although slavery was interwoven into the cause, but it was not the cause for the War Between the States."

Mississippi's declaration of secession before the Civil War said: "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery — the greatest material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product, which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. These products have become necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization."

Johnson said his hometown, in southwestern Mississippi, has long had a Confederate pageant as part of its twice-a-year pilgrimage tours of antebellum homes. He said in the past few years, Natchez has started to present a more balanced view of history, with a marker placed at Forks of the Road, once one of the largest slave markets in the South.

Still, Johnson said he has often heard white people say that black people should forgive what happened in the past. "If they want us to forget and forgive, why don't they stop reminding us of what the Confederacy was?" Johnson said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_confederate_history_flap

REMEMBERING THE OLD SOUTH

YOUR SAY: Remembering the Old South
By CALVIN E. JOHNSON JR. - Special to The Telegraph

April 2010, Confederate History and Heritage Month, is the month that marked the beginning of the War Between the States (1861) and its end (1865.)

In 2009, the Georgia General Assembly approved Senate Bill 27, signed by Gov. Sonny Perdue, officially and permanently designating April as Confederate History and Heritage Month.

The Old South captures the imagination of people from around the world who come to see Southern Belles in hoop skirts, Confederate flags and Southern memorial’s such as the famous carving of Gen. Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Jefferson Davis at Stone Mountain Memorial Park near Atlanta.

On Saturday, April 10, an annual National Confederate Memorial Service is scheduled to begin at noon in front of the Carving Reflection Pool at Stone Mountain Park sponsored by the Georgia Society Military Order of Stars and Bars and Georgia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans. http://www.georgiascv.com/

April is a time to remember the men and women of the Confederacy and those who kept their memory eternal, such as Mildred Lewis Rutherford. Almost a century ago she served as historian-general of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. She was a respected teacher, writer, speaker and defender of the true history of the War Between the States.

Efforts to mark Confederate graves, erect monuments and hold memorial services were the idea of Mrs. Charles J. Williams. It is written that she was an educated and kind lady. Her husband served as colonel of the 1st Georgia Regiment. He died of disease in 1862, and was buried in his home town of Columbus. Williams and her daughter visited his grave often and cleared the weeds, leaves and twigs from it, then placed flowers on it. Her daughter also pulled the weeds from other Confederate graves near her father.

It saddened the little girl that their graves were unmarked. With tears of pride she said to her mother, “These are my soldiers’ graves.” The daughter soon became ill and passed away. Williams’ grief was almost unbearable.

On a visit to the graves of her husband and daughter, Williams looked at the unkept soldiers’ graves and remembered her daughter as she cleaned the graves and what the little girl had said. She knew what she had to do. Williams wrote a letter published in Southern newspapers asking the women of the South for their help. She asked that memorial organizations be established to take care of the thousands of Confederate graves from the Potomac River to the Rio Grande.
She also asked the state legislatures to set aside a day in April to remember the men who wore gray. With her leadership April 26 was officially adopted in many states. She died in 1874, but not before her native state of Georgia adopted it as a legal holiday.

Williams was given a full military funeral by the people of Columbus, and flowers covered her grave. For many years an annual memorial was conducted at her grave following the soldiers’ memorial.

Among the gallant women of the Confederacy was Captain Sally Tompkins who was the first woman to be commissioned an officer on either side of the War Between the States. Commissioned by Jefferson Davis, she took care of thousands of soldiers in Richmond, Va. until the end of the war.

Find out more about Confederate History Month at: http://confederateheritagemonth.com

Calvin E. Johnson Jr., is chairman of the Confederate History Month Committee for the Sons of Confederate Veterans. He lives in Kennesaw.

Read more: http://www.macon.com/2010/04/09/1087966/remembering-the-old-south.html#ixzz0ktGuWHFr

BUCHANAN EXPOSES YANKEE TERRORISTS

The New Intolerance
by Patrick J. Buchanan
04/09/2010

"This was a recognition of American terrorists."That is CNN's Roland Martin's summary judgment of the 258,000 men and boys who fell fighting for the Confederacy in a war that cost as many American lives as World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq combined.

Martin reflects the hysteria that seized Obamaville on hearing that Gov. Bob McDonnell had declared Confederate History Month in the Old Dominion. Virginia leads the nation in Civil War battlefields. So loud was the howling that in 24 hours McDonnell had backpedaled and issued an apology that he had not mentioned slavery.

Unfortunately, the governor missed a teaching moment -- at the outset of the 150th anniversary of America's bloodiest war. Slavery was indeed evil, but it existed in the Americas a century before the oldest of our founding fathers was even born. Five of our first seven presidents were slaveholders. But Virginia did not secede in defense of slavery. Indeed, when Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated, March 4, 1861, Virginia was still in the Union. Only South Carolina, Georgia and the five Gulf states had seceded and created the Confederate States of America.

At the firing on Fort Sumter, April 12-13, 1865, the first shots of the Civil War, Virginia was still inside the Union. Indeed, there were more slave states in the Union than in the Confederacy. But, on April 15, Lincoln issued a call for 75,000 volunteers from the state militias to march south and crush the new Confederacy. Two days later, April 17, Virginia seceded rather than provide soldiers or militia to participate in a war on their brethren. North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas followed Virginia out over the same issue. They would not be a party to a war on their kinfolk.

Slavery was not the cause of this war. Secession was -- that and Lincoln's determination to drown the nation in blood if necessary to make the Union whole again.Nor did Lincoln ever deny it. In his first inaugural, Lincoln sought to appease the states that had seceded by endorsing a constitutional amendment to make slavery permanent in the 15 states where it then existed. He even offered to help the Southern states run down fugitive slaves.

In 1862, Lincoln wrote Horace Greeley that if he could restore the Union without freeing one slave he would do it. The Emancipation Proclamation of Jan. 1, 1863, freed only those slaves Lincoln had no power to free -- those still under Confederate rule. As for slaves in the Union states of Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri, they remained the property of their owners.

As for "terrorists," no army fought more honorably than Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Few deny that. The great terrorist in that war was William Tecumseh Sherman, who violated all the known rules of war by looting, burning and pillaging on his infamous March to the Sea from Atlanta to Savannah. Sherman would later be given command of the war against the Plains Indians and advocate extermination of the Sioux."The only good Indian is a dead Indian" is attributed both to Sherman and Gen. Phil Sheridan, who burned the Shenandoah and carried out Sherman's ruthless policy against the Indians. Both have statues and circles named for them in Washington, D.C. If Martin thinks Sherman a hero, he might study what happened to the slave women of Columbia, S.C., when "Uncle Billy's" boys in blue arrived to burn the city.

What of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, at whose request McDonnell issued his proclamation? What racist deeds have they perpetrated of late? They tend the graves of Confederate dead and place flags on Memorial Day. They contributed to the restoration of the home of Jefferson Davis, damaged by Hurricane Katrina. They publish the Confederate Veteran, a magazine that relates stories of the ancestors they love to remember. They join environmentalists in fighting to preserve Civil War battlefields. They do re-enactments of Civil War battles with men and boys whose ancestors fought for the Union. And they defend the monuments to their ancestors and the flag under which they fought.

Why are they vilified? Because they are Southern white Christian men -- none of whom defends slavery, but all of whom are defiantly proud of the South, its ancient faith and their forefathers who fell in the Lost Cause. Undeniably, the Civil War ended in the abolition of slavery and restoration of the Union. But the Southern states believed they had the same right to rid themselves of a government to which they no longer felt allegiance as did Washington, Jefferson and Madison, all slave-owners, who could no longer give loyalty to the king of England.

Consider closely this latest skirmish in a culture war that may yet make an end to any idea of nationhood, and you will see whence the real hate is coming. It is not from Gov. McDonnell or the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=36428

VOTE TO SUPPORT CONFEDERATE HISTORY MONTH

Compatriots,

Make your voice heard - give your support for the Virginia Confederate History Month Proclamation - vote in these polls.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/06/confederate-history-month_n_527363.html

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2010/04/post_666.html

SCV HQ PRESS RELEASE FOR CONFEDERATE HISTORY MONTH

Sons Of Confederate Veterans
Columbia, Tennessee
April 7, 2010

For Immediate Release

SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS COMMENT ON CONFEDERATE HISTORY MONTH

Commander-in-Chief Chuck McMichael of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans issued the following statement in light of the recent proclamation by the governor of Virginia restoring the observance of Confederate History Month in Virginia.

"While we are pleased to see heightened media attention to Confederate History Month resulting from the proclamation we are dismayed to see political implications or political correction zeal placed on it. We applaud Governor McDonnell for his courage to do the right thing, as well as all the other officials across the country who have done likewise."

"The SCV is non-political with a primary interest in seeing to it that the accurate history of the Confederacy is observed along with proper respect shown for theConfederate Military personnel who served and died during four years of war against overwhelming odds of more than three to one."

"These observances have been going on for more than a hundred years so it should be no surprise to anyone they continue to grow in scope with each passing year. "Several states by state law observe a holiday for Confederate Memorial Day. Others have state laws establishing Confederate History and Heritage Month.Still others set forth Confederate History Month by proclamation."

"The SCV has set a goal of over one thousand instances of observance of Confederate history in states, counties, parishes, cities and towns throughout America. In some cases beyond the boundaries of the original Confederacy.These events include proclamations at all levels of government, parades, banquets, balls, re-enactments, school living histories, radio and television interviews, newspaper articles and a series of historical minutes for the media which include each day of Confederate History and Heritage Month.There are observances at cemeteries where Confederate soldiers graves are decorated. Many of our local camps participate in securing proclamations in several communities in their individual areas.

END
Contact information:

J. A. Davis, Chairman, Sons of Confederate Veterans Public Relations and Media Committee
770 297-4788

CONFEDERATE HISTORY MONTH PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 1-30th
2010 is Confederate History Month in the South!!

The Confederate History Month Committee of the National and Georgia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans proudly and gratefully recognizes the signing of proclamations by governors, mayors and county commissioners since 1995 designating the month of April as “Confederate History and Heritage Month.” http://confederateheritagemonth.com

In 2009, the Georgia General Assembly approved Senate Bill No. 27, signed by Governor Sonny Perdue, officially designating April permanently as Confederate History and Heritage Month.

In 1999, Texas Senate Resolution No. 526 passed designating April as Confederate History and Heritage Month.

Georgia’s Governor Sonny Perdue, Mississippi’s Governor Haley Barbour and Virginia’s Governor Robert F. McDonnell have all signed a proclamation designating April as Confederate History and Heritage Month for 2010.

The 150th Anniversary “Sesquicentennial” of the War Between the States begins in 2010 and the Confederate History Month Committee encourages all Americans to make it a family affair to learn more about this time in our nation’s history. See: http://www.150wbts.org/

Confederate History Month commemorates the men and women of the Confederate States of America who came from all races and religions that include: Irish-born General Patrick R. Cleburne, Black Georgia Confederate drummer Bill Yopp, Mexican born Colonel Santos Benavides, Cherokee Born General Stand Watie and Jewish born Confederate Nurse Phoebe Pember who was the first female administrator of Chimboraza Hospital in Richmond, Georgia where she served until the end of War Between the States in 1865.

Confederate Memorial Day became a legal holiday in Georgia by act of the Georgia legislature in 1874. For over 100 year’s members of the Ladies Memorial Association, United Daughters of the Confederacy and Sons of Confederate Veterans have held annual Confederate Memorial days on or near April 26th.

Other states celebrate Southern Memorial Day on May 10th and June 3rd--the birthday of President Jefferson Davis.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans encourage everyone to learn more about the roll the men and women of the Confederacy played in the history of the USA and to take part in April’s Confederate History Month events. http://www.scv.org

END

VIRGINIA GOVERNOR McDONALD DECLARES CONFEDERATE HISTORY MONTH

April 5, 2010
Virginia Division
Sons of Confederate Veterans

PRESS RELEASE

CONFEDERATE HISTORY MONTH IN VIRGINIA 2010 -

The Virginia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans congratulates and thanks Governor McDonnell for showing both the insight and the courage to proclaim April as Confederate History Month in Virginia. This long overdue proclamation will do much to promote education and tourism in the Commonwealth. It will also spur localities in Virginia to honor and proclaim their own confederate history months while encouraging the teaching of their own local histories.

Governor McDonnell was spot on by using the proclamation to showcase the benefits to our state for both educating our children and promoting tourism. The upcoming Sesquicentennial of the Civil War is fast approaching and tourists will blanket Virginia to learn about the famous leaders and battles of the war and the great suffering which ensued. Interest in the Confederacy will peak as Virginia beckons people to places such as Cold Harbor, Richmond, Spotsylvania Court House, Fredericksburg, Manassas and Hampton Roads.

If the proclamation does anything, it hopefully will be a nail in the coffin of political correctness, an insidious disease infecting our nation. As has often been said, history is history and education is the tool to teach people who we are and where we come from.

Thank you Governor McDonnell for your inspired leadership. We will be the better for it.For information concerning this press release, please contact Brag Bowling at 804-389-3620 or by email at bragdonb@verizon.net

Here is the link to the proclamation:
http://www.governor.virginia.gov/OurCommonwealth/Proclamations/2010/ConfederateHistoryMonth.cfm

Here is the link to contact Gov. McDonnell and thank him for the proclamation:
http://www.governor.virginia.gov/AboutTheGovernor/contactGovernor.cfm

NEW MONUMENT TO BE DEDICATED IN LOUISIANA

Monument dedication set at Mansfield battle park
Events form part of Confederate History Month

For the first time in decades, a monument will be added to the grounds of the Mansfield State Historic Site south of Mansfield, near the battleground of a pivotal engagement of the U.S. Civil War. The dedication of the monument honoring state private soldiers who fought in the 1864 Battle of Mansfield will take place at 5 p.m. April 10 and will be one of many events planned for Confederate History Month. "The state has granted our petition to place a monument on the Mansfield Battlefield honoring the Louisiana Confederate soldiers that fought there," said David Hill, 2nd Lt. Commander of the SCV's Louisiana Division and a past commander of the SCV's local Lt. Gen. Richard Taylor Camp.

The Sons paid for the monument with the United Daughters of the Confederacy and private contributions. "It cost the state nothing," Hill said. The keynote address will be by Gary Joiner, historian and author and an expert on the Red River Campaign of which the Mansfield battle was a key part.

Shreveport educator Chuck McMichael, National Commander of the SCV, will conduct the dedication, with SCV Louisiana Division Commander Charles Lauret serving as emcee.
"The dedication is very important to me personally because I have an ancestor who fought there as a Louisiana soldier," said McMichael. That soldier was John Buckner, a private with the 28th Louisiana Infantry. "The monument is going to be where his unit basically crossed the battlefield."

What makes this monument unique is that it honors local soldiers who fought near where they lived, unlike monuments at major battlefields such as Vicksburg and Gettysburg, where Louisiana soldiers fought far from home. "It's not a case of our Louisiana troops fighting in Virginia or Tennessee. They were fighting here, literally for their own homes. Many of those who fought and died lived within the sound of the battle."

Invited guests include Lt. Gov. and New Orleans Mayor-elect Mitch Landrieu, who oversees the state parks and historic sites such as Mansfield, and Asst. Secretary of Culture, Recreation and Tourism for State Parks, Stuart Johnson. The invited also include "several local mayors and politicians that have helped us, including Mayor (Curtis) McCoy, of Mansfield; Mayor (Katherine) Freeman, of Logansport; state Sen. Sherri Smith Cheek, state Sen. Robert Adley and state Rep. Bob Burford," Hill said.

The monument dedication will take place after the first of several planned re-enactments of the Battle of Pleasant Hill, which organizers say will be on a par with recent years, with hundreds of re-enactors expected. "We've got people coming from as far away as Ohio and Atlanta, Ga.," said battle-encampment organizer Scott Solice. "And we've got people coming from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and, I believe, Tennessee. And we will have one, maybe two, horse-drawn artillery pieces. We plan to use more of the field, march a little more than we have in the past."

Highlights of the Battle of Pleasant Hill encampment include:

April 10: 10 a.m. parade in downtown Pleasant Hill, after breakfast at the American Legion Hall; battle re-enactment, 2 p.m.; Confederate Ball and Court Presentation, 7:30 p.m., at the American Legion Hall, participants must be in period dress, observers can dress modern.

April 11: open camp activities after 10 a.m., following breakfast at the American Legion Hall; church services, 10 a.m., followed by mail call; battle re-enactment, 2 p.m.

Other activities this month include:
•At 7 p.m. April 13, the North Louisiana Civil War Round Table will meet at the Bossier Parish Library's Bossier History Center, on Beckett Street behind the library's Bossier City Branch. Guest speaker will be Jim Roberts, speaking on "A Victorian Victory for the South?"

•The Richard Taylor Camp will hold its annual Confederate History Month memorial service at the Keatchie Cemetery at 2 p.m. April 24

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20100403/NEWS01/4030325/Monument-dedication-set-at-Mansfield-battle-park

JEWISH CONFEDERATES REMEMBERED

JEWISH CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS: My Family’s Fate on the Day Lee Surrendered
By Lewis Regenstein
April 2, 2010

One hundred and forty five years ago, on 9 April, 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Union Commander Ulysses S. Grant, marking the effective end of the South’s struggle for independence. It was a fateful day for the South, and in particular for my great grandfather and his four elder brothers, all of whom were fighting for the Confederacy.

On that day, the eldest brother Joshua Lazarus Moses was killed a few hours after Lee, unbeknownst to the troops elsewhere, had surrendered. Josh was commanding an artillery battalion that was firing the last shots in defense of Mobile, before being overrun by a Union force outnumbering his 13 to one. In this battle, Fort Blakeley, one of his brothers, Horace, was captured, and another, Perry, was wounded. Josh was the last Confederate Jew to fall in battle, one of the more than 3,000 estimated Jews who fought for the South.

His first cousin, Albert Moses Luria, was the first, killed at age 19 at the Battle of Seven Pines (Fair Oaks) in Virginia on 31 May, 1862. While Lee was surrendering at Appomatox, a 2,500 man unit attached to Sherman’s army, known as Potter’s Raiders, was heading towards my family’s hometown of Sumter, South Carolina. Sherman had just burned nearby Columbia, and it was feared that his troops were headed to Sumter to do the same. My then 16 year old great grandfather, Andrew Jackson Moses, rode out to defend his hometown, along with some 157 other teenagers, invalids, old men, and the wounded from the local hospital. It was a mission as hopeless as it was valiant, but Sumter’s rag-tag defenders did manage to hold off Potter’s battle-seasoned veterans for over an hour before being overwhelmed by this vastly superior force outnumbering theirs by some 15 to one.

The fifth bother, Isaac Harby Moses, having served with distinction in combat in Wade Hampton's cavalry, later rode home from North Carolina after the Battle of Bentonville (North Carolina), the War’s last major battle, where he commanded his company, all of the officers having been killed or wounded. He never surrendered to anyone, his Mother proudly observed in her memoirs.

Over two dozen members of the extended Moses family fought in the War, and it sacrificed at least nine of its sons in defense of their country. The best known of the Moses family Confederates was General James Longstreet’s chief commissary officer, Major Raphael Jacob Moses, whose three sons also fought for the South. The uncle of the five Moses brothers, Major Moses ended up attending the last meeting and carrying out the Last Order of the Confederate government – to deliver the remaining Confederate treasury, $40,000 in gold and silver bullion, to help feed and supply the defeated Confederate soldiers in Augusta hospitals, and straggling home after the War -- weary, hungry, often sick, shoeless and in tattered uniforms.

Like their comrades-in-arms, the Moses’ were fighting, for their homeland -- not for slavery, as is so often said, but for their families, homes, and country. Put simply, most Confederate soldiers felt they were fighting because an invading army from the North was trying to kill them, burn their homes, and destroy their cities.

The anniversary of this fateful day should serve to remind us why, in this time when the South is so often vilified, native Southerners still take much pride in their ancestors’ courage and sacrifices.

Lewis Regenstein, a Native Atlantan, is a writer and author. regenstein@mindspring.com
April is Confederate History Month.

http://www.huntingtonnews.net/columns/100403-regenstein-columnsjewish.html

TEXAS OFFICER TO RECEIVE TOMBSTONE IN PENNSYLVANIA

Tombstone dedication ceremony scheduled in Chambersburg for Confederate officer
April 2, 2010

A Confederate colonel who died in Chambersburg during the Civil War will be honored in a special ceremony hosted by the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Described as a tombstone dedication, the event will be at noon April 10 at the Cedar Grove Cemetery in Chambersburg, near the intersection of Franklin and King streets.

The ceremony will honor Lt. Col. Benjamin F. Carter, who led the 4th Texas at Gettysburg, according to Benjamin Lewis II, commander of the Pvt. John Wesley Culp Camp 1961. Carter also had served as mayor of Austin, Texas, Lewis said.

http://civilwarinteractive.com/Newswire/?p=7191

LETTER FROM ALABAMA - REMEMBERING CONFEDERATE VETERANS

Letter: Remembering Confederate Veterans, motives of war
April 3, 2010

I spent some time Saturday morning with friends of mine in the Sons of Confederate Veterans placing flags on the graves of Confederate veterans in Oak Hill Cemetery in downtown Prattville.

These particular graves date from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. It did not matter how long the interment was after the War Against the States, these men wanted it known forever that they were in the CSA (Confederates States Army). Their message to posterity is indelibly inscribed on their headstones. They and their families knew who they were and were proud of it.

We, the descendants, of these CSA veterans feel an emulation of this same pride resurging each year in April, when we celebrate Confederate History and Heritage Month.

Though my Confederate heritage paternally comes from south Mississippi near Hattiesburg and maternally from south Alabama around Grove Hill, it is interesting to stroll through the past in this Prattville cemetery and peruse the names on the headstones. Both surnames and first names of these ancestors survived history and were still alive in the friends that I made when I moved to Prattville in the mid-1950s.

A war against the States, it was. It was, in reality and ostensibly, a desperate, futile struggle against federal despotism engaging the most inhumane methods of war in world history. It is still erroneously taught in public schools that the war was between the north and the south. These geographic areas have no more meaning in the battles other than from where most of the participants for each respective army were conscripted.

When the smoke cleared in 1865, there was a new vision of democracy, the republic, the constitution and the federal government. In the Declaration of Independence, we referred to ourselves as free and independent states.

When our Confederate ancestors were crushed, along with their demise went all state sovereignty. The result has since rendered the words, "democracy," "republic" and "constitution" mere rhetoric.

Charlie Graham
Prattville

http://progress.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20100403/PROGRESS03/4030318/Letter++Remembering+Confederate+veterans++motives+of+war

CONFEDERATE HISTORY MONTH IN DIXIE

Confederate History Month in Dixie
Published Mar 31, 2010, 2:37pm

April 2010, Confederate History and Heritage Month, is the month that marked the beginning of the War Between the States (1861) and its end (1865.)

In 2009, the Georgia General Assembly approved Senate Bill No. 27, signed by Governor Sonny Perdue, officially and permanently designating April as Confederate History and Heritage Month.

The Old South captures the imagination of people from around the world who come to see; Southern Belle’s in hoop skirts, Confederate flags and Southern Memorial’s like the famous carving of: Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Jefferson Davis at Stone Mountain Memorial Park near Atlanta.

On Saturday, April 10, 2010, an Annual National Confederate Memorial Service is scheduled to begin at 12 Noon in front of the Carving Reflection Pool at Stone Mountain Park sponsored by the Georgia Society Military Order of Stars and Bars and Georgia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans. http://www.georgiascv.com/

April is a time to remember the men and women of the Confederacy and those who kept their memory eternal; like Ms. Mildred Lewis Rutherford who almost a century ago served as Historian-General of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. She was a respected teacher, writer, speaker and defender of the true history of the War Between the States. Ms. Rutherford also wrote a monthly newsletter from 1923 to 1926 entitled “Miss Rutherford’s scrapbook” and in 1920 wrote the book “Truths of History.”

Efforts to mark Confederate graves, erect monuments and hold memorial services were the idea of Mrs. Charles J. Williams. It is written that she was an educated and kind lady. Her husband served as Colonel of the 1st Georgia Regiment during the War Between the States. He died of disease in 1862, and was buried in his home town of Columbus, Georgia.

Mrs. Williams and her daughter visited his grave often and cleared the weeds, leaves and twigs from it, then placed flowers on it. Her daughter also pulled the weeds from other Confederate graves near her Father.

It saddened the little girl that their graves were unmarked. With tears of pride she said to her Mother, "These are my soldiers' graves." The daughter soon became ill and passed away in her childhood. Mrs. William's grief was almost unbearable.

On a visit to the graves of her husband and daughter, Mrs. Williams looked at the unkept soldiers' graves and remembered her daughter as she cleaned the graves and what the little girl had said. She knew what had to do.

Mrs. Williams wrote a letter that was published in Southern newspapers asking the women of the South for their help. She asked that memorial organizations be established to take care of the thousands of Confederate graves from the Potomac River to the Rio Grande. She also asked the state legislatures to set aside a day in April to remember the men who wore the gray. With her leadership April 26 was officially adopted in many states. She died in 1874, but not before her native state of Georgia adopted it as a legal holiday.

Mrs. Williams was given a full military funeral by the people of Columbus, Georgia and flowers covered her grave. For many years a yearly memorial was conducted at her grave following the soldiers' memorial.

Among the gallant women of the Confederacy was Captain Sally Tompkins who was the first woman to be commissioned an officer on either side of the War Between the States. Commissioned by Jefferson Davis, she took care of thousands of soldiers in Richmond, Virginia until the end of the war.

Those who served the Confederacy came from many races and religions. There was Irish born General Patrick R. Cleburne, black Southerner Amos Rucker, Jewish born Judah P. Benjamin, Mexican born Colonel Santos Benavides and American Indian General Stand Watie who was born in Rome, Georgia.

Find out more about Confederate History Month at: http://confederateheritagemonth.com


http://www.hometowntimes.com/cumminghome/community/history/confederate-history-month-in-dixie.shtml

RESACA GEORGIA BATTLEFIELD MAY BE PRESERVED

Resaca rebirth
By Andy Johns

RESACA, Ga. -- A few weeks ago, Ken Padgett was ready to sound the bugle and retreat from Resaca Battlefield. After 20 years of fighting, he thought he'd lost the effort to create a park at the site, where about 150,000 Union and Confederate troops waged war in 1864. "We thought everyone was going to walk away," Mr. Padgett said, standing where the entrance to the park would be off Resaca-LaFayette Road near the Interstate 75 interchange. "We feel if that were to happen, (the park) was never going to happen."

But a letter drafted by the Gordon County Commission and sent to the state Department of Natural Resources has breathed new life into the project. Last Tuesday, the Gordon County Commission agreed to ask the state to get started on the 540-acre site with plans to expand it when state revenues pick up.

Under the proposal, the Department of Natural Resources would use allotted funds to build a road, parking area and interpretive trails at the site, according to Gordon County Commission Chairman Alvin Long. The county would be responsible for maintaining the property, and an area for a visitors' center would be left clear so the state could build it when funds become available, Mr. Long said.

Kim Hatcher, a spokeswoman for Georgia State Parks, said building the road, trails, outdoor exhibits and restrooms is possible, but nothing has been agreed upon. "We look forward to continuing this discussion with Gordon County," Ms. Hatcher said in an e-mail Wednesday.
Mr. Padgett and other local residents began raising the flag for their cause in the early 1990s, and the site progressed as far as a groundbreaking, an announcement from the governor and a $5 million bond issue.

Mr. Long said the state originally allotted $5 million for the park but diverted funds to another project. State officials have said that $3.7 million always was the amount slated for the park.
About $400,000 has been spent on surveying, and about $3.2 million now is left, according to the state.

In December, after the state said it couldn't handle the project in the current budget crisis, the county voted to take over the site as a county park. But soon afterward, local leaders said $3.2 million is not enough for the project. They worried that if the county couldn't build it at that price, the state might reallocate the funds elsewhere.

On top of that, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers required the county to reapply for permits to build in a flood plain, which the state already had granted. Getting new permits would have delayed the project at least six months, and officials want the park open for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War beginning in 2011.

"We've really been let down," Mr. Long said. "It's the best and only option we have right now."
Mr. Long said he hopes the road and trails could be finished by the end of the year. There's no definite time frame for the visitor center. The Department of Natural Resources "is skeletonized right now," Mr. Padgett said. "At least we have this."

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/mar/23/resaca-rebirth/

HOME OF JOE WHEELER TO BE RESTORED

Funds secured for restoration of Civil War general's home
By Deangelo McDaniel • The Decatur Daily • March 24, 2010

POND SPRING -- After years of lobbying and plan­ning, the Alabama Historical Commission finally has enough money to restore Gen. Joseph Wheeler's home. And if everything goes as planned, it's possible the nearly 6,000-square-foot home will reopen to the pub­lic some time in late 2011.

"We're in the final design phase now, and we're adver­tising for construction bids," said Mark Driscoll, the com­mission's director of historic sites.

The money the state is us­ing to restore the home totals a little more than $2.1 mil­lion and is coming from four sources: $469,899 in conser­vation bonds; $400,000 in edu­cation bonds; $200,000 from the Friends of General Joe Wheeler Foundation; and $710,000 in commission mon­ey.

Driscoll said there is an al­lowance in the bid package that includes returning the more than 30,000 pieces in the Wheeler Home collection to the site. Those items have been at an undisclosed location since restoration started. Driscoll said the state will be able to pin down a more definitive date for reopening the home after bids are opened in four to six weeks.

The state was able to save a significant amount of money by using labor through Ala­bama Correctional Indus­tries. A 1976 act created ACI, and part of its mission is to "pro­vide meaningful work and vocational training pro­grams for inmates."

Driscoll said ACI is certi­fied to deal with lead paint removal. Inmates have been at the site for about a month scraping paint off the home's exterior and replacing de­teriorated boards.
"We're so excited to have enough money to finally get the home restored," Pond Spring site director Melissa Beasley said. "Right now, we're concentrating on the main house."

On April 10, Beasley is in­viting volunteers to Pond Spring to help clean the grounds.
The event is part of the Civil War Preservation Trust drive to help clean and restore the nation's battle­fields, cemeteries and shrines.

Union and Confederate troops fought on the grounds during the Civil War. In June 1864 Confederate Col. Josiah Patterson, of Morgan County, used Pond Spring as his headquarters.

Pond Spring is on Alaba­ma 20 between Courtland and Hillsboro. The state has owned the site since 1993. Because of safety con­cerns, the state closed the home about four years ago, but it allows scheduled tours of the grounds.

The home, where Wheeler raised his family, was built after the war and showed sig­nificant deterioration after the state acquired the site. The house, which is sur­rounded by boxwoods, and the grounds have a human history that dates to before Alabama gained statehood.
John P. Hickman, the plantation's first owner, came to Pond Spring in 1818 with 11 family members and 56 slaves.

Before selling the 1,760-acre plantation to Col. Ben Sherrod in 1827, Hick­man constructed a two-story log house. Sherrod turned the two-story dogtrot cabin into a Federal-style house with porches on the first and second levels. With the exception of the already restored slave quar­ters, the Sherrod House is the oldest structure on the site.

Sherrod's grandson inher­ited the estate and married Daniella Jones, who lived on the nearby Caledonia Planta­tion. The newlyweds lived at Pond Spring. After her husband's death in 1861, Daniella moved back to her parents' plantation, where she met Wheeler in October 1863.
Wheeler and Daniella mar­ried in 1866 and lived in New Orleans before the couple moved back and constructed the "Big House" at Pond Spring.

Wheeler, who was a gener­al in the Confederate Army and for the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War, died Jan. 25, 1906. He also was a congressman for the district that included Pond Spring. Wheeler is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201003240400/NEWS02/3240352