With the passing of almost 150 years since the end of the Civil War, there has been only one Confederate memorial in Delaware. A granite memorial, almost 14 feet tall, was placed on the grounds of the Nutter B. Marvel Museum in Georgetown in 2007.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans "Delaware Grays" Camp No. 2068 in Seaford, the United Daughters of the Confederacy "Caleb Ross" Chapter No. 2635 and the Georgetown Historical Society sponsored the construction of the monument. The cost of the memorial was underwritten by private organizations and donations, with no public or governmental sponsorship. "Up until the Delaware Confederate Monument was placed here, there was not a single Confederate memorial in Delaware," said camp adjutant John Zoch. "The only mention of a Confederate serving from Delaware is on a monument in Gettysburg." "We did this to honor the brave Delaware Confederates that left their homes and state to serve and fight for the South," said Jeff Plummer, camp commander. "We have researched names of individuals from Delaware who served, and their names are inscribed on the monument.

"Though Delaware was a border state historically, New Castle County was pro-North and Kent and Sussex counties were pro-South. Obviously there were split loyalties within the state. Delaware was a slave state, and the majority of slaves were in Sussex County, a county tied to the economy of the rural South."


North and South share cemeteries

The Seaford-based camp had initially requested the monument be placed on the grounds of the Gov. William H. Ross Mansion and Plantation in Seaford. The historical group there said the monument was not in keeping with the rural character of the site. Ross, whose name is among the 140 names presently cut into the stone, aided the Confederacy, and his son, Caleb, died while in Confederate service.

As for the granite, it was mandated that it come from a quarry in the South. Samuel "S.J." Disharoon of Salisbury Monument said he personally made the 1,320-mile round trip to the quarry in Georgia to get the gray stone. According to Disharoon, the custom-cut stone memorial weighs about 28,000 pounds.

Plummer and Zoch wanted something more to honor Delaware Confederates than a tombstone ornament. Tombstones of Confederate soldiers often do not even note their war service. "When the soldiers came back to Delaware, their families did not want an indication that their loved ones were in the Confederacy. The war was over and people didn't want to talk about it," Zoch said. "That may have kept some of their tombstones from being destroyed. All veterans should be honored, regardless of which side they were on."

"You would think that a graveyard is a scared place, that you could go in and honor those buried there. But for families of Confederate veterans, that's getting harder and harder to do," Plummer said. "In Jacksonville, Texas, there is a cemetery where both soldiers from the North and South are buried. Marine contingent, each year, would go to the cemetery and put out Federal and Confederate flags on the graves on Memorial Day. The town of Jacksonville told the Marines they did not want them to honor the Confederate soldiers buried there, that they could only place Federal flags. So the Marines said if they couldn't honor both, they wouldn't honor just one. So if you put up a Confederate monument or tombstone, they can become the focus of (political) attacks and destruction.

"Cemeteries, monuments and grave sites are being desecrated with vandalism and removal of Confederate flags and plaques — even whole monuments to the memory of the Confederate soldiers' good names. We have to do what we can to save our history — 'If not I, then who?' " he continued.

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"In your heart"

"Our camp formed in 2004 out of the necessity to save as much of our local Confederate and Civil War history as possible," Zoch said. He said the camp is one of 3,000 SCV groups throughout the nation, with about 33,000 members. To be a SCV member, a candidate must prove an ancestral link to a soldier in the Confederacy. The Delaware Grays have about 40 members.

"As a descendent of a Confederate soldier, I am proud to carry the torch. The Sons of Confederate Veterans are the stewards of the Confederate soldiers' good name. The Delaware Grays Camp No. 2068 participates in living history programs at schools in Seaford, Georgetown and Lewes, as well as festivals, such as Bridgeville's Apple Scrapple, the annual Punkin Chunkin' and the fair to benefit Milford Memorial Hospital. We participate in processions and memorial programs in Richmond, Va., Franklin, Tenn., Charleston, S.C., Gettysburg, Pa., Baltimore, as well as towns all over Delaware," Plummer said.

"When you don the uniform of the Confederate soldier, there is a feeling of pride that cannot be equaled. It is 'in your heart,' as we say. You are preserving for future generations history of the sacrifices and valor for the cause, the memory and the pride of the gallant Southern dead. We remember the Confederate soldiers because we are descended from them, they are members of our families, we are their flesh and blood," Plummer said. "I stand up at the playing of Dixie. I well-up at the scene of Pickett's Charge in the movie 'Gettysburg.' I am committed to honoring my ancestors, and will defend ferociously their good name and deeds."

Plummer, his son, Jeff, and Zoch participated in the 2004 memorial and funeral services for Joseph F. Ridgaway in Charleston, S.C. Ridgaway, of Easton, was second in command on the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, which sank after sinking the Housatonic, a Federal blockade warship in Charleston Harbor. All eight crewmen of the Hunley died in February 1864.

"We were part of the Honor Guard for Joseph Ridgaway. It was truly a special moment. Being a part of the Hunley memorial service was one of the most powerful and moving events in my life. Tears ran down my face at the Hunley burial," Plummer said.

Preserving and sharing heritage

Plummer said the camp has a mission: to present history as it was and not as it has been rewritten.
"At each meeting and event, we read this quote from a speech Lt. General Stephen Dill Lee, Commander General, United Confederate Veterans, gave in New Orleans, La., in 1906: 'To you, Sons of Confederate Veterans, we submit the vindication of the Cause for which we fought; to your strength will be given the defense of the Confederate soldier's good name, the guardianship of his history, the emulation of his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles he loved and which made him glorious and which you also cherish. Remember, it is your duty to see that the true history of the South is presented to future generations.' "

To preserve and share their heritage, the Delaware Grays and the United Daughters of the Confederacy No. 2635 will host an open house event from noon to 2 p.m. April 26 at the Marvel Museum at 501 South Bedford St. in Georgetown. Authentic artifacts will be on display, and re-enactors will greet guests in authentic period dress.

Of particular interest will be the salute fired from a full-size Richmond Howitzer cannon like those used in the Civil War. Owned by Debbie Jones of Georgetown, the cannon was also featured in the memorial service for the crewman of the H.L. Hunley in Charleston in 2004.
The event is one of the largest camp presentations of the year on the Eastern Shore. Information about the camp and the event is online at
http://descv.org/
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Also in April, which is Confederate History Month, members of the Salisbury-based Maj. Gen. Arnold Elzey Camp No. 1940 Sons of Confederate Veterans will host a Civil War Living History Camp and Open House. Held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 5 at American Legion Post No. 64 in Salisbury, visitors will see rifle firing demonstration, elements of camp life and "soldier schooling," as well as demonstrations by members of the 2nd Maryland Infantry companies A, G and H, and the Chesapeake Signals.

"Of special interest will be a display of Civil War medical items and swords and sabers," said Elaine Patterson, spokeswoman for the event. "This really is a family-oriented event, and we are having members available to teach visitors how they can begin doing their own family history research for Union and Confederate ancestors.

"Representatives of the Lower Eastern Shore Genealogical Society will be joining us, as well as members of the Maryland Eastern Shore Stamp Club, the North/South Skirmish Association and local authors. Patricia Kaufmann will share information about the history of the Confederate Post Office. "We encourage folks to bring their Civil War artifacts and documents to the event for discussion and review."

Eric Dummer, commander of the local Sons of Union Veterans, will share information about the 1st Eastern Shore Federal Unit. A bluegrass music program will be presented, and food and beverages will also be available.

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Patterson is also a member of the 2nd Maryland Infantry Co. A. She and other members of the group often interact with other Confederate groups to present living history programs.
Admission and parking are free. For additional information, contact Dale Foxwell at 410-621-6220.

Members of the Elzey camp also participate in re-enactment programs and are now placing bronze crosses at Confederate graves. Members are working to create a registry of cemeteries where Confederate soldiers are buried and are available for special ­gravesite memorial ceremonies.

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On Virginia's Eastern Shore, brothers Bob and Bill Savage of near Painter are active in the 46th Va. Infantry Co. F, "Eastern Shore Refugees," which they organized in 1996. "My brother, Bill, and I have ancestral ties to the original 46th," Savage said. "We have about 15 members and we are a re-enacting group, as opposed to being a camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. We are the only Civil War re-enacting group on Virginia's Eastern Shore, but we do interact with Maryland and Delaware groups in presenting living history and heritage programs."

The group has had as many as 30 members, but the weak economy during the past few years has taken a toll on membership. "It really did hurt us, because it can cost as much as $1,000 for a musket for a new member. By the time you figure in a uniform and equipment to outfit a private, it can cost as much as $2,000," said Savage, who is the company commander.

"We do Civil War re-enactment battles, and units like ours are participating in the 150th anniversary programs of the Civil War," Savage said. "We do volunteer educational program work for the National Park Service's living history projects and show folks how life was for a soldier in a camp and how they handled their arms. We also do programs for the Park Service in Gettysburg. We've even participated in the making of documentaries, especially one about the Manassas Battlefield, and locally do educational lectures."

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For more information on the group and details on how to join, visit their website at www.46thvirginia.org.

http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/war-on-the-shore/2014/03/29/a-monumental-honor-giving-confederate-soldiers-their-due-/7068879/