Thursday, March 27, 2008

LAST CONFEDERATE STONE CEREMONY IN ATHENS, ALABAMA

On Sunday April 20th the Captain Thos. H. Hobbs Camp #768 will be completing a historic project. For the past three years, the men of the Camp have worked diligently marking all of the known Confederate Patriots that are buried in Limestone County. They have marked by placing stones, recorded GPS readings, photographed and mapped each of these graves in 92 different cemeteries. Not to mention cleaning a half dozen or so cemeteries and holding dedication services in the process. The total number is in excess of 490 graves.

During this endeavor there were seventeen Veterans that, due to the poor cemetery records of the time, we were unable to find their final resting-place. We also began to think about the possibility of there being some Veterans that we just did not know about or could not find during these three years. After much discussion and thought, the camp came up with a way to memorialize these men in the “Honorable” manner that they deserve.

At 1PM, there will be guided tours of the cemetery starting with the Confederate Circle and along the walk you will see special soldiers graves, from the highest ranking officer, General Hiram Higgins to the Commander of the Captain Thomas H. Hobbs Camp 400, United Confederate Veterans, Corporal Perry Henderson.

At 2 PM, with the help of the leaders of Athens and Limestone County, we will be unveiling a memorial to all of these men on the 20th in the Athens City Cemetery to honor our heroes. Commander in Chief Sullivan will be our keynote speaker and Alabama Division Commander Leonard Wilson along with Camp Commander Jimmy Hill will be dedicating this memorial in honor of all the men that left their farms, family, and friends to fight in the war they saw of Northern aggression. It is true that some did give all and we do not want them to be forgotten.

Please plan on joining us for this monumental occasion. The OCR will be providing refreshments after the service and we hope that you will all plan on attending. Please feel free to contact Commander Hill or me for directions or motel information. Our contact information is on our camp website www.scv768.org.


Deo Vindice,

Jimmy Hill
Commanding
Capt. Thomas H. Hobbs
Sons of Confederate Veterans

Hosted by the Alabama Division and the Proud Members of the Capt. Thos. H. Hobbs Camp #768
www.scv768.org