The Commander s Corner Thomas J. Key Camp Commander, Jim Thornton

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1 The Telegraph Key / / THE OFFICIAL DISPATCH FOR THE MAJOR THOMAS J. KEY CAMP #1920 KANSAS DIVISION, SCV JOHNSON COUNTY, KANSAS VOL. 16, NO. 5 JUNE 2015 Major Thomas J. Key Camp Officers The Commander s Corner Thomas J. Key Camp Commander, Jim Thornton Commander James D. Thornton 1st Lt. Commander John Weir 2nd Lt. Commander James L. Speicher Adjutant Steven Crawford Communications Officer Steven Crawford Historian and Scrapbook Dan Peterson Web Master John Weir Newsletter Editor John Kirchmeyer, Jr. Media Coordinator Lane Smith Cadet Member Coordinator Lee Crutchfield We all have heard the phrase History repeats itself. Recently, that phrase sent a chill through me as I was reading a book, What If? Eminent Historians Imagine What Might Have Been. The chapter that chilled me dealt with the Greek- Persian conflicts of BC. How many of you have seen the 2007 film 300 or the 1962 film The 300 Spartans? Most of you are probably familiar with the event; how a small force of Greeks and Spartans stood their ground against overwhelming numbers of Persians looking to conquer their land and homes. But, did you ever stop and think how eerily similar the legend and facts of that event are to the event of the War of Northern Aggression? Yet, the legend of King Leonidas and his army of Greeks and Spartans are placed on a pedestal and looked upon with admiration for standing up to the Persians and their power hungry leader, Xerxes; while General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Armed Forces are derided and frowned upon for standing up to the Northern Total War Machine and their leader, Ulysses S. Grant. Let s compare side-by-side shall we? 480 BC: King Leonidas was the Greek warrior-king/general from the city-state of Sparta who led the Spartan forces of 300 warriors. In an alliance with the other Greek city-states, he took command of an estimated 10,000-14,000 forces and led them in the Battle of Thermopylae. Leonidas faced the massive Persian forces of an estimated 100, ,000 under the command of King Xerxes AD: Robert E. Lee was the Confederate warrior/general from the state of Virginia who led the Army of Northern Virginia. With volunteers from other Confederate States, Lee took command and led an estimated 50,000 starving and exhausted troops as the Union forces of 125, ,000 with superior weaponry under Ulysses Grant laid siege to Petersburg. Continued on Page 2

2 The Commander s Corner Continued from page 1 Next Camp Meeting: July 2, 2015 The Key Camp will meet on Thursday, July 2, at Zarda Bar B-Q on the southwest corner of 87th and Quivira in Lenexa, Kansas at 6 p.m. for dinner and conversation with the official meeting at 7 p.m. Our guest speaker for the evening will be Mr. Robert C. Jones. He is President of the Kennesaw Historical Society and the Director of Programs and Education for the Kennesaw Museum Foundation in Kennesaw, GA. His presentation is titled, Lost Gold of the Confederacy. Mr. Jones is a published author of several books on The War of Northern Aggression and has given presentations to the Key Camp in the past, most recently last fall when he presented The Confederate Invasion of New Mexico. As always, your wife or significant other is welcome. Don t forget to bring a prospective recruit! Now compare the politics and circumstances of both events. In 480 BC, the Persian Empire was forcing its influence on the city-states of Greece. To make matters more intolerable, the Persian government sent emissaries to all the city-states demanding gifts of earth and water in token of their submission to Xerxes and the Persian Empire. The demand for earth and water symbolized that those surrendering to Persians gave up all their rights over their land and every product of the land. Giving earth and water, they recognized the Persian authority over everything. Sounds darn familiar to the politics and circumstances of , doesn t it? In 1861, the Southern States were being pounded into submission by the Northern States and the Congressional imposition of high tariffs, exportation taxes, and the inhibition of individual rights of selfgovernment. The Southern citizen was being forced to give up all his rights over his land and fruits of his labor. Let s see now; in 480 BC we have a big, all-powerful government (Persia) demanding the smaller state governments (Sparta, Athens, etc) and individuals become submissive to its rule. In 1865 we have a big, all-powerful government (Federal Government) demanding the smaller state governments (South Carolina, Virginia, etc.) and individuals become submissive to its rule. In 480 BC, we have a warrior/general (Leonidas) willing to take command of a smaller force against insurmountable odds and a ruthless opponent (Xerxes), all in the name of fairness and individual rights. In 1861, we have a warrior general (Lee) willing to take command of a smaller force against insurmountable odds and a ruthless opponent (Grant), all in the name of fairness and individual rights. Now you tell me: What s the difference in the two scenarios above? Why are the events of BC and the exploits of Leonidas and his valiant, out-numbered, and over-matched troops given so much acclaim? Why are Leonidas and the Spartans looked upon and held up as heroes, while Robert E. Lee, the Confederacy, and his valiant, outnumbered, and out-gunned troops branded as traitors? If history has indeed repeated itself in this comparison, then Robert E. Lee and The Confederacy should be held in the same esteem as Leonidas and the Spartans. 2

3 The Wisdom of Daisy Moses An Essay by 1st Lieutenant Commander and Webmaster John Weir U.S. history, as taught in public schools, and popular culture, tends to emphasize New England as the center from which America originated. Events in Massachusetts, from the arrival of the Calvinist Puritan Pilgrims on the Mayflower at Plymouth Rock in 1620 and the subsequent first Thanksgiving to The Boston Massacre, The Boston Tea Party, and the ride of Paul Revere to warn the citizenry the King s troops 155 years later were on the move of the American Revolution, all loom large in the drama of the United States shift from British colonial possessions to independence. As a consequence, the Puritan view that hard work leads to prosperity and prosperity indicates membership in God s elect is touted as what America is all about. Though the Calvinist religious impulse has largely been replaced by a social Darwinism which equates prosperity with fitness, the idea of having to work hard to get ahead remains a centerpiece of American philosophy. Though there is a focus on events in New England and Massachusetts for that period in U.S. history, there s another section of the American colonies that was to dominate United States politics for the first eight decades of the republic. What is not highlighted in the War for Independence is that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were from Virginia. Though children are taught to view the 13 colonies as a unit, the history of Virginia is very different than that of New England; A different culture settled there with a different outlook on life and politics. While the Puritan outlook tended toward the totalitarianism of Thomas Hobbes and LEVIATHON, the Cavaliers that settled Virginia were more attuned to the works of John Locke and power originating with the people with the government requiring the consent of the governed a prerequisite for just rule. The planter culture of Virginia and the South was very different from that of New England. In fact, New England s hostility toward it goes back to the era of British colonialism. In his Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVII, Thomas Jefferson wrote that Virginia passed several laws in the mid to late seventeenth century discouraging Quakers and other Calvinist groups from settling there. Consequently, society in Virginia took on a structure differing from their Northern partners in the American recession from the British Empire and subsequent Confederation. Their differences, however, were put aside until the common threat from the British Crown was removed. This raises the question of which culture was America when the Republic was founded? It can be argued, as I do here, that Southern, rather than New England, culture was dominant. The Declaration of Independence was written by a Virginian who was heavily influenced by the writings of John Locke from four score and seven years before. Virginia and the Southern attitude regarding the role of government dominated the politics of the United States, much to the disappointment of the Brahmins of Boston, for decades after the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. To say Southerners occupied the White House eight out of the first fifteen Presidents before Lincoln s War is a bit misleading; out of the 18 terms prior to Lincoln s, a Southerner held the office 13 of them. One third of the Presidents had come from Virginia. As the shift in political power from South to North became increasingly evident during the late 1850s with the rise of the sectional Republican Party, Senator James Henry Hammond of South Carolina was moved to say in a speech before the U.S. Senate in 1858 relating to the debate to allow the State of Kansas to enter the Union: Suppose we were to discharge you; suppose we were to take our business out of your hands;--we should consign you to anarchy and poverty. You complain of the rule of the South; that has been another cause that has preserved you. We have kept the Government conservative to the great purposes of the Constitution. We Continued on Page 4 3

4 The Wisdom of Daisy Moses Continued from page 3 have placed it, and kept it, upon the Constitution; and that has been the cause of your peace and prosperity. The Senator from New York says that that is about to be at an end; that you intend to take the Government from us; that it will pass from our hands into yours. Perhaps what he says is true; it may be; but do not forget it can never be forgotten it is written on the brightest page of human history that we, the slaveholders of the South, took our country in her infancy, and, after ruling her for sixty out of the seventy years of her existence, we surrendered her to you without a stain upon her honor, boundless in prosperity, incalculable in her strength, the wonder and admiration of the world. Time will show what you will make of her; but no time can diminish our glory or your responsibility. It is evident, prior to the election of Lincoln two years later, the South was America and the culture derived from a religious approach to life that H.L. Mencken described as The haunting fear that somewhere someone may be happy was alien to it; For the first decades of the Republic, Yankee culture was a geographically isolated, and suppressed movement which longed for the day it could impose itself on everyone everywhere. There is a quote attributed to the character Daisy Moses better known as Granny played by Irene Ryan on the 1960s situation comedy television show The Beverly Hillbillies defining Lincoln s War as When the Yankees invaded America. By the time that line was written and recited, Yankees had been dominant in United States politics for a century, so it sounds screwed as from the perspective of the popular culture of the 1960s and therefore humorous. There is, nevertheless, a lot of wisdom and accuracy in Daisy s description of the war; the Confederacy was formed to remain faithful to the intentions of the founding fathers and their Constitution in the face of an ascendant and domineering Yankee cultural and military invasion. The Confederacy was America and the Yankees did invade. Confederate Memorial Day Remembrance Left: Key Camp Compatriots Dennis Garstang, Matt Silber (and Matt, Jr.), Mike Smith, and Jack Poynter. Top: The memorial service color guard in which Mike Smith represented the Key Camp. Mike is presenting the Battle Flag of The Army of Northern Virginia. See accompanying article on page 6 4

5 Key Camp Well Represented at Reunion SCV Kansas Division Reunion in Emporia, Kansas The Sons of Confederate Veterans, Army of the Trans-Mississippi, Kansas Division held their annual reunion and convention in Emporia, Kansas on June 5-6, The Major Thomas J. Key Camp #1920 was well represented by ten compatriots and one spouse at the event, by far the largest contingent of any camp in the division. Attending and representing the Key Camp were Commander Jim Thornton, 1st Lt. Commander John Weir, 2nd Lt. Commander Jim Speicher, Camp Chaplain Carl Linck, Compatriots Paul Allen, Larry Brooks (and his wife Donna), John Coney, Merle Leach, Tim Peterman, and Jim Tucker. Several of the Key Camp attendees arrived Friday night to take part in the preliminary social events and fellowship activities, including a screening of the movie Field of Lost Shoes. The movie is based on a true story of the War of Northern Aggression, culminating at the Battle of New Market in May A group of teenage cadets at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) must confront the horrors of an adult world when they are called upon to defend the Shenandoah Valley. On Saturday, the focus was on the business and operations of The Kansas Division. Year-end reports were presented by Division staff and by each of the camps represented at the convention. Other division issues and projects were presented and discussed, including re-activating and re-affirming action on Project Locate and also putting into action the Kansas Division Guardian Program. Rules and guidelines for the Guardian Program were reviewed for proper wording and phrasing. An amendment to the Kansas Division Constitution was also proposed, discussed, voted on, and passed. It is now mandated under Article VI, Section 1 that the Division Commander shall appoint an Adjutant/Treasurer for the division. The Kansas Division Constitution as amended June 6, 2015, may be viewed on the Division website at ksscv.org/documents.html. It was also an election year for the Kansas Division leadership. Our new Commander for will be Joe Baughman and our new 1st Lt. Commander will be Kevin Ivey. The final event of the convention was our program. This year, the Kansas Division was privileged to have SCV Commander-in-Chief Charles Kelly Barrow give a riveting presentation, including discussion of his book Black Confederates. Following benediction and retiring of the colors, the 2015 Kansas Division Convention and Reunion was closed. Left to Right: Merle Leach, Jim Speicher, Jim Thornton, Carl Linck, Commander-in-Chief Charles Kelly Barrow, Tim Peterman, Donna Brooks, Jim Tucker, Paul Allen, Larry Brooks, John Weir, and John Coney. 5

6 Confederate Memorial Day Remembrance Key Camp Represented in Higginsville, Missouri Recruiting Report: Welcome! The Key Camp is pleased to welcome Mr. Lynn Langemeier as a Fellowship Member. Lynn has attended our last several meetings and is searching for the final piece of research to a Confederate Ancestor for full membership. At our June meeting, he paid dues to become a Fellowship Member. Wanted: Male Descendants of Confederate Soldiers The Key Camp is currently recruiting new members to honor and affectionately memorialize our Southern ancestors and their brave deeds. We are making progress, but we must always be thinking of recruiting. Our camp actively recruits at events in which we participate. If you know of someone who may be interested in defending his ancestor s good name and heritage, talk to him about the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Confederate Memorial Day was held on Saturday, June 6, on the beautiful grounds of the old Confederate home just outside of Higginsville, Missouri. Once a place where many Confederate veterans and their wives came to live, today it s now a special place of peace and quiet reflection where nearly 800 souls are at rest. Still, with some of the historic buildings remaining (like the chapel and a couple of other buildings), it s easy to imagine the old veterans walking the grounds and sharing stories with their friends and neighbors. The cemetery, which is but a short walk from the chapel, features a magnificent Lion of Lucerne monument, which is a moving tribute to those who sacrificed so much. This year, as in prior years, the surrounding graves were decorated with Confederate battle flags. A parade of flags from young and old alike started the service, with the Color Guard following suit. Missouri Division Commander Maples and Kansas City area historian Jim Beckner both delivered stirring messages of encouragement at this year s event. A local musician then played guitar and sang about Order Number 11. In what is always a special part of the service, attendees were invited to come forward and share the name of their Confederate ancestor, where they served, and in which battles they fought. Those who participated received a rose to place on the Lion of Lucerne statue. The Children of the Confederacy also placed a bouquet at the monument. This is the third time I ve attended since I became aware of Confederate Memorial Day in Higginsville several years ago. One of the reasons I try not to miss is because I hope to be able to pass on this tradition, as well as what it means, to a future generation. Another reason I enjoy attending is because it s always great catching up with friends I haven t seen in a while and meeting new people involved in the SCV. It s also nice to show support, as this park like various other special places honoring our veterans, has in times past been the target of politicians trying to promote their own agenda. In fact, it was about a year ago that the Missouri SCV met with the Missouri governor in an attempt to restore the Confederate battle flag to the cemetery by placing an educational billboard along I-70. So next year, be sure to invite your children, grandchildren and neighbors to this event and make it a special occasion. Not only are there places to picnic in the park itself, but there are also several eating establishments in Higginsville, too. And, for those who like to shop, there are some great antique stores in town. Article written and submitted by Matthew S. 6

7 Upcoming Events Wednesday, July 15 Sunday, July 19 Richmond, VA» 2015 Sons of Confederate Veterans 120th National Reunion DoubleTree by Hilton 1021 Koger Center Blvd. Richmond, VA The 120th National SCV Reunion will be hosted by the Major General J.E.B. Stuart Camp #1343. The host hotel for the reunion and rooms is the DoubleTree by Hilton. The Telegraph Key The Telegraph Key is a newsletter published for the Major Thomas Key Camp #1920 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV). The SCV is a non-profit organization with a patriotic, historical, and genealogical orientation and is not affiliated with any other organization. Opinions in this newsletter reflect the views of the writers and are not necessarily a statement of the views of the SCV, the Kansas Division, the Kansas Brigades, nor any other camp. Comments and articles are solicited. comments, article ideas, and suggestions to John Kirchmeyer at kirch16@hotmail.com. Key Camp Website Resources Key Camp: SCV National: For more information, or to register, visit the SCV Reunion website: Thursday, August 6 Lenexa, KS» Major Thomas J. Key Camp August Meeting Zarda Bar B-Q W. 87th St. Parkway Lenexa, KS The Major Thomas J. Key Camp will meet on Thursday, August 6, at Zarda Bar B-Q on the southwest corner of 87th and Quivira in Lenexa, Kansas at 6 p.m. for dinner and conversation with the official meeting beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday, August 15 Shawnee, KS» Major Thomas J. Key Camp Annual Family Picnic Shawnee Mission Park, Shelter Renner Rd. Shawnee, KS The Major Thomas J. Key Camp Annual Family Picnic will be held at Shawnee Mission Park, Shelter 10. More information, will be shared at upcoming meetings and on our Upcoming Events listings on the Key Camp website. 7

8 reminder! Our next meeting will be July 2 at 7 p.m. Bring a friend or prospective member. The Telegraph Key Major Thomas J. Key Camp #1920 Sons of Confederate Veterans 7325 Oakview Street Shawnee, Kansas 66216