December Meeting Report

Transcription

1 The January Meeting Virginia Battlefields The January meeting will feature a program by Robert Murphree on his visits to Virginia battlefield sites. Everyone come and bring guests, especially new recruits! When: January 24, 2017, 5:30 pm. Where: Municipal Art Gallery, State St., Jackson. See you there! Sons of Confederate Veterans Jefferson Davis Camp No. 635 * Volume XLVI * * PO Box 16945, Jackson, MS * * January 2017 * * Number 1* A nd it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. A nd he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. G ive us day by day our daily bread. nd forgive us our A sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Luke 11:1-4 (KJV) December Meeting Report Christmas Social The December meeting was the annual Christmas social with plenty of food and fellowship. Following an extended fellowship time, a brief meeting was held. This was followed by some music by Wayne Anderson and Murry Stewart. Happy Birthday! Robert E. Lee January 19 Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson January 21 1

2 Rebel Ramblings by Robert Murphree You know you can never start them too early. I am talking about my efforts to teach my three year old grandson to be a good Southern boy, of course which includes knowing how to sing "Dixie." So far, so good, but he insists on saying he wishes he were in "Dickson" instead of "Dixie." Then argues with me about which one of us is right; where did he get that hard head from? I suspect from his maternal grandmother's side of the family. You know General Benjamin Huger got a bum rap. First he was heavily criticized for the loss of Norfolk in early 1862, though he had in fact done much to save a lot of valuable machinery and stores from the place when it became clear the city would be taken by the Federals. Of course Huger did nothing to cause the Norfolk to be lost; he just got the blame. But where he really got the raw deal was in the postmortem of the Battle of Seven Pines and then the Seven Days. In May, 1862 Huger was a division commander in front of Richmond under Joe Johnston. When Johnston finally determined to attack the part of the Union army south of the Chickahominy River, he drew up a detailed plan for the movement, assigning each command its task. For some reason, Longstreet unilaterally decided to change the plan to put his command on the road that had been assigned to Huger's division. When Huger arrived at the road he had been assigned to use he found the way blocked by Longstreet's troops. The obvious result was that Huger's men were not where the Johnston plan called for the unit to be at the required time. Subsequently Huger received orders from Longstreet to wait on the Charles City Road "for further orders." No such orders ever came. During the battle that day President Davis and his entourage rode up on Longstreet and Hill. Longstreet told Davis that Huger was to have attacked the Federal left flank and expressed mortification at Huger's inactivity. After the battle Longstreet wrote Johnston "failure of complete success" was caused by "the slow movements of General Huger's command." Longstreet failed to mention the reason for Huger's delay. Turns out that Huger was ahead of Longstreet in seniority, which you all know was so important to officers in Longstreet had every reason for wanting to get rid of a competitor for high command and appears to have had some method to his madness. Calendar January 24, 2017 Regular meeting of Camp 635 at the Municipal Art Gallery February 28, 2017 Regular meeting of Camp 635 at the Municipal Art Gallery March 28, 2017 Regular meeting of Camp 635 at the Municipal Art Gallery April 22, 2017 Cemetery cleanup for Confederate Memorial Day April 23, 2017 Confederate Memorial Day observance at Greenwood Cemetery in Jackson Huger got the same type of treatment after White Oak swamp. He and Jack- (Continued on page 3) Send changes in addresses to: csa4ever@att.net Include changes to physical (mail) addresses and telephone numbers as well. DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed by contributors to this newsletter are not necessarily the views or opinions of this editor, the Jefferson Davis Camp 635, or any member thereof. 2

3 Chaplain s Dispatch Dear Friends and Compatriots: DENYING ONESELF In Mark 8:34, Jesus said, "whoever desire to follow after Me, let him deny himself..."! Someone said, you need to let go of nursing a grudge and find your heart being enlighten. You resist a path of temptations and feel something strong taking root inside. This is call, peace that surpasses ALL understanding! Philippians 4:17 Sincerely, Rev. Glenn D. Shows Chaplain Visit the camp web site at: (Continued from page 2) son both concluded the swamp could not be crossed in the face of Union troops, but Lee in his report said Huger "had failed to come up" while writing Jackson was "unable to cross" the swamp. Shortly after the campaign Huger was made Inspector General of Ordnance and played no active part in the balance of the war. He died in Before Huger's death his sons became aware of a book published in the North that said Huger had been "severely censured and removed from command" after the Seven Days. They immediately wrote the author and demanded that he issue a corrected version, which the editor agreed to do in subsequent editions. The Huger boys then wrote Jefferson Davis asking for his recollection of the events in issue. Davis's reply was vague but contained general references to his hearing that Huger had been "slow" in his troop movements. The sons realized it would be no use to appeal to Longstreet and gave up their effort to have their Father's memory vindicated. 3

4 Robert E. Lee What he said about things Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less. I cannot trust a man to control others who cannot control himself. Whiskey - I like it, I always did, and that is the reason I never use it. My chief concern is to try to be an humble, earnest Christian. It is well that war is so terrible -- lest we should grow too fond of it. Obedience to lawful authority is the foundation of manly character. [W]e made a great mistake in the beginning of our struggle, and I fear, in spite of all we can do, it will prove to be a fatal mistake. We appointed all our worst generals to command our armies, and all our best generals to edit the newspapers. [T]here is no more dangerous experiment than that of undertaking to be one thing before a man's face and another behind his back. You must study to be frank with the world: frankness is the child of honesty and courage. Say just what you mean to do on every occasion, and take it for granted that you mean to do right. A true man of honor feels humbled himself when he cannot help humbling others. My experience through life has convinced me that, while moderation and temperance in all things are commendable and beneficial, abstinence from spirituous liquors is the best safeguard of morals and health. The gentleman does not needlessly and unnecessarily remind an offender of a wrong he may have committed against him. He can not only forgive; he can forget; and he strives for that nobleness of self and mildness of character which imparts sufficient strength to let the past be put the past. The education of a man is never completed until he dies. Get correct views of life, and learn to see the world in its true light. It will enable you to live pleasantly, to do good, and, when summoned away, to leave without regret. Never do a wrong thing to make a friend or keep one. Quotes selected from the vast compendium of Robert E. Lee quotes available on the internet. 4

5 Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson What he said about things Our God was my shield. His protecting care is an additional cause for gratitude. Once you get them running, you stay right on top of them, and that way a small force can defeat a large one every time... Only thus can a weaker country cope with a stronger; it must make up in activity what it lacks in strength. Who could conquer not with such troops as these? My troops may fail to take a position, but are never driven from one! Then, Sir, we will give them the bayonet! (Stonewall Jackson's reply to Colonel B.E. Bee when he reported that the enemy was beating them back. At the first battle of Manassas, July 1861) Dan Nance's Lord of the Valley You may be whatever you resolve to be From Jackson's Personal Journal) I see from the number of physicians that you think my condition dangerous, but I thank God, if it is His will, that I am ready to go. (General Jackson on his Death Bed) Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees... Regarding Union General Pope: At a dinner party, Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson was asked if he was the one who had made the remark about Union General Pope. "What remark was that?" asked the General. An orderly responded, "You know, the one about Pope's announcement he was going to make his saddle his headquarters, and then you are supposed to have said, I can whip any man who does not know his headquarters from his hindquarters. Stonewall sheepishly smiled and kept eating. --Source: "The Legacy of the Civil War, 1961" by Robert Penn Warren Taken from collected posts on the Facebook page of Defending the Heritage. 5

6 Taken from the Facebook page of Defending the Heritage Another Statement about the South s Cause in the War "My comrades, you and I were companions of the men who fought under this banner, we marched by their side, we were familiar with their thoughts, and we know the principles that animated them in the course which they took in that great crisis of And therefore we are able to repudiate with authority the assertion that these our brothers fought in that great conflict for four years for the perpetuation of slavery. No. A thousand times no! These men did not fight for the perpetuation of slavery, but for the preservation of liberty. When they saw, or thought they saw, that the right of self-government was in danger through the usurpations of power, they sprang to arms with the same spirit, with the same patriotism, and animated by the same love of liberty as the men who fought at Lexington, and at Monmouth, at the Cowpens and at Yorktown." Randolph McKim in a post-war speech at the return of a Maryland Confederate battle flag Nathan Bedford Forrest, III THE APPLE DOESN T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE Nathan Forrest graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Class of Brigadier General Forrest was the first American General Officer killed in combat against the Nazis during World War II. Listed initially as missing in action, his body was later recovered. General Forrest was a 1928 graduate of West Point. He was the son of Memphians Nathan Bedford Forrest II and Mattie Patton Forrest, and great-grandson of Confederate Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest. In 1949 his body was returned from Germany and reburied in Arlington National Cemetery. Taken from the Facebook page of Defending the Heritage 6

7 Short Item of Interest COMING OVER TO THE RIGHT SIDE: Frank Crawford Armstrong. ( ) Indian Territory. Captain (USA) Brigadier General (CSA). Commissioned a lieutenant for gallantry in the Indian Wars, he was a captain at the start of the war and commanded a Union cavalry troop at the First Battle of Bull Run. He resigned his commission and joined the CSA, commanding infantry and cavalry units. He was the only Confederate general to serve on both sides in the war. YANKEE ARROGANCE AT ITS FINEST At the battle of Spotsylvania on May 9, 1864, Confederate sharpshooters were about 1000 yards away from Union General John Sedgwick and his men. Their shots caused the Yankees to seek cover. Sedgwick strode around in the open and yelling, What? Men dodging this way for single bullets? What will you do when they open fire along the whole line? I am ashamed of you dodging that way. They couldn t hit an elephant at his distance. Just seconds later he fell forward with a bullet hole below his left eye. *********** Photo Used: The Death of General John Sedgwick at Spotsylvania Court House, VA, May 9, 1862 by Sidney E. King LEE BELIEVED IN THE GOLDEN RULE *********** When Robert E. Lee invaded Pennsylvania, many Southerners hoped that he would give the Yankees a taste of their own medicine. But Lee was a man of integrity. Not only did he prohibit "wanton injury to private property," he also ordered his soldiers to pay for any supplies taken from civilians. All items taken from the Facebook page of Defending the Heritage 7

8 Commander s Column Trivia Question: This month s question asks: This Confederate also has a birthday in January but he is not celebrated as often as Lee and Jackson. This is perhaps due to his hesitancy in acting in a pivotal battle and his subsequent criticism of other revered Confederates when defending his actions. Who is he? December s asked: question Can you fill in the last four words of this quoted passage: There was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields called the Old South. Here in this pretty world, Gallantry took its last bow. Here was the last ever to be seen of Knights and their Ladies Fair, of Master and of Slave. Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered, a Civilization... The answer:...gone with the wind. Commander Jackson has no column this month John Josey was elected major of the 15th Arkansas Infantry (Cleburne s- Polk s-josey s) in April 1862, promoted to lieutenant colonel in November 1862, and to colonel the following April; the majority of the regiment s service was in the Western Theater, including the battles of Stones River and Chickamauga. In the fall of 1863, Josey was detached on recruiting duty and ordered by the Confederate Secretary of War to report to General Edmund Kirby Smith. He was wounded and captured at the St. Francis River, Arkansas, on February 14, 1864, and spent most of the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war at Camp Chase, Ohio. Remembering a Confederate: John Josey He died prematurely, possibly of yellow fever, in Osceola, Florida, in October 1866 and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Memphis, Tennessee. Taken from the Facebook page of Defending the Heritage Jefferson Davis Camp #635 Sons of Confederate Veterans PO Box Jackson, MS COPYRIGHT NOTICE In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted material published herein is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who are interested in receiving the provided information for non-profit research and educational purpose only. Reference: 8