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. 17, NO. 2 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 When you re asked by someone, What country were your ancestors born in?, how many of you respond with The Confederate States of America? I m just curious because this very scenario caused me to have an argument with a friend of mine recently; and it also caused a bit of an issue for my niece with her fifth grade teacher. I ll start with my family tree on ancestry.com. The common and recommended format for a person s profile in the birth and death fields is to list the location as city/ town, county, state, country for those born in the USA. Well, for my ancestors born during the time of the Confederacy, I list the country of birth or death as CSA, if appropriate. For my great-great grandmother, Mollie Wood, I have listed her birth as 14 Oct 1861 in Jonesboro, Craighead, Arkansas, CSA. I had no idea those three letters, CSA, would cause such an uproar. First, a friend of mine came over a couple of weeks ago for some help on his genealogy research he was just starting. I was showing him how to make use of ancestry.com. He noticed several of my ancestors with CSA listed as the country of birth or death and asked why I did that. When I explained that s where they were born (or died), the Confederate States of America, my friend proceeded to inform me that that isn t a real country. Needless to say, the next two hours were spent in a debate over the legitimacy of the Confederate States of America as an actual country. The second confrontation involved my 5th grade niece in Topeka. The teacher recently gave the students an assignment to present their family tree. My niece, Stephanie, was going to go all out and show hers all the way back to our Revolutionary War ancestor. Of course, this being the age of computers and internet, she did it the easy way and accessed our family tree on ancestry.com and Continued on Page 2

2 The Commander s Corner Continued from page 1 Next Camp Meeting: May 5, 2016 The Key Camp will meet on Thursday, May 5, 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 featured program will be given by Mr. Al Miller, who will be giving a comparison of the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Tennessee. Please join us for camaraderie, dinner, and education. As always, your wife or significant other is welcome. Don t forget to bring a prospective recruit! created a presentation of her family tree. All was fine and good until her teacher saw Mollie Wood s entry and CSA. Her teacher assumed a typo, told Stephanie, then lined it out and wrote USA above it. My niece attempted to explain, but her teacher said the CSA wasn t a real country and they would talk about it when they covered the Civil War in history. Now, let s get this straight: 13 legally elected state governments legally secede from what is legally termed a voluntary union of individual free and independent states. Then, those 13 independent states form a new voluntary union christened the Confederate States of America, draft a constitution, and legally form a central government. Isn t that what constitutes a legally formed country? Good golly, how many other countries have been formed this way throughout history? And they are recognized as real countries. Seems to me the Confederate States of America meet the definition of a country a self-governing political entity forming a nation with its own government, occupying a particular territory. Now, here s the bonus question: If our ancestors are not, in today s society, going to be recognized as American Veterans because they were not fighting for the USA, then what country may I ask were they fighting for? The Confederate States of America you say? But wait a minute, didn t you previously say that the CSA is not a real country? As Ricky Ricardo said to Lucy, You got some explaining to do. So, when asked what country were your ancestors of born in, how are you going to answer? 2

3 Volunteers Needed for Month of May Opportunities for Key Camp camaraderie and community service abound The month of May offers several opportunities for you to get involved in our camp s community activities. We ll be having events at the Lone Jack and Mine Creek battlefield sites and will need volunteers to assist. First up, is a very rare chance for us to impart the truth about the War of Northern Aggression to the youth of the area. On Wednesday, May 4 and Wednesday, May 11, the Lone Jack Historical Society will be hosting their annual Missouri History Day for Kansas City metro area 4th and 8th graders. Each year, Adjutant Steve Crawford has coordinated with the Lone Jack staff for the Key Camp to give the presentation on the war and its impact on the state of Missouri and the local area. During our presentations, we give a short talk on the secession of Missouri and how the officially elected state government was forced into exile by Lincoln and General Nathaniel Lyons. We also have a display of weapons used during the war (courtesy of 2nd Lt. Commander James Speicher) to demonstrate the rapid advancement in weapon technology in the short fouryear period. From the feedback we ve received in the past, our presentation is consistently one of the students favorites during their day. The Lone Jack battlefield events present us with the opportunity to speak the truth and educate students and young people without the intrusion of the political correctness so rampant when in an adult setting. The students will hear the Southern side of the conflict outside the culturally cleansed classroom from those (us) who can speak knowledgeably of the truthful point of view. Please consider joining us on one of those two days. If you don t desire to take part in giving a presentation, we can always use an extra sets of eyes to watch over the artifacts display as students pass through. The second Key Camp community project opportunity will be Saturday, May 21 for our spring cleanup day at the Mine Creek Battlefield Site. The first order of business will be to check on, clean, and re-mulch the Confederate Memorial and trim back the trees and shrubbery. Then we ll tackle a project for the site administrator, Tami Neal. This year, we have a project not nearly as daunting as last year s! This time, Tami has asked us to clean out and organize the storage garage at the visitor s center, which entails emptying out the garage, sweeping it out, and maybe hosing off the garage floor. Once that has been completed, we ll need to put everything back in some type of orderly fashion. This will be a task all of us, regardless of age or abilities, should be able to get involved in. The Key Camp has become an integral part of Mine Creek and Tami is so appreciative of everything we do for her. By taking part in these clean up days (spring and fall), we keep the Sons of Confederate Veterans visible in the community and at the forefront of historical preservation for our area. So, what do you say? Come on! Get involved and join us for camaraderie, friendship, truthful education of our youth, and historical preservation for our community! 3

4 The Last Man Out: The New Mexico Campaign Part 6 of a Series Researched and Written by Compatriot Charles Walthall The Second Movement South from Sante Fe The second major movement of Confederate soldiers out of New Mexico appears to have occurred on August 19, 1862 from Santa Fe south to Mesilla. These men were noted by Captain Graydon as having unexpected showed up at Peralta in a column of about 90(+/-) men. These men were escorted by a Union detail and were also issued arms to defend themselves from Indian attack along the way. The arms were to be recovered before the detail reached Ft. Bliss, which was assumed to still be in the hands of the Confederate Army under Colonel William Steele. This detail did not know that Brigadier General James. H. Carleton (U.S.) had recaptured the post at Ft. Bliss, and that the Confederate garrison had been withdrawn. One of the Service Records indicates that at least one of the men may have been released at Cottonwood (Station) on the Rio Grande south of Messila and north of Ft. Bliss. This seems a practical solution to the problem of running into a superior force of Confederates while assisting a partially armed column of hostiles to return to their own lines. I can almost hear a young Union lieutenant s voice saying, Here we are boys at the Rio Grande. Turn in your arms and be on your way. We ve gone about as far south as we intend to. Time for us all to say goodbye. This second major column would have been a ghastly sight and would have been a wholesale attempt to rid the New Mexico Territory of all Confederate soldiers captured in the entire 1862 Campaign. This effort would have been made to unburden the department of the need to feed, house, and cloth these men, and to reduce the burden on the hospital supplies being expended daily on this crew of men. This effort would also have been made to meet the deadline of exchange and the pending change-of-command. General Carleton was to supercede General Canby on September 18, The deadline for exchange was September 17, 1862, Canby s last day as Commander of the Territory. Anyone held or housed after that date would have to be exchanged separately on a later date. The Second Movement East from Sante Fe I have found the records of only five men that survived to be sent out separately after the exchange date of September 17, This is the last movement I can identify for the Confederate soldiers captured in New Mexico in These soldiers were paroled on September 24, 1862 at the hospital in Santa Fe and sent to be exchanged by way of Ft. Leavenworth. The men were taken east by the two companies that accompanied General Canby out of the territory. This cavalry escort arrived at Ft. Riley just two days before the first snow fall of the season on October 24. Their arrival is reported in the November 1 issue of the Smokey Hills and Republican Union news. The movement of the last remaining paroled Confederate prisoners may have been a harsh journey for the men involved. One soldier in particular appears to have been re-currently sick, and unable to be sent south to Messila. He stands as a testament of an unsuccessful struggle to return home. His name was Corporal Robert H. Carter, Company A, 5th Texas Cavalry. Corporal Carter made it as far as St. Louis. Two separate attempts were made to send him on from Gratiot Street Prison in St. Louis. He died at the Gratiot Street Hospital on April 17, For me, Corporal Carter was the last man standing. I suspect the unknown Confederates buried at Ft. Riley are men from this last lot brought out of the territory. The distance, the road and weather conditions, and the speed of the column could have hastened the end for some of the men brought along to finish the task of clearing out the last remaining Confederate prisoners in New Mexico. Because Corporal Carter made it all the way to St. Louis, he could be considered one of the lucky ones. It is for him, and the other 249 Confederate soldiers, that I have made this effort to account for all of them. Others have accounted for the remains of 168 soldiers who died within New Mexico or in western Texas. In this effort, I have found one man in Kansas and one man in Missouri. There are others. Part 7 of this series will appear in the May edition of the Telegraph Key. 4

5 Battle of Belmont Ulysses S. Grant s first battle command and first loss Did you know Ulysses S. Grant s first taste of leading troops in battle during the War of Northern Aggression took place in November 1861 in the state of Missouri? That Fall, Confederate forces were massing in southwest Kentucky, southeast Missouri, and northeast Arkansas. Following promotion to Brigadier General, Grant was reassigned from recruitment and training in Illinois and given command of the District of Southeast Missouri under theater commander Major General John C. Fremont. Grant and his command were ordered into the area where Kentucky, Missouri, and Arkansas converge to prevent reinforcements from reaching Generals Sterling Price and Jeff Thompson of the Missouri State Guard. On November 6, 1861, Grant and his command left Cairo, Illinois aboard several steamboats. At 8:30 am on November 7, they disembarked three miles north of Belmont, Missouri out of range of Confederate artillery batteries on the river banks of Columbus, Kentucky. Grant and his men began their march south. A mile away from the small hamlet of Belmont, they encountered the Confederate battle lines under the command of General Gideon Pillow. After 4 hours of hard stand-up and hand-to-hand fighting, the 2,300 Confederate troops under General Pillow gave way to the 3,100 troops under Grant and took refuge under the protection of the banks of the Mississippi River. The Confederates had fought stubbornly, but had been pushed back to their base camp in the small town of Belmont where they finally broke and took to the river banks. Grant s troops began looting and plundering and he ordered the camp to be set on fire. In the confusion and blinding smoke, wounded Confederate soldiers in some of the tents were burned to death. Then, during the chaos of the partying, the Union troops suddenly came under heavy fire from the Confederate cannon on the bluffs across the river at Columbus This was the main Confederate encampment in the area, commanded by General Leonidas Polk. Informed of what was occurring directly across the river from him, Polk ordered 2,700 Confederate troops ferried across and had them placed both up and downstream of the Union forces. Totally unaware of this troop placement by Polk, Grant and his command were then attacked by the reinforcements and the rejuvenated troops under General Pillow. An agitated aide rode up to Grant exclaiming that they were surrounded and had no choice but to surrender. Although hard pressed and under unrelenting fire, Grant and his Union soldiers fought their way back up river to their transport ships. Grant was the last to board as he had his horse shot out from under him twice during the retreat. Grant was forced to leave behind his wounded and the captured Confederate goods and colors and was fortunate to escape with his command and his life. In the end, the result was a Confederate victory and a humiliating first battlefield command loss for Grant. Both sides listed between 600 and 650 casualties. Today, Belmont, Missouri no longer exists and isn t even marked on most modern maps, but it s easy to find. Take I-55 south to Missouri Highway 80, turn east, and keep going until the pavement ends. A few miles later, it s highly recommended you stop at the stop sign the water s edge is only a few feet beyond the sign. This is all that s left of the tiny village. The last was washed away in a flood in Just like Belmont, Missouri, no one remembers the day when the Confederates soundly defeated and humiliated General Ulysses S. Grant. Both are lost to history. 5

6 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. General Lee Speaks to Key Camp Discusses his unwavering loyalty to Virginia General Robert E. Lee paid a visit to the men of the Major Thomas J. Key Camp during their meeting of April 7, 2016 at Zarda BBQ. Following dinner and the business meeting, Lee addressed the camp. During his presentation, Lee spoke of his affection for his home state of Virginia. He countered the criticism he has been subjected to over the years for declining the overall command of the United Stated Army and resigning his commission in April In his letter of resignation to General Winfield Scott, Lee wrote, Save for defense of my native state of Virginia, I never desire again to draw my sword. Lee s avowed loyalty and love for Virginia precluded him from risking the chance that he would be forced to wage war against his home state. Lee went on to elaborate on the reasons he was so loyal to Virginia. As it turns out, Lee s family is one of Virginia s first families, originally arriving in Virginia from England in the early 1630s with the arrival of Richard Lee I, Esq. Lee was born at Stratford Hall Plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia, the son of Major General Henry (Light Horse Harry) Lee III ( ), Governor of Virginia, and his second wife, Anne Hill Carter ( ). With such prominence and historical significance to the history of Virginia in his family, it is no surprise that he felt so attached to his home state. In his closing remarks to the men, Lee made clear that in his mind it was Virginia first, country second. Virginia was his home; it is where his roots lay. And he would never do anything to harm her. He would never draw his sword against Virginia even when that decision led to the most crucial point in his esteemed life. The Key Camp wishes to thank Compatriot Lane Smith for his portrayal of General Robert E. Lee. In his portrayals around the community (including to the DAR, Civil War Round Table, and other historical and heritage groups), Lane respectfully honors the man and gives us a glimpse at the human side of Lee. 6

7 Upcoming Events Wednesday, May 4 (8:30 a.m. 2 p.m.) Lone Jack, MO Wednesday, May 11 (8:30 a.m. 2 p.m.)» Lone Jack Battlefield Missouri History Day Lone Jack Battlefield Museum and Soldier s Cemetery 301 S. Bynum Rd. Lone Jack, MO Volunteers should arrive at the battlefield site prior to 8:30 a.m. to set up our station. For more information, contact Jim Thornton at jdthornton85@live.com. 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: Saturday, May 21 (TBD) Pleasanton, KS» Mine Creek Battlefield Camp Workday Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site K 52 Pleasanton, KS Signups and details will be available at our May 5 meeting. Saturday, June 4 (10 a.m. 2 p.m.) Higginsville, MO» Missouri Confederate Memorial Day Missouri Confederate Memorial State Historic Site 211 W. 1st St. Higginsville, MO Activities include historical presentations, living history, tours of the Confederate Home chapel and cemetery, parade and a memorial service at the Confederate Home Cemetery. June 10-11, 2016 Emporia, KS» Annual Kansas Division SCV Reunion Emporia, KS Visit the Kansas Division Sons of Confederate Veterans website, for the most current information. SAVE THE DATE: July 13-17, 2016 Richardson, TX» SCV Annual National Reunion For more information, including registration details, lodging, and event schedule, visit SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, August 15 Shawnee, KS» Major Thomas J. Key Camp Annual Family Picnic Shawnee Mission Park 7900 Renner Rd. Shawnee, KS

8 reminder! Our next meeting will be May 5 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