THE GILMOR BLADE Those who allow the surrender of their history, also surrender their future! Official Newsletter of THE COL. H.W.GILMOR CAMP, No. 1388, SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS June 10 Camp meeting: George Pickett: Patriot or Criminal Come join us at the June meeting of the Gilmor Camp. Our guest speaker will be Brian Blake, presenting on the topic of George Pickett: Patriot or Criminal. Confederate General George Pickett is one of the most well-known and recognizable names from the Civil War. When one thinks of George Pickett they think of the quintessential Southern General chivalrous, brave, and honorable. Pickett is also seen as a tragic figure, representing the Lost Cause of the Confederacy, for having his division decimated in 30 minutes at a place called Gettysburg. However, just seven months after Gettysburg Pickett ordered the execution of 22 captured Union prisoners in coastal North Carolina. How could a man who represents the ideal Southern gentleman commit such a heinous crime? After the war Pickett would flee to Canada and be dogged by the Judge Advocate General s Office for the executions but ultimately be pardoned by President An- Minutes: May 13, 2015 Camp meeting The meeting was opened at 7:32 p.m. by Commander Michael K. Williams. Commander Williams offered the Invocation and led us in the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. flag and the Salute to the Confederate Flag. Twelve members and guests were in attendance. Commander Williams introduced a number of members and guests. Our speaker Bob O'Connor, gave a very interesting talk and Power Point presentation on James E. Hanger who, after losing his leg at the Battle of Philippi, created the first modern prosthetic leg. BREAK There was a discussion on the best method for cleaning Confederate grave markers on Confederate Hill at Loudon Park Cemetery. There are approxi- drew Johnson. With passage of time, faded memories and a national wave of reconciliation, he would become the Pickett we have come to know today. We will look for the real George Pickett and try to separate the man from the myth. Brian Blake has been a volunteer at the Gettysburg National Military Park for 15 years and is a member of the York Civil War Roundtable. His interest in Gettysburg was sparked when he and his girlfriend took a day trip there back in 1982 (she enjoyed it so much she married him). Since then his focus has been on the people involved in the civil war. What did these ordinary people do in those extraordinary times? How did it change them? What did they do with those experiences? His focus has been on both the soldier such as George Pickett and the civilians such as the Mennonites of the Shenandoah Valley. Join us for this interesting talk! mately 600 stones requireing cleaning. The D2 product was labor intensive and very time consuming. Bleach was also suggested. It was agreed that the issue should be deferred until after Confederate Memorial Day, June 6, 2015. Commander Williams advised the group that a great deal of help will be See June Minutes, p.2 Confederate Memorial Day TX memorials under fire The Charge "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." Inside this issue: Arsenal Island part of history Arkansas veteran honored AL flag removal controversy Trees damaged at Loudon Park! MD Division convention pix 2 3 4 5 5 6 7 1
Confederate Memorial Day ceremony slated for June 6, 2015 Confederate Memorial Day is celebrated in Maryland each year on the first weekend in June nearest to the birthday of President Jefferson Davis. Once again this year the Colonel Harry W. Gilmor Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has the honor of assisting the Maryland Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in planning and presenting the Confederate Memorial Day ceremony at Loudon Park Cemetery, Baltimore, Maryland. The purpose of the ceremony is to honor the thousands of soldiers who served the Confederacy, over 600 of whom are buried at Loudon Park. They include Colonel Harry W. Gilmor, General Bradley T. Johnson, and Colonel James R. Herbert. This year s ceremony Tentative Program: *March on of troops *Invocation by UDC Chaplain *Pledge of Allegiance to the US flag *Salute to the Confederate flag *Introduction and welcoming remarks *Presentation of memorial wreaths (please contact Elliott Cummings if you plan to present a wreath) *Rifle salute *Benediction *Refreshments provided by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and its predecessors have been held on the Hill since the 1860s. The march on of the Color Guards, the firing party and music begins at 10:30 AM. After the ceremonies, refreshments are served to all in attendance. You and all of your friends are welcome and encouraged to attend. If you can help with setup of the flags and equipment, please join us beginning at 8:30 AM. Loudon Park Cemetery is located at 3800 block Frederick Rd. in SW Baltimore, about three to four miles east of Exit 13 of the Baltimore beltway, Rt. 695. Please also help us post the colors by participating in the Gilmor Camp Color Guard. This is always a beautiful and memorable ceremony. Come and see the great work that has been done to honor our ancestors! It s a big job: Please come early and help with setup and decoration of the stones on June 6! June Minutes Cont. from p.1 needed for the setup for Confederate Memorial Day including the placing of 600 flags. Suggested arrival time is 8:30 a.m. In addition, members will be needed for the Gilmor Camp Color Guard. MOTION: To have Adjutant Elliott Cummings represent the Gilmor Camp at the SCV National Convention July 15 to July 18 in Richmond Virginia using his best judgment in voting for the Camp and the Confederation. PASSED Commander Williams advised us that the Baltimore County Historical Society is having a fund raiser. MOTION: To contribute $100 to the Baltimore County Historical Society. PASSED The meeting was adjourned with a prayer at 9:21 p.m. Respectfully submitted, G. Elliott Cummings Adjutant 2
TX: Confederate memorials stir up debate By Glenn Evans From: http://www.newsjournal.com/news/2015/may/13/con federate-memorials-stir-up-debate/ A dustup in Austin over the University of Texas' statue of Jefferson Davis raises issues that echo in Northeast Texas and flare up perennially. "A lot of people would like to put that history behind us," said Robert Bailey, commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans' Gen. Walter P. Lane Camp. "Once you start erasing history, you can't find out where you came from," he said. "You just have to look at history with your eyes wide open." That doesn't improve the view, says the president of Longview's NAACP chapter. "Almost every courthouse in East Texas has some kind of Civil War memorial or plaque or statue in front of their building, and it doesn't speak of freedom to me," chapter President Branden Johnson said. "I just don't know how people can get justice where they have a symbol of injustice." The NAACP protested in Palestine a couple of years ago when the Sons of the Confederate Veterans built a Civil War park. He said the chapter made a similar trip to Beaumont to protest a Civil War soldiers memorial planned on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., "of all streets." Austin Controversy In the state's capital, vandals have defaced the Davis statue on the UT campus, most recently with the words "Davis must fall" and "Emancipate UT." Student leaders also are seeking to remove from the campus the century-old statue that recognizes the president of the Confederacy. "We thought, there are those old ties to slavery and some would find it offensive," said senior Jamie Nalley, who joined an overwhelming majority of the Student Government in adopting a resolution in March supporting his ouster. Student leaders and the NAACP say the Davis statue has no place on the UT campus because his link to Texas primarily is based on the state's ties to the Confederate States of America. "I think it's offensive that you exalt Jefferson Davis but you don't exalt Abraham Lincoln," said Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas NAACP. The Student Government resolution has been forwarded to campus administrators, but no action has been taken, according to a university spokesman. Gregg County Monument When asked Tuesday afternoon what the tall monument on the grounds of Gregg County Courthouse signifies, a number of passers-by were at a loss. "It's for the revolution, like the Texas revolution from Mexico, right?" said Terrianne Brewer of Longview. Jace Young was even less certain. "I don't know," he said. "Is it about the Alamo or something?" Kilgore College student Kimber Stewart said she knew "it has something to do with the Civil War," but was unaware that it was in honor specifically of Confederate soldiers. "Both sides lost a lot," she said. "The monument should recognize that... but we're all Americans. Both sides suffered terribly." The Civil War left a significant imprint on the Lone Star State, a spokesman for the Texas Historical Commission said. "Eighty thousand to 90,000 Texans fought in the Civil War, and they really impacted these communities in Texas," commission spokesman Chris Florence said. "We have Civil War reunion grounds which are in Mexia. Those were the grounds where the Civil War veterans had their reunions for several years after the war." Johnson said the legacy of slavery and inhumanity is too evil to be redeemed by statues. See Texas Memorials, p.4 3
Confederate POWs part of Arsenal Island, Civil War history By Linda Cook From: http://qctimes.com/news/local/0c2f2 cc9-9d92-5503-8639-96f97f86ced0.html Although the prison is long gone, visitors still can see the spot where Confederate prisoners of war were held on Arsenal Island Kris Leinicke, of Rock Island, director for the Rock Island Arsenal Museum, gave a presentation about the Rock Island Barracks from 1863-1865 to 30 members of the Colonel Davenport Historical Foundation at the Arsenal Island Golf Clubhouse, 1838 Gillespie St. When you look across the street, that s where the prison camp was, Leinicke said. Leinicke gave an overview of the prison and used photographs and other images, along with two paintings of the prison created by John Gisch, who was a prisoner there. One of the primary sources of (museum) visitors are descendants of individuals at the prison, she said. Many people are interested in the Civil War. The topic of the Confederate prison meets the criteria of being local history and also is part of the overall Civil War history, she said. Many of them, she said, had smallpox and the death rate was significant in the first eight months. Eventually, hospital facilities were built, and the men who were ill were separated from the other soldiers. All the cooks and the nurses were Confederate prisoners of war, Leinicke said. When (the prisoners) came to the camp, they had to surrender all the money they had, Leinicke said. The soldiers were allowed to write letters of only one page in length. The most famous prisoner of war at Rock Island prison, she said, is the fictional Ashley Wilkes, a character in Margaret Mitchell s Gone With the Wind Jolene Keeney, of Moline, who is the secretary for the colonel Davenport House Foundation Board and also is vice president of the Rock Island Arsenal Historical Society Board, said history means a lot to her. Texas memorials Continued from p.3 "I know what it represents for me, my people, my ancestors," he said. "It meant enslavement; it meant oppression. And I don't like being reminded of that." Tensions Florence said tensions evoked by the Civil War flare up sporadically. "I know that there's been ongoing, enormous interest in the Civil War statewide," Florence said. "We seem to have entered a period of time where there's a lot of interest, kind of inspired by the stuff at the UT campus." Bailey said he had not been aware of many disputes over Civil War memorials in Northeast Texas. He remembered the disagreement in Palestine and said the Marshall News Messenger once editorialized against the Civil War memorial at that city's historic courthouse. Many of the images used in the presentation can be seen in the museum, Leinicke said. In the Confederate cemetery on Arsenal Island, 1,964 Confederate soldiers, along with 125 Union guards, are buried. Photograph courtesy of Don Doxie "UT is such a diverse campus, and I can certainly understand where some of the people are coming from," he said. "But a lot of those kids don't have any idea of history." That includes young, self-proclaimed "Rebels" whom Bailey has met who sport the Stars and Bars emblem on their pickups. That traditional emblem was not the Confederate Flag. Rather, it was the breakaway states' battle flag. "I get kind of hacked when I see it on someone's pickup," he said. "And then you ask them about the history, and they don't have any idea what it is." Bailey and Johnson do agree on a need for historical accuracy. "People get behind the Stars and Bars," Johnson said. "That is the battle flag. That's not even the Confederate Flag. Let's get it right." 4
Last Confederate veteran in Arkansas honored at Keller's Chapel By Seth Stephenson From: http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/st ory/29086996/last-confederateveteran-in-arkansas-honored-atkellers-chapel JONESBORO, AR (KAIT) -An event to honor the last Confederate Soldier in Arkansas was held Sunday at Keller's Chapel in Jonesboro. This man was William Murphy Loudermilk who died at the age of 104 in the 1950's. People visited to hear a presentation from Civil War reenactors. The reenactors presented a historyical marker to place by Loudermilk's grave, which is the 95th in Arkansas and the first in Craighead County for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Danny Honnoll is one of the reenactors and said it was important for people to remember veterans like Loudermilk who fought for freedom. But it's significant that we remember the men that fought during those years and all veterans, Honnoll said. Cause this cemetery just paginates and reeks with history because they have veterans that were heroes that died in World War II, that died in World War I, that served our nation. It's important that we remember these veterans. Honnoll explained the marker was obtained through money obtained from the state and outside donations. Copyright 2015 KAIT. All rights reserved. AL: Union Springs looks to put Confederate flag controversy to rest By Lindsey Rogers From: http://www.kptv.com/story/2908044 1/removal-of-confederate-flagsfrom-cemetery-sparks-controversy UNION SPRINGS, AL (WSFA) - Union Springs officials are taking measures to try to quell tension and debate surrounding incidents at a local graveyard that have placed the small town in the national spotlight. After news broke and made headlines across the country that Confederate flags had been removed from the graves of soldiers in Union Springs, another round of flags reappeared at the cemetery at the center of the controversy. Now, city leaders are looking for some "closure" in the midst of the firestorm of reaction. A prominent attorney admitted to taking the flags, a move that's sparked positive feedback as well as calls for him to be arrested and disbarred. He's also received death threats and hate mail. The lawyer says his actions were meant to promote unity. He put the small Confederate flags in a bag and left them at Union Springs City Hall. They were removed from graves at an old city cemetery downtown Locally known as the "Confederate cemetery," it includes tombstones of nearly two dozen Confederate soldiers... While some support what Penn did, others are outraged. The story has spread on social media... 5 On Monday, several other small Confederate flags reappeared at the cemetery, placed at the graves of unknown soldiers... A representative of a local chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans says he's considering legal action A group called the Defenders of the Confederate Cross released this statement: "While we DO NOT CONDONE acts of violence against any one, this has nothing to do with race, slavery, or oppression In 1958 congress ruled confederate veterans are AMERICAN veterans and D.C.C. will see that they are treated as such. We will replace the flags that were illegally removed and keep a ever present eye on all Confederate Veterans graves!" Copyright 2015 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.
Two 'Witness Trees'** on Confederate Hill Struck! A witness tree is one that has existed long enough to see all that has happened at its base since we've been around. These oak trees are 120 feet tall and have a girth sufficient to to make them at least 350 years old - - they have witnessed a lot. We had been begging for a good long and solid rain to come and wash away the materials we put on the Confederate Hill headstones and finally leave them white and clean. Unfortunately, in a case of 'be careful what you wish for', The Hill finally received some rain. Not a lot but with the rain came lightning. Two trees, one that is in between the stones in row A and another one a few feet away, were damaged by a single bolt of lightning. In the photos the damage can be seen where the lightning blew off the bark of the two very old oaks and in one photo the bark debris is seen scattered all around the base. Both trees have bare, no bark slashes that run from the top of the tree to the base on both sides of each trunk [approximately 180' apart]. The upper portions of both trees have damaged bark still hanging and some good sized pieces trapped in some of the upper limbs. Matt Wagster, the Superintendent of Grounds for Loudon Park called me while he was inspecting the tree for the first time since the lightning strike. It is not known at this time if the trees can survive. He was going to call a tree specialist to determine if the trees could survive or would they have to be removed. I hope and pray that it is the former and not the latter. I inspected them on Tuesday (5/19). I was pleased that I could not see daylight looking through the area were the bark was blow off. I think 6 that is a good sign. I have seen some trees where the lightning has riven the trunk completely in two top to bottom. These trees aren't damaged to that extent in my opinion. If the trees have to come down, the attempt will be made to make that removal after Confederate Memorial Day. If they do have to come down we will have to get in and remove a lot of historic stones and Adopt-A-Confederate stones to prevent them from being damaged by the tree and stump removal process. Of course they will have to be placed back in the ground to restore the area with the trees gone. Say some prayers for the trees and for those who will mourn them when they are finally gone. Mike Williams
Pictures from the April 18 MD Division SCV convention Maryland Division Commander Jay Barringer Mike Williams with Past Maryland Division Commander Clarence Woods Mike Williams with Gilmor Camp Compatriot Jim Jones SCV Commander in Chief Kelly Barrow 7
THE GILMOR BLADE Bruce and Nancy Null 2600 Masseth Avenue Baltimore, MD 21219 The Gilmor Blade is the monthly publication of the Col. Harry W. Gilmor Camp #1388, Sons of Confederate Veterans. SAVE THE DATES: Confederate Memorial Day at Loudon Park 6/6/15 Come early and help us set up for this event! June Camp meeting 6/10/15 Speaker: Brian Blake Topic: George Pickett: Patriot or Criminal