Volume XV. Issue 02 February 2012 B.G. Albert Pike Camp #1439 Gen Lewis A Armistead Camp # 1846 Cols Lewis & Harrison Camp # 1854 Gen William Steele Camp # 1857 Major Thomas J. Key Camp # 1920 South Kansas Camp # 2064 Confederate Civil War vessel H.L. Hunley, the world's first successful combat submarine, was unveiled in full and unobstructed for the first time on Thursday, capping a decade of careful preservation. "No one alive has ever seen the Hunley complete. We're going to see it today," engineer John King said as a crane at a Charleston conservation laboratory slowly lifted a massive steel truss covering the top of the submarine. About 20 engineers and scientists applauded as they caught the first glimpse of the intact 42-foot-long (13-meter-long) narrow iron cylinder, which was raised from the ocean floor near Charleston more than a decade ago. The public will see the same view, but in a water tank to keep it from rusting. "It's like looking at the sub for the first time. It's like the end of a long night," said Paul Mardikian, senior conservator since 1999 of the project to raise, excavate and conserve the Hunley. In the summer of 2000, an expedition led by adventurer Clive Cussler raised the Hunley and delivered it to the conservatory on Charleston's old Navy base, where it sat in a 90,000-gallon tank of fresh water to leach salt out of its iron hull. On weekdays, scientists drain the tank and work on the sub. On weekends, tourists who before this week could only see an obstructed view of the vessel in the water tank, now will be able to see it unimpeded. Considered the Confederacy's stealth weapon, the Hunley sank the Union warship Housatonic in the winter of 1864, and then disappeared with all eight Confederate sailors inside. The narrow, top-secret "torpedo fish," built in Mobile, Ala., by Horace Hunley from cast iron and wrought iron with a handcranked propeller, arrived in Charleston in 1863 while the city was under siege by Union troops and ships. In the ensuing few months, it sank twice after sea trial accidents, killing 13 crew members, including Horace Hunley, who was steering. INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1. H.L. Hunley Viewed 2. Editor-in-Chief Report 3. Around the Division 4. Division Calendar 5. H.L. Hunley Viewed Continued 6. Last Month s Trivia Answer 7. Key Camp event 8. Two Real Sons passed 9. Recruitment, Camp Meetings Camp Information 1
I have received several comments and/or questions as to what happened to the Commanders Corner in the Newsletter. My only answer is that time is of an essence. I placed the first Comments from the Commander in the Newsletter back in May of 2007 and stared the Commanders Corner in September of the same year. Apparently, since that time may readers have enjoyed this part of the newsletter? When Commander Price took Command he made three entries, those were July, August, and September of 2011. In October, he was too weak to write a corner and then we lost him in November. Commander Erickson is still trying to get things in proper prospective for his command and will soon be adding his comments I hope. Until that time, since this part of the newsletter has become so popular I decided to add my own. I guess the most sensible topic right now would be resolutions. Those simple little promises made by most people around the first of the year. You know the ones! Simple little self-gestures such as loosing weight, quitting smoking, spending more time with family. While were in the mood of making our resolutions. Let me make s suggestion OR TWO. First off, let s try harder to make our camp meetings. In addition, what is a meeting visit without the company of a friend? Some of the members of the Division have never been to a camp meeting. It s sad to think they pay their dues and yet never experience the fellowship of other members who appreciate the meaning of our cause and education that can be received at these meetings. Secondly, Our Division was graced with the chance of having H.K. Edgerton as a speaker for our 2012 Division Convention but due to the cost of his trip from South Carolina and other expenses the need was felt to search else where this year. H. K. Edgerton is a black Southern heritage activist and former president of the NAACP's Asheville, North Carolina, branch. H.K. Edgerton is one of America's most prominent pro-confederate activists. Edgerton is a strong pro-confederate advocate working against what he considers racially divisive politics and historical misinterpretation. He continues as a popular public speaker at many pro-southern heritage events. However Due to the lack of funds, the Division could not afford to sponsor him this year. Many are now asking the question, Where does our dues money go? The Division treasury is very healthy at this point. Were not at a loss for funds. However, that is our general fund. The Annual Convention is set to fund itself with the participation of members and Auction at the end. No monies from the General fund are used to promote or support the Convention. With the low participation of our members and loss of Auction bidding, the Convention just covers the set up fees with the cost of the book, meal, and meeting place cost. With that said, let us make the second suggestion. Each Camp set a donation box at their meetings for the sole purpose of collecting for Convention assistance. Each member who is able will give a donation as they visit the Camp. The Camp adjutant will faithfully pass the donation on to the Division Treasure and those funds be kept in a separate fund set for the Convention. With all luck by 2013, the Division will be able to support such Speakers from distance without drawing from the general fund. There is so much more we can do for the cause that we never think of. By attending meetings with a friend and collocating donations for the convention, who know what we can accomplish? Editor-In-Chief Denver L Erickson 2
Dispatches from the Front Camp Agendas B.G. Albert Pike Camp # 1439 Feb 11. No Report Lewis A. Armistead Camp # 1847 Feb 11 No Report Col s Lewis & Harrison Camp #1854 Feb 17 Open Discussion on the War William Steele Camp# 1857 Feb 09 No Report Maj. Thomas J. Key Camp # 1920 Feb 02 Master Gunmaker Jim Turpin One-of-a-kind hand made flintlock fire-arms South Kansas Camp # 2064 Feb 9 Phil Boerstler will be giving a presentation on WBTS flags and currenc y. Confederate Enlistment Why not cross this fence and join the SCV brother? New Recruits Brig.Gen. Albert Pike Camp # 1439 None Brig.Gen. Lewis A. Armistead Camp # 1847 None Any Member Wanting To run For The Office Of Brigade Commander For The Indian Brigade Or The Border Brigade Needs To Send Qualifications And Biographical Sketch To Division Adjutant Paul Honaker No Later Than February 20 th So That They Can Be Published In the March Newsletter Division Oratory Contest Topic: You, Captain William C. Quantrill Capture James H. Lane and Charles Jennison in Lawrence on August 21, 1863. What are your plans for them?. Intelligence from the Wire Events in Kansas Division February 11 - Key Camp recruiting and display table at Leavenworth Militaria Show at Leavenworth Riverfront Community Center 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Member of Thomas J. Key Camp #1907 set up a display of weapons and equipment for kids to see Jan 27 th at Eisenhower Elementary School on Fort Leavenworth. Full Story and Photos on Page 7 Col s Lewis & Harrison Camp #1854 None Brig.Gen. William Steele Camp# 1857 None Major Thomas J. Key Camp # 1920 None South Kansas Camp # 2064. Olin McKellip 3rd Great Uncle, Pvt. Ransom Green, Co. H, 11th MO Infantry Zachrey Hart 4th Great Uncle Pvt. Ellis Jones Walton, Co. B, 27th GA. Infantry Denton Warn Private Balaam Teter, Co. C, 62nd Virginia Mounted Infantry 3
Letters Generals Blue Letters Camp Meetings Black Letters Camp Members Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 5. Paul Allen B-Day Key Camp 6. Maj Gen Wm Pender DOB 1834 N.C. Maj Gen J E B Stuart DOB 1833 Va. B G John B Gordon DOB 1832 GA 7. John & Joyce Handley 51 st Wedding Anniv Pike Camp 1. 2 Camp #1920 Gen Albert Johnston DOB. 1803 Wash, KN 8. Lt.Gen. Rich S. Ewell DOB 1817 D.C. B G Alfred M. Scales DOD 1892 Greensboro Sarah Renee Price w/o Compatriot David Price B-Day 9. Camp #2064 Camp #1857 3. Gen Joseph Johnston DOB 1807, Virginia. B G Geo. Anderson DOB 1824 Georgia B G Wm Barksdale DOD 1895 N.C. 10. Cameron Weir B-Day Key Camp 4. 11 Camp #1439 Camp #1847 12. David Stearns B-Day Key Camp 13. Dr. Bob Littlejohn B-Day Key Camp. 14. Denver & Jo Erickson 29 th Anniv Harrison Camp B G Alfred Iverson DOB 1829 Georgia 15. Marshal Clark B-Day Lewis & Harrison Camp 16. BG John Imoden DOB 1823 Virginia Chip Buckner B-Day Key Camp 17. 18. Camp #1854 B.G Lewis Armistead DOB 1817 N Carolina,. 19. M.Gen J. Magruder DOD 1871 Texas 20. Gen P. T. Beauregard DOD 1893 Louisiana 21. Jimmy Sanders B-Day Lewis & Harrison Camp 22. 23. 24. Ed Ziembinsky & Garret Hayden B-Day Key Camp 25. 26. 27. 28. M.G. J E B Stuart Gen Jos. E. Johnston Gen. P. T. Beauregard Gen Albert Johnston MG John Magruder LG. Richard Ewell BG Lewis Armistead BG John Gordon BG John Imoden BG Alfred Iverson BG Alfred M. Scales BG Wm. Barksdale BG Geo. T Anderson Maj Gen W.M. Pender 4
(H.L. Hunley Viewed Continued) "There are historical references that the bodies of one crew had to be cut into pieces to remove them from the submarine," Mardikian told Reuters. "There was forensic evidence when they found the bones (between 1993 and 2004 in a Confederate graveyard beneath a football stadium in Charleston) that that was true." The Confederate Navy hauled the sub up twice, recovered the bodies of the crew, and planned a winter attack. On the night of Feb. 17, 1864, its captain and seven crew left Sullivan's Island near Charleston, and hand-powered the sub to the Union warship four miles (6.4 kilometers) offshore. From a metal spar on its bow, the Hunley planted a 135-pound (61-kilogram) torpedo in the hull of the ship, which burned and sank. Some historians say that the submarine showed a mission-accomplished lantern signal from its hatch to troops back on shore before it disappeared. Mardikian has the lantern, which archaeologists found in the submarine more than a century later, in his laboratory. Scientists removed 10 tons of sediment from the submarine, along with the bones, skulls and even brain matter of the crew members, Mardikian told Reuters. They also found fabric and sailors' personal belongings. Facial reconstructions were made of each member of the third and final crew. They are displayed along with other artifacts in a museum near the submarine. In a nearby vault is a bent gold coin that archaeologists also found in the submarine. It was carried by the sub's captain, Lieutenant George Dixon, for good luck after it stopped a bullet from entering his leg during the Battle of Shiloh in 1862. "The submarine was a perfect time capsule of everything inside," said Ben Rennison, one of three maritime archaeologists on the project. The Hunley Project is a partnership among the South Carolina Hunley Commission, Clemson University Restoration Institute, the Naval Historical Center and the nonprofit Friends of the Hunley. The nonprofit group raised and spent $22 million on the project through 2010, a spokeswoman told Reuters. The next phase of the project will be to remove corrosion on the iron hull and reveal the submarine's skin, preserve it with chemicals, and eventually display it in open air, Mardikian said. Scientists have found the vessel to be a more sophisticated feat of engineering than historians had thought, said Michael Drews, director of Clemson's Warren Lasch Conservation Center. "It has the ballast tanks fore and aft, the dive planes were counterbalanced, the propeller was shrouded," Drews said. "It's just got all of the elements that the modern submarines have, updated." There were previous submarines, Drews said, but the Hunley, designed to sail in the open ocean and built for warfare, was cutting-edge technology at the time. "Dixon's mission was to attack and sink an enemy ship and he did," Drews said. "At that particular time, the mindset of naval warfare was, basically, big ships sink little ships. Little ships do not sink big ships. And the Hunley turned that upside down." HUNLEY TOURS are available every Saturday from 10 AM - 5 PM and Sunday Noon 5 PM. Last tour begins at 4:40 PM. Tours are not available on weekdays so scientists can continue their work preserving the Hunley for future generations. Tours are not available on Easter Sunday. Tickets ordered in advance are $12.00 plus a service charge and can be purchased by either calling toll-free 1-877-448-6539 (1-877-4HUNLEY) or at www.etix.com (links to specific dates listed below). Children under 5 are free. Walk-up tickets are also available on a first come, first serve basis. These tickets do not have a service charge. Tickets for Friends of the Hunley members, senior citizens, and military are discounted to $10.00. If you are eligible for this discount, please purchase your ticket at the door. The Hunley is located at: Warren Lasch Conservation Center 1250 Supply Street (on the old Charleston Navy Base) North Charleston, South Carolina 29405 5
Can you name the only enlisted man, North or South, who today has a sculptured monument to his military service in the North and the South? At first glance, this would seem a rather awkward reality. Given the divisive nature of that war, how could such a thing be? Indeed, to this day, some both North and South are still out there refighting that war. And after a hundred and fifty years, we can t even agree on what to call it! We received a number of answers some in the postings at the bottom of the article as well as individual emails and it didn t take long for several of you to correctly ID Confederate Sgt. Richard Kirkland of South Carolina as the correct answer. Yes, the Angel of Marye s Heights is remembered in stone and bronze both in the North and the South. We reviewed here on Examiner a recent movie about him this past spring. Next Months Question So who was the last slave-owner to be His likeness is prominently displayed outside the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, bent over a fallen enemy with a canteen offering water virtually the same pose Felix de Weldon used in 1965 for the Kirkland Monument along Fredericksburg s Sunken Road where this valorous action happened on 14 December 1862. But if the image of a noble, heroic Confederate soldier gives some of you pause, you may want to reexamine how you, personally, visit history. In particular, do you regard our civil war as a long past contest between good and evil? With evil vanquished? (And now it s best we move on?) Or does this Kirkland story hint that things might not be so black and white as you once thought? That both sides brought their good and bad to the table? And that perhaps the history of this terrible time is not as cut and dried as you were taught? US president? This year s guest speaker at the Kansas Division Convention in emporia Kansas will be retired USMC Master Sergent Paul R Petersen, award winning author of Quantrill of Missouri, Quantrill in Texas and the newly released Quantrill at Lawrence. Petersen will cover a wide variety of topics in his lecture. He is what many consider an expert on Missouri Partisan Ranger, William Quantrill and will reveale many previously known facts about the Missouri guerrilla fighter, his tactics and how they affect modern day warfare. A veteran of the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi freedom, Petersen will emphasize that Quantrill was a legitimate military leader. So much so that his methods of warfare are taught to our military today. We ll have a Complete Bio on Master Sergeant Petersen s Bio in Next Month s edition 6
Every year the Eisenhower Elementary School on Fort Leavenworth celebrates Kansas Day the last Friday of January. The Major Thos J. Key Camp #1920 and Gen Wm Steele Camp have participated numerous years in the past and were inviterd again this year. The Camps set up a display of weapons and equipment for the kids to see. They answer the children's questions about the artifacts and their uniform etc Other items displayed by others are like apple cider making, broommaking, Civil War, Buffalo Soldiers, lace tatting, candle dipping etc They are first through sixth grade. It brings history alive for them. 27 January -- Eisenhower Elementary School, Fort Leavenworth. Program: 0800-1200 hrs This year the Key Camp participants were 1st Lt Cmdr Lee Crutchfield, Compatriot Mike Smith, and Cndr Spike Speicher. Photos were by Steele Camp Commander Neal Hanley If your camp is having or had an activity and you need to boast or advertise. Put it in the Newsletter. Send Photos and Story and we will get it printed 7
Last real sons of a Confederate veterans James Brown Sr., 99, of Tellico Village, one of the last real sons of a Confederate veteran, died Thursday afternoon in a Farragut nursing home, his son, James Brown, said Saturday afternoon. James Brown Sr.'s father, James H.H. Brown, served in the 8th Georgia Infantry's Company K and fought throughout the Civil War. Mr. Brown would've turned 100 on Valentines's Day. Norman Shaw, founder of the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable, recalled meeting Mr. Brown. "It is definitely a direct connection to the past when you can say this gentleman's father fought in the Civil War," he said. "We call them real sons and real daughters of Confederate veterans." James Brown said his grandfather was 71 when his father, James Brown Sr., was born in 1912. "My Dad and I are so lucky to be alive," James Brown recalled. James H.H. Brown joined the Confederate army at the beginning of the Civil War and fought in 19 major battles, including Manassas, Gettysburg, Chattanooga, Campbell Station and Fort Sanders. "He made it to the end at Appomattox with the surrender of Lee and then he walked back home," James Brown said. "He was wounded twice and, back then with the medical situation, he could've had a leg lopped off and bled to death." James Brown said his father was 11 when James H.H. Brown died. He said his grandfather wasn't bitter with former Union soldiers. "I always remember about my grandfather telling my dad he had nothing against Yankees," James Brown said. "They were good men and he was a good man. It was just something they had to do." Brown Sr. also had a daughter by a second wife. Mr. Brown lived in Tucson, Ariz., for 19 years and was close to his daughter's family, his son said. Mr. Brown had lung cancer two years ago and had treatment. His son said Mr. Brown's health began to deteriorate quickly in the past few weeks. "At 100, everything starts to wear out. He went very quietly. He went in peace, comfortable without pain," his son said. "He had a ton of friends who came down to see him the last couple days. He was a popular man, a real country gentleman. He enjoyed people and they enjoyed him." A memorial service is set for 11 a.m. Feb. 14 at Tellico Village Community Church. Click Funeral Home in Lenoir City is in charge of arrangements. The late Lucas Meredith holding an image of his father, Confederate veteran Lucas Meredith Lucas L. Meredith, Jr., 87, of Dewitt, Virginia, passed away on January 28, 2012. Born in 1924 to the late Lucas L. and Mary Francis Gregory Meredith, Mr. Meredith was a Navy Veteran of World War II, seeing service in the Pacific. He owned the Flower Mart in Petersburg for more than half a century. Mr. Meredith was a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Camp A. P. Hill, #167. A memorial service honoring his life will be held at 11 am, Saturday, February 4, at Rocky Run Methodist Church, Dewitt, Virginia. A typical obituary anyone might read from a sleepy, small Southern town? Not in the case of this American! You see, Mr. Meredith s late father Lucas L. Meredith, Sr., who passed away in 1927 was also a veteran a Confederate veteran! Which across the Old South, makes his son a real son. Mr. Meredith s father--born on March 15, 1842, in DeWitt, Virginia--was sworn into the Confederate Army at Dinwiddie Court House on May 23, 1861. His uncle his father s older brother, James took the strongest horse in the family stable and joined the 3rd Virginia Cavalry, serving under Gen. J. E. B. Stuart as a corporal. His dad ended up in the infantry: Private Lucas L. Meredith, Co. C, 3rd Virginia Infantry, Kemper s Brigade, Pickett s Division. Both brothers would survive the war. Captured at Five Forks in early April 1865, Lucas Meredith trudged back from a POW camp to Dewitt a few weeks later, returning to farming, yet eventually becoming a licensed veterinarian. In 1996, your correspondent met Pvt. Meredith s namesake son in Richmond. As we both had relatives in Maj. Gen. George Pickett s Division his father in the 3rd Virginia of Kemper s Brigade, my great, great grandfather in the 9th Virginia of Armistead s Brigade it seemed we might connect on a few points of common interest. Yet truth be told, yours truly was totally entranced, hearing Mr. Meredith tell how his father at one point in Pickett s Charge had actually carried forth one of the regimental or company standards. Personally, it was a marvelous, memorable meeting. Yet we both realized on parting, that had both our ancestors died at the High Water Mark that third day of July, 1863, we both would not exist. R.I.P., Mr. Meredith. 8
If you have an article you would like printed in the News Letter. Contact Newsletter Editor at derickson18@cox.net. Editing may be done in the sense of letter size and extraction of some pictures depending on the size. All items need to be submitted no less that three days before the 1 st of the Month. Kansas Division Color/Honor Guard Available Compatriot Gerald V. Spaur of the BG Albert Pike Camp #1439 is suited and ready for the occasion. Gerald is prepared for the opportunity to be present as a Color Guard for your event, or to take on the responsibility of Honor Guard for the passing of a family member, friend or compatriot where an honorguard is needed. Gerald will go anywhere in Kansas and be available for any and all Military services for compatriots, family members, and friends. Feel free to contact Gerald at 2947 Walnut Wichita Kansas 67217-3128 Phone: 316-524-2555 KANSAS DIVISION CAMP MEETINGS GEN. ALBERT PIKE CAMP #1439 MAJOR THOMAS J. KEY CAMP #1920 LOCATION: Ryan s Steak House LOCATION: Zarda Bar-B-Q 3323 North Rock Road. Wichita, Kansas 11931 W 87 th St. Lenexa, Kansas. DATE: Second (2 ND ) Saturday each month DATE: First (1 st ) Thursday each month TIME: 11:30 am fellowship 12:30 Meeting TIME: 6:30 pm. fellowship, 7:00pm. Meeting COLONELS LEWIS & HARRISON CAMP #1854 SOUTH KANSAS CAMP #2064 LOCATION: Westside Christian Church, LOCATION: Rockwell Branch Library 432 SW Lindenwood, Topeka, Kansas. 5939 E 9 th Street, Wichita, Kansas. DATE: Third (3 rd ) Saturday each Month DATE: Second 2 nd Thursday each Month TIME: 09:30 Fellowship 10:00 Meeting TIME: 6:00 pm. GEN. LEWIS A. ARMISTEAD CAMP #1847 GEN. WILLIAM STEELE CAMP #1857 LOCATION: Public Library LOCATION: High Noon Saloon Technical Conference Ctr. Rm. Star of the West Room 301 East Elm, Salina, Ks. 206 Choctaw St. Leavenworth, KS 66048. DATE: Second (2 nd ) Saturday each Month DATE: Second (2 nd ) Thursday each Month TIME 1:00-1:30 fellowship, 1:00-2:30 Meeting TIME: 6:30 pm. Fellowship 7:00 pm. Meeting 9
The Kansas Division Sons of Confederate Veterans 190 NW Hawthorn St. Topeka, Kansas. 66606 COMPATRIOT 10