RUCKER RANGERS Newsletter Published Monthly May 2012 Gen. Edmond Winchester Rucker Chapter #2534 United Daughters of the Confederacy Enterprise, Alabama NEXT MEETING: Thursday, May 10, 2012, 4:30 pm Citizens Bank Community Room, Enterprise Program: Sam Davis (Marie Koach) Refreshments: Holly Muller Coffee County Rangers Camp #911 12th Ala. Inf. Regt., Co D Sons of Confederate Veterans Enterprise, Alabama NEXT MEETING: Thursday, May 10, 2012, 7:00 pm Citizens Bank Community Room, Enterprise Program: Election of Officers and Appointment of Committees Refreshments: Ronald DeVaughan Drinks: Robert Forbes Children of the Confederacy Chapter Rucker s Belles and Beaux, and Camp 911 Cadets will meet at the Pea River Historical Society Library at 108 S. Main St., Enterprise, May 10, at 7:00 pm for their regular program and refreshments. For more information about CofC or the Cadets, contact Daniel and Kim Larson. UPCOMING EVENTS May Installation of Chapter Officers May 10, 2012 June The First White House of the Confederacy Annual Jefferson Davis Birthday Party Monday, June 4, 2012 at 11:00 am at The First White House in Montgomery. Guest Speaker will be Murfee Gewin. Alabama Division SCV Reunion June 8, 9, 10, 2012 will be hosted by Capt. John Rayburn Camp 452 at Lake Guntersville State Park Lodge, Marshall County. Keynote speaker will be Walter D. Kennedy OFFICERS UDC SCV President/Treasurer Shirley H. Edberg Commander Joe E. Clark, Jr. Vice President Patsy Ann Richter 1 st Lt. Commander James Rowell 2 nd Vice President Holly Muller 2 nd Lt. Commander Mack Lott Secretary Lavinia Helms Adjutant James E. Edberg
MAY BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES May 10, 1863 Death of Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson May 1, 1863 The Second National Flag, the "Stainless Banner" was officially adopted by the Confederate Congress. May 11, 1864 Battle of Yellow Tavern, Henrico County, Virginia. May 1-6, 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia, General Lee's "perfect battle". May 12, 1864 Death of Maj. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart of wounds received at Yellow Tavern. May 3, 1861 The Confederate Congress approved Bill 102, authorizing the appointment of chaplains in the Confederate Army; the appointments were to expire whenever the existing war shall terminate. May 5-7, 1864 Battle of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania County and Orange County, Virginia May 6, 1861 Arkansas and Tennessee secede. May 9-19, 1864 Battles around Spotsylvania Courthouse, Spotsylvania County, Virginia May 12-13, 1865 Battle of Palmitto Ranch, Texas (last battle of the war). May 13-15, 1864 Battle of Resaca, Georgia. May 20, 1861 North Carolina secedes; Confederate capital moved from Montgomery to Richmond.
Confederate History & Heritage Luncheon April 14 Gen. Edmond Winchester Rucker Chapter celebrated Confederate History and Heritage Month with its annual luncheon on April 14. President, Shirley Edberg, presided. After our Ritual, there was a moving Roll Call of Confederate Veterans while memorial candles were lit. Georgia Fleming read the poem Confederate Memorial Day. Four Military Service Awards were bestowed. Faye Bardolf read a poem, An American Veteran, written by her brother Roy Johnson, a veteran of the Vietnam War. The recipients of the Awards gave us some remembrances of their service. Members and guests enjoyed a delicious covered dish meal, and we adjourned with Blest Be the Tie That Binds. Gwen Kolkman lit candles in memory of ancestors of UDC and SCV members and guests. Global War on Terror Crosses of Military Service were presented to Lt. Col. Michael Keith Bardolf and CWO3 Woody Rowell Woodson. A posthumous World War II Cross of Military Service for Jesse Archibald Johnson was accepted by his daughter Faye Johnson Bardolf. (L-R) CWO3 Woodson, Faye Bardolf, Lt. Col. Bardolf A National Defense Medal was presented to Faye Elizabeth Johnson Bardolf.
Grave Marker Dedication Ceremonies, April 22 A grave marker was dedicated honoring Pvt. John J. Donaldson, Jr., Co. A, 6 th Alabama Cavalry, on Sunday, April 22, 2012, at Evergreen Cemetery in Elba. Chapter President Shirley Edberg welcomed family and guests. The UDC and SCV conducted a Roll Call of Confederate veterans interred in Evergreen Cemetery. Debra Maddox Wilson, great-great-niece, presented a biography of John J. Donaldson, Jr. Tim Donaldson, great-great-nephew, unveiled the marker and read the inscription. Members of Co E, 15 th Alabama Infantry Regiment, performed a gun salute and a canteen salute.
Grave markers were dedicated at Mt. Gilead Baptist Church Cemetery in Coffee County, honoring Pvt. Jacob Y. Mock and Pvt. William R. Mock, Co. A, 33 rd Alabama Infantry, on Sunday, April 22. 2012. The markers were placed by Stuart Mock and Tim Mock, 3 rd great nephews of the Mock brothers. They are members of Coffee County Rangers Camp 911 and served as reenactors with the 15 th Alabama at the dedications. Co E, 15 th Alabama Infantry, performed a gun salute and a canteen salute. (L-R): Daniel Larson, Stuart Mock Kimberly S. Larson, great-great-granddaughter of William R. Mock and 3 rd great-niece of Jacob Y. Mock, presented biographies of the two soldiers. The markers were unveiled and read by Cassidy Larson, 3 rd greatgranddaughter of William R. Mock; wreaths were placed by Landon Larson, shown at right, 3 rd great-grandson of William R. Mock.
Geneva Festival on the Rivers, April 28-29, 2012 SCV members set up an information tent and participated in the Living History Camp at the Festival on the Rivers in Geneva, Geneva County. Ronald DeVaughan, Mack Lott, and Brian Fleming manned the information tent. Mack Lott Steve Lowery demonstrated the art of blacksmithing. Mark Howard explained surgical equipment used during the War Between the States to visitors.
Children of the Confederacy Chapter Rucker s Belles & Beaux received its official Charter. The Chapter, dated September 30 2011, is imprinted with the names of the Chapter s nineteen Charter Members. Members of the SCV, UDC, and Children of the Confederacy placed 160 flags on the graves of Confederate Veterans buried in eight cemeteries: Enterprise City Cemetery Evergreen Cemetery Mt. Gilead Baptist Church Cemetery Fairview Baptist Church Cemetery Woodland Grove Baptist Church Cemetery Pleasant Ridge Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery Chestnut Grove Cemetery New Hope Cemetery Children of the Confederacy Memorial Service and Flag Dedication, April 21 Confederate Memorial Park in Mountain Creek was the setting for the Children of the Confederacy s Confederate Memorial Day Service, and the dedication of the flags of the 10 th Alabama Cavalry Regiment and the 45 th Alabama Infantry Regiment at the Museum. Alabama Division Second Vice-President Donna Clark brought greetings from the Division at both events.
Mark Lott, Stuart Mock and Tim Mock at the Flag Dedication Ceremony. Cassidy Larson, President of Rucker s Belles and Beaux Chapter, gave a tribute to Veterans of All Wars. Gen. Edmond Winchester Rucker Chapter was proud to receive a framed flag from Afghanistan. We purchased a computer for the soldiers use, and have sent various items on holidays. The certificate reads: These Stars and Stripes were proudly flown on the 15 th day of November 2011, over the Craig Joint Theater Hospital at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan at the request of Chaplain Bailey in appreciation of your dedicated support. It represents the American resolve following the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 and bears witness to the destruction of terrorist forces threatening the freedom of the United States of America and the world.
Coffee County Commission Proclaims April Confederate History & Heritage Month Kim Ellis of the Coffee County Commission presents representatives of SCV Camp #911 Coffee County Rangers with the Proclamation naming April Confederate History and Heritage Month in Coffee County. The Proclamation reads: WHEREAS, April is the month in which the War Between the States began; and WHEREAS, April is the month the State of Alabama observes Confederate Memorial Day as a State Holiday; and WHEREAS, the history of the North-South conflict is a significant part of Alabama history, and WHEREAS, high among those burdens borne upon the shoulders of any citizenry is the burden of armed conflict, and WHEREAS, Alabamians have admirably answered the grim call to duty when beckoned, from the era of the musket to that of the missile, and WHEREAS, the Southern desire for Freedom gave birth in the city of Montgomery to the Confederate States of America, and WHEREAS, Alabamians again heeded the clarion with dignity, both at home and on the field of battle; and WHEREAS, upon the conclusion of the war, many of these same leaders and citizens worked tirelessly to reunite and rebuild this country and forge reconciliation; and WHEREAS, the knowledge of the role of the Confederate States of America in the history of our state and nation is vital to understanding who we are and what we are; and WHEREAS, we honor our past and from it draw the courage, strength and wisdom to reconcile ourselves and go forward into the future together as Alabamians and Americans: NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the Coffee County Commission that April 2012 is hereby proclaimed as Confederate History and Heritage Month. Presented this the 23 rd Day of April 2012.
Confederate Memorial Day at the Capitol, April 23 Representing Gen. Edmond Winchester Rucker Chapter at the Confederate Memorial Day services on April 23 in Montgomery (L-R): Donna Clark, Shirley Edberg, Laura Rowell, Holly Muller, and Pat Richter. The Tuscumbia Guard Col. William A. Johnson Camp 898 (photo by Leslie Kirk) Donna Clark (photo by Leslie Kirk) "To you, Sons of Confederate Veterans, we will commit 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 which he loves and which you love also, and those ideals which made him glorious and which you also cherish." -- Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Lee, Commander General, United Confederate Veterans New Orleans, Louisiana, April 25, 1906
IMPORTANT REMINDERS Please bring $2 to the UDC or SCV meeting. The Children of the Confederacy are collecting donations for the Flag Preservation Fund. Since it is the Sesquicentennial, their goal is to collect 150 each: dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. Your dollar bills will help them make the goal. The CoC will present the donation at the Division CoC Convention in June. Please save metal bottle caps to bring to the meeting. These will be used to make checkers for period games at the Battle of Newton. Ladies, continue to bring canned goods for the food pantry donation box; also cancelled stamps, old pairs of spectacles, and used cell phones. Confederate Trivia by Georgia Fleming May is the anniversary of the deaths of two of our great generals, Stonewall Jackson and J.E.B. Stuart. How much do you know about them? 1. Jackson s birthplace is now in what state? 2. What does J. E. B. stand for? 3. What Union officer was Stuart s father-in-law? 4. Where did Jackson first meet Robert E. Lee? 5. When Jackson was wounded at Chancellorsville, who took temporary command of his infantry corps? 6. What did Stuart develop for which he received a U.S. Patent and $5000 for a right-to-use license from the U.S. Government? 7. What nation named an American-made World War II tank after Gen. Stuart? 8. What was the informal name of Jackson s brigade before it became the Stonewall Brigade after First Manassas? 9. At what institution was Jackson employed as a professor before the War? 10. Who said of Stuart, He made me all that I was in the war.... But for his friendship I would never have been heard of.? Stuart and Jackson were an unlikely pair: one outgoing, the other introverted; one flashily uniformed, the other plainly dressed; one Prince Rupert and the other Cromwell. Yet Stuart's self-confidence, penchant for action, deep love of Virginia, and total abstinence from such vices as alcohol, tobacco, and pessimism endeared him to Jackson.... Stuart was the only man in the Confederacy who could make Jackson laugh and who dared to do so. -- James I. Robertson, Jr., Stonewall Jackson
VISIT OUR WEBSITES http://www.coffeecountyrangers.org/ http://www.flemingmultimedia.com/udc/e W Rucker 2534.html Camp 911 has a page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/scvcampenterprise/ Click on "Ask to Join Group." The Battle of Newton Committee now has its own website. Visit it at: http://www.battleofnewton.org/ Battle of Newton Committee supporters also have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/353992361301853/ TRIVIA ANSWERS (1) West Virginia, (2) James Ewell Brown, (3) Brig. Gen. Philip St. George Cooke, (4) Mexico, (5) Stuart, (6) a cavalry saber hook, (7) Britain - the M3 Stuart tank, (8) Virginia s First Brigade, (9) VMI, (10) Col John S. Mosby. ADVERTISING You can support the newsletter by buying and selling ads. Ads are 1/8 of a page, and cost $10. The ad can be commercial or personal (for example, birthday wishes or in honor of ancestors). All members are urged to buy and sell ads. Funds raised through sales of ads will be divided between Camp 911 and Gen. Edmond Winchester Rucker Chapter. Please help us make this a success. If you sell or wish to buy an ad, contact Brian or Georgia Fleming at 347-0017 or e- mail mpegcd@yahoo.com or hyacinth@ala.net. Gen. Edmond Winchester Rucker Chapter #2534 Welcomes New Member Christine Bearrentine 38 members MEMBERSHIP REPORT Rucker s Belles and Beaux # Children of the Confederacy 20 members Coffee County Rangers Camp #911 48 members, 4 cadets
Not for fame or fortune, not for place or rank, Not lured by ambition, or goaded by necessity, But in simple obedience to duty as they understood it, These men suffered all, sacrificed all, dared all and died. --- Rev. Randolph McKim Happy Birthday May 1 st to Rita Lott WVVL-FM - 100 N. Main St. Enterprise, AL 36330 from Preston, Will, Lee and Shelby FLEMING MULTIMEDIA COMPUTERS 122 S. Main St. Enterprise, AL 36330 334-347-0017 Brian Fleming, Owner Please patronize our advertisers and let them know you appreciate their ad in our newsletter. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less. -- Gen. Robert E. Lee