The Bear Flag PaTrioTs The Official News of the Missouri Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans Issue XII Gary G. Ayres, Editor Aeternus Eternus - John J. Bates, Editor Oct. 2014 Thoughts from the porch Howdy Y all. First and foremost, I would like to humbly apologize for the tardiness of this issue of our newsletter. It has been a very busy summer for the family of the Missourah Division. Things around here got kicked off with a blast, in spite of the inclement weather, at the Confederate Memorial Day at Higginsville in June. There was a strong representation of our Division members to pay respect to our heroes who crossed over Jordan; those brave and noble Confederate Soldiers who fought the tyrannical yankee invaders. Our heroes and their cause shall not be forgotten! In addition to paying our respects to our Gray Gladiators, there was a joyous celebration in the beautiful old Confederate Chapel with the joining of your editor, and his sweetheart, in Holy Matrimony. Thank you Reverend Jon Warren for officiating this union before God.
Also in June, was the dedication of the Confederate Chaplain s Memorial, at the Riverview Cemetery, in the capital of our sovereign State. Bells rang out for each Missourah Confederate Chaplain. This monument is, by the best of my knowledge, the first of it s kind to honor our Southern Ministers of the Gospel. The day for this ceremony turrned out to be absolutely beautiful. This ceremony was the culmination of a lot of hard work by many members of this Division. Thank you to Chaplain Ollie Sappington, Dr. Jon Warren, Commander Darrell Maples, the Missourah Division members, the owners of the Riverview Cemetery, and to our Almighty Creator, for blessing us with the ability to make this idea become a reality. For more information about the Confederate Chaplain s Memorial, please read the following articles from our beloved Chaplain and Historian. MISSOURI DIVISION DEDICATES CHAPLAIN MONUMENT The Missouri Division-SCV made history as more than 60 compatriots and friends gathered to dedicate its monument to honor Missouri's Confederate Chaplains. This monument dedication service took place in the historic Riverview Cemetery in Jefferson City (the State Capitol) on Saturday, June 14th. The idea to erect a Chaplain monument was suggested over a year earlier at the Chaplain Corps meeting during the Annual Division Reunion. The monument, with a projected cost of $3,300.00, took a giant step closer to becoming a reality, thanks to the kindness and generosity of the Missouri Division Executive Council and the Missouri Division-Military Order of the Stars and Bars. At the Missouri Secession Day Dinner (October, 2013), Society Commander Larry Yeatman presented a gift of $500.00 to the monument fund on behalf of the Society. Following this generous gift was loan for the remaining balance of $2,800.00, pledged by Missouri Division Commander Darrell Maples on behalf of the Missouri Division. Commander Maples then shared that the Executive Council voted unanimously to underwrite this $2,800.00 balance owed in order to ensure the Chaplain monument would become a reality.
This entire project was a team effort from the beginning. After the Division Executive Council and the Missouri Society-MOSB made a commitment with their funding, Camps and compatriots donated toward the monument. The weather forecast on June 14th called for rain throughout the day as early morning preparations for the Monument Dedication were underway. Thankfully, the rain never materialized, leaving a partly sunny day for attendees to enjoy. The monument was veiled with an oversized Missouri Confederate Battle Flag. To add a level of solemness and respect to the service, a friend of the SCV brought an original 1855 horse-drawn hearse and positioned it near the monument. The ceremony began with the posting of colors by re-enactors. Other than Division Commander serving as Emcee, most of the speaking parts--including prayers, address, dedication and reading of the names and units of the 41 known Missouri Confederate Chaplains--were conducted by the Division and Camp Chaplains. In this manner, these contemporary Southern "men of God" paid honor to their historical forbearer by reading the names and units of the 41 identified Missouri Confederate Chaplains. Reading of each Confederate Chaplain name was followed by one ring of an antique hand bell. After all of the names were read, a rifle salute was presented. A big special thanks goes to the men of the 2nd Missouri Artillery who brought their 12-pound Napoleon cannon over 100 miles to fire it in honor and remembrance of Missouri Chaplains. Division Historian Gene Dressel provided the music that is associated Southern gatherings by playing Amazing Grace on his harmonica, followed by Dixie which offered the opportunity for a festive sing-along leading up the retrieval of the colors for the conclusion of the event. The monument is four feet wide by almost six feet tall of gray granite, with an enlarged colored likeness of the SCV Rev. J. William Jones Christian Service Award. This likeness received approval from the National SCV Executive Council because the Award reflects the original Christian service by the Confederate Chaplains. In conferring with SCV Past Chaplain-in-Chief Dr. H. Rondel Rumburg, he said the only monument he knew of honoring the Confederate Chaplain is the brass plaque in the chapel of the old United Confederate Veteran Soldiers' Home in Richmond, VA. Our Missouri Confederate Chaplain Monument may well be the first and only SCV monument to the Confederate Chaplain. If so, it is long overdue! We can only hope and pray that this Missouri monument will be an inspiration and encouragement for other divisions to honor the Confederate Chaplains of their States. This monument of granite will stand as a testimony to generations yet unborn of our respect, admiration, and appreciate for Missouri Confederate Chaplains and their love, dedication, and sacrifice. Their sharing of God's gift of salvation with their fellow soldiers as well as ministering to the daily spiritual needs of those soldiers deserves no less. Donations toward the cost of the Chaplain Monument are not only appreciated but still greatly needed! The donation levels are: Captain level - $5.00-$49.00, Major level - $50.00-$99.00, Colonel level - $100.00- $499.00, General level - $500.00 and above. Each donor will be awarded a special certificate and be listed in the THE "BEAR FLAG" PATRIOTS Division newsletter. This is your opportunity to make Southern history by financially supporting the Missouri Confederate Chaplain Monument fund drive!
Please send your donations, payable to Missouri Division-SCV and noted "Chaplain Monument," to: Paul E. Lawrence, Division Adjutant 280 North West 75th Road Centerview, MO 64019 THANK YOU in advance. Yours in Christ and SCV Brotherhood, Oliver E. Sappington, Division Chaplain From the desk of the division historian On June 14th 2014 the Missouri Division installed the first ever monument to the Chaplain Corps. It was a beautiful ceremony and very fitting for the occasion. There have been forty-one Missouri chaplains identified so far, most from the book Faith in the Fight;Civil War Chaplains. While doing research at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis we came across a few more, and even though they may not exactly fit the criteria of strictly Missouri Chaplains they certainly deserve recognition. The first is a very prominent name in theological history; Bishop Enoch Mather Marvin. He was born in a log cabin near Peruque Creek in Warren County, Missouri, and was a descendant of the prominent New England preacher Cotton Mather. At the age of seventeen he was converted to Methodism, and a year later he was licensed to preach in the Missouri Conference of Methodist Circuit Riders. He soon proved that he was a preacher of unusual power especially among the common people of his 300 mile circuit along the Missouri-Iowa border. By 1855 he was pastor of the largest Methodist congregation in Missouri. When the War Against the States began, Chaplain Marvin joined the Confederate Army and served in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas ministering to the Missouri troops of the Army of the Trans-Mississippi. Some of the greatest preaching of his career were his sermons to the soldiers in the camps, and hundreds were converted as a result of his appeals. After the war he moved to Marshall, Texas where he was chosen bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. and served in that capacity for the rest of his life. Bishop Marvin wrote many books on theology, and dedicated his life to the improvement of missions in Indian Territory. When General Sterling Price passed away in September of 1867, he lay in state at the First Methodist Episcopal Church at 8th and Washington Avenue in St. Louis, and it was reported that Bishop Marvin officiated, although we have yet to substantiate that claim. Bishop Marvin passed away in St. Louis on November 26, 1877 and is buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery. sources; Dictionary of American Biographies Life and Labors of Enoch Mather Marvin by T.M. Finney (1880) The Centennial Volume of Missouri Methodism (1907) Encyclopedia of Methodism (1882) St. Louis Globe Democrat November 28, 1877
Another prominent Confederate theologian buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery is Reverend Patrick G. Robert. Reverend Robert was born in Richmond, Virginia on December 16th 1827. He was educated at the Richmond Academy, and in 1850 graduated from the Episcopal Theological Seminary near Alexandria, Virginia. When the War Against the States began Reverend Robert was rector of Christ Church, Smithfield, Virginia. Through the efforts of General Leonidas Polk (who was also a bishop in the Episcopal Church) he was able to secure a commission as chaplain for the 2nd Louisiana Infantry. Reverend Robert served with this command till 1862 when he was transferred to the 34th Heavy Artillery at Yorktown, Virginia. The 34th later became the 34th Infantry Regiment in General Wise s Brigade. At the end of the war the brigade was in the final battles around Petersburg and were finally surrendered at Appomattox. After the war Reverend Robert moved to Little Rock, Arkansas briefly, and then to St. Louis where he became rector of the Parish of Holy Communion. P.G. Robert was also an active member of Camp #731 United Confederate Veterans in St. Louis. His wife Elizabeth (Scott) Robert, founded the Margaret McLure Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and was president of that chapter for thirteen years. Reverend P.G. Robert passed away on September 26th 1904 and is buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis. Sources; Encyclopedia of the History of St. Louis Hyde volume IV p. 1927 Confederate Veteran Magazine 1898 p. 520 & 1904 p. 543 Respectfully submitted; Gene Dressel Missouri Division Historian Congratulations goes out to Missouri s own Utz Camp for winning this year s coveted SCV General Nathan Bedford Forrest Award. This prestigious award is for all of their hard work in achieving the greatest gain in membership.
In August, Searcy Camp erected a gravestone for William Robinson Stewart, a former member Quantrill s Guerrillas, who was participated in the sacking of the retched Jayhawk community of Lawrence. Although the heat was almost unbearable, Searcy Camp did a great job and Commander Mark Stuart gave a fantastic speech, Why Go to the Bush. The Gates Camp had a very successful dedication of the monument for the mass grave at Moore s Mill in July. This was another Missouri Division event with strong membership presence. Well done Gates Camp! September saw the success of the 150 th Anniversary of the Battle of Centralia. This was a great recruiting opportunity for the Division. We had an outstanding showing of membership present with seven Missourah Camps being represented. Congratulations to Jack Chance for an event well done! Standing tall along I-70 since May 2014
2014 MISSOURI SECESSION DAY Right around the corner is the MISSOURI Division s Secession Day celebration. Please make plans to come and join us for an evening of family fellowship, dining, and entertainment.
editor s ThoughTs on The FuTure Like each and every Compatriot I have spoken with in the Missouri Division, I am fed up with the unwarranted attacks upon our homeland, our ancestors, and the principles of selfgovernance upon which they fought and died for; in other words, our uniquely Southern heritage. I believe the burning question of our time is: How do we combat 150 years of blatant yankee postwar lies and win? The simple answer is through education; relentless education of those ignorant to the facts of why the War of Yankee Aggression occurred. Remember, we are battling 150 years of outright lies from a bureaucracy hostile to individual freedom, states rights, and limited central government. However, I believe the education process must start with educating ourselves. We must become better educated and better mentally prepared to wage battle against our foes. We must seize every opportunity to strike with the bayonet of factual knowledge. However, it is my opinion education alone is as ineffectual as a bayonet is without a rifle. In our case, the rifle must be statesmanship! What is statesmanship? According to dictionary.reference.com, statesmanship is the ability, qualifications, or practice of a statesman; wisdom and skill in the management of public affairs. In other words, a person with wisdom and skill in managing civic matters. Our ancestors were statesmen! Each of us must strive to become statesmen. The survival of our heritage demands it and honoring our heritage requires it. This means developing the ability to become astute, charismatic, and well-spoken public orators on matters of Southern heritage. In the politically correct race-baiting insane world we live in today, our heritage has become the whipping boy of the public at large; an important civil matter. It is time to change from a posture of defending our ancestors and what they stood for. It is time to be proactive by educating others at every opportunity with the TRUTH! We must always do so with our colors leading the charge! Strike early and often with the bayonet of knowledge!