February Meeting--Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox, CSA

The Camp will meet at 7:30 P.M., on Thursday, February 11th, at All Saints Southern Episcopal Church, located at the corner of 46th and Park Avenue (just one block south of Charlotte Avenue), in West Nashville. Tennessee Division Commander Russell Bailey of Covington will present a program on a fighting general, Cadmus Wilcox.

Wilcox graduated with the famous West Point Class of 1846 in time to fight in Mexico, where he was cited for gallantry. In 1861 he resigned his commission and entered Confederate service, where he was assigned the command of a brigade in Longstreet's Division. He proved his worth during the Seven Days Campaign (where his Alabama troops sustained the heaviest casualties in the Confederate Army), and the Second Bull Run and Fredericksburg campaigns. It was during the Chancellorsville Campaign, however, at Salem Church, that Wilcox was to win lasting fame.

Find out what Wilcox did at Salem Church by attending the February meeting. Be sure to come out and meet Commander Bailey, a distinguished member of the SCV, who has attended 25 consecutive General Conventions. Bring friends and family with you. Arrive early for best seating. Doors open at 6:30 P.M.

Important! -- Dues Bulletin -- Important! Blood pressure going up! Palms getting sweaty! Possibly the only camp in the history of the SCV (with more than 100 members) to achieve a 100% retention rate from one year to the next is way behind this year. Pursuant to the bylaws of the SCV, the computer at IHQ will start trimming the roster this month. If you have not yet paid your dues for 1998-99, please submit them ($35) right away! Make your check payable to "Gen. Jos. E. Johnston Camp #28, SCV" and mail it to Camp #28, SCV, P.O. Box 40859, Nashville, TN 37204. If we don't stand up for Southern heritage, who will?

Forrest Camp to Bid for 2002

The General's Orders has been informed that the Nathan Bedford Forrest Camp #215 of Memphis will bid for the right to host the 2002 General Convention in Memphis. Members will recall that the Forrest Camp hosted the very outstanding 1998 Tennessee Division Reunion in Memphis. Accordingly, there is every reason to believe that the Forrest Camp, under the leadership of Alan Doyle, Lee Millar (W&L `71), and a host of others, will submit a very strong bid.

With the Forrest Camp's bid, there is no longer any reason for our camp to consider a bid for the 2002 General Convention. The Camp stands ready, of course, to assist the Forrest Camp in its bid and, if successful, its preparation for the General Convention.


Inclement Weather Policy (Revised)

In case of bad weather (snow, ice) on the day of any camp meeting, call the Camp's telephone number (780-3598) anytime after 6:15 P.M. for a recorded message. If the meeting has been canceled, a recorded message will say so. (If, on the other hand, the caller hears the Camp's standard message, the meeting has not been canceled.)

The Camp apologizes to any member or guest who missed the January meeting in reliance on the cancellation message he (or she) heard when calling the Camp's number. In fact, the meeting was officially canceled because at 5 P.M. conditions in most of the County were very poor. However, by 6:30, conditions had significantly improved. Unaware of the cancellation, about 27 men arrived for the meeting. Under the circumstances, the scheduled speaker, Joe Cooper, went forward with his superb program on Tennessee at Gettysburg.

By delaying a decision until 6:15 P.M., in the future the Camp hopes to avoid any possible confusion on whether or not a meeting has been canceled.

Command Post By Bob Notestine - Camp Commander I would like to apologize for the confusion surrounding the January meeting as to whether or not the camp meeting would be called off due to inclement weather. I decided at 5:00 P.M. to have the meeting, even though forecasts called for more snow. However, by 6:15 P.M., a significant amount of additional snow had fallen, and it was getting colder. So, I made the decision, after consulting with several officers, to cancel the meeting. Luckily, Chief of Staff Milton Henderson went to the church anyway and found nearly thirty members there. Many of these members had assumed there was a meeting because, when they phoned the Camp's telephone number at 5, they heard the Camp's regular message. With so many members already on site, the meeting went forward. I found out that the meeting was still on and made my appearance just in time to hear Lucien Dale adjourn the meeting! I sincerely thank all of you who attended the meeting for coming out in the wet and cold weather. I understand that Joe Cooper's program on "Tennessee at Gettysburg" was second-to-none. I want to thank Lucien Dale, Milton Henderson, Terry Coats and others for conducting a good meeting in my absence. From now on, I will comply with the revised policy announced in this newsletter. I'll be at the church if we haven't recorded an announcement at 6:15 P.M. canceling the meeting. (In case of doubt about any meeting, all members are encouraged to call the Camp's number beginning at 6:15 P.M.) I would like for all officers ( not just the executive board), all members of the Mount Olivet Task Force, and any interested compatriots to meet at 5:45 P.M. on February 11, 1999 at Mr. Gatti's (Murphy Road, near West End) to participate in a planning session for 1999. Although, at first glance, it might appear to be an uneventful year, our "plate" is rather full. Among the items to be discussed are the completion of the Mount Olivet project, other camp projects for this year, Confederate History Month, and upcoming state and national conventions. I will try to reserve the private room so that we can conduct the meeting without interruption. Please try to attend if at all possible. After adjournment, we will drive down the street to the church for our regularly scheduled camp meeting. Several of our camp members attended the Lee, Jackson, Maury Luncheon held at the Brentwood Country Club on January 23, 1999. This event is an annual function conducted by the Nashville Affiliated Chapters of the UDC. It was the first time I had been able to attend this event and I must confess it was a delightful occasion. I wish to thank the ladies of the UDC for their gracious hospitality. It is also noteworthy to point out that our own Past Commander Wes Shofner gave the invocation and benediction and our compatriot Justin Wilson received a special award from the UDC for his efforts in promoting Confederate heritage in Tennessee. UDC Division President Carolyn Kent announced at the luncheon that Compatriot Wilson played a key role in the drive to have April declared to be Confederate History Month in Tennessee. I also wish to take this opportunity to thank Justin for his efforts in promoting and preserving southern heritage in this state. I urge everyone to attend out February meeting . It might prove to be one of the most interesting of the year!

Chancellorsville Site Saved!

By Deborah Fitts, The Civil War News

A 40-acre tract of farmland where Stonewall Jackson unleashed his famous flank attack at Chancellorsville has been purchased by the National Park Service (NPS), preserving forever the ground that one historian said could arguably be called "the high water mark of the Confederacy."

Park historian Robert Krick noted that the land is where Jackson's command, after splitting from the rest of the Confederate force and making a clandestine, 14-mile march across the Federal front, struck the right flank of the Union army at 5:30 P.M. on May 2, 1863, and propelled the surprise into a rout. The Confederate victory was marred hours later by the mortal wounding of Jackson.

"It is literally hard for me to imagine a more important tract in the Eastern Theater, or a more important battlefield acquisition in some decades," said Krick. "You hear a lot of talk about the high water mark of the Confederacy, but it seems this is the best candidate for that anywhere--the greatest Confederate success against the highest odds; Lee's greatest, and Jackson's last."

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Murfreesboro Acres Acquired

By Ed Ballam, The Civil War News

A 50-acre farm has been purchased for $3.6 million by the National Park Service at Stones River/Murfreesboro National Battlefield. Park Superintendent Mary Ann Peckham says park service officials have long had their collective eyes on the property because of its location at the core of the battlefield.

The property is the site where repeated lines of Confederates marched against United States troops in the "Slaughter Pen" and "Hell's Half Acre." "We're looking forward to having the land preserved and protected and interpreted appropriately," said Peckham. "We're planning to restore the property to its original battlefield look."

The property will be included as part of the auto tour and will have foot trails on it as part of the interpretation of the site. "We definitely want to include the property as part of the viewshed of the overall battlefield," Peckham said. Interpretive signs and wayside exhibits are likely to be included on the property, although the overall site has not been completed.

Tennessee troops were a big part of the Confederate brigades that surged across the property in pursuit of Sheridan's command and in a frontal assault on Hazen's brigade. Sheridan fell back to the Nashville Pike, but Hazen held firm at the Round Forest, where the Hazen Brigade Monument was erected. Little by little, the NPS has been acquiring land that is at the core of the battlefield, but Peckham acknowledged that some of the expansion has been bitterly opposed by both public and private interests.


New Visitors' Center Opens

The new Visitors' Center at Brices Cross Roads is open for business. It is both a beautiful and functional facility, and long overdue. The General's Orders is pleased to report that the Forrest print the Camp donated to the Center now hangs in a prominent location over the Center's fireplace. Construction of the Visitors' Center follows the acquisition of additional acreage critical to understanding the battlefield, by the NPS. According to professional military historians, the United States Army has never suffered a more decisive defeat than it did at the Battle of Brice's Cross Roads. (The battlefield is an easy drive from Nashville. It is between Corinth and Tupelo, just off of U.S. #45.)

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135 Years Ago--Olustee

Late in 1863 Lincoln issued an Amnesty Proclamation, which he hoped would encourage citizens of the CSA to repatriate with the United States. The Proclamation also outlined plans for the reconstruction of occupied Confederate states. Lincoln's Treasury secretary, Salmon P. Chase, viewed the plans as a way to readmit a handful of states in time for the 1864 Republican National Convention. Chase secretly coveted the presidency, and he hoped these readmitted states would support his nomination. In surveying the landscape, Chase determined that Florida was the most likely candidate for early readmission to the Union.

On February 7, 1864, a brigade of 5,500 men under Brigadier General Truman Seymour, USA, disembarked from transports at Jacksonville and moved westward toward the Suwannee River. Seymour pushed deep into the Florida interior, occupying towns, freeing slaves, burning Confederate camps, and torching supply caches. However, as he approached Olustee, a depot on the Florida, Atlantic & Gulf Railroad, almost 50 miles southwest of Jacksonville, he encountered a Confederate force under the command of Brigadier General Joseph Finegan, CSA. Finegan had 5,000 infantry, a small mounted force, and 12 cannon at his disposal. As the Yankees approached, Finegan's small army took up positions behind breastworks.

Impatient by the enemy's slow approach, an infantry brigade under the command of Brigadier General Alfred H. Colquitt, CSA, left the safety of the fortifications and pushed east a distance of one mile, where it met the vanguard of Seymour's troops. There, on an open field just southeast of Ocean Pond, Seymour ordered one of his brigades to attack and capture the artillery in Colquitt's center. This effort was repulsed so decisively that two of the Yankee regiments, the 7th New York and the 8th U.S. Colored Troops, fled to the rear in confusion, resulting in the capture of 2 cannon from a battery of regular U.S. Artillery.

The battle continued for two more hours. Colquitt had been reinforced by most of Col. George P. Harrison's brigade, but the Confederate infantry was running dangerously low on ammunition. Observing that Confederate firepower had slackened and sensing victory, Seymour rushed a fresh brigade into the fray, but by this time Confederate cartridge boxes had been replenished. The bluecoats were cut to pieces and three more of their cannon were captured. Moments later, Finegan's last reserves came up, forcing the entire Union line to give way. By dusk, Seymour had abandoned Olustee in full retreat, having suffered more than 1,860 casualties (34% of his force) compared to Finegan's loss of 946 troops. Confederate pursuit was ineffective, however, allowing Seymour to reach Jacksonville. Thereafter, most of the invading force evacuated Florida. The Confederate victory at Olustee ended the only large campaign in Florida.

The Battle of Olustee was a strategic success for the South. Florida would remain solidly Confederate until the War's end . . . and afterward. Many officers and government officials (including Judah P. Benjamin) would find "cover" there, until arrangements could be made for their safe transport to England, Canada, and elsewhere.

[Reference: Faust, ed., Historical Times Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Civil War (Harper & Row 1986)]

News from International Headquarters First USA Bank has revised the official SCV credit card. The new card will be ready for distribution on or about March 1st. The new card will prominently depict the SCV logo in gold, red, and blue. An excellent ambrotype image of a uniformed Confederate soldier with a musket and a Bowie knife tucked in his belt will also appear on the card. It is a very handsome card. [I will have a photo enlargement with me at the February meeting. --Ed.] An SCV membership directory will be published in December 1999. Look for details in your mail in the next few months. Of course, only those compatriots who want to be listed in the membership directory will be included. The Veterans Administration will provide a marker for your Confederate veteran ancestor at no expense, but you must apply. There are several options from which to choose. Call the VA at 1-800/827-1000 and request VA Form 40-1330. (Some funeral homes may already have a supply of forms). Or, a copy of the form may be downloaded at http://www.va.gov/benefits.htm. Courtesy of the SCV Gray Line, November 1998.

Black Confederates

The idea that blacks would have taken up arms in support of the Confederacy is anathema to the conventional orthodoxy of today and . . . yesterday. The evidence has been suppressed for more than a century. The following Philadelphia newspaper account of the 1913 Blue and Grey Reunion at Gettysburg has recently been called to our attention:

"Oddities Every Minute at Gettysburg Reunion--Negro Confederates There--Were Overlooked, but Southerners Took Them In--One long street in this camp is devoted entirely to Negro soldiers. * * * The organizers only made arrangements for the Union Negroes, forgetting that some darkies fought well in the Confederate Army. A few of these came here yesterday and found no place. They were given straw beds in the big tent and were found there by a group of Tennessee Confederates. [Veterans of the 1st, 7th , and 14th Tenn Inf --Ed.] When the Southerners found out who the Negroes were, they took them into their own camp, set aside a tent for them, and in every way displayed their gratitude to the old slaves who had fought on the side of the Confederates."

Our thanks to The Confederate Activist, the newsletter of the Tod Carter Camp #854, SCV, of Franklin, Tennessee, for providing this information.

Franklin to Host 1999 Division Reunion The historic town of Franklin, Tennessee and the Tod Carter Camp #854 will host this year's Tennessee Division Reunion on April 23, 24, and 25. Set these dates aside now, and plan to attend one or more events. There will be tours, music, re-enactments, speeches, and wonderful camaraderie. If you have any spare time (one or two hours) and would like to help, please call Ronny Mangrum at 791-6533 (The Lotz House Museum) and sign up!

Gettysburg Re-Examined

Our good friends at the Blue & Grey Education Society (MAJ Len Riedel, VMI `75, Executive Director) have planned a series of events at Gettysburg for this May that are unsurpassed in scope and imagination. Here are the details:

• May 9: "A Walking Tour of the First Day at Gettysburg," with Brooks Simpson.
  
  
• May 9--12: "The Military Staff Ride of the Second Day at Gettysburg," with Parker Hills, Brooks Simpson, and Ed Haggerty.
  
  
• May 13--May 15: "July 3rd, The Day of Decision," seminars and tours with the immortal Ed Bearss.
  
  
• May 16--May 18: "A Trail of Tears, Lee's Withdrawal from Gettysburg," seminars and tours with Ted Alexander.

Tickets may be purchase for one, some, or all events, and there are package and "early bird" registration incentives. For more information, contact BGES, 416 Beck St., Norfolk, VA 23503 (1-888/741-2437 Toll Free). Be sure to ask for the discount applicable to all members of Camp #28. [I have been on their tours: They are superb. According to Ross Massey, Parker Hills is the best speaker he has ever heard. --Ed.]


Fortification Group to Visit Nashville

The Civil War Fortification Study Group will hold its 1999 Annual Meeting in Nashville, March 10-13. Headquarters will be located at the Nashville Red Roof Inn-East, located at I-40 and Donelson Pike. Four days of field activities have been scheduled: A tour of existing fortifications along the strategically and historically important Nashville-Northwest R.R., from Johnsonville to Nashville; a tour of sites along the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, including Forts Donelson and Henry, and Fort Heiman, Kentucky; a morning of study at Nashville's Fort Negley and related sites; a visit to Franklin and nearby Fort Granger, including works on Roper's Knob; and a visit to Fortress Rosecrans at Murfreesboro National Battlefield. Speakers include our good friend Tom Cartwright, Fred Prouty, Gib Backlund, and others. What a program!

Pre-registration (by March 1st) is only $75, and this is what you get: All of the above tours, transportation costs, two meals, refreshments, and the seminars. Interested parties may register for one or two days at a lower fee. For further information, call Stacy Allen at 901/689-3451 or Paul Hawke at 601/287-2699 in the evening, or write Mr. Hawke at CWFSG, Rt. 10, Box 128, Corinth, MS 38834. This is a bargain!


Website's Of Interest

The Army of Tennessee has launched a new website, under the supervision of Allen Sullivant ("da Prince") of Brentwood's Sam Davis Camp. It is found at http://tennessee-scv.org/aot/. The site is linked to the AOT's divisions, including the Tennessee Division.

Andrew Johnston Website There is a fascinating website on the Andrew Johnson Impeachment at http://www.impeach-andrewjohnson.com/.

Upcoming Events February 20: Battle of Nashville Preservation Society and Civil War Round Table Annual Workshop. 2-5 P.M. At the Sugartree Clubhouse, in Sugartree, just off Woodmont Blvd., in Green Hills. The BONPS, the only private or public organization really doing anything about preservation of sites in Davidson County, invites all camp members to attend its annual strategic planning session. This is an entertaining way to spend part of an afternoon. Fun and refreshments will be served. February 20-21: Mid-South Civil War Show. At the Memphis Fairgrounds Creative Arts Center. Living history camp and demonstrations, performances by 52nd Tennessee CSA Band. Proceeds to fund Confederate History scholarship at local college. Sponsored by Gen. James R. Chalmers Camp # 1312, SCV. March 5: Black Confederates Workshop. 10 A.M. to Noon. At The Museum of the Confederacy, 1201 E. Clay Street, Richmond, VA. (1-804/649-1861.)

Call for Speakers

Calling all speakers! The Camp strongly encourages each member to speak on the topic of his choice, so long as it is related to the War for Southern Independence. Phil Turner will speak in March and present a program on heroic Confederate Verse. Speakers are needed for April and beyond!


Quotable Quotes

"Occasionally he stumbled over the truth but hastily picked himself up as if nothing had happened."

--Sir Winston Spencer Churchill speaking of former Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin


Words of Wisdom

I sought my soul, But my soul I could not see. I sought my God, But my God eluded me. I sought my brother, And I found all three. --Anonymous