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Confederate War Dead Honored
Dover, TN-Anyone who has lost a
loved one can tell you that, while time may heal, the pain never
entirely goes away; it's transformed. In the best of circumstances,
that pain can be galvanized into action that may serve the greater
good.
Circumstances, then, must have been good in Stewart County over the
past 100 years or so - or maybe it's the people who have been good,
for out of the loss of friends and family members during the Civil War
have come objects and events that have served not to divide, but to
bring folks together.
On April 19 in Dover, two such events occurred, both centered on
objects symbolic of love, courage, honor and loss. In the morning,
some 60 people turned out for the dedication of a monument in the
Dover City Cemetery. Placed at the site of a mass grave, the monument
honors the men of Gen. John A. Wharton's Brigade who fought with
Nathan Bedford Forrest in the February, 1863, Battle of Dover. In the
afternoon, over 75 people from a number of states gathered in Fort
Donelson for a Confederate Memorial Day Service and to celebrate the
75th anniversary of the dedication of the Confederate monument. During
the Civil War, the union soldiers were by and large buried in the
National Cemetery established following the February 1862 Battle of
Fort Donelson. Confederate soldiers with no one to claim their bodies
were buried in mass graves. It was this that led to the dedication of
the two monuments 75 years apart.
At the morning observance, which lasted about 45 minutes, Sons of
Confederate Veterans Camp No. 249 Commander John Crutcher opened with
introductions, and then the SCV's Steve Settle detailed how they found
the grave.
He said that while reading the official reports from the Battle of
Dover, it mentioned that 17 Confederates were killed at the old city
cemetery fighting. This was corroborated by an entry in a union
soldier's diary. The soldier mentioned digging a trench at the
cemetery to bury them. The SCV members then went to the cemetery and
found a fairly large area with no marked graves that was surrounded by
other, marked graves from the 1860s-1880s.
Unable to afford the expensive ground-penetrating radar, the Sons used
the old but proven method of a witching rod, which identified an area
of about eight by 35 feet. This would correspond to the size needed to
bury 17 men. "Based on this and a scan of the area with metal
detectors, which identified a closely spaced row of metal objects, we
concluded that this was indeed the mass grave or trench mentioned in
the Union soldier's diary account," Settle said. Randy Rubel was on
hand to talk about the history and the details of the seven-hour
battle to re-take Dover to the crowd assembled. Neal Mathis, who with
his wife Ruth Mathis purchased the monument, spoke as well about their
desire to help with the project.
The Mathises then removed the Confederate flag covering the monument.
Josephine Hill, President of the Tennessee Division UDC, offered her
greetings as well, and Settle presented a message from Dr. Michael
Bradley, Tennessee Division Commander of the SCV. At the afternoon
observance, Bagpiper Mark Austin played Loch Lomond as a prelude, and
Bonnie Crutcher, President of the Fort Donelson United Daughters of
the Confederacy chapter No. 1582 opened the service. Jane Link, UDC
Chaplain, gave the Scripture reading from Psalms, and a number of
individuals offered formal greetings, including Josephine Hill.
Hill, who had an ancestor killed at Fort Donelson, said she hoped that
those who lost their lives here would not be forgotten.
SCV Camp #249 Commander John Crutcher said, "I hope we always
remember." Fort Donelson national Battlefield Ranger William "Buzz"
Bazar offered greetings on behalf of the National Park Service and
Superintendent Steve McCoy.
He enjoined those assembled to remember that we still have men and
women giving their all in foreign countries. Stewart County Chamber of
Commerce Director Terry Crutcher spoke on the significance of the
monument, pointing out that the average age of those fighting was 17;
they were mere boys who wanted to be brave. "Many here will remain
forever 16 or 17," he said. "They rest here, men who fought and died
with honor." UDC Third Vice President Elaine Luton read the poem
"Why," detailing why the Confederate flag is not a racist symbol but a
part of the heritage of the people. Austin Peay State University
history professor Betty Joe Wallace was the keynote speaker. She
opened by saying that she has spent her life studying the past, and
now she is worried about the death and destruction that seems to be
signaling the future.
She said that the Union was unprepared for victory, and as a result,
many wounded ultimately died, compounding the problem of what to do
with the many dead. For the Confederates, mass graves were the
solution for those bodies that could easily be located; many others
were left in the woods and fields where their bones later were turned
up.
She credited the UDC for their diligence in securing the funds for the
monument.
In 1914 the Tennessee Division UDC decided to petition the US
government to have the Fort Donelson battlefield preserved and placed
under the protection of the National Park Service.
They also decided to start a monument project for Fort Donelson. The
Fort Donelson chapter, which chartered in 1915, is a direct result of
this project. It took a long time to raise the funds, but in 1933 the
monument was dedicated to the memory of soldiers from Tennessee,
Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina.
Missouri and Texas who fought and died at Fort Donelson.
Wallace closed by saying, "We need to remember so that we don't ever
have it happen again." John Crutcher led the crowd in singing Dixie,
and then Nelma Crutcher gave a history of the monument. She stressed
that the records indicate many of the donations were just a few
dollars, but the UDC was able to buy war bonds during World War I,
increasing their bank account. A matching grant for the $3,500 they
had raised was secured, and they were able to go to the Muldoon
Monument Co. in Kentucky for the final design. Two Stewart County
residents who were present for the initial unveiling were on hand at
the 75th anniversary: George W. Williams and Mary Ann Bruton Scurlock.
Williams said that they should pay homage to the UDC both in the past
and now, commenting that they accomplished their goal "in the teeth of
the Depression." Flags from the seven states represented during the
battle were presented, and nine wreaths were presented as well. Those
present were all given a chance to tell the names of their Confederate
ancestors, and then Austin played Amazing Grace. Rev. Don Bailey gave
the benediction, closing by asking God to "grant us men and women as
brave as those we honor today to defend our liberties." Walsh then
closed the ceremony with Taps, a fitting ending for a solemn
anniversary and remembrance. Randy Beeler, who attended with other
members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans Mechanized Cavalry from
Paducah, Ky., said his group enjoyed the service, and they plan to
attend next year as well. Reposted from the
Clarkesville Leaf Chronicle
Confederate Research
Cornell University offers a
good source of Confederate History Naval research opportunities by
offering the "Official Records of the Rebellion" online. It can be a
valuable source of first hand information without all the history
revision that is going on today. You can visit this site to see for
yourself by clicking
here.
Southern History Treasure
Chest
The Library of Congress has a
great web site devoted to the War Between the States. There are many
different areas devoted to all areas of interest. You can visit them
by going to
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem
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New Officers Announced
Congratulations to all the new
officers elected during the Reunion. The updated list can be viewed
here.
Flags Across Florida Causes
Stir
It seems our brothers in Florida
have really caused a stir in the Tampa area with the raising of a
large Confederate flag. Media and County officials at this moment are
digging deep into archives to try and discover a little known
ordinance to prevent this historic monument's existence. These county
leaders that erased CSA history when they removed the Confederate flag
from the county seal while ignoring SCV pleas will now be in the
unenviable position of requesting favors from SCV members determined
to honor they ancestors. These same county officials that have denied
requests to honor any Confederate holiday will now face the situation
of having to see this memorial to the Confederacy every day. John
Adams, the Florida SCV 1st Lt. Commander says that no one would spend $80,000
dollars to honor racism which is what local county officials suggest
is behind this memorial. It appears the Florida SCV have done
everything legally possible to insure that this memorial will indeed
survive and honor our great Confederate ancestors for years to come.
Maybe if county officials such as these had not gone to such great
lengths to erase Confederate history the money raised to construct
this monument could have been spent somewhere else. In response to
government actions like these more flags and monuments are planned all
over the South. It does a Southern heart good to see these helpless
county officials who have used their power to destroy Confederate
history brought to their knees. Congratulations Florida SCV! Job well
done.
Confederate President
Portrayed at Battlefield
Kingston, KY — June 3 will mark
the 200th anniversary of an American president born in Kentucky. It is
not Abraham Lincoln. The 200th anniversary of his birth is Feb. 12,
2009. A two-year national celebration of his bicentennial began this
year.
June is the birth month of that “other” native-Kentuckian who headed a
national government, Jefferson Davis, first and only president of the
Confederate States of America. A more subdued commemoration of his
birth will take place Sunday, June 8, in Fairview, where a 351-foot
concrete obelisk, taller than a football field is long, rises above
the Todd County countryside.
The Davis birth place is less than 100 miles from Lincoln’s near
Hodgenville. Two former Frankfort schoolteachers who portray Davis and
his wife Varina will be among those in Fairview on June 8. On
Saturday, they appeared as the Davises during a living-history weekend
at Madison County’s Battlefield Park. Cliff Howard held up a large
portrait of Davis, to which he bears a striking resemblance. However,
the tall, bearded Howard began his living-history career by portraying
Lincoln.
“We found that men portraying Lincoln outnumber those presenting Davis
by about 100 to 1, said Howard’s wife Joan, who portrays Davis’ second
wife.
“I was trained to be a professor, not a president,” said Howard as
Davis, “Before I could be admitted to Transylvania University in
Lexington, I had to demonstrate that I could translate from the Greek
New Testament.”The school had only recently begun to accept
non-ministerial students when Davis enrolled in 1822, but it still
retained the Greek-language admission requirement.Davis knew the
ancient language because his father had earlier dispatched him from
their Mississippi home to study at the St. Thomas Aquinas School in
Springfield. After his 1824 appointment to the U.S. Military Academy
at West Point, N.Y., Davis almost was denied admission because he was
deficient in math. “They didn’t want me, because I couldn’t do
arithmetic,” said Davis. “I may not know arithmetic, I told them, but
I can translate the New Testament from Greek. I guess they figured if
I could master Greek, I could learn arithmetic.”
Howard began his portrayal of Davis almost apologetically, because the
Confederate president’s leadership was harshly criticized during and
after the Civil War. As chief executive of a nation based on a weak
central government, Davis was chosen for his collegial,
consensus-building style, Howard said. Although he proposed gradual
emancipation of slaves, Davis also is inextricably linked to the
Confederacy’s attempt to prolong slavery. “Judge us by the standards
of our day, not today,” said Joan Howard as Varina Davis. “My husband
and his family treated their slaves humanely,” she said. “He even
tried to reunite separated families.” Several of the Davises’ former
slaves remained with them as hired servants after emancipation. Prior
to the Howards’ portrayals of the Davises, members of Madison County’s
five Masonic lodges and the Order of the Eastern Star dedicated a
monument to Masonic veterans of the 1862 Battle of Richmond. They
assembled in the lawn of the Battlefield Visitor’s Center as Madison
County Historic Properties Director Phillip Seyfrit and battle
historian Robert Moody unveiled the stone memorial. “Bob Moody and I
got the idea for this monument during a visit to Gettysburg, where we
saw what we believe to be the only Masonic memorial on a Civil War
battlefield,” Seyfrit said. “This one is the second.”
“Numerous officers on both sides of the battle were master Masons,”
Moody said. Some were lodge founders. The enlisted men, many in their
teens, would have been too young to be Masons.
Union Gen. Malon Manson had founded a lodge in Crawfordsville, Ind.
After he was wounded, Confederate Gen. Patrick Cleburne, who was
founder of an Arkansas lodge, convalesced in the home of the Kingston
lodge’s master. After the war, Masonic leaders worked to dispel the
bitterness felt by some fellow Masons who had fought on opposing
sides, said Robert Davenport, a past grand master of Kentucky’s grand
lodge. Reposted from the Richmond Dispatch
Delaware Confederates
-Seaford, Delaware — William Bruce Martin was 17 when he marched into
battle for the Confederate States of America. Now, 161 years after
Martin was born in New Castle, his name is being added to a Delaware
monument to those who fought for the South during the Civil War.
Martin, a descendant of Declaration of Independence signer George
Read, was one of 257 cadets at Virginia Military Academy and fought in
the Confederate army at the battle of New Market, in 1864.His service
was recognized formally Saturday at a ceremony by the Delaware Grays,
the state’s chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The Delaware
group includes about 35 members from all over the state, all descended
from Confederate veterans, said spokesman Wayne Yarnall. It describes
itself as a “non-political, non-racial” organization working to keep
history alive and not to dredge up divisive issues such as slavery.
“For the next 200 years, we’ll be talking about the Civil War,” Zoch
said. “It was one of the most terrible times.” It took about a year to
pin down details about Martin’s service, making his the 67th name on
the monument out of an estimated 2,000 Delawareans who served the
Confederate cause, said John Zoch of Seaford, a past commander of the
group who specializes in genealogical research. “We have another
hundred that are still needing researching,” said Zoch, 52. “In
probably my lifetime I won’t be able to do it all.”Delaware, part of
the Union, never had its own Confederate unit, making research into
those who served that much more challenging.
Martin’s name came to the attention of the group from his gravestone.
He died in 1921 and is buried in Norfolk, Va. The majority of
Delaware’s known Confederate veterans were from southern Delaware, but
Yarnall said they hailed from all over the state. “You will come
across quite a few from Middletown, New Castle, some from Wilmington,”
he said.
"Reposted from Delaware online"
Veterans Down Under
It seems our great war for
Southern Independence touched just about everyone on the North
American continent and even Europe. But as this web site proves it also reached all the way to Australia. Go to the
American Civil War
Veterans website for more information.
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