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| Number 7 |
Sept - Oct 2000 |
COMMANDER’S
COLUMN
Commander
Ragland has been taking care of his wife Martha after her hip operation. Our
thoughts and prayers go out to Mike and his family. This months column has been
written by 1st Lt. Commander Wayne Shelly.
Compatriots,
Wake Up! Wake Up! Wake Up! The day is far spent, and
the ax is already
laid to the root of the tree. There are those at work today who would
take away our state flag, our confederate monuments, and the street names that
honor our heroes. Left to do as
they please, these people would like to swipe the very southern accent right out
of our mouth.
General
Stonewall Jackson said while dying, "Let us cross over the river and rest
in the shade of the tree." General Jackson and the thousands of other brave
and gallant men have earned their rest, whether they died on the field of honor
or survived the war to carry on our southern heritage. They did all they could,
fought all they could fight, and gave all they could give. The struggles of this life are over for these
brave souls, and they have passed the torch of liberty and justice to us.
We are the front line and the last
defense. If not us, then who? One of the most
important things we can do is recruit. Tomorrow's SCV
will be a direct result of the work we do
today. There are folks in our community that know very little if anything about the SCV. It is up to us
to tell them. Recruit!
"Let us cross over the river, uncase the colors, form up into a battle line and go forward to meet the enemy".
B. Wayne Shelly
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Dates
to Remember Mark your calendars now for these upcoming events: |
Camp
469 Officers for 2000 |
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Sept. 7 |
Camp
Meeting, Rome-Floyd Library 7:00 PM Speaker
will be Randall Armstrong. He will
speak about Cherokees in the Confederacy. |
Commander 1st Lt. Cmdr 2nd Lt. Cmdr Adjutant |
Michael
D.Ragland Billy
Wayne SheIly C.
Blanchard Howard C. Blanchard Howard |
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Sept-Oct |
Confederate Memorial Service for Don Adams Ancestor
Pvt. Thornton Adams, who is
buried at the Conesena Baptist Church near Kingston GA. Specific time and date to be announced. |
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Sept-Oct |
Confederate
Memorial Service for Pvt. William B. Judkins. John Butler will notify us
as to date and time of the service. |
Officer
appointments:
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Sept 23-24 |
Big
Cedar Arts and Crafts Festival - Cave Spring We need volunteers to set up
our tent and work our booth. Contact Wayne, if you can help at 291.9921. |
Quartermaster Historian Color Sergeant Surgeon Chaplain Co-Chaplain Co-Chaplain Newsletter Editor Genealogist Phot Webmasters |
Larry Barwick Gilbert Smith Larry Barwick Dr.
Jack At Dr. James Venable Rev. Kenneth Studdard Bo Youngblo Denson B. Hamby Denson B. Hamby Buddy Autry Stephen Carnes Richard Carnes |
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Oct. 5 |
Camp Meeting,
Rome-Floyd Library 7:00 PM The speaker will be Charles Lunford and he will
speak about various
heritage issues including the
flag. |
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Oct-Nov |
Confederate
Memorial Service for Mike Wilkerson’s Ancestor Capt. Wilson Parks
Howell, who is buried at Oak Level UMC Cemetery in Oak Level AL. Specific
time and date to he announced. |
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Nov. 2 |
Camp Meeting,
Rome-Floyd Library 7:00 PM Officer nominations to be made at this meeting.
Compatriot Jim Arp will speak on the truth about Abraham Lincoln. |
Don
Adams Joe
Emerson Chris
Cox John
Butler Clarence
Salmon |
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December |
Jefferson Davis
Memorial Service cancelled |
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Dec. 7 |
Camp Meeting, Rome-Floyd
Library 7:00 PM
Officer elections will he made at this meeting |
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PAST COMMANDER'S COLUMN
I am going to vent my anger about southerners and the Battle Hymn. I sing
in my church's choir, but the Minister of Music knows that I will not sing the
Battle Hymn. It is a slap to all I hold dear, my southern heritage. I do not
understand why so many southern churches feel they must sing this on July 4th.
The main reason I will not sing it is that it was written out of pure
malice towards the south. Julia Ward Howe made no qualms about it. Lines like
"he is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored"
is a direct reference to the south and our heritage.
To go one step further, I don't understand why any church, north or
south, would sing it. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the Fourth of July!!!
As true sons of the south, we need to stand and let others know. If your
music director is going to use it, tell him or her how you feel and don't sing
it. I DON'T!!
J.M. Harrison, 3rd
Honor
for SCV Member
A big honor is
about to be bestowed on one of our own. On Friday, September 8, 2000 Joseph
Helms Emerson will be installed as Postmaster of Rome, GA. Joe is a graduate of
Berry College, and is a 38 year veteran of the Postal Service. Joe is married to
the former Martha Ingle and they have three daughters. This will mark the first
time in many years that Rome has had a home grown Postmaster who was actually
born and raised in Rome.
Joe enjoys
reading and studying historical events. He has been a member of the Sons of
Confederate Veterans for the past two years. Back in April we did a memorial
service in Lyerly for his ancestor John Wesley Fowler. It was one of the best
services we have ever had.
A HEARTY
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
Editor
GEORGIA
FLAG FACTS
There has been a considerable amount of controversy in recent years
concerning the official Georgia Flag. Many questions have been asked by citizens
and many people have tried to answer these questions from varying viewpoints.
In an attempt to
answer the many questions, the GEORGIA FLAG FACTS COMMITTEE has researched the
development of the official GEORGIA FLAG from its first mention in the official
records of the state government to present. The findings are
presented here so the citizens of Georgia
might form their opinions concerning the GEORGIA FLAG based upon FACTS.
Question:
When did the State of Georgia first adopt an official flag?
Answer:
Following the American Revolution, it was decided that all of the
sovereign states should adopt a flag design. Although no official action has
ever been found in the record, a common design was seen shortly thereafter and
was used frequently until 1879. It was a blue field with a white Georgia state
seal in the center. (authority: Hon. Ben Fortson, Secretary of State of Georgia,
1973.)
Question:
If no record is found that the first commonly used flag was officially
adopted, when was the first official flag adopted?
Answer:
During the 1879 session of the Georgia General assembly"...an Act to
declare and establish the flag for the state of Georgia... was introduced by a
prominent Senator from Waynesboro named Col. Herman H. Perry. Col. Perry was a
well known lawyer and former colonel in the Confederate States Army. His design
was an adaptation of the first national flag of the Confederate States of
America, commonly known as "The Stars and Bars." It was shown as a
vertical blue bar on the flag staff third of the flag with the remainder covered
by three horizontal bars of equal width. The middle bar was white with the upper
and lower bars red. In 1905, the
State Coat of Arms, or seal, was added in the middle of the blue bar. Col.
Perry's purpose was clearly to remember the Confederate States of America, the
fallen nation of which Georgia had been a part. Other former Confederate states
also adopted variations of the "Stars and Bars." (Authority: Georgia
Official and Statistical Register, 1954-1955
published by the Georgia Secretary of
State and Miss Carol Hart, Director of Archives.
Question:
The state flag is no longer shown with the Confederate "Stars and
Bars" adaptation. When was it changed?
Answer:
During the 1956 session of the Georgia General Assembly. (Authority: Acts
of the Georgia General Assembly, 1956 session.)
Question:
What is the 1956 design and where did it originate?
Answer:
During the 1879 session of the Georgia General assembly"...an Act to
declare and establish the flag for the state of Georgia... was introduced by a
prominent Senator from Waynesboro named Col. Herman H. Perry. Col. Perry was a
well known lawyer and former colonel in the Confederate States Army. His design
was an adaptation of the first national flag of the Confederate States of
America, commonly known as "The Stars and Bars." It was shown as a
vertical blue bar on the flag staff third of the flag with the remainder covered
by three horizontal bars of equal width. The middle bar was white with the upper
and lower bars red. In
1905, the
State Coat of Arms, or seal, was added in the middle of the blue bar. Col.
Perry's purpose was clearly to remember the Confederate States of America, the
fallen nation of which Georgia had been a part. Other former Confederate states
also adopted variations of the "Stars and Bars." (Authority: Georgia
Official and Statistical Register, 1954-1955
published by the Georgia Secretary of
State and Miss Carol Hart, Director of Archives.
Question:
The state flag is no longer shown with the Confederate "Stars and
Bars" adaptation. When was it changed?
Answer:
During the 1956 session of the Georgia General Assembly. (Authority: Acts
of the Georgia General Assembly, 1956 session.)
Question:
What is the 1956 design and where did it originate?
Answer:
The 1956 design is an adaptation of the Cross of St. Andrew. The version
used in the official flag of Georgia was taken directly from the field or battle
flag of the Provisional Army of the Confederate States of America. The design
was used by the Army of the Confederate States of America – of which Georgia
was a part – during the War between the States.
Question:
Why did the Confederate States Army not use the "Stars and
Bars" alone. After all, it was
their official flag?
Answer:
The Stars and Bars proved to be much too similar in design to the Stars
and Stripes of the United States. Since the two nations were at war in 1861 when
the design was created, needless casualties on both sides were encountered at
the first Battle of Manassas due to the confusion caused by the similarity. A
new design was ordered by the Confederate generals. The Cross of St. Andrew, the
ancient symbol of Scotland, was used by a Virginia regiment during the battle. A
general suggested that was sufficiently unique to serve the purpose. It was then
adapted in square fashion so as to allow it to flow easily in the breeze. The
flag was then carried by the combat troops of the Confederate nation for the
remainder of its existence. (Authority: "The Flags of the Confederacy"
by Deveraux Cannon.)
Question:
Who proposed that the Georgia flag be changed to reflect the Cross of St.
Andrew rather than the Stars and Bars?
Answer:
Senator Willis Neal Hardin and Senator Jefferson Lee Davis introduced the
bill that was drafted by the same man who designed and created the present state
flag, State Democratic Party Chairman and Civil War buff John Sammons Bell. The
new design was created because the old Confederate design had become
"meaningless" in the words of Bell. He wanted to forever perpetuate
the memory of the Confederate soldier who fought and died for his state.
(Authority: Interview with John Sammons Bell by Vivian Price published in the 'DeKalb
News/Sun,' page 24, July 13, 1988.)
Question: Why was the flag changed?
Answer:
Judge John Sammons Bell, former Chief Judge of the Georgia Court of
Appeals and designer of the current flag stated that the purpose of the change
was "to honor our ancestors who fought and died and who have been so much
maligned." (Authority interview with John Sammons Bell by Vivian Price
published in the 'DaKalb News/Sun, page 2 F 13 July 1988.)
Question:
Some have claimed that the 1954 school desegregation decision by the U.S.
Supreme Court stimulated the change in 1956.
Is this true?
Answer:
Concerning those who claim that the flag was "...designed as a last
desperate grasp of defiance against integration." Judge Bell said
"Absolutely nothing could be further from the truth... every bit of it is
untrue." He further stated that "Anybody who says anything to the
contrary is wrong or perpetuating a willful lie." (Authority: Interview
with John Sammons Bell by Vivian Price published in the DeKalb New/Sun,' page
2-F, July 13, 1988.)
Note:
There are more questions and answers on the Georgia Flag Facts. We will
try to list the rest of them in the next issue. If you would like to read more
about the Georgia Flag facts, check out our website at:
www.
scvcamp469 -nbf. Com
A Great Civil War:
A Military and
Political History
by Russell F Wiegley, Indiana University Press, 2000
Russell
Wiegley is regarded
by many
to be
the dean
of American
military historians. His Eisenhower's
Lieutenants
is considered
to be the definitive
study on the
European Campaign
of 1944-45. In A Great Civil War, Wiegley
explores both the military and political dimensions of our fraternal conflict.
Professor Weigley pulls no punches. He has some very definite views about
several of the prevailing interpretative issues concerning Confederate strategy.
Weigley argues that the Confederate leadership did not have a unified sense of
why they were fighting the North; was it to create a new nation or to assert
their states rights within the Union. He argues that the ambiguity of the
ultimate Confederate goal for fighting the North had a lot to
do with the final
defeat of the southern nation.
Wiegley
also challenges historians (i.e. Thomas Connelly, Autumn of Glory, 1971)
who contend that Davis should have concentrated his meager resources on the
Western Front rather than in the Virginia Theatre of operations. Wiegley
thoroughly disagrees with that thesis. He criticizes the Confederate strategist
for not concentrating their full effort in the East where the most effective
military leadership and vital strategic interests existed. Weigley also contends
that the Confederacy never had a chance of foreign recognition. He uses his
examination of the Trent Affair as the basis for arguing that Great Britain
could and would never have recognized the Confederacy and the rest of Europe
followed Britain's lead in the arena of diplomatic affairs.
Wiegley
also takes on such minor issues as the death of Albert Sidney Johnston and its
impact on the Confederate cause. Many historians have built up A.S. Johnson's
military prowess. They contend that his untimely death at Shiloh sealed the fate
of the western Confederate armies. Wiegley argues that Johnston's generalship
was very questionable. Wiegley blames Johnston for the loss of Kentucky and
Tennessee in early 1862. He also questions his leadership during the initial
phase of the bloody battle of Shiloh.
These
are just a few controversial topics Professor Wiegley takes on. There will be
more than a few academic historians and Civil War buffs who will not agree with
many of his observations. However, they will not he able to disagree with the
fact that all his arguments are thoroughly documented and well reasoned. Also
the clarity of his writing is another feature of A Great Civil War that
every reader will agree on. A Great Civil War is a major work that anyone
interested in the persistent issues of that conflict should read.
By Jim Doyle of Rome-Floyd County Library
