SOUTHERN ILLUSTRATED

December 2010
The Official Publication Of The General Robert E Lee camp #1589 Of The Sons Of Confederate Veteran Midlothian, Virginia

Adjutant's Notes

Our November 2nd meeting was a good one. We had 16 members and 5 guests in
attendance.
acres! Next month we will end the year on a high note by swearing in another
new member. We have been fortunate to have several men join our ranks this past
year and look forward to working with each of them in future camp endeavors.

Our checking account balance as of the date of the meeting was $2,007.60 with
no obligations.
Respectfully submitted,
Mike Thomas
Adjutant/Treasurer

Next Meeting
Our next meeting is scheduled for December 1st, 2010 dinner at 6 P.M. and to follow
with business and A Bluegrass Presentation at 7 P.M. at the Dolce Vita Italian
Restaurant, 2401 Colony Crossing Place Midlothian, VA 23112

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December 2010
The Official Publication Of The General Robert E Lee camp #1589 Of The Sons Of Confederate Veteran Midlothian, Virginia

Last Month's speaker

2nd Brigade Commander Doug Pruiett opened his Virginia to Kentucky power point presentation by
paying tribute to Virginia, from which so many of the Bluegrass State's settlers came. He showed
pictures of Mount Vernon, Shirley, and Monticello.

Daniel Boone and his band of 30 improved the Wilderness Road. He founded Boonesborough. 200,000
people traveled Boone's Trace from 1774 to 1776. Kentucky's eight counties grew from 8 to 87 by
1860.

Virginians flocked to Kentucky to leave control of Virginia's elite and to take advantage of
bounty land offered to Revolutionary War veterans which had to be claimed by 1796.

Kentucky was geographically and culturally a Southern state.

Kentuckians' votes in the 1860 Presidential election were cast as follows:

John Bell 45%

John Breckenridge 36%
Stephen Douglas 18%
Abraham Lincoln less than 1%

Bell was a Tennessean and Breckenridge a Kentuckian.

Kentucky initially declared itself neutral in The War Between the States, but the
neutrality was violated. Many pro southerners rode to Tennessee and Virginia to join the
Confederate army. Lincoln disbanded the pro South Kentucky State Guard and had a lock down by
the successor Union Home Guard. Governor Beriah Magoffin vetoed anti-Southern legislation.
Kentucky was the 13th star in the Confederate flag. During The War,40,000 Kentuckians served in
the military forces of the Confederacy.

The battle of Richmond, KY, 29-30 August 1862, was one of the most decisive Confederate victories
in The War.

Kentucky being such great horse country, 56 of 78 Confederate regiments were cavalry. A lady named
Mary Virginia Jackson recruited an entire
company. She and her mother were imprisoned.

General John Hunt Morgan took The War into the North with his June11-July 26, 1863 raid. He was
captured and put in the Ohio State Penitentiary He escaped.

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December 2010
The Official Publication Of The General Robert E Lee camp #1589 Of The Sons Of Confederate Veteran Midlothian, Virginia

Veterans Remembered
This Past Veterans Day-as we honored our heroes both past and present-we also
took a moments to remember the military families who have, since the
Revolutionary War, supported our military personnel. Let us recommit ourselves
to keeping faith with those who, with strength and courage, give away their
husbands, wives, sons, daughters, fathers, and mothers to wear this nation's cloth
and defend our soil from all who intend to cause us harm. Let us not only
remember and honor those in the fight, but those who wait with great patience for
their return. Veterans Day endures as the date for our nation to honor veterans of
all wars. Great men and women of every generation, including the more than 24
million living veterans, have endured the toil of war to defeat aggression, restore
order and secure liberty and opportunity, the birthright of every American. We
solemnly pay tribute especially to our service members who gave their last full
measure for freedom, and to those who remain missing in action. Their sacrifices
have rendered and preserved that which we cherish most. Our humble repayment
to them and their families begins with ensuring that they and their stories of valor
remain always in our national consciousness. We work every day preserving the
history and legacy of Confederate heroes, let us not forget the other heroes that
gave so much for us. Let's make EVERY Day Veterans Day.

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December 2010
The Official Publication Of The General Robert E Lee camp #1589 Of The Sons Of Confederate Veteran Midlothian, Virginia

Let’s remember our Camp’s Veterans and honor them for their service to our country.
To all of them we say Thanks. .

Fred Behrens WO2 U.S ARMY ROTARY WING PILOT VIETNAM

Purple Heart Recipient
John J Dwyer U.S. AIR FORCE JULY 1955-JAN.1980

John M Freeman PO2/C U.S. NAVY WWII

Purple Heart Recipient
James E Harris Jr. MAJ. AIR FORCE RES., 1ST TACTICAL FIGHTING WING

Greg Hodges Lt. U.S. ARMY INFANTRY

Scott Hutchinson AIRMAN U.S. NAVY

Gary Jackson Lt. COLONEL RET. U.S. ARMY ENGINEERS

Levi Kramer PO/3C U.S.NAVY

Nelson L Lester TECH SGT.U.S. AIR FORCE/AIR FORCE RESERVE

Albert Allen Ligon S1/C U.S. NAVY/NAVY RESERVE WWII

James H Ligon Sr. F1/C U.S. NAVY/NAVY RESERVE WWII

Phillip A Ligon Jr. COXSWAIN U.S.NAVY WWII

Paul A Maynor Sgt. U.S ARMY VIETNAM

Purple Heart Recipient

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December 2010
The Official Publication Of The General Robert E Lee camp #1589 Of The Sons Of Confederate Veteran Midlothian, Virginia

J Parker Mills LANCE CORPORAL U.S MARINE RESERVES IRAQ

Judson E Mills Sgt. U.S.ARMY AIR CORPS WWII

Kirby Mills U.S. NAVAL ACADAMY CLASS OF 2007

Robert c Moates U.S. NAVY

Robert A Morris PO2/C U.S. NAVY

Robert K Neale Lt. COL. U.S. ARMY/ARMY RESERVE/ NATIONAL GUARD

Kenneth W Norman SFC U.S ARMY/ ARMY RESERVE IRAQ

Carl R. Richmond STAFF Sgt. U.S.ARMY VIETNAM

Brian M Thomas SPEC. U.S. ARMY RESERVES

Mike Thomas PO2/C U.S. NAVY

William H Thomas E4 U.S. AIR FORCE

James. E. Watkins Sgt. U.S. ARMY/ENGINEERS

Deryl E White Jr. PFC U.S. ARMY

Durant B Walston E4 VA .NATIONAL GUARD

Eddie Willard Sgt. U.S. AIR FORCE

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December 2010
The Official Publication Of The General Robert E Lee camp #1589 Of The Sons Of Confederate Veteran Midlothian, Virginia

December Entertainment
We are very fortunate to have our very own George Winn and his famous bluegrass band, “The
Bluegrass Partners”, performing for us at our annual Christmas Party Meeting. This will be a very special
night and will feature the swearing in of a new camp member. We will begin the meeting promptly at 7
P.M., so don't be late.
George Winn was born in Lunenburg County, Virginia and made his professional debut at the young age
of 14 along with his sister Marie. Many years have passed since that time and George's music has been
appreciated by many thousands of people throughout the world. George's name has since been inscribed
at the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Hall of Fame and you can find his name on the museum's Walkway of the
Stars. During these many years, George has written over 200 songs and had over 68 of them recorded. As
most of you are already aware, authentic Virginia Bluegrass music is a legacy handed down to us by our
Celtic ancestors. There is a strong Scotch-Irish influence in this uniquely southern art form. George
formed the Bluegrass Partners in 1954 and since that time, the group has toured over thirty five states and
fourteen foreign countries. They were once the mainstay of The Old Dominion Barn Dance, a Virginia
radio program that won the hearts of all Virginians. In 1969 and 1970, the Bluegrass Partners took time
off from their jobs and along with the U.S.O. headed for Vietnam playing for our troops on the front
lines. On June 14, 1979, a proclamation was issued by then Governor John Dalton honoring George Winn
and the Bluegrass Partners for their dedication for over a quarter century to the art of bluegrass music. On
March 11, 1980, George founded the Virginia Bluegrass and Country Music Foundation, an organization
dedicated to the preservation and promotion of authentic bluegrass and country music. He acquired land
in Lawrenceville, Va. And constructed the George Winn Park, a festival park dedicated to bluegrass
music. Two festivals a year are held at the park, giving hundreds of young artists a chance to play before
live audiences and build their confidence and skills in the art. George Winn, being a native Virginian and
a direct lineal descendant of a gallant Confederate soldier, naturally allowed his talent to spill over into
songs of his Confederate Heritage. A few of those songs such as, “Riding with Lee”, “The Battle of Cold
Harbor”, “The Last March Through Seven Pines”, and “Jeb Stuart”, are exemplary of his love of the
Confederacy and his pride in the service of his ancestors.

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December 2010
The Official Publication Of The General Robert E Lee camp #1589 Of The Sons Of Confederate Veteran Midlothian, Virginia

Don't miss this opportunity for you and your family to hear one of the greatest and most talented musical
groups in America today!

Christmas In The Confederacy

For the soldier, his thoughts would be about family and friends at home. I'm sure he would be thinking and talking about the
holidays past as he lingered in camp or on the march, especially as the holiday approached. Think about what a person would have
experienced and remembered. The first Christmas tree in America was erected in Cleveland, Ohio in 1851, so most likely you would
have had at least one prior to the war. Most decorations would have been made at home and were very simple, such as dried and
sugared nuts and fruits, popcorn balls and string. Colored paper, wax ribbon, spun glass, and silver foil ornaments were also popular.
Ornaments were made in the shape of doll faces, angels, the Christ Child, and animals. Most trees sat on the table top. Unwrapped
presents would be placed under them. Without a doubt, the Christmas tree was the centerpiece of the home.

Singing Christmas carols was a very popular activity. What carols would you remember from home and even sing in camp? Songs
such as "Silent Night," "Oh Come All Ye Faithful," "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," and "Deck the Halls" were popular. "It Came Upon a
Midnight Clear" was written in 1850, and other songs such as "O Little Town of Bethlehem," "Away in a Manger," "I Heard the Bells
on Christmas Day," and "Up on the Housetop" soon followed. I am sure that many a soldier sang these songs in camp with a twinge
of longing for home in his heart and I'm also sure he looked for a fairly new custom to arrive with Mail Call--the Christmas Card
(1844). It was the development of the modern Santa Claus that embedded Christmas into the American way of life. In 1861, Thomas
Nast was a German immigrant working as a writer and artist at Harper's Weekly. When he was tasked with providing a drawing to
accompany Clement Clark Moore's 1821 poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, he called upon his Bavarian childhood to create
our modern image of Santa Claus. His cherubic (but thin by today's standards) Santa was depicted bringing gifts of Harper's to the
soldiers, making Nast the first to combine imagery (Santa Claus) and commercialism (selling Harper's) into the American
marketplace. Santa brought children gifts, and gifts were always home made. Children were satisfied to receive just small hand-
carved toys, cakes, oranges or apples. Many Southern diaries tell the story of Santa running the blockaded ports in Dixie to fill
children's stockings with what little the parents could spare to make the day special for them

My Christmas wish for you and yours: May all of you find the coming year to be filled with HIS JOY, HIS PEACE, and HIS LOVE.

Merry Christmas !

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December 2010
The Official Publication Of The General Robert E Lee camp #1589 Of The Sons Of Confederate Veteran Midlothian, Virginia

PRESIDENT JEFFERSON DAVIS REMEMBERED By John Henry Taylor

On December 6, 1889, President Jefferson Finis Davis passed into eternal glory. We remember
this man for his service to our country as a heroic soldier during the Mexican American War after
his graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point, as Secretary of War of the
United States, as an elected Senator to the Congress of the United States from Mississippi, and as
President of the Confederate States of America. He was described by those who knew him best as
a Christian southern gentleman and a loving father and husband. Few people are aware, that
during the War of Northern Aggression, he and his wife, Varina, adopted a young negro boy, Jim
Limber, who had been abused by his negro owner. After the war was over, President Davis was
imprisoned under the worst conditions possible by a vile and corrupt United States Government.
Under charges of treason, this gentle man, who had always suffered from poor health and frailty,
was left in chains in a prison cell awaiting a trial which never came. The government of the
United States greatly feared that the Supreme Court of the United States would find Jefferson
Davis innocent on the charge of treason and thereby recognize the secession of the southern
states, that they eventually decided to simply release him and avoid such disclosure. After all, if
the court decided that no treason existed and that each state had an absolute right to secede,
the United States would have to pay reparations to each of the southern states that they had
invaded, killing its citizens and stealing and destroying their personal property. That could not be
allowed. Varina Davis was at her husband's side when he passed away on December 6, 1889. At
his funeral procession in New Orleans, it was reported that over two hundred thousand persons
lined the streets. After a temporary burial in New Orleans, the president's body was disinterred
and reburied along with his family at the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. He will not
be forgotten.