November 2005

Commander’s Column - By Nick Posey

We’ve gone through another annual membership renewal with a minimal number of camp members who haven’t renewed to date. The renewal results were much better this year than last due to some proactive measures being taken to help prevent what happened the previous year. Last year at this time we had 101 camp members on the roster, with over 30 members who hadn’t submitted membership dues on time. We were able to get some of those members back, but we lost well over 20 members last year. This year before the end of the membership year we had 88 members on the roster with 8 that hadn’t renewed by the deadline. We are definitely going to lose 3 of those 8, and hopefully of the 5 remaining that haven’t renewed, I’m optimistic that we’ll get at least 4 of them to renew, and possibly all 5 will renew. So far we have a 90% renewal rate versus an approximate 75% renewal rate last year.

This year I sent out 35 renewal reminder letters to members who had not sent in dues two weeks before the due date. These letters contained pre-addressed, stamped envelopes enclosed for submittal of dues. This yielded fair results. For the ones who hadn’t sent in dues one week out from the deadline, our 2nd Lt Commander, David Powell, and I made calls to ask these remaining members to please renew on time. I sincerely appreciate David’s efforts. Again, this resulted in a good number of members sending in dues. If these actions had not been taken, we would be in a worse situation than last year regarding renewals.

I would like to thank our Treasurer, Lee Herron, for his extra efforts during this time in keeping me informed on a daily basis of the members who had sent in dues so we could determined who needed to be contacted by phone. Without his constant and persistent help, the results wouldn’t have turned out as well as they did.

Our Adjutant, Perry Herron, will contact the 5 remaining members and ask them to please renew. We do not want to lose any of our camp members, and will make every effort to keep these members in the SCV.

As a side note, I’m afraid the Georgia Division and probably SCV National will have a non-renewal rate of about 30%. I hope I’m wrong, but I suspect that’ll be the case for most camps and the SCV in general.

At our meeting this Thursday, we’re very fortunate to have as our program speaker Jack Bridwell, commander of the Georgia Division SCV and the Army of Tennessee. Jack is from Moultrie, Georgia. For those of you that haven’t met Commander Bridwell, I encourage you to attend this meeting and meet your GA Division commander, the man who puts in countless hours and travels thousands of miles every year working for you and fighting to preserve our Southern heritage. Commander Bridwell will speak on the various Southern heritage issues impacting us on the division and national levels. The attacks on our Southern heritage are becoming more and more frequent and he’ll discuss what’s going on currently and what we’re facing in the future. This should be an interesting and informative discussion.

Brigade Commander's Report

By now the deadline for renewing membership in the sons of Confederate Veterans has past. I hope each of the camps in the Fifth Brigade were successful in having good renewal and retention rates. However, I know it is a problem for some camps in the brigade and I offer a few suggestions for getting those wayward members back into the fold.

First, I would suggest a telephone call from someone within the camp who knows the non-renewed member on more than a casual basis. There may be a valid reason why the member has not renewed: he might be having financial problems and cannot afford the dues at the present; he might be upset with a fellow compatriot; or he might feel left out. Whatever the reason, find out what it is and do something about it.

Secondly, a visit to the non-renewed member might be in order. In your conversation, remind him that he has not renewed and you were wondering if there was a problem that needed to be addressed.

Whatever is done, don't deliver an ultimatum to the non-renewed member in the form of a "Renew now or it will be forever too late." message. Don't paint the member into a corner.

On another matter, I have had camp officers and members ask me, "How do we get our message out?" Here are a few suggestions.

If one or more of the members of your camp are not members of your local historical society, they need to be and they need to be an active and participating member, and not one who simply has his name of the mailing list. The same thing is true for a local genealogical society.

Try to get an invitation for yourself or one of your camp members to speak to another local organization. In the past few months, I've made a presentation to the local Wildlife Club, Lions Club and Kiwanis Club and each time I was warmly received.

Do you have membership applications with you, either in your vehicle or in your desk (if permitted by your employer)? Once it is known you are a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, you will be pleasantly surprised at the number of people who will ask a question about our organization and volunteer information about their family members who served the Cause.

Set yourself a personal goal to daily tell someone about the SCV and invite them to a meeting. If you have personal SCV business cards, give one to a prospective member after you write the next meeting date, time and location on it.

Hopefully these simple steps will permit each camp within the brigade to continue to have sustained growth.

If someone should ask about the SCV in a location where there is not presently a camp, get that person's name, address, telephone number and e-mail address and forward them to me. That individual could be the seed that will result in the organization of a new camp.

 

 

 

 

For the South,

Michael A. (Mike) Mull

Commander

Fifth Brigade

Georgia Division

Sons of Confederate Veterans

 

Camp News & Events

Camp #158 members attended or participated in the following events:

Saturday, October 15th – Magnolia Cemetery Workday in the Confederate sections of the cemetery.

Saturday, October 22nd - 2nd Annual Southern Heritage Youth Day at Barkers Mill, near Sycamore, SC.  This event was sponsored by Rivers Bridge Camp #842 Sons of Confederate Veterans to present the "True History of our Confederate Ancestors."

Saturday, November 5th, & Sunday November 6th – Re-enactment of the Battle of Atlanta near Conyers, Georgia.

 

Announcements

Thursday, November 10th – Camp #158 Meeting at Sconyers Bar-B-Que Restaurant at 7:00 p.m. Our Program speaker will be Georgia Division SCV & AOT Commander Jack Bridwell. He’ll speak on GA Division and SCV National issues.

Friday, November 11th – The annual Veterans Day Observance Ceremony will be held at the All Wars Monument located at 4th and Broad Streets in Augusta. The service will begin at 11:00 a.m. Camp #158 re-enactors will place a wreath and fire a black powder salute in honor of the soldiers of the Confederacy.

Friday, November 11th - The annual Veterans Day Ceremony will be held at the Wade Hampton Veterans Park in North Augusta, SC, at 11:00 a.m.

Saturday, November 12th – Magnolia Cemetery Workday, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Sunday, November 13th, 2005 – 29th Annual Capt Henry Wirz Memorial Service in Andersonville, Georgia, at the Pavilion near the Depot. The speaker is Dr. Fred Ruhlman. The service will begin at 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, December 3rd & Sunday, December 4th - The Battle of Waynesborough will be re-enacted at an historic site located on Stone Brier Plantation in southeastern Burke County. The battle starts at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Thursday, December 8th - Camp #158 Meeting at Sconyers Bar-B-Que Restaurant at 7:00 p.m. Our Program speaker will be Mr. J.K. Jarrett, owner of Cowden Plantation in Jackson, SC. He will speak on the evolution of weapons before and during the War Between The States.

 

 

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Dates for Upcoming Area

Christmas Parades:

Grovetown – Saturday, December 3rd, 12:00 p.m.

Martinez – Sunday, December 4th, 2:00 p.m.

North Augusta – Sunday, December 4th, 3:00 p.m.

Harlem – Saturday, December 10th, 10:00 a.m.

Hephzibah – Saturday, December 10th, 1:00 p.m.

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Quotes by Southerners

On blacks and race…

As might be expected from one so unreconstructed, Robert Toombs thought little of the Negro in the role of citizen. "You might as well expect a ball to maintain itself in the air without support and against the laws of physics, than that this people should become an element in our social system," he once said. And again, "They are of the human race, but they are not of my race. They are a lower order of human beings." On one of his last visits to Atlanta, a reporter confronted him again with the problem of the Negro in Southern society. Toombs replied: I have placed my opinion of the Negro on record … and I stand by every word of it. I have always maintained, and still hold, that as long as the African and Caucasian races co-exist in the same society, the subordination of the African is necessary, proper, and normal condition, and that such subordination is the condition best calculated to promote the highest interest and greatest happiness of both races and consequently of society at large."

Taken from page 251 of William Y. Thompson’s book, Robert Toombs of Georgia, published in 1966.

"From an excess of labor, poverty, and trouble our slaves are free. They usually work from two to four hours a day less than workers in other countries. They usually eat as much wholesome food in one day as an English or Irish peasant eats in two…. Nowhere on earth is there a class of people so perfectly free from care and anxiety." Excerpt from a speech delivered by George McDuffie (1790 – 1851) to the South Carolina legislature in 1835.

"The Negro slaves of the South are the happiest, and, in some sense, the freest people in the world. The children and the aged and infirm work not at all, and yet have all the comforts and necessaries of life provided for them. They enjoy liberty, because they are oppressed neither by care nor labor. The women do little hard work, and are protected from the despotism of their husbands by their masters. The Negro men and stout boys work, on the average, in good weather, not more than nine hours a day…. Besides, they have their Sabbaths and holidays." A statement made in 1857 by George Fitzhugh (1806 – 1881).

"I have always observed that wherever you find the Negro, everything is going down around him, and wherever you find the white man, you see everything around him improving." Remarks made to Colonel Thomas Carter, Robert E. Lee’s cousin, as Lee advised him in 1865 to replace the Negroes on the farm with white workers.

Scripture for Thought

Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. – Isaiah 13: 9-11

For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. – Psalm 103:11,12

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. – Ephesians 2:8

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. – 2 Timothy 2:19

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. – St. John 14:6

THE CONFEDERATE STATES POWDER WORKS

"…the best powder mill in the world…"

GEORGIA CIVIL WAR HERITAGE TRAILS

------------HISTORIC DRIVING ROUTES------------

When the conflict began in April 1861, leaders on both sides were unprepared to wage a long war. The Confederacy’s industrial capacity was especially lacking, and munitions of all types were scarce. Initial stores of gunpowder were inadequate, and attempts to overcome these deficiencies by existing powder mills or blockade-runners proved costly, unreliable and dangerous. Confederate President Jefferson Davis assigned Colonel George Washington Rains the task of constructing and operating a gunpowder factory. Reaching for two miles along the banks of the Augusta Canal, the Confederate States Powder Works produced much of the gunpowder for the Confederate armies from April 1862 until the war’s end three years later.

On July 20, 1861, Rains examined the old United States Arsenal site along the banks of the Augusta Canal, one-half mile from the western city limit of Augusta. According to Rains, "Augusta was selected for several reasons: for its central position; for its canal transportation and water-power; for its railroad facilities; and for its security from attack – since the loss of the works would have been followed by disastrous consequences." But at first he was hampered by a lack of detailed plans or experienced personnel.

With assistance from powder maker Frederick Wright, engineer and architect C. Shaler Smith, and master mechanic William Pendleton, Rains oversaw construction, beginning on September 13, 1861. The Powder Works complex was designed for manufacturing efficiency and safety. Thirteen major brick buildings and nearly twenty wooden structures were arranged in order of manufacturing process. Raw materials entered at one end of the Powder Works and finished gunpowder exited the other. Granite from Georgia’s Stone Mountain, five million locally produced bricks, and machinery from throughout the Confederacy were assembled. Most visually remarkable were the battlemented Refinery with its 153-foot-tall smokestack and the Laboratory with its unfinished clock tower.

Gunpowder production commenced on April 10, 1862, and continued almost uninterrupted until April 29, 1865. Working only during daylight and overcoming four explosions plus shortages of raw materials and labor, the facility produced some three million pounds of the best quality gunpowder. Jefferson Davis later noted, "it is but a just tribute to say that, beginning without even instructed workmen, he [Colonel Rains] had before the close of the war made what, in the opinion of competent judges, has been pronounced to be the best powder mill in the world…"

The approach of Union Major General William T. Sherman’s army in late November 1864 prompted Rains to consider moving at least some of the Powder Works machinery to safety. But Sherman bypassed Augusta while production continued to the end of the war. After the war the Powder Works declined into ruin. The city of Augusta acquired the tracts of land from the federal government in 1871 and 1872. An enlargement of the canal, begun in 1872, compelled the razing of remaining Powder Works structures, with the exception of the Refinery smokestack. At the request of Rains, it was left standing as a monument to the fallen heroes of the Confederacy.

Meeting Minutes for October 13th, 2005

Brigadier General E. Porter Alexander Camp #158

Sons of Confederate Veterans

Sconyers Bar-B-Que Restaurant - Augusta, Georgia

Camp Commander Nick Posey called the monthly meeting of Brigadier General E. Porter Alexander Camp #158 to order at 7:00 PM. Chaplain Tony Carr gave the invocation and led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States Flag. Commander Posey then led the Pledge of Allegiance to the "Real" Georgia State Flag and the salute to the Confederate Flag; he then recited the "SCV Charge."

Commander Posey introduced over twenty guests in attendance. These included representatives from the Berry Benson Chapter 2584 of the UDC from North Augusta, Jeanie Benson Chapter 884 of the Children of the Confederacy from North Augusta, Maj. Gen. Ambrose Ransom Wright Camp #1914 SCV of Evans, Wilson Tigers- Company I 48th GA Camp #245 of Hephzibah, Brig. Gen. John C. Carter Camp #207 of Waynesboro, and the 5th Georgia Infantry Regiment Re-enactors.

There being no additions or corrections, approval of the meeting minutes of the August and September meetings, as published in the September and October Wigwags respectively, was made by general consent.

Program Speaker

Commander Posey introduced Mr. Judd Smith, the evening's guest speaker. Mr. Smith holds a Masters degree in history and serves as Park Manager of Alexander H. Stephens State Historic Park in Crawfordville, Georgia. Mr. Smith gave an excellent talk on "The Life of Alexander H. Stephens," Vice President of the Confederacy. Alexander Stephens was a man of many accomplishments, and of one of Georgia's most famous historic figures.

In appreciation of his efforts to provide our camp with his interesting facts and insights, Commander Posey presented to Mr. Smith a framed photograph of the Confederate Powder Works Chimney taken at its 140th Anniversary in 2002.

General Comments

Lee Herron presented certificates of appreciation from the Beech Island Historical Society to several camp members for their participation in the Steamboat Drama at the 19th Beech Island Heritage Day this past April 16th. Photos of the drama may be viewed at: http://www.beech-islandhistory.org/heritage%20day.htm

Bill Quattlebaum introduced his guest, Cory Burnell, from California of the Christian Exodus organization. Bill stated that Cory would like to talk about his organization with anyone interested after adjournment of the camp meeting.

Reports of Officers

1st Lieutenant Commander Ron Udell reported the Hephzibah September Festival and Parade on September 24th went well. Selling Confederate and camp merchandise made approximately $180 at our tent. At the Oliver Hardy Festival in Harlem on Oct. 1st, the camp garnered another $327; the reenactment, "Raid on 1810 West Inn and Rendezvous" in Thomson on October 8th and 9th brought in an additional $116 for the camp's treasury. Thanks to all who participated at the booths, marching and reenacting. Ron relayed to the camp that Captain David Shockey of the 5th Georgia Infantry re-enactors, made all members of SCV Camp #158 associate members of the 5th Georgia Infantry.

Treasurer Lee Herron provided the September camp financial report.

Commander Nick Posey reported on the following: