Now that the hectic time of all the various Southern heritage activities of late winter and spring are over, we can look forward to a lull in activities during the summer, until the fall festival season begins. We can now turn our attention to other important issues. We need to concentrate our efforts on recruiting. Each member should set a goal of trying to bring a guest (prospective member) to every camp meeting. I have to say that we’ve been doing fairly well lately in this area, because recently we’ve had a good number of guests visiting our monthly meetings. The area that all of us, including myself, need to work on more diligently is follow-up. We have a significant percentage of our first time guests that attend our meetings one time, but never return. If we can get new people back to a second or third meeting, it’s a very good possibility they’ll become SCV members. I urge all camp members to recruit family members. If you can get a family member to a meeting and persuade him to join, that’s the easiest type of member to recruit, because the research is already done.

Another issue of great importance is obtaining funding for the restoration work on the Confederate Powder Works chimney. I’ve been speaking to various people in Augusta-Richmond County Government about sources of funding that may be available. It’s going to take a tremendous amount of effort to obtain full funding for this project, but it is of utmost importance that we work to get the funds needed. The restoration work on the chimney, ideally, should be completed in the next 18 to 24 months.

The 107^th Reunion of the Georgia Division SCV will be June 11^th thru June 13^th. I encourage our members to attend the business session of this annual reunion on Saturday, June 12^th, and vote on issues on the state level that will directly affect the camps locally.

For those of you that did not attend the May 13^th meeting, that was Dr. John Baxley’s last camp meeting. Dr. Baxley, our Camp Surgeon, is leaving Augusta and moving to Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Baxley has been an active and faithful Camp #158 member. He never missed a camp meeting and he’s to be commended for that. We all enjoyed knowing John and being associated with him during his involvement with the camp. We certainly enjoyed his brief presentations at the beginning of each meeting in which he would present some interesting facts on Southern history, tell of acts of bravery by Confederate soldiers and our famous Confederate military leaders, or educate us with facts about the South and its people and what they endured during the terrible War years and Reconstruction. John Baxley contributed to the Sons of Confederate Veterans in many ways and was a valuable asset to our camp. He will be greatly missed in the future, but never forgotten. We wish Doctor and Mrs. Baxley the best of luck in their relocation to Ohio, and may God bless them and always watch over them.

The camp has purchased a new rifle to be raffled off in early November. The raffle tickets will be ready for distribution at the next camp meeting. The second prize in the raffle will be a framed Confederate Powder Works print, and the third prize will be $100 cash.

Our next meeting will be at Sconyers’ on Thursday, June 10^th. Our program speaker will be Mr. Rodney R. Frazier. He will speak on his book, "Broken Swords," which is about eight Confederate generals who were murdered by Yankees after the war had ended. I look forward to seeing all of you at the meeting on Thursday.

We welcome new members Gene Duffie and Ernie Franklin. They petitioned the camp for membership in the Sons of Confederate Veterans and were accepted at the May 13^th meeting. We extend a special welcome to these new members and want both of them to know that we’re delighted to have them as members of Brig. General E. Porter Alexander Camp #158.

Saturday, May 1^st – Confederate re-enactors, Ben Creech and Ron Udell, participated in a grave marker dedication service at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Garfield, Georgia.

Friday, May 7^th – Confederate re-enactors, David Powell and Ben Creech, participated in the Confederate Memorial Day Service at Rivers Bridge, SC.

Saturday, May 22^nd – At the Beech Island Heritage Day Festival, Camp #158 set up a booth to sell Confederate memorabilia and flags. The camp had a fairly successful day at the event as far as sales. The camp appreciates the members that came out and helped with the booth. Camp #158 members that helped were Ron Udell, Ben Creech, Henry Gilmer (and wife Mae), Lee Herron, Perry Herron, Tony Carr, and Nick Posey. We really appreciate Mae Gilmer working to help set up the booth in the morning and assisting with sales.

Saturday, May 29^th - SCV Camp #158 Adopt-A-Highway Litter Pickup Project – Eight camp members and Mae Gilmer participated in the cleanup of Augusta West Parkway, which is located between Wheeler and Wrightsboro Roads. It took 50 minutes to complete the cleanup. Camp #158 thanks Mae Gilmer (Henry's wife) for coming out and staying with the vehicles while camp members were out cleaning up the roadway. Members that participated were, Ron Udell, Stan Scritchfield, Tim Hardin, Henry Gilmer, Ben Creech, Keith Neal, Pat Parker and Nick Posey.

Thursday, June 10^th - SCV Camp #158 Meeting at Sconyers’ BBQ Restaurant, 7:00p.m.

Friday June 11^th thru Sunday June 13^th – The 107^th Reunion Georgia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans will be held at the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center in Dalton, Georgia

Thursday, July 8^th - SCV Camp #158 Meeting at Warren Road Community Center, 7:00p.m. Our program speaker will be Jack Marlar. He will speak on "Southern Heritage Today."

An assortment of Confederate flags and Confederate memorabilia will be available at the next camp meeting. Members will be able to purchase items from the camp store at a significant discount.

Isaiah 5: 20 & 21 – 20) Woe unto them who call evil, good, and good, evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21) Woe unto them who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

Isaiah 55: 8 thru 11 – 8) For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 9) For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10) For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not there, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, 11) So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

1 Timothy 6:17 thru 19 – 17) Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18) That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to share, 19) Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

"The sole enthusiasm of my life was born, lived, and perished in the eventful four years of the Confederacy." This statement made by Augusta Jane Evans (1835 – 1909).

Reply from Harriet Virginia Overton (1831 – 1899) to Judge William Howard Taft, future U.S. President, who, as a guest in her home in 1895, pointed to the Confederate flag on her dining room wall and asked what kind of flag it was.

James Coleman Oakley (1843 – 1914) explaining to Yankee prison authorities why he was rejecting their offer of release if he would but take the loyalty oath in 1864.

From the public proclamation of Louisiana’s Governor, Francis T. Nichols, December 7, 1889, illustrating the universal feeling throughout the South toward President Davis at the time of his passing.

Stated by Charles Minnigerode (1814 – 1894) upon the occasion of the death of Jefferson Davis in December 1889.

On the death of Jefferson Davis, from The Memorial Volume of Jefferson Davis, published in 1890.

I read this to you, not as an officer of this camp, but as a Southerner and a member of this camp. I ask, what was your motive for joining the SCV? Was it selfish or honorable? Did you join just to get a certificate to hang on your wall at home or in your office to say "Look at me, I’m a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans" while you poke out your chest and adjust the height of your britches?

Or, did you join to honor you Confederate ancestors as you are charged to do and to help fight the heritage and cultural war that we as Southerners are in? Make no mistake about it, we’re in a heritage and cultural war!

If you could talk face to face with your ancestor, would he open hand slap you into next week or would he open his hands and place them on both sides of your face and say "Thank you" for doing your duty? Only you can answer that question. My feeling is that there will be a lot of slapped jaws in the SCV.

My reason for reading this is not to make people mad, but if it does then so be it. My reason is to have you ask yourself, "What are my motives for joining and what am I doing to help the SCV, the camp and the cause? If what I’m saying makes you feel uncomfortable and antsy in your seat then maybe you are not living up to your duties as a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

There are members in this camp that have never come to our Confederate Memorial Day service, Lee/Jackson Banquet or anything else for that matter. This year we had 26 camp members out of approximately 100 that supported the service. We should’ve had at least 80 camp members present! These 26 are the same people that support any and everything the camp does. Imagine what we could do with 100 active members. I know and understand that things come up from time to time and members are unable to help out but not every single time we have an event, need help cleaning the cemetery, need help with the roadside clean up, or flagging a politician.

If you are content with not contributing any of your time to the organization or taking an active part in any camp activities, then I must ask, what is your motive for being an SCV member?

June 1^st, 1864 – Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia, First day of fighting.

June 3^rd, 1808 – Birthday of Confederate States President Jefferson Davis

June 4^th, 1862 – In Mississippi, along the Yazoo and Mississippi Rivers, Southern planters burn huge cotton stores to prevent their capture by Federals.

June 16^th, 1862 – Battle of Secessionville, James Island, South Carolina

June 23^rd, 1865 – At Fort Towson, General Stand Watie surrenders his Indian command in the last formal surrender of a large Confederate force.

Brigadier General E. Porter Alexander Camp #158