COMMANDER'S COMMENTS

The 46th Annual Convention of the Virginia Division SCV  was
held in Richmond May 20-22, 2005, and as most of you know it
was hosted by the Longstreet Camp.  To say  that  the  event
was a success would be like saying that Robert E.  Lee did a
pretty good job as a general.  I am very pleased  to  report
that this year's Convention was an overwhelming triumph!  Our
venue, the Richmond Sheraton West Hotel,  is  an  absolutely
beautiful  facility  and  the  staff  went out of its way to
accommodate our attendees.  I found it most appropriate that
the  hotel  sits  atop  a  portion  of the outer defenses of
Richmond, constructed by the Confederate Army early  in  the
War.   It  is remarkable, but trench lines are still visible
in the woods adjoining the Sheraton property.               

The theme for this year's Convention  was  "Still  United  -
Still  Proud";  a  reference  to  the fact that although the
membership of the Virginia Division is fiercely loyal to the
United  States,  we  are  equally  loyal  to our Confederate
heritage.  This was readily apparent to all who entered  the
Sheraton  as they were greeted upon their approach by a huge
First National Flag flying proudly atop the center  flagpole
directly in front of the main entrance of the hotel.  Giving
further  evidence  of  our  presence  were  two  Confederate
artillery  pieces  flanking  either  door  of  the  Sheraton
leaving no question that at least for the weekend, this part
of Richmond was once again the property of the CSA.         

The  banquet  room  reserved for the Saturday evening dinner
also served as the venue for the Commander's  Reception.   A
most impressive room in and of itself, it was made even more
so by the addition of over fifty Confederate  Flags  of  all
descriptions  that  were  hung  on the walls or displayed on
staffs throughout the room.  Each  Camp  that  attended  the
event  was  encouraged to bring its Camp Flag, and a section
of the room was reserved for these special  symbols  of  our
heritage.   It  was a magnificent sight to see, and a number
of non-SCV guests stopped by to marvel at our colors.       

The business session of the Convention went quite  smoothly,
all things considered, and the banquet was a sumptuous feast
attended by nearly 100 members and  their  guests  including
several   National   officers  of  the  SCV.   The  National
contingent  was  led  by  Commander-In-Chief   Sweeny,   who
expressed  his  sincere  appreciation to the Longstreet Camp
for our efforts as host for the event.  Those attending  the
banquet were delighted with a stellar performance by Patrick
Falci, who portrayed in costume the  life  and  exploits  of
General  A.   P.   Hill.   Mr.  Falci also portrayed General
Hill in the movie "Gettysburg" and served as a consultant on
the film "Gods and Generals."                               

At  the  awards  ceremony  following  the  banquet, Virginia
Division Commander Brandon Dorsey presented  the  Longstreet
Camp  with a Certificate of Appreciation for our role in the
Convention.  The award reads thusly, "Be  it  known  to  all
that  the  General  James  Longstreet Camp has distinguished
itself in the area of  preserving  Confederate  History  and
Heritage.   The  camp  has  aided  the  Sons  of Confederate
Veterans in  an  outstanding  manner  by  hosting  the  2005
Virginia  Division  Convention.   In  doing so, the camp has
brought  Honor  and  Dignity  to   its   members   and   our
forefathers.   The  Virginia  Division,  Sons of Confederate
Veterans is pleased to present this award in recognition  of
this service and achievement." I was informed by a number of
Division and National officials that this  was  one  of  the
best  attended  and  best  organized  Conventions  in recent
memory, and I was asked by several people  to  consider  the
possibility  of  having  Longstreet  host  the  2006 Sons of
Confederate  Veterans  National  Convention.   High   praise
indeed!                                                     

There  are many people who are deserving of praise for their
role in the monumental success of this event,  but  I  would
like  to  thank  personally  the  members  of the Longstreet
Convention Committee - Lt.  Commander Taylor  Cowardin,  Lt.
Commander  Mike  Kidd,  Adjutant  Walter  Tucker,  Executive
Council Member,           and my lovely bride Barbara  Boyd.
Also  Longstreet  Camp  Executive  Council Members - Preston
Nuttall, Dave George and Pat Hoggard and  those  members  of
the  Longstreet  Camp  who showed their support by attending
the Convention.  Thanks also to Jim Cochrane,  Commander  of
Knibbs  Battery  for the cannons which guarded the entrances
of  the  Sheraton,  The  Museum  and  White  House  of   the
Confederacy  and  Executive Director Waite Rawls, Cowardin's
Jewelers, Beverly Hills  Jewelers  and  the  management  and
staff  of  the  Richmond Sheraton West Hotel, as well as all
those who provided flags for display throughout the weekend.

Gentlemen, be proud this day that you  are  associated  with
the  General James Longstreet Camp #1247!!  I wholeheartedly
concur with the sentiments of  our  beloved  past  Commander
Chuck  Walton,  who  on  more  than  one occasion voiced the
opinion  that,  Longstreet's  the  best  damn  Camp  in  the
Confederacy!"  I'm  sure  that  Chuck and General Longstreet
himself are smiling on our performance as hosts of the  2005
Virginia Division Convention.                               

In  praise  of  General  Longstreet  after  the  Battle   of
Chickamauga,  Confederate  General  John  Breckinridge said,
"Longstreet is the man, boys!  Longstreet is  the  man!"  In
like  praise  of  the  General's  Camp  after our victory in
hosting the Division Convention, I say, "Longstreet  is  the
Camp, boys!  Longstreet is the Camp!"                       

DEO VINDICE.                                                
					Harry

ADJUTANT'S REPORT

Our Camp should be justifiably proud of  its  role  as  host
camp  for  the  2005  Virginia  Division Convention held May
20-22 at the Sheraton Richmond West.  The committee of Harry
and  Barbara Boyd, Taylor Cowardin, Mike Kidd, and others   
worked diligently to  produce  a  first  class  event.   The
printed program, the t-shirts, and the drinking glasses will
serve as lasting reminders of  this  outstanding  gathering.
Pat  Hoggard labored long and hard at the registration desk.
Patrick Falci's dynamic performance as General A.  P.   Hill
was unforgettable.                                           

Adding  more  luster  to  the  Longstreet Camp was Commander
Harry Boyd's stellar keynote  speech  at  the  Jefferson  F.
Davis Memorial Service at Hollywood Cemetery June 4. Harry's
topic was "The Special Relationship between Davis and  Lee."
The  St.  Andrew's Legion Pipes and Drums opened the service
playing Scotland the Brave, Bonnie Dundee, and  Bonnie  Blue
Flag  as they marched in.  This stirring music had the crowd
ready  to  charge  any  bastion  where  enemies   might   be
entrenched.   The  Honor Guard of the Captain William Latane
Camp raised the colors, and the crowd recited the pledges to
the  flags.   After  Harry's  talk,  two  outstanding  young
violinists, Robert Koeze, Jr.  and Emma Koeze  played  Dixie
beautifully.  During the program the crowd got to sing Carry
Me Back to Old Virginny and Bonnie Blue Flag.  Winding  down
the program were alternating musket and cannon salutes fired
by  the  Latane  Camp  Honor  Guard  and  several  artillery
re-enactors.   Bugler  Charles  Terry  played taps.  The St.
Andrew's Legion Pipes and Drums and the Latane  Honor  Guard
concluded  the  program,  marching  off  to  Dixie.  If this
outstanding program didn't stir your  Southern  blood,  then
you  need to become a permanent resident under the ground of
Hollywood Cemetery.                                         

On Memorial Day Jackie and I went  to  Oakwood  Cemetery  to
place   Confederate   flags  on  the  graves  of  her  great
grandfather Andrew J.  Randlett, 44th Virginia Infantry, and
Albert W.  Mountcastle, 15th Virginia Infantry. Mountcastle,
first husband of  Jackie's  great  grandmother  Sarah  Adams
Mountcastle  Peak,  died  in  Confederate  service  in 1862.
Neither of these soldiers is famous, but they are our family
and are worthy of remembrance.                              

There have been so many battles in our nation's history that
it is difficult to give them all the attention they deserve.
Reference  is  sometimes made to "major" battles.  If you're
in  combat,  it's  a  major  battle,  no  matter  what  some
commentator  or  writer says.  One of the last World War Two
battles in the Pacific is imbedded in our minds  because  of
an  immortal  photograph,  a  sculpture,  and  a movie.  Joe
Rosental's famous picture of the  raising  of  the  American
flag  by  the  Marines  on Iwo Jima is the basis for the Iwo
Jima memorial.  Hardly a year goes by without  John  Wayne's
movie  Sands of Iwo Jima being shown on television.  Because
of these memorable visual  images,  the  last  year  of  the
Pacific  war  seems  to run from Iwo Jima to the dropping of
the atomic bombs to the surrender in Tokyo Bay. Overshadowed
by   these   vivid   memories  is  Okinawa,  where  enormous
casualties foreshadowed what might have happened if  it  had
been  necessary  to  invade  the home islands of Japan.  The
gigantic  number  of  Okinawa   casualties,   Japanese   and
American,  played  a significant role in the decision of our
political and  military  leaders  to  use  atomic  bombs  to
shorten the war.                                            

Ask  somebody  what  is  the significance of June 6, and the
answer will likely be D-Day, 1944, the Normandy invasion  of
Fortress  Europe.   This date relegated the long lasting and
bloody  Italian  campaign  to  a  place  of  less   apparent
importance.   D-Day 1944 also obscured the fact that June 6,
1918 was the opening day of the  World  War  One  battle  of
Belleau  Wood,  a  landmark day in the history of the Marine
Corps.                                                      

Questioning the man in the street about the significance  of
June  4  is likely to elicit a blank stare.  On this date in
1942 an American fleet defeated the Japanese in  the  battle
of  Midway.  This was not only a key victory at an important
stage of the war,  but  it  was  revolutionary  in  tactics.
Neither  fleet  ever  saw the other.  Aircraft from carriers
did all the damage.                                         

Shortly before this battle Admiral William  F.   Halsey  was
sent  to  hospital  with  shingles He recommended to Admiral
Chester W.  Nimitz, Commander in Chief Pacific that his good
friend  Raymond  Ames Spruance replace him as commander of a
group  of  aircraft  carriers.   Some  narrow-minded   naval
aviators  condescendingly  referred to Spruance as a cruiser
sailor.  Halsey and  Nimitz  knew  their  man,  as  Spruance
distinguished himself at Midway and throughout the remainder
of the war.  He was every bit  as  capable  as  Halsey,  and
possibly  more  so.  He did not have the latter's flamboyant
personality.  Halsey got a  fifth  star  as  Fleet  Admiral;
Spruance  never  received this deserved recognition.  Samuel
Eliot Morrison wrote of Spruance, "He envied no one, rivaled
no man, won the respect of almost everyone with whom he came
in  contact  and  went  ahead  in  his  quiet  way,  winning
victories for his country."                                 

Anyone  who  answered the call of his country, went where he
was sent, and served honorably  is  worthy  of  respect  and
remembrance.   The  SCV  exists to honor the memory of those
valiant souls who served the Confederate States of  America.
We are fortunate to be their descendants.                   

				Walter

GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET CAMP #1247
NEXT MEETING-TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2005

(The New) ROMA'S RESTAURANT 
8330 STAPLES MILL RD.
LOCATED IN "THE SHOPS AT STAPLES MILL"
TURN LEFT AT FIRST STOPLIGHT NORTH OF
THE WISTAR SHOPPING CENTER

DINNER- SOCIAL 6:00 PM

JUNE PROGRAM

At the request of  members  who  were  not  present  at  the
Jefferson   Davis   Birthday   celebration,   we  have  made
arrangements for the keynote speaker to deliver his  address
to us at our June meeting.                                  

From  all the comments that we have received, the speech was
a really great  oration  and  was  warmly  received  by  all
present.                                                    

The  topic  was  "The Special Relationship Between Davis and
Lee."                                                       

Be sure to attend this presentation by the  Honorable  Harry
Boyd, our Longstreet Camp Commander!                        

MAY PROGRAM

Mr.  Carl Wood, our May speaker, brought with him a  panoply
of  artillery  shells  and balls which might have turned the
tide if Porter Alexander had had them at Gettysburg.        

Mr.  Wood displayed his  array  of  ordnance  and  described
their  characteristics to us.  He talked of his long lasting
love affair with ordnance of the period and how easy it used
to be to find relics of these interesting objects.          

He  went  into  the  intricacies  of  fuses,  mentioning the
Boerman fuse, a time fuse, and a Schenkel fuse.  He spoke of
how  an  experienced  artillerist  could estimate with great
accuracy the proper time to set on a fuse.                  

Most of the ordnance at the beginning of the war was in  the
arsenals.   With  the  north  having  the greater industrial
capacity,  the  South  was  at   its   usual   technological
disadvantage.                                               

In addition to the exploding stuff, he brought along several
reference books and praised particularly  written  works  by
Warren Ripley and Peter George.                             

                         Walter



The troops examining the collection with great interest!

2003-2004 CAMP OFFICERS
LONGSTREET CAMP #1247
Commander: Harry Boyd                 741-2060
1st. Lt. Cmdr.: Taylor Cowardin       356-9625
2nd Lt. Cmdr.: Michael Kidd	      270-9651
Adjutant/Treasurer: Walter Tucker     360-7247
Quartermaster: R. Preston Nuttall     276-8977
Chaplain: Henry V. Langford           340-8948

PUBLICATIONS
Webmaster: Gary F. Cowardin           262-0534
Website: longstreetscv.org                    
War Horse:  David P. George           353-8392

LONGSTREET'S FIRST CORPS

The following is a cumulative listing of contributors to the
upkeep  of  “The  Old  War  Horse” for the period July, 2004
through  the  current  month. As you  know,  our  cumulative
listing starts in July of each year.                        

Ben Baird
Lloyd Brooks
Phil Cheatham
John Coski §
Brian Cowardin*
Clint Cowardin
Gary Cowardin*
Ron Cowardin*
Taylor Cowardin
Raymond Crews*
Lee Crenshaw
John Deacon*
Jerold Evans
Pat Hoggard*
Charles Howard 
Chris Jewett
Jack Kane*
Michael Kidd
Ann Lauterbach+
Frank Marks
Lewis Mills*
Conway Moncure
Kitty Moreau §
Jerry Morris
Joe Moschetti
Richard Mountcastle*
Preston Nuttall*
Martha Petro §
Ken Parsons
Norman Plunkett §*
Joseph Seay
Bill Setzer
Will Shumadine
Austin Thomas
Walter Tucker*
John Vial
David Ware
Hugh Williams
Bobby Williams

Legend:                                  
* - Multiple contributions                 
§ - Visitor Donation                       
+ - in memory of Past Cmdr. Tom Lauterbach 

THE LUCK OF THE DRAW!!


The winner of our monthly drawing was Preston  Nuttall,  our
own  resident  Confederate  novelist,  who has published one
book and is now  completing  a  second.   As  you  can  see,
Preston was somewhat pleased at the outcome!                

TAPS

Gene Lyon gave a short presentation on the origin of "Taps,"
which  we  Americans  consider  to be the most beautiful and
moving of all bugle calls.                                  

He  discussed  the  controversy  over   who   actually   was
responsible  for its composition and made us acquainted with
the verses of the melody.  Thanks, Gene,  for  sharing  this
with us.                                                    

EDITOR'S NOTE

We  of  Longstreet  were  involved  in  two  important   and
meaningful events over the last two months.                 

On  May  20-22, our Camp sponsored the Annual Virginia State
SCV convention and on June 4, our Camp Commander, Harry Boyd
delivered the address at the annual celebration ceremony for
Jefferson Davis' Birthday.                                  

We wanted to share some highlights of those events with  you
in the pictures that follow.                                

VIRGINIA STATE CONVENTION-2005

        STATE SCV BUSINESS MEETING       CIC DENNE SWEENEY & CMDR.BRANDON DORSEY


  THE HEAD TABLE AT THE BANQUET   CMDR.HARRY BOYD & DIRECTOR BRAGDON BOWLING


MR. & MRS. PATRICK FALCI


STATE COMMANDER BRANDON DORSEY        ADJUTANT WALTER TUCKER &        
AT THE RECEPTION                 HIS WIFE, JACKIE        


CMDR.DORSEY PRESENTS CERTIFICATE TO CMDR.BOYD       GEN A.P.HILL AT HIS BEST!


1ST LT. CMDR TAYLOR COWARDIN & FAMILY

JEFFERSON DAVIS' BIRTHDAY

COMMANDER BOYD DELIVERS THE ADDRESS            THE MASSED COLORS          


STIRRING MARTIAL MUSIC WAS PROVIDED         A THUNDERING SALUTE ACROSS THE JAMES


THE HONOR GUARD AT ATTENTION