COMMANDER'S COMMENTS

The year 1870 started off as a good  one  for  Virginia  and
particularly  Richmond.   That January saw the withdrawal of
the  occupying  federal  forces  and  the  end  of  Military
District  Number  1.   The  citizens  of  the former "rebel"
stronghold could again enjoy the liberties given the  states
and localities north of the Mason-Dixon line .  According to
the census of 1870 Richmond's  population  was  over  51,000
people.  This was a 13,000 increase over 1860.              

Just  as  soon as it seemed like Richmonders were out of the
woods, another reminder of their situation  arose  in  April
that  led  to  one of the greatest disasters ever to hit the
city.  Since military rule had ended, the  General  Assembly
decided  to  authorize  Governor Gilbert Walker to appoint a
new City Council.  As soon as the new body met,  it  elected
Henry  K.   Ellyson as Mayor.  Ellyson was the publisher and
part owner of the Richmond Dispatch, which was at  the  time
Richmond's    largest   circulating   newspaper.    He   was
conservative just like the majority of the General  Assembly
and  the  newspaper  he  published.  Morale was beginning to
improve as it seemed that Richmond was going to be  governed
by those friendly to its interests.                         

There  was  one  problem.   George Cahoon, the current Mayor
whom Ellyson would replace, refused to step down.  Cahoon, a
carpetbagger  from  New York who had held the office for the
past two years, was not about to let Ellyson  take  control.
The  city now had two governments and neither side was about
to give any ground to the other.  Chaos soon  broke  out  as
rival  police  forces  fought  each  other  in  the streets.
Ellyson used his power as the legitimate Mayor  to  deputize
his    conservative    supporters   and   Cahoon   had   his
preponderantly black police force on his side.   The  battle
eventually  wound  up  in the courts as the Virginia Supreme
Court of Appeals agreed to hear the case on April 27,  1870.
This took place on the third floor of the Capitol.          

Throngs  of  people  were  in  attendance  to  witness  this
important and historic event.   The  courtroom  gallery  was
filled  to  overflowing with spectators standing shoulder to
shoulder.  Just as the proceedings were about to  begin,  it
gave  way  to the weight of the crowd and collapsed into the
courtroom below.   This  caused  the  floor  of  the  entire
courtroom  to  cascade  some forty feet into the first floor
chamber of the  House  of  Delegates  carrying  hundreds  of
people along with the debris of wood, bricks and plaster.   

 Dust  covered survivors were taken to the Senate Chamber or
 dragged out onto the Capitol's lawn.  Ultimately 62  people
 died  and 251 people were injured.  This was a serious blow
 to the morale of both Richmond and  Virginia.   Support  in
 the  form  of  money  and resolutions soon came in from all
 over the country.  This tragedy became to be known  as  the
 Capitol Disaster.  Both Ellyson and Cahoon were injured but
 survived.  The Judges escaped injury and death  since  they
 had not yet entered the room.  The battle was not yet over.

The court convened two days later at City Hall and delivered
a verdict in favor of Ellyson.  A citywide election  was  to
be  held to elect the new Mayor.  In a heated contest Cahoon
ended up with  the  majority  of  votes  but  the  messenger
carrying  the  ballot  box  from  one  of Cahoon's favorable
precincts was attacked in broad daylight and robbed  of  the
ballots.   The  Election Commission certified Ellyson as the
winner but he  refused  to  serve  because  of  the  tainted
results.   Another  election  was  held  but  that was again
plagued  with  controversy.   By  the  time  of  the  second
election  Cahoon  was found guilty on charges of forgery and
pardoned by Governor Walker on the condition that  he  leave
the  state.   Ellyson had grown weary of the entire struggle
and dropped out of the race.  Ultimately Anthony  Keiley,  a
Confederate  veteran  and  survivor of Elmira was elected as
the one and only Mayor of Richmond thus ending this  amazing
series of events in Richmond's history.                     

Let  us  not forget the difficulties our ancestors struggled
through to ensure the freedoms we enjoy today.              

					Taylor

ADJUTANT'S REPORT

We  have  sent  to  headquarters  the  certified  membership
application  of  Robert  W.   Mahone, whose ancestor Charles
Wesley Mahone served in Company C, 13th Battalion,  Virginia
Light   Artillery.   Robert  has  attended  several  of  our
meetings with Raymond Crews.                                

Transferring to Longstreet from Albert Pike Camp # 1439  are
Kendell  R.   Warren and his two sons Christopher A.  Warren
and Kendell Jay Warren.  Kendell R.  has attended  a  number
of our meetings.                                            

Harrison  Taylor, who has visited our Camp often, has joined
as an associate member.  We welcome these five gentlemen  to
Longstreet.                                                 

In  reviewing  the  roster  for  submission  to the Virginia
Division in anticipation of this year's April 21-22 Division
Convention  in  Suffolk, it is a tribute to our Camp that we
are only one shy of having as many members as  we  did  last
June   30   when   our   annual   report  was  submitted  to
headquarters.  In July eight of our members  transferred  to
the  newly-formed  James  City  Cavalry Camp of Toano.  That
Camp has  recruited  additional  members,  so  the  SCV  has
benefited  from  this move.  I had the pleasure of attending
James City Cavalry's February 22 meeting.                   

We need to continue to keep in mind those compatriots  whose
health prevents them from attending meetings.  Phil Cheatham
is taking  radiation  treatments.   Frank  Marks  is  taking
therapy.  Ben Baird is also unable to attend.               

On  Wednesday,  March  1,  the  Agriculture, Chesapeake, and
Natural Resources Committee of the Virginia General Assembly
approved  paying  to  the  Virginia  Division SCV the annual
appropriation which since  1999  has  gone  to  the  Oakwood
Confederate Cemetery Trust.  This change had previously been
approved by a House subcommittee  February  22.   The  State
senate  had  approved  this  bill, SB 401, on January 31 and
referred it to the House.  As of today, the  House  had  not
voted   finally,   but  the  overwhelming  approval  by  the
Committee makes  it  likely  to  pass.   Camp  members  with
Internet   access   are  encouraged  to  read  the  Virginia
Division's   plans   for   Oakwood   on   the   web    site,
http://www.va-scv.org/site.   The Trust also has a web site,
http://home.earthlink.net/~oakwood-cemetery/index.html.     

Our departed past Camp commanders continue  to  inspire  us.
Members recently made donations to the Camp in memory of Hef
Ferguson, Tom Lauterbach  and  Chuck  Walton.   After  Chuck
passed,  his  widow Patricia gave me a picture of Chuck, Hef
Ferguson, and me taken at a War Between the States  function
in  Capitol  Square  in  1995.  It's on my desk, so I see it
every day that I'm home.  On top of one of my bookcases is a
rock  with  "Waterloo  1815"  painted on it.  Hef brought it
back from the battlefield there  and  gave  it  to  me.   He
commented about his visit there, "All you see is stuff about
Napoleon.  You'd  think  they  would  have  something  about
Wellington."  Hef  and  I  used  to  stop at the Toymaker of
Williamsburg  to   peruse   and   sometimes   buy   military
miniatures.   The  figure  of  Wellington  stands  beside my
Waterloo rock.  These items bring back  wonderful  memories,
the  best  of  which  is  that those great guys were my good
friends.                                                    

At a seminar in Petersburg years ago, a speaker talked about
the  influence of Napoleon on the U.  S.  military caused by
many of  his  officers  coming  here  after  that  emperor's
downfall  in  1815.   Some  taught  at West Point.  Claudius
Crozet came to Virginia and was one of the founders of  VMI.
This Anglophile asked, "Why didn't they study Wellington?  He
won." Andrew Roberts in his  Napoleon  and  Wellington:  The
Battle  of  Waterloo  and the Great Commanders Who Fought It
writes, "Reams have been written  about  how  much  Napoleon
underestimated Wellington, but it is also true that from the
moment Napoleon landed at Golfe Juan, and  embarked  on  the
adventure  that saw him reach Paris in three weeks without a
shot being fired, install himself as  emperor,  reconstitute
his  army  and  government,  and  then unleash his lightning
attack  on  Belgium,  Wellington   consistently   underrated
Napoleon.   For  as  Balzac  said  of  the Napoleon of March
1815:' Before him did ever a man gain an  empire  simply  by
showing his hat?"                                           

Wellington being obscured by Napoleon at modern day Waterloo
shows that it's not  that  unusual  for  the  leaders  whose
armies  were  defeated  to have more fame and accolades than
the ultimate winners.  Everybody knows the name of Hannibal.
How many know Roman general Scipio Africanus?  Bonnie Prince
Charlie is a household name for his campaign to  retake  the
British  throne  in  1745.  If the Duke of Cumberland hadn't
been  such  a  butcher  after  Culloden,  he'd   hardly   be
remembered.   Remembering  this  campaign  just brought back
another fond memory.  Hef Ferguson,  ever  the  Scot,  would
joust   verbally   with   Tom   Lauterbach   the  Hanoverian
re-fighting the '45 at Longstreet Camp dinner meetings.     

Next month is Confederate History Month, which doesn't  need
any   governmental   proclamation  to  be  celebrated.   The
Virginia Division Confederate History  parade  is  scheduled
April  8.  We all need to stand tall and honor our ancestors
who fought for the land they loved.                         

				Walter

GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET CAMP #1247

NEXT MEETING-TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2006

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

MARCH PROGRAM

David P.  Bridges will be  our  featured  speaker  on  March
21st.   David  is  on  the  road  promoting  his  new  book,
"Fighting With JEB Stuart:  Major  James  Breathed  and  the
Confederate  Horse  Artillery".  He will have copies on sale
for $34.50                                                  

Here is his web site: http://www.davidpbridges.com          

David P.  Bridges,  theologian,  historian,  biographer  and
outdoorsman,  began writing about the Civil War period after
nearly two decades as a Presbyterian minister.   He  learned
to fire cannon and fight after dismounting from his horse so
that he could participate in Civil  War  re-enactments  with
the  2nd Virginia Cavalry & Stuart Horse Artillery, based in
Roanoke, Virginia.  Today he is working on  a  biography  of
James Breathed, a doctor who fought with J.E.B.  Stuart.    

Bridges'  area  of expertise is the 19th century experience.
His first book is about the Best family, industrialists  and
philanthropists  who  have  impacted Chicago's history.  His
second  book  chronicles  the  Bridges  family  in   Western
Maryland.   It shows how industry, politics and conservation
have worked together to preserve the Woodmont  Rod  and  Gun
Club.                                                       

Bridges  has  studied history and theology at the Louisville
Presbyterian Seminary and the University of Chicago.   Today
he makes his home in historic Alexandria, Virginia.         

				Will Shumadine

February PROGRAM

Ben Greenbaum

Ben Greenbaum, history  professor  at  Collegiate  School  ,
presented a most interesting program about Civil War medical
practices and locations of Richmond's hospitals  during  the
War.                                                        

Ben  pointed  out  that 10 % of the population served in the
military and 2% of the population died.  Using  an  estimate
of  today's  population, that would mean 29.5 million in the
military with 2.95 million deaths.                          

Medicine in the USA and CSA had been  little  changed.   The
ideas  of  Lister  regarding  antiseptics  and Pasteur about
bacteria had not crossed the  Atlantic  Ocean  from  Europe.
Microscopes  were  little  more  than  glorified  magnifying
glasses.                                                    

Casualties were enormous.  The famed "Charge  of  the  Light
Brigade" of the Crimean War resulted in 30 % casualties.  Two
regiments at Gettysburg had 80% casualties.  The accuracy of
rifled  muskets  was 300-500 yards, compared to 75 yards for
older muskets.  Tactics held over from previous wars  caused
huge  numbers  of  casualties.   With  all  the  casualties,
disease accounted for two-thirds of military  deaths.   Many
rural  Southerners  were brought together in the Army.  This
led to deaths from measles, mumps, and chicken  pox.   Other
causes of death were dysentery, typhoid, pneumonia, malaria,
and smallpox.  Medical examination to get into the Army  was
an  examiner looking into the mouth of a prospective soldier
to see if he had enough teeth to bite a paper cartridge.    

There  were  two  ideas  of   medicine.    Benjamin   Rush's
homeopathic  style  was  to  heighten  symptoms by bleeding,
blistering and purging.  Night air was  considered  noxious.
Windows  of  hospitals were closed, keeping infection in the
building.  The allopathic  school  believed  in  alleviating
symptoms.                                                   

Most  wounds  were  by  gunshot.  Fewer than 1,000 died form
saber wounds.  Initially epaulettes were worn  to  ward  off
saber  wounds.   Most  were thrown away.  Rifles and pistols
kept most fighting at a distance.                           

Doctors were all called surgeons.  They did not  use  gloves
and  didn't  wash as often as they should have.  Joints were
soldered  with  lead,  leading  to  lead  poisoning.    Five
surgeons poked their fingers into Abraham Lincoln's wound.  

Ben  showed  us  a  surgeon's  field  kit for immediate use.
Prominent tools were a very sharp surgeon's  knife,  a  bone
saw,  a  probe  with  a porcelain tip, and a bullet remover.
Surgeries were done hastily, most taking 15 minutes or less.

Ben then showed slides of about 20 buildings still  standing
in  Richmond  which  were used as hospitals.  He distributed
several informative handouts.                               

				Walter

2003-2004 CAMP OFFICERS
LONGSTREET CAMP #1247
Commander: Taylor Cowardin                   356-9625
1st. Lt. Cmdr.: William F. Shumadine, III    285-4044
2nd Lt. Cmdr.: Michael Kidd	             270-9651
Adjutant/Treasurer: Walter Tucker            360-7247
Judge Advocate: Richard B. Campbell          278-6488
Quartermaster: R. Preston Nuttall            276-8977
Chaplain: Henry V. Langford                  474-1978

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, 2005
through  the  current  month. As you  know,  our  cumulative
listing starts in July of each year.                        

Ben Baird
Harry Boyd
Lloyd Brooks
Brian Cowardin
Clint Cowardin
Taylor Cowardin
Raymond Crews*
Jerold Evans
Kitty Faglie
Richard Faglie
David George
Charles Howard 
Chris Jewett
John Kane
Frank Marks
Lewis Mills
Joe Moschetti
John Moschetti
Joey Seay
Bill Setzer
Austin Thomas
David Thomas
Walter Tucker*
John Vial*
David Ware
Harold Whitmore*
Hugh Williams

In Memory of Chuck Walton-Anonymous
In Memory of Chuck Walton-Ben Baird
In Memory of Hef Ferguson-David George
In Memory of Tom Lauterbach-Harold Whitmore

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

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

THROUGH 2006
Confederate Navy Exhibit, featuring ships, commanders, naval
technology,   paintings   and   artifacts.   Museum  of  the
Confederacy,   Richmond.    For   info:   (804)649-1861   or
www.moc.org

MARCH 18, 19
145th Anniversary of  the  Battle  of  Big  Bethel,  Endview
Plantation,  Newport  News,  10-4.  Living History programs,
encampments and battles  each  day.   $7.   House  admission
separate.  For information: (757)887-1862, www.endview.org  

APRIL 8
Two-hour tour of Brandy Station Battlefield, Beverly Ford  &
St.   James  Church  from Graffiti House, Brandy Station, 10
a.m.  Early morning June 9, 1863,  fighting  between  troops
under  Union  General  John  Buford  and  General William E.
"Grumble" Jones.  No reservations required, $5 over age  12.
Sponsored  by  Brandy  Station Foundation.  For information:
(540)       547-4106,       www.bsfjune91863@       aol.com;
www.brandystation.com

APRIL 8,9
34TH Annual American Civil  War  Show,  Dulles  Expo  Center
(South  Building),  Chantilly.   Saturday  9-5, Sunday 10-2.
Sponsored   by   the   Northern   Virginia   Relic   Hunters
Association.  For information: John Graham, (703) 823-1958.

APRIL 8,9
"A Gathering of Eagles" with  leading  Confederate  &  Union
Impressionists   in   Harrisonburg.   Presidents  Davis  and
Lincoln  along  with  Generals  Lee,  Longstreet,   Jackson,
Pickett,   Early,   etc.    Debate  Generals  Grant,  Meade,
Chamberlain, Sherman, Custer, etc.   while  memorialized  by
Matthew Brady.  NO BATTLES.  Educational experience for all,
including reenactors who desire accurate details  that  will
further   encourage   intellectual  discourse.   Sutlers  by
invitation, Re-enactor camping available.  Registration  $5.
For     information:     Al     Stone,    (304)    466-2030,
astoneasrelee@peoplepc.com
www.gathering of eagles.leeslieutenants.com.

APRIL 15
"The Battlefield  of  Fredericksburg"  tour  from  Lee  Hall
Mansion,  Newport  News,  8-5.   Guide  Michael Moore to the
stone  wall,  Marye's  Heights,   Lee's   Hill,   Hamilton's
Crossing,  Old  Town Fredericksburg.  $50.  For information:
(757) 888-3371; www.leehall.org

A LITTLE HUMOR

The biggest difference between men and boys is the  cost  of
their toys.

					Dr. Joyce Brothers

The world looks as if it has been left  in  the  custody  of
trolls.

Somewhere,  right  now,  there's  a  committee deciding your
future; only you weren't invited.

Man is always ready to die for an idea,  provided  that  the
idea is not quite clear to him.

Let your children go if you want to keep them.

					Malcolm Forbes

THE WINNER OF THIS MONTH'S DRAWING!

Jeb Stuart, VI  looks  pleased  over  winning  the  drawing!
Congratulations, Jeb.  We are sure that you will find a good
use for it.                                                 

EDITOR'S NOTE

This issue will be cut short at four pages due to  the  fact
that we are caught up in the process of selling our house.  

Strangers are coming in at odd times to inspect our home and
computer time is severely affected.                                

				             Dave