COMMANDER'S COMMENTS

As  I  sit  before  my  computer  to  write   this   month's
Commander's  Comments, I am reminded that today (May 5th) is
Cinco De Mayo  Day  celebrated  throughout  Mexico  and  the
United  States.   This  day is when Mexicans celebrate their
heritage.  but it is not a day to celebrate independence  as
many  have  thought  over  the  years.   It  is actually the
anniversary of a battle that  took  place  in  1862  between
French troops and heavily out-numbered Mexican troops (sound
familiar?).  The French troops  had  been  sent  by  Emperor
Napoleon  III  to  seize control of the government of Mexico
and install a foreign head-of-state to lead the country.    

The Mexican militia troops  hid  behind  fortifications  and
attacked  the  French troops as they entered the city on May
5th and the ensuing battle resulted  in  over  1,000  French
troops being killed.  The French Emperor was so surprised by
this show of force from the Mexicans that he sent additional
French  troops  to Mexico to seize control of the government
(which they  did),  but  the  Mexicans  celebrated  May  5th
because   of   that  victory  over  the  French  forces  and
ultimately it helped to lead to the overthrow of the  French
puppet government a few years later.                        

Another   great   battle  occurred  on  the  North  American
continent just one-year later when  a  heavily  out-numbered
force  of  Confederates  led  by General Robert E.  Lee, out
fought, out soldiered and resoundingly defeated  the  vastly
superior  but  poorly  led  Union Army of the Potomac at the
Battle of Chancellorsville.   This  battle  has  often  been
called  Lee and Jackson's masterpiece because in the face of
over-whelming forces, numerous times General Lee divided his
forces   and  attacked  the  poorly  led  Union  forces  and
ultimately  routed  them.   Unfortunately,  the  brave   and
valiant General Stonewall Jackson fell victim to a volley of
smoothbore musket fire from nervous North  Carolina  troops,
and  died  of  pneumonia  several  days  later.  Ironically,
General Jackson died on May 10th  -  a  Sunday.   Being  the
devout Presbyterian that he was, it was rumored that General
Jackson believed in never writing a letter that would be  in
transit  on  the  Sabbath,  and  he didn't believe in giving
battle on the Sabbath (note my  terminology).   However,  if
you  look  at  General Jackson's battles - most of them were
fought and won on a Sunday.                                 

The month of May, one year  later,  saw  the  beginnings  of
General  Grant's  vicious  and deadly Overland Campaign with
the opening battle in the Wilderness.  It  was  during  this
battle, on May 6th, that General Lee's "Old War Horse" - our
very own General James Longstreet,  was  felled  in  similar
circumstances  as  was  General  Jackson  the  year earlier.
General Longstreet was fired  upon  and  wounded  by  troops
under  the  command of General Kershaw.  Fortunately for the
Confederacy and General Lee, General Longstreet survived his
wounding  and  was later able to return to command, although
without the use of one of his arms, for the duration of  the
war.                                                        

The  month  of  May  also  played  a significant part in the
formation of the Confederate  States  of  America  when  the
state  of  North Carolina and Commonwealth of Virginia voted
to secede from the Union within one week of  each  other  in
1861.  Without a doubt, the month of May is a very important
part of our Confederate Heritage-- something of which we may
very proud.                                                 

As  we  continue  with  our  struggle  of trying to save our
history and our heritage, I am reminded of  what  the  great
reporter  Edward  R.   Murrow  once  said - "We can deny our
heritage   and   our   history,   but   we   cannot   escape
responsibilities  for the results." Something to think about
the next time you hear someone talking down to those  of  us
who wish to honor and educate others of our heritage and our
history because they both are so much a part of who  we  are
as Americans today.                                         

As  I  have  mentioned  in previous newsletters, I have been
asked by a member of the UDC to see if the  Longstreet  camp
would  be  interested  in  assisting  with  the planning and
coordination of the upcoming  Children  of  the  Confederacy
Convention  that will be held in July.  I have been informed
that a representative  will  be  present  at  our  May  Camp
meeting  who  would  like to speak about the Convention so I
hope everyone is able to attend this meeting.               

Remember -
"Longstreet is the Camp boys - Longstreet is  the Camp!"

I look forward to seeing everyone at our next camp meeting -
May 20th!

Deo Vindice!                                                
					Mike

ADJUTANT'S REPORT

Many thanks to our members  who  cleaned  up  our  one  mile
section  of  Studley Road, Hanover County, near Enon Church,
on Saturday April 19.  Lewis Mills always leads this effort,
and  he  was  ably assisted this year by Clint Cowardin, Lee
Crenshaw, Ray Crews,  Gene  Golden,  Andy  Keller,  and  the
writer.   We  were  blessed  with good weather and filled 14
trash bags.  Next cleanup will be in October.               

Our appreciation also goes to Rob Millikin as  he  completed
his  term as 2nd Brigade Commander.  Rob's dedicated service
to the SCV also  included  chairing  the  Division  Heritage
Parade  Committee  and  serving  as  co-editor  of  the "Old
Dominion Voice." Rob has been an advocate for camps  in  the
Virginia Division and is a good friend of our Camp.         

We  welcome  D.   Michael  Thomas  as  the newly elected 2nd
Brigade Commander.  I had the privilege of talking with Mike
at the March meeting of his home camp, Robert E.  Lee Camp #
1589.  Mike intends to visit all the camps in  the  brigade,
and we look forward to having him with us.                  

At  long  last,  the Robert E.  Lee license plates are being
distributed.  Mine came Friday April 18 and were put  on  my
car  that day, just in time for the road cleanup crew to see
them on Saturday.  Several friends who are not  SCV  members
have  noticed  them  and  have made favorable comments.  The
special lettering on my plates indicates  that  my  ancestor
served in the 26th Virginia Infantry.  Our grandson recently
had the word infantry in his school work.   He  wasn't  sure
what it meant.  Leave it to the Frogs to confuse things with
their prettified words.  The Brits were much clearer.   Most
of  Wellington's  infantry  regiments had the word "Foot" as
part of their name.  The  clarity  probably  contributed  to
Wellington's   success   in   the   lengthy  Peninsular  War
(1808-1814)  and  later  at  Waterloo  (with  the  help   of
Blucher's  Prussians).   In  the  Zulu  War  the regiment at
Rorke's Drift January 1879  was  the  24th  Foot.   The  Lee
plates  are  available  to  everyone.   If  you  had already
applied and paid, you should be receiving them soon.        

The University of Richmond held a Civil  War  symposium  the
afternoon before the April 12 inauguration of Dr.  Edward L.
Ayers as president of the school.  Dr.  Ayers scheduled  the
inauguration  to  coincide with alumni reunion weekend.  Dr.
Ayers  has  never  forgotten  his  roots  in  western  North
Carolina  and  east  Tennessee.   He is highly regarded as a
scholar and an administrator and has been warmly received by
the  various  constituencies of the University.  When one of
the speakers at the inauguration quoted Barney Fife, we knew
everything was going to be all right!                       

We  were pleased to have Everette Ellis at our April meeting
speaking  on  behalf  of  the   Jefferson   Davis   Memorial
Committee, which is planning an outstanding commemoration of
President Davis's 200th  birthday  Saturday,  June  7th,  at
Hollywood  Cemetery.   Our  Camp voted to make a donation to
assist  the  committee  with  financing  the  commemoration.
Please mark your calendars and attend this event.           

We  have  received  several  more  donations  to  the  Hurtt
Scholarship Fund, which assures us of  funding  this  year's
grant  to  the  outstanding  senior  history  at  Douglas S.
Freeman High School.  Additional contributions will be  used
next year.                                                  

It's  not  too  late  to make your voice heard to insure the
preservation of Fort Monroe.  There will be public  hearings
as follows:                                                 

May 17		Hampton		10:00 AM
					
May 20		Richmond	Evening 
					
May 21		Washington, DC	Evening 

Camp members on email will be notified as more details about
those  hearings  are  received.  Unfortunately, the Richmond
hearing is  the  same  night  as  our  Camp  meeting.   Last
November's  hearing  in  Richmond  was the same night as the
Richmond Civil War Round Table's  annual  banquet.   In  the
interim,   please   write  your  political  representatives,
particularly the Governor, to urge  them  to  preserve  this
international historic treasure.  Politicians can count, and
they or their subordinates  read  their  mail.   We  have  a
responsibility  to speak and write.  Silence will tell those
in authority that we don't care what happens to the Fort.   

					Walter

THE HAPPY CLEANUP CREW!!

GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET CAMP #1247

NEXT MEETING - TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2008

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
MEETING STARTS AT 7:00 PM

MAY PROGRAM

I am pleased to announce that we will now  have  Mr.   Brent
Morgan  who  is  an  avid  genealogist and Registrar for the
Richmond Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. His
topic  will  be  "Researching your War of Northern Agression
Ancestors." Please plan to attend this meeting!  I guarantee
that you will learn something!!                             

See you on the 20th!                                        

			Taylor  

APRIL PROGRAM

Emerson Williams

Emerson Williams, author of two historical  novels,  Roaring
Creek  and  Sinkhole Justice, spoke to us about his ancestor
Clarke Lewis, of Greenbrier County, (then)  Virginia.   When
we think of West Virginia during The War Between The States,
we tend to focus on its unconstitutional secession from  the
Commonwealth  of Virginia.  Too often overlooked is the fact
that there were some western Virginians who  remained  loyal
to  their state and who served in the Confederate Army.  The
inclination   of   citizens   of   Greenbrier   County   was
demonstrated  by  Abraham Lincoln's not receiving one single
vote in the county in the 1860 presidential election.       

The speaker's ancestor Clarke Lewis joined the 22nd Virginia
Infantry,   nicknamed  the  Virginia  1st  Kanawha  Infantry
Regiment, and participated in battles at  Scarey  Creek  and
other  western  Virginia  locations  in  the  fall  of 1861.
General Robert E.  Lee  sent  General  Henry  Wise  back  to
Richmond.                                                   

In 1862 the 22nd saw action at Giles Court House, Lewisburg,
and in the  Kanawha  Campaign.   Actions  of  1863  were  in
Jones's  and  Imboden's West Virginia Raid, at White Sulphur
Springs, and at Droop Mountain.                             

General   John   Breckenridge   convinced   West    Virginia
Confederate troops to come east.  The 22nd fought along with
the VMI Cadets at New Market.  After North  Anna,  the  22nd
was  at Cold Harbor.  They were cheered by other Confederate
troops when they moved from the left  of  the  line  to  the
right.  They then came to Richmond.                         

Under  Jubal  Early  the  22nd participated in the Lynchburg
Campaign and the battle at Monocacy.  The regiment went with
Early to the vicinity of Fort Stevens, Washington, DC.      

Clarke Lewis was captured by the Yankees at the third battle
of Winchester September 19,  1864.   He  was  taken  to  the
notorious  prison  camp at Point Lookout, Maryland, where he
was given one blanket, a tin  cup,  and  a  tin  plate.   He
suffered  through  the  winter  with  other prisoners there.
Lewis was released before Appomattox.                       

Emerson's second book, Sinkhole Justice, deals with  postwar
Lewis Mill, West Virginia.                                  

Clarke Lewis lived until 1908.                              

It  was  interesting to hear about western Virginia soldiers
who served the Confederacy loyally throughout The War.      

					Walter

2005-2008 CAMP OFFICERS
LONGSTREET CAMP #1247
Commander: Michael Kidd	                     270-9651
1st. Lt. Cmdr.: Taylor Cowardin              359-9277
2nd Lt. Cmdr.: Thomas G. Vance	             282-6278
Adjutant/Treasurer: Walter Tucker            360-7247
Judge Advocate: Harry Boyd                   741-2060
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                  200-1311

LONGSTREET'S FIRST CORPS

The following is a listing of contributors to the upkeep  of
"The  Old  War  Horse" from July, 2007.  through the current
month.  As you know, our cumulative listing starts  in  July
of each year and we do not meet in August.                  

Lloyd Brooks*
Brian Cowardin
Clint Cowardin*
Gary Cowardin
Taylor Cowardin
Ray Crews
Jerold Evans
Kitty Faglie
Richard Faglie
Michael Hendrick
Michael Kidd
Peter Knowles,II
Lewis Mills
Conway Moncure
Robert Moore
Joe Moschetti
John Moschetti
Peyton Roden
Bill Setzer
Rufus Sarvay
Will Shumadine
Austin Thomas
John Vial
Jerry Wells
David Ware
Harold Whitmore
Bobby Williams
Hugh Williams 
Keith Zimmerman

In memory of Robert Mahone - Raymond Crews
In memory of Hef Ferguson and Chuck Walton - Preston Nuttall & Walter Tucker

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

HURTT SCHOLARSHIP FUND

The fund is alive and well thanks to the donations  received
from the following members:                                 

Brian Cowardin		Clint Cowardin 
Michael Hendrick	Lewis Mills    
Bob Moore		Preston Nuttall
Waite Rawls		Peyton Roden   
Rufus Sarvay		Walter Tucker  

This is a annual monetary award for the best history scholar
of the graduating class of Douglas Freeman High School.  The
winner is selected by the History Department of the school. 

ROBERT E. LEE PLATE IS FINALLY HERE!!



Lee plates are now available at the  DMV!!   You  may  order
them on line at the following web site: www.dmv.virginia.gov

Information on the plates may be obtained at  the  following
site:                                                       
www.dmv.virginia.gov/exe/vehicle/splates/info.asp?idnm=REL

 A souvenir plate is also available.

NATIONAL
JEFFERSON DAVIS
MEMORIAL SERVICE
HOLLYWOOD CEMETERY

SATURDAY, JUNE 7,2008  10:00 A.M.
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

SPONSORED BY THE VIRGINIA DIVISION
SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS



Saturday, June 7th will be the two-hundredth 
birthday of the President of the Confederacy!!

The following notes  were  taken  by  our  Adjutant,  Walter
Tucker  at  a  Symposium  sponsored  by  the  Museum  of the
Confederacy and the Library  of  Virginia  on  February  23,
2008:                                                       


William  C.   "Jack"  Davis  spoke  about grading Davis as a
president.  Ranking presidents became popular beginning with
Arthur  Schlesinger in 1948.  Jack feels that Jeff should be
on the list of best presidents.  Presidents  are  judged  by
challenges  they  face  and  should  be  judged  by  what is
possible.  He doesn't think it's fair to compare  Jeff  with
Lincoln.                                                    

Jeff   didn't   do   particularly   well   in  staffing  his
administration.  He  chose  one  cabinet  member  from  each
state.  He had never met two cabinet members.  He almost had
duels with two.  Judah Benjamin is over-rated  and  was  not
loyal  to  Davis.  Jeff had too few resources and too little
time.                                                       

The Confederacy had no domestic policy and no hard currency.
Financing  was  done  by gifts, loans, and taxes.  There was
never a shortage of armaments.  The  Confederate  government
imposed:                                                    
	Wage and price controls         
	Rationin                        
	Prohibition                     
	Impressment of personal property
	Draft (before the Union         
	Welfare                         
	Martial law                     

It was  the  closest  thing  to  a  socialized  state  until
Franklin D.  Roosevelt.                                     

Jefferson   Davis   was  realistic  and  not  an  ideologue. 
Necessity overrode principle.  He misunderstood cotton.  Jack
gave him a B+ on domestic policy.                            

Jeff's  goal  in  foreign  policy  was  to  keep channels of
communication open.  He picked  William  Lowndes  Yancey,  a
most   intemperate   man,   as   his  chief  diplomat.   The
Confederacy published  a  newspaper  in  London  and  bribed
French  journalists.   Propaganda was effective.  Jack gives
Jeff a B or B+ in foreign policy.                           

With only one political party, Jeff got his program  across.
He  vetoed 33 bills.  Only one veto was overturned.  He once
got into a shouting match with a North Carolina congressman.

As Commander-in-Chief his goal was victory (independence) or
nothing.   He  did  not  interfere  with  his generals.  His
greatest mistake was in sticking with Joe Johnston too long.
Jack gives Jeff an "A" as Commander in Chief.               

Jeff  failed  to  use  the Presidency as a bully pulpit.  He
made no outreach to dissidents.  Overall, Jack gives Jeff  a
B+  and  ranks  him  6th  (out   of   21)  in  19th  century
presidents.                                                 

William J.   Cooper,  Jr.   asserted  that  Jefferson  Davis
regarded  the  Confederacy  as  a  holy  cause  and not as a
political matter.  Jeff considered the CSA  to  be  a  fifth
son.                                                        

In  1860 the Republicans were determined to win the election
and dropped the  anti-slavery  plank  from  their  platform.
Lincoln  was  more moderate than Seward, so the party turned
away from the latter.                                       

Southerners perceived that Republicans did not  regard  them
as Americans.  Jefferson Davis urged caution.               

Lincoln's pressures as leader of the Republican Party caused
him to be  consumed  with  patronage  requests.   He  was  a
sectional  winner  in  the  presidential  race  and became a
national leader.  He did not take secession talk  seriously.
He  had no knowledge of the South.  Lincoln kept quiet after
the election.  The committee of 13 could not come up with  a
solution   to   the  crisis.   Seward  voted  against  every
compromise suggested by the Committee.                      

To Lincoln the Republican Party  and  the  nation  were  the
same, but the Party dominated.  State militia units captured
forts.  Jeff Davis was prepared to pay for Forts Pickens and
Sumter.  Lincoln was willing to accept New Mexico as a slave
state.  Lincoln minimized the crisis.                       

Joan Cashin spoke about Varina Howell  Davis,  whose  father
was  from  New Jersey and whose mother was a Virginian.  Her
family was verbal and  highly  extroverted.   Varina  had  a
private  tutor  and went to boarding school in Philadelphia.
She met Jeff at a Christmas party in 1843 and married him in
1845.   She  felt  that  she was in the shadow of Sarah Knox
Taylor, Jeff's first wife.                                  

She did not think the South could win The War.  Postwar  she
felt  that  it was God's will that the North won.  She lived
in New York from 1890 to 1906, where she got to  be  friends
with  Julia  Dent Grant.  Joseph Pulitzer paid her an annual
stipend to write for the New York World.                    

Donald E.  Collins, author of The Death and Resurrection  of
Jefferson  Davis, said that Jeff's biography didn't end with
his death.  He said that the view varied as time went by. He
was considered as:                                          

Confederate president 	        	1861-65     

Martyr			                1865-89     

American soldier                        1889        

Confederate 		     	        1893        
			
Confederate president			1907-present

Davis was blamed for the Confederate defeat.   The  Yankees'
harsh  imprisonment  of him at Fort Monroe turned him into a
martyr.  Horace Greeley and Cornelius Vanderbilt contributed
to  his  bail.  Prosecutor Richard Henry Dana suggested that
Davis not be brought to trial.  The Yankees did not want  to
lose in court what they'd won on the battlefield.           

Davis  took  a  Southern  tour  in  1886.   Henry Grady, who
utilized Davis to help get John B.  Gordon elected, wrote in
that  year,  "This  outcast  is  the  uncrowned  king of our
people.  Memories that for 20 years have been buried in  our
hearts  have  given  us  the  best Easter we have seen since
Christ was risen from the dead."                            

Jefferson Davis was buried as a soldier of the United States
Army.    The  American  flag  predominated  on  the  funeral
carriage.   The  central  government   ignored   him.    The
Secretary of War said, "We know of no such person."         

TALES OF OLD FORT MONROE

As you know, there are discussions going on about the future
of  Fort  Monroe.  The Army is closing the base and planning
to dispose of the property.                                 

We all should be aware of the history of this wonderful site
in  order  to be able to help preserve it from becoming used
for commercial purposes.                                    

Who is to take possession of the Fort?  Will it be the  City
of  Hampton,  the  National  Park  Service  or  the State of
Virginia?                                                   

The following Information sheets and  brochures  in  packets
are  available  for  purchase  in the Casemate Museum at Ft.
Monroe:                                                     

1.  Robert E.  Lee at Fort Monroe       

2.  Black Hawk at Fort Monroe           

3.  Edgar Allan Poe at Fort Monroe      

4.   George  Simon  Bernard:   Aide   to
Napoleon, Designer of Fort Monroe

5.  Is It a Fort or a Fortress?         

6.  Fort Monroe in the Civil War        

7.  Short History of the Civil War      

8.  U.  S.  Grant Comes to Fort Monroe  

9.   Abraham  Lincoln's Campaign Against
the Merrimac (CSS Virginia)

10.   Old   Point   Comfort:   America's
Greatest Bastion

11.   The  Fanny: First Aircraft Carrier
(1861)

12.  The Monitor &  the  Merrimack  (CSS
Virginia)

13.  Jefferson Davis: Brief Biography   

14.  On to Richmond: General McClellan's
Peninsular Campaign

15.   Abraham  Lincoln  at  the  Hampton
Roads Peace Conference (1865)

Sunny weather is now upon us.  Pack a  lunch  and  take  the
family  down  to  see  the Fort!  Purchase the brochures and
read them.                                                  

Become aware of its history and then  give  the  politicians
your  input.   Let's  not  lose  this very important site by
allowing commercial interests to destroy it.                

A LITTLE HUMOR!

"The biggest myth about Southern Women is that we are  frail
types-fainting  on  our  sofas  Nobody where I grew up ever
acted like that.  We were about as fragile as coal trucks!"

                                     Lee Smith

CALENDAR OF VIRGINIA EVENTS

MAY 15-18 5th annual Pamplin Historical Spring Tour.   "1864
Shenandoah   Valley   Campaign."   Six  major  battlefields,
including New Market, Winchester, Cedar Creek  &  Lexington.
Meals   included.    Lodging   in   New   Market   optional.
Reservations required.  For information: (804)  861-2408  or
www.pamplin.org

MAY 16-18 144th anniversary of the Battle of New Market, New
Market Battlefield State Historical Park.  Friday afternoon,
artillery   duel   in   town.    Saturday,   living  history
presentations, noon concert by  Stonewall  Brigade,  2  p.m.
tactical.  Sunday, church service, living history; 1:30 p.m.
battle reenactment.  Admission, $10 adult, $5 children  ages
6-17.    All   ticket   sales   support   preservation   and
interpretation of the park.  For info: (866) 515-1864.      

MAY 22 "Lee and the Historians  in  the  Age  of  Anti-Hero"
lecture  in  the  Robins  Family  Forum, Virginia Historical
Society, Richmond, noon.  Robert K.  Krick,  lecturer.   For
info: (804)698-7661; www.vahistorical.org

MUSEUM OF THE CONFEDERACY

Opening Exhibition "Between The Battles,"  Friday,  May  23.
Exhibit  explores  daily  life  of  the  Confederate soldier
between battles.                                            

Walking Tour: "A Pedestrian's View of Confederate Richmond,"
Saturday,  May 24, 1:00-2:30 p.m.  Call (804) 649-1861, Ext.
32 to register.  Cost $7 for members/$10 for non-members.   

Walking Tour of Jefferson Davis' Richmond.  Fridays, May  16
&  23,  Saturdays,  May  24 & 31, plus other days throughout
June, July & August.  All Tours 12:00-1:00 p.m. Reservations
recommended.  Call Dean Knight, (804) 649-1861, Ext.  37 for
more details.                                               

Jefferson Davis's 200th Birthday Celebration, Tuesday,  June
3, 11:00 a.m.-3:00p.m.  Free museum admission all day !! The
museum will be offering cake in his honor in the garden  and
pictures  with  the  man  himself: Jim Bazo, Jefferson Davis
re-enactor will be on hand for a speech and a photo op.  Take
a  walking  tour at noon of Jefferson Davis' Richmond.  (See
above for full details.  For info: Linda Lipscomb  at  (804)
649-1861, x 32 or llipscomb@ moc.org