COMMANDER'S COMMENTS

April is always a special time of year here  in  the  Commonwealth,  but
especially  for  those of us who are fortunate enough to have ancestor's
that fought for the Confederacy.  April has long been considered History
and  Heritage  Month for the members of the Virginia Division, SCV.  The
reasons are very obvious.  It was in April, 1861, that the conflict that
would  turn  our landscape red with the spilled blood of many a Southern
soldier would begin  in  the  port  city  of  Charleston,  SC  with  the
bombardment and eventual surrender of Fort Sumter.                      

In  April,  1862  -  the true horrors of this conflict were brought home
with the Battle of Pittsburgh Landing or Shiloh.  It was at Shiloh where
Confederate  forces  nearly  succeed  in  pushing  U.S.   Grant's forces
completely off the battlefield  during  the  first  day's  actions,  but
overwhelming  re-enforcements  arrived overnight to aid General Grant in
his successful counter-attack the next day.  It was also at Shiloh  that
the Confederacy lost one of its most celebrated Generals - Albert Sidney
Johnston-a man who actually fought for 3 republics - The United  States;
The  Republic of Texas; and the Confederate States of America.  Finally,
on April 9, 1865 we saw the surrender of what remained of General  Lee's
vaulted Army of Northern Virginia to General Grant's Union forces around
Appomattox Courthouse.                                                  

The Annual Convention of the Virginia Division, SCV,  will  be  held  in
Williamsburg  later  this  month  (April  24-26), and this year is being
hosted by Commander Dave Ware and the James City Calvary Camp. Commander
Ware  and  his  members  have  been  working  very  hard  to put forth a
top-notch convention.  While there are no elections this year, there are
several amendments to the Virginia Division Constitution that will be up
for a  vote.   The  proposed  amendments  are  posted  on  the  Virginia
Division, SCV web-site if you would like to take a look at them.  I will
be heading up our camp delegation to this year's convention, and ask  if
there  are  any members of the Longstreet Camp who wish to be a delegate
to the Convention to please let either myself or Walter Tucker  know  as
quickly as possible.                                                    

If  you  haven't  seen  the  emails that have been sent around recently,
there are a number of activities being planned at Appomattox this  year.
I  had  the honor and privilege of attending such activities a few years
ago right before the Annual Virginia Division, SCV Convention  (2005)  -
and  I  enjoyed myself immensely.  I had a great time walking around the
different camp sites and watching the troops drill in  the  open  fields
before  they  took  part  in  the formal surrender ceremonies, and I can
promise you there were a lot of wet cheeks that day - and No  it  wasn't
raining.  Try to attend if you can.                                     

We  recently  started offering the monthly camp newsletter on-line.  For
those who may not have known, we will  send  you  a  web-link  that  you
simply  click  on  and  it  takes  you right to the current monthly Camp
newsletter.  For those of you who are not able  to  receive  e-mails  we
still  will  be  sending you your copy of The Warhorse newsletter in the
mail.  My heart-felt  Thanks  to  Gary  Cowardin  for  handling  such  a
herculean  task, and also for his continued efforts on managing the Camp
web-site.  Well done sir!                                               

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

I look forward to seeing everyone at our next camp meeting!  Remember -
show your Confederate Heritage proudly this month!

Deo Vindice!                                                            
					Mike                     

ADJUTANT'S REPORT

We were pleased to induct Dale Harlow at our March  meeting.   Dale  was
introduced to our camp by his friend and co-worker Don Jewett.          

Hugh  Williams,  one  of our Camp's stalwarts, has been suffering with a
bad back and had to miss our March meeting.   He's  getting  better  and
hopes to be back with us for our April meeting.                         

With  79  members  in  our  Camp, we are entitled to eight delegates and
eight votes at the Virginia Division Convention in Williamsburg the last
weekend  in April.  Four amendments to the Division Constitution will be
discussed and voted on during the business session  Saturday  April  25.
Any  member  in  good  standing  can  attend the business sessions; only
delegates may speak to the Convention and vote.  Mike Kidd,  elected  at
our  March  meeting as chairman of our delegation, and I are planning to
attend the Convention.  Please let Mike or  me  know  before  our  April
meeting  if  you  would like to be a delegate.  If we have more than the
allotted eight, we shall vote at our April meeting on which seven  shall
serve in addition to Mike.                                              

James  City  Cavalry  Camp # 2095 is the host for the Convention.  James
City Cavalry was started in 2005 by several Longstreet Camp members  who
live  in  the  Williamsburg area.  The Camp has shown good growth and is
very active.  James City Camp Commander Dave Ware and Camp Adjutant  Ken
Parsons are associate members of Longstreet Camp.                       

We're  scheduled to clean up our one mile section of Studley Road, route
606, Hanover County Saturday  April  18.   Please  contact  Lewis  Mills
798-5688  or Walter Tucker 360-7247 if you'd like to help.  We can use a
few more volunteers.                                                    

Lewis has obtained a grave marker for an ancestor of  his  in  Hollywood
Cemetery.   He  is  conferring  with  other  family  members to select a
mutually agreeable date  on  which  to  have  an  appropriate  ceremony.
Several  years  ago,  Lewis  was instrumental in our Camp's dedicating a
marker for a  Texas  soldier  buried  at  Mt.   Olivet  Baptist  Church,
Beaverdam.   That  was  a  very  moving  occasion  with  a number of the
soldier's descendants attending from Texas and  Mississippi.   Our  Camp
also dedicated grave markers in Hollywood to two of General Longstreet's
staff officers.  We ordered the markers after Bobby  Krick  brought  the
unmarked  graves  to  our  attention  when  he presented a program about
Longstreet's staff at a Camp meeting.                                   

Lewis Mills was also instrumental in bringing to the  attention  of  the
SCV a list from the Library of Virginia of approximately 250 Confederate
soldiers buried in Woodland Cemetery, Ashland.   Lewis  learned  of  the
list  from  Judy  Lowry,  director of the Page Library, Montpelier.  The
list was researched for the Page Library by W.   E.   Winfrey  and  Bill
Thames  and  further  researched  by  Bobby Krick.  The list has already
proved to be of great value.  The regimental history of the 18th Georgia
Infantry,  being  used  by us on another project, did not contain burial
places of a number of that unit's soldiers who  died  in  Ashland  April
1862.   We  have  sent the author/publisher a list of 20 soldiers of the
18th Georgia who are buried in Woodland.  He was delighted to learn this
and  will  include  this  vital  information  in  any  revision  of  the
regimental history.                                                     

Thanks to Tom Spivey and Preston Nuttall for their recent letters to the
Richmond  Times-Dispatch.   Preston's was countering a recent uniformed,
hateful letter letter about Robert E.  Lee.  This is the sort  of  thing
that we need to do to educate the uninformed.                           

April  is  Confederate  Heritage  and History month.  We do not need the
approval or proclamations of politicians to celebrate our heritage. None
of  us  can  do  everything to preserve and protect our heritage and the
history of our Confederate ancestors, but each of us can do at least one
thing.   Let's fly our flags, wear our lapel pins, and take advantage of
opportunities to spread the truth.                                      

					Walter                   

GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET CAMP #1247

NEXT MEETING - TUESDAY, April 21, 2009

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

APRIL SPEAKER

Gregg Clemmer, author of
The Life and Wars  of  General  Ed  "Alleghany" Johnson.
He will have copies of his book available for purchase at the meeting.

MARCH PROGRAM

National Park Service historian Robert E.  Lee (Bobby) Krick spoke about
Stonewall Jackson in Richmond at our March meeting.                     

Prior  to  The War, Jackson conferred with a friend in Richmond in 1848.
He traveled through Richmond on the  way  to  visit  Fort  Monroe  as  a
tourist in 1858.  He came through Richmond on the way to Charles Town in
1859.                                                                   

Stonewall's time in Richmond during The War was extremely  limited.   He
brought  the  VMI  cadets to Camp Lee in April 1861 to drill volunteers.
Jackson spent only a week here before being ordered to Harpers Ferry. He
was  little  known  in  Richmond,  although  Confederate  War department
diarist John B.  Jones predicted success for him.                       

The first mention of Jackson in an editorial  in  a  Richmond  newspaper
came in May 1862.  On the 29th of that month, he was referred to as "the
hero of the War." Richmond's population exoloded during  the  War,  from
38,000 in 1860 to at least 100,000 ( possibly 150,000) in 1863-64.      

Jackson's shortcomings in the 1862 Seven Days Campaign were not apparent
to the public.  Jackson issued orders  against  trespassing  on  private
property.   With  roads  being  muddy, some of his soldiers infuriated a
farmer on 360 east by taking a short cut  through  his  field  of  oats.
Jackson  himself,  impatient  with  the  clogged  road, took a short cut
himself.  The farmer, not recognizing Jackson, said, "I'll report you to
Stonewall  Jackson himself." When Jackson identified himself, the farmer
responded, "Hoorah for Stonewall Jackson."                              

In July 1862 while worshiping in Second Presbyterian Church, Jackson  as
usual  nodded  off.   People  climbed  over  the backs of pews to get to
Jackson.                                                                

Jackson had a lunch with Jefferson Davis and Robert E.   Lee  in  summer
1862  to plan strategy for dealing with "that miscreant" John Pope.  The
9 August battle of Cedar Mountain followed.                             

While lingering on at Guinea Station after  his  May  1863  wounding  at
Chancellorsville  ,  Jackson and his wife had a disagreement about where
he would recuperate in Richmond.  That was rendered moot by his death.  

The train carrying Jackson's body stopped at 4th and Broad  Streets  for
transfer  of  the  body  to  a  hearse.  The 44th North Carolina led the
parade to the Governor's Mansion.  The body lay in state there  with  an
estimated 20,000 people viewing it.  The funeral service was the largest
public event ever in Richmond.  The body was  taken  by  canal  boat  to
Lynchburg before being taken to its ultimate destination in Lexington.  

English  admirers  of Jackson raised 4,000 pounds to erect a monument to
Jackson.  The Commonwealth of Virginia accepted the statue in 1875.  The
dedication  at the Capitol Square included another parade.  Inscribed on
the floral arrangement at  the  gate  to  the  Capitol  were  the  words
"Warrior-Patriot-Christian."  Governor  (and  former  Confederate  Major
General) J.  Lawson Kemper  presided.   Jackson's  friend  the  Reverend
Moses  Hoge,  pastor  of Richmond's Second Presbyterian Church, spoke an
estimated two to three hours.  His  memorable  line  was,  "To  describe
Jackson  without  religion would be equivalent to describing Switzerland
without he Alps."                                                       

In 1911 a movement began for the erection of  a  statue  of  Jackson  on
Monument  Avenue.   The cornerstone was dedicated during a convention of
the United Confederate Veterans 3 June  1915.   The  statue  itself  was
dedicated   11   October   1919.   Present  were  several  of  Jackson's
descendants, 575 VMI cadets, and 2,000 men in uniform.  Robert E.   Lee,
III  was  the  keynote  speaker.   The wind caused the lanyard to become
tangled, so a man had to climb up  on  Jackson's  horse  to  enable  the
statue to be unveiled.  Bobby circulated a picture of this.             

Bobby's presentation was interesting and informative, as always.        

Reporter's note:                                                        
Bobby said that he had heard that F.  William Sievers, sculptor  of  the
Jackson  and Maury Monument Avenue statues, was a member of the Richmond
Civil  War  Round  Table  in  the  early  1950's.    Our   Camp's   Hugh
Williams,RCWRT  member  from  those  years,  confirmed  that Sievers was
indeed a member.                                                        

					Walter

2007-2009 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
War Horse editor and                                 
Webmaster: Gary F. Cowardin                  262-0534

Website: longstreetscv.org                           

LONGSTREET'S FIRST CORPS

The following is a listing of contributors to the upkeep  of
"The  Old  War  Horse" from July, 2008.  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*   Taylor Cowardin*
Raymond Crews     Jerold Evans      Dave George       Mike Hendrick
Jack Kane         Peter Knowles,II  Lewis Mills       Conway Moncure
Bob Moore         Joe Moschetti	    John Moschetti    Preston Nuttall
Waite Rawls       Peyton Roden      Bill Setzer       Tom Spivey   
Walter Tucker*    John Vial         David Ware        Harold Whitmore
Bobbie Williams   Hugh Williams     Keith Zimmerman*  Anonymous       

Legend:                                    
* - Multiple contributions                 

HURTT SCHOLARSHIP FUND
August 1, 2008 through March 31, 2009

Walt Beam       Brian Cowardin  Clint Cowardin          Lee Crenshaw 
Don Jewett      Jack Kane       Peter Knowles, II       Joe Moschetti
Preston Nuttall Peyton Roden    Walter Tucker           Tom Vance    
Hugh Williams   Anonymous                                            

Three generous donations in March,  combined  with  previous  donations,
have  given  us  sufficient  funds  to  make  the  award  in June to the
outstanding senior history student at Douglas S.  Freeman High School.  

VIRGINIA DIVISION, SCV FUND

Walter Beam     Crawley Joyner  Bob Moore       Cary Shelton