COMMANDER'S COMMENTS

October is upon us all in all of its glory - and chilly mornings.  I for
one  do  enjoy this time of year in the Commonwealth with the beauty and
majesty of the Fall Foliage.  Now if we can just get a bit of rain on my
lawn, then things will be looking up at the Kidd household.             

October  also  marks the end of the annual State Fair of Virginia.  This
year's  Fair  was  moved  from  it's  previous  spot  at  the   Richmond
International  Raceway Complex to the Meadow Event Park up Interstate 95
around the Doswell/Kings Dominion area.  I was a bit skeptical at  first
of  the move, but based on what I saw of the traffic that first Sunday -
my skepticism was short-lived.  The crowds were  rather  heavy  on  that
Sunday, but the weather was perfect.  Tuesday's crowd was a bit subdued,
but still well attended for a Tuesday evening.                          

I had the opportunity to once again volunteer my time  at  the  Virginia
Division  SCV  Booth that was in the Farm Bureau building.  I can report
that we had a lot of interest from the crowds of people who came by both
on Sunday and the following Tuesday-especially that Sunday.  Each camp I
worked with had good representation there, and everyone  I  worked  with
handled  themselves  as  true Southern gentlemen!  Doug Pruitt was there
with two of his children on Tuesday and all three of them  were  dressed
in period clothing with Doug and his son in uniforms.                   

If  you  didn't  get  the chance to attend the Longstreet Camp sponsored
grave-site service back on September 20th, then you missed an  excellent
program.   For  starters,  the  weather  was  perfect that day - and the
representatives of the Clopton  family  were  very  impressed  with  our
efforts  to  provide a first-rate program.  My Thanks to Lewis Mills who
helped make this whole thing possible; Walter Tucker and Taylor Cowardin
who  were  both  able to be there and lend their support to the program;
Joe Wright and the Rev.  Beverly Lacey Tucker  Camp  Color-guard  for  a
first-rate  job; and ALL of the Longstreet Camp members who were able to
attend the service.  I'm sure that Lewis can fill us all in on what  the
comments and thoughts of the Clopton family were following the service. 

Don't  forget  to  turn  in  your  annual dues statement to Walter - you
should have received a statement in the mail already.  If  you  did  not
receive  a  statement  and are in good standing with the Longstreet Camp
and the Virginia Division-SCV, then  please  contact  Walter  Tucker  or
myself  so  we can get a payment form to you.  If you know of anyone who
was a Longstreet Camp member  in  the  past,  but  may  have  let  their
membership  expire  -  please  let  Walter or myself know so that we may
contact them to see if they would be interested in re-joining  (I  would
also  encourage  you  to  do  the same).  The last time I had received a
report from Walter our camp was approaching 90% renewal - I would really
like to this number hit 100% before October 31st!                       

I  look  forward  to seeing everyone at our next camp meeting on October
20th - it promises to be an excellent meeting.                          

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

Deo Vindice!                                                            
					Mike                     

ADJUTANT'S REPORT

We were pleased to induct at our September meeting  Cody  Oliver,  whose
ancestor  Isom  B.   Osborn  served  in  Company  E of the 23rd Virginia
Infantry Battalion.                                                     

We have received from Headquarters the membership certificate of William
L.   (Bill)  Akers,  whose  ancestor  Archibald Akers served in the 29th
Virginia Infantry.  We plan to induct Bill at our 20 October meeting.   

Cody was recommended to out camp by his father John Oliver of  the  19th
Virginia  Infantry Camp # 1493.  Bill was brought to our Camp by his son
Will Akers, a Longstreet Camp member.  That's neat.   Father  brings  in
son, and son brings in father.                                          

Gene  Lyon  continues to recover from his surgery, but has a ways to go.
Please keep him and his family in your prayers.                         

The  grave  marker  ceremony  for  Sergeant  John  D.    Clopton,   19th
Mississippi Infantry, held Sunday 20 September at Hollywood Cemetery was
blessed with good weather and a nice turnout.  Clopton descendants  came
from as far away as Texas to attend.  Particular thanks to:             

       Lewis Mills for his research and organization of the program;       
       Camp Commander Mike Kidd for presiding and for making up the        
                                                      printed program;      
       Joe Wright and his Beverly Tucker Lacy Camp # 2141 Color Guard;     
       Bugler Ronald Gordon of John Bankhead Magruder Chapter #2058, MOS&B.
 
I have just finished reading Camp member  Preston  Nuttall's  historical
novel  Duel on the Roanoke: The Story of the CSS Albemarle.  It's great.
Preston is very kind to readers in  writing  an  interesting  book  with
short chapters.                                                         

Our  semi-annual  road  cleanup  of  our  one mile section of section of
Studley Road (Route 606), Hanover County,  near  Enon  United  Methodist
Church,  is  scheduled for Saturday 24 October beginning at 10:00 AM.  A
good turnout of Camp members will  make  the  job  easier.   We  usually
finish  by  noon.   If you'd like to help and haven't already signed up,
please call or email me.                                                

Many thanks to all who have paid renewal dues.  I hope  that  dues  from
unpaid  members, along with your original bills, will be received by our
October Camp meeting.  Any dues not received by Friday 30  October  will
be subject to a $ 5.00 reinstatement fee.                               

We  also  appreciate  very  much  the  generous donations sent in by our
renewing members along with their dues.                                 

Please mark your calendars for  Tuesday  8  December,  when  our  annual
Christmas   banquet  will  be  held  at  the  Westwood  Club.   Detailed
information will be available at our 20 October meeting.                

					Walter                   

GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET CAMP #1247

NEXT MEETING - TUESDAY, October 20, 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

OCTOBER SPEAKER

Our speaker will be Dave Ruth.  He is the superintendent of the Richmond
National  Battlefield  Park.   His  topic  will  be  the  park service's
Totopotomoy Creek, Rural Plains Project.                                
                                                 Taylor

SAVE the DATE

SEPTEMBER PROGRAM

John  J.   Fox,  III  discussed  his  soon  to  be  published  book  The
Confederate  Alamo:  Petersburg's  Fort  Gregg.   The  Fort  was west of
Petersburg and, with Fort Whitworth, had been  built  in  October  1864.
Their  purpose  was  to  slow  down  Yankees who broke through the outer
defense line.  They were also to help protect  the  Southside  Railroad,
Lee's main supply line.                                                 

On 2 April 1865 Fort Gregg was manned by 334 Confederate soldiers.  They
were attacked by 4,500 Yankees who came across 800 yards of open ground.
Fox  compared the odds against the defenders to a baseball batter seeing
153 players in the field opposing him.                                  

Division  Commander  Major  General  Cadmus  Marcellus  Wilcox   ordered
Brigadier  General Nathaniel Harrison Harris's Mississippi Brigade, just
arrived, to advance on the Boydton Plank Road.  Advance of Union  troops
sent  them  into Fort Gregg.  Wilcox's mission was to hold what remained
of the western defenses of Petersburg until  Major  General  Charles  W.
Field's  Division  of Longstreet's First Corps arrived from the Richmond
area Wilcox said to the men in Fort Gregg in a  loud  voice,  "Men,  the
salvation  of  Lee's  Army  is  in  your  keeping;  you must realize the
responsibility and your duty; don't surrender this  fort;  if  you  will
hold the enemy in check for two hours Longstreet, who is making a forced
march, will be here, and the danger to the Army in the trenches will  be
averted."  Federal  artillery  fire  cut  short  Wilcox's  inspirational
speech.  The men in Fort Gregg strained their voices to  be  heard  over
the  incoming  shells:  "Tell  General Lee that Fort Gregg will never be
surrendered."                                                           

Wilcox launched a counterattack,  which  prompted  Yankee  General  John
Gibbon   to   unleash  his  XXIV  Corps  against  Gregg  and  Whitworth.
Confederate Nat Harris wrote:" Gregg repulsed assault after  assault-the
two  remnants  of  regiments,  which  had  won glorious honor on so many
fields, fighting this, their last battle, with most terrible enthusiasm,
as  if  feeling  this to be the last act of the Drama for them.  And the
officers and men of the Washington Artillery fighting their guns to  the
last,  preserved  untarnished  the  brilliancy of reputation acquired by
their corps.  Gregg raged like the crater of a volcano, emitting flashes
of  deadly  battle-fires,  enveloped  in  flame and cloud, wreathing our
flag, as well in honor, as in the smoke of death."                      

Unending assaults eventually wore the Confederates  down.   The  carnage
surpassed  anything  before.  The men fought like demons, throwing rocks
after ammunition ran out.  Yankees were awarded 14 Medals of Honor.  The
desperate  fighting  led  to post battle and postwar disagreements about
what Confederate troops were there.  In addition to  Mississippi  troops
and  the  Washington  Artillery,  there were North Carolina regiments of
Brigadier General James Lane's Brigade, Georgia regiments  of  Brigadier
Edward  L.   Thomas's  Brigade,  Captain  Walter S.  Chew's 4th Maryland
Artillery Battery, and 3rd Corps artillery supernumeraries.             

The Confederates succeeded in their mission.  Fort Gregg,  described  as
the  second  Alamo,  gave General Lee the time he needed to get his Army
safely out of Petersburg.                                               

					Walter                   

Writer's  note:  A.   Wilson  Greene's  Breaking  the  Backbone  of  the
Rebellion:  The  Final  Battles of the Petersburg Campaign has a chapter
titled "The Defense and Capture of Fort Gregg." Some of the  information
above  came from Will's book, which is in the Library of Virginia I look
forward to reading John Fox's book when it is published.                

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  Longstreet  Camp  Donors  for  Virginia
Division  Special  Funds, Hurtt Scholarship Fund, Camp General Fund, and
the upkeep of "The Old War Horse" for July  and  August  2009.   As  you
know,  our  cumulative listing starts in July of each year and we do not
meet in August.                                                         

Walt Beam       Lloyd Brooks    Brian Cowardin         Taylor Cowardin 
Lee Crenshaw    Ray Crews       Dale Harlow            Michael Hendrick
Crawley Joyner  Jack Kane       Peter Knowles, II      Lewis Mills     
Bob Moore       Joe Moschetti   Joseph Sterling Price  Waite Rawls     
Cary Shelton    Chris Trinite   Walter Tucker          David Ware      
Harold Whitmore                 Anonymous                              

Legend:                                    
* - Multiple contributions                 

 Another New Member Joins Our Ranks

New member Cody Oliver whose ancestor Isom B. Osborn served
in Company E of the 23rd Virginia Infantry Battalion



Visitors/family with member Doug Pruiett (center)

John D. Clopton GRAVE-SITE DEDICATION SERVICE
 
Program                                 The Unveiling   



 
Commander Mike Kidd, Presiding            Program Back Cover