COMMANDER'S COMMENTS

As I sit to write this month's Commander's Comments,  I  am  once  again
left  with the perplexing question: Will the month of March roll in like
a lion and leave like a lamb?  or vice versa.  One thing  is  for  sure,
this  year  has  already seen things that many of us had not experienced
during a winter in quite some time, and unfortunately it's not over with
yet.                                                                    

March  finds  us  dealing  with  many  tremendous  changes in our lives,
families and friends, and quite possibly our  surroundings.   Change  is
inevitable - and in our lives we will all face it many times, but change
can be for the good.  Often times General Robert E.  Lee would be  faced
with  change: reorganizing the Army of Northern Virginia after a vicious
fight  with  the  Yankees;  changing  the  leadership   roles   of   his
most-trusted  commanders  and generals; or having to change his thinking
entirely  towards  a  campaign  because  of  unforeseen   circumstances.
Throughout  their  entire  military  career,  and  their lives, men like
Robert E.  Lee, Stonewall Jackson and James Longstreet  faced  change  -
and  they  managed  to  persevere  from  these changes.  The Confederacy
itself as a nation went through  constant  struggles  with  change,  and
ultimately  with  the  outcome  of  the  war, the Confederacy itself was
changed forever.                                                        

At our camp's February meeting,  we  had  the  opportunity  to  hear  an
excellent  speaker  (Thank you Taylor), but we also were graced with the
presence of Commander John  Sawyer  and  Treasurer  Joe  Wright  of  the
Virginia Division Executive Committee and their wives.  Commander Sawyer
and his wife Ann gave an excellent presentation on Oakwood Cemetery  and
the  on-going struggles that continue to plague this place of honor.  To
date, over 17,000 Confederate grave still have no permanent markers  for
their graves (only numbered stones).  According to Commander Sawyer, the
present hold-up of getting the headstones in place IS NOT  the  City  of
Richmond,  but  the  VA  where  the  head-stones  were  being processed.
Supposedly,  the  VA  has  decided  to  "review"  the  SCV's  order  for
head-stones - even though there is a long-standing federal law that says
we have every right to mark these Confederate  graves  with  head-stones
because  these  soldiers  were  Americans.   I  was  very  surprised and
extremely pleased when it was motioned, seconded  and  passed  that  the
Longstreet  Camp  make  a  $250.00 donation to the Oakwood Foundation so
that they could continue the fight to rectify this wrong.               

I recently had the opportunity to accompany Don, Karen and Katie  Jewett
and  Dale  Harlow  into Goochland County so that I could visit with them
the grave of their son and Longstreet Camp member, Chris.  As I told the
Jewetts,  after seeing where they had laid Chris's remains,  I could see
why he would have wanted  to  be  laid  to  rest  there.   It's  a  very
beautiful;  very  peaceful;  very picturesque part of the area, and I am
deeply grateful that they decided to share this with me. (photo below)  

We  are  fast  approaching  the  April  Virginia  Division   SCV   State
Convention,  and  this  year  we will be electing new leadership for the
Virginia Division.  My hat's off to Commander John Sawyer for a job well
done  over  the  past  2-years.   We  all  wish  him  well in his future
endeavors.                                                              

I look forward to seeing everyone at our next camp meeting March 16th!

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

Deo Vindice!                       
					Mike                     


Dale Harlow    Don Jewett    Mike Kidd

ADJUTANT'S REPORT

We have received from  Headquarters  membership  certificates  of  three
members  whom  we  plan  to induct at our March meeting.  James Benedict
Roden, ancestor of new member Peyton H.  Roden, Jr., served  in  Company
E,  7th Louisiana Infantry.  Lucien Schexnayder, ancestor of new members
Chris Schexnayder and his son Steven Schexnayder, served in the  Pelican
Light Artillery, also of Louisiana.  We welcome these new members to our
Camp.                                                                   

The Camp's sympathy is extended to Keith Zimmerman, whose father  James,
a  Marine  Corps  veteran  who during World War Two served on Roi-Namur,
Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima, passed away 20 February.                  

Lloyd Brooks underwent surgery in early February and  had  to  miss  our
February  meeting.   Lloyd is in the health care unit at Lakewood Manor.
We wish for him a successful recovery.                                  

We were pleased to have  Virginia  Division  Commander  and  Mrs.   John
Sawyer  at  our  February meeting doing a power point presentation about
Oakwood Cemetery.  The Camp voted to donate $ 250.00 to  the  Division's
Oakwood Restoration Fund.  In addition, one member donated an additional
$ 100.00.  Progress has been made at the Cemetery, and we hope that more
will be made soon.  Jackie and I are particularly interested in Oakwood,
since both of us have Confederate great grandfathers buried there.      

Commander Sawyer's two year term will end  with  the  Virginia  Division
Convention  9-11 April at Lynchburg.  Longstreet Camp is part of the 2nd
Brigade of the Virginia Division.  Our 2nd Brigade Commander Mike Thomas
is  a  candidate  for 2nd Lieutenant Commander of the Division.  You can
save $10.00 on registration for the convention if  you  register  by  15
March.   We  shall  elect our delegate(s) to the convention at our March
meeting.                                                                

Peyton Hundley Roden, Sr.  was delighted to find  two  pages  about  his
collateral  ancestor  Charles  Buckler  Hundley  in January speaker Eric
Buckland's book Mosby's Keydet Rangers.  In  the  book  is  a  photo  of
Hundley's grave stone at a family farm in Essex County.  The same photo,
along with others, is on the back cover of Buckland's book.             

I hope that you saw Mark Ramsey's recent letter  to  the  Times-Dispatch
which stated that visitors interested in the War Between the States come
to  Richmond  and  Virginia  to  visit   battlefields.    When   walking
battlefields  I  am  interested  in  where  visitors  are from.  Hearing
English accents at Cold Harbor one day, I asked the two gentlemen  where
they  were  from and what brought them to Richmond.  They were employees
of the British Ministry of Defense who had come to America on  business.
Their  last stop was Washington, so they rented a car and came down here
to visit the Richmond battlefields.  On another occasion,  a  lady  from
Texas  had  brought  her high school age son and his friend to visit the
battlefields.                                                           

Our ancestors were soldiers, most of whom enlisted when their state  and
nation  called  them  to  repel  an  invading  army.  They were probably
uninterested in causes of the war.  It will be interesting to  see  what
direction  the  Sesquicentennial  takes  when  we  get to April 2011 and
commemoration of battles  commences.   We  owe  it  to  our  Confederate
ancestors  to make our voices heard so that the valor of our warriors is
not overwhelmed by sociological mishmash.                               

					Walter                   


(L-R) Joe Wright VA Division Treasurer, Walter Tucker,
VA Division Cmdr John Sawyer, Mike Kidd, Taylor Cowardin, Harry Boyd

GENERAL JAMES LONGSTREET CAMP #1247

NEXT MEETING - TUESDAY, March 16, 2010

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

MARCH SPEAKER

Jeffry Burden will  be  our  speaker  for  the  March  Meeting.   He  is
Treasurer  of  the  Friends  of Shockoe Hill Cemetery Association and he
will speak about the history of Shockoe Hill  Cemetery,  the  historical
celebrities buried there as well as the large number of Confederate dead
buried there.  The cemetery is Richmond's second  oldest  and  has  been
neglected  for  decades.  The cemetery has seen a resurgence of interest
in the last couple of years and is on track to reclaim its former glory.
The Longstreet Camp along with the Pickett Chapter, MOSB plan on holding
a grave marking ceremony at the cemetery on April 17th.                 

                                                 Taylor

FEBRUARY PROGRAM

Pat Walenista opened her talk by stating that she had spent seven  years
of  Saturdays  at  the  Library  of  Virginia researching records of the
Confederate Old Soldiers Home.  There are 1,700 names in the data  base,
but not all lived there.                                                

Concern  about  the plight of Confederate veterans in need of a place to
live spiked in the 1880's.  Lee Camp # 1 was  organized.   Fund  raising
began  in 1883 and turned up $ 24,000.  Ulysses S.  Grant donated $ 500.
Other Yankee veterans donated, including one Vermont soldier who donated
one year's worth of the pension he received.                            

The home opened in 1885.  Cottages and the chapel were built.  Beginning
in 1892 the Commonwealth of Virginia appropriated money for 22 years.   

Some of the Confederate veterans were impoverished in their  40's.   The
soldiers'  home  was  a  better alternative for veterans than a home for
paupers.  Peak  population  at  the  home  at  any  one  time  was  200.
Applicants  were  required  to  have  two  witnesses  attesting to their
military  service.   Residents  were  supposed  to  be  of  good   moral
character.  Deserters were not eligible.                                

Some veterans were encouraged to move there because they were not wanted
by their families.  Opposite to that, some families wanted  applications
to be denied.                                                           

Residents were allowed to leave three times a week.  Some worked outside
the home.                                                               

Some residents complained of impersonal treatment  and  said  that  they
were treated like children, always being lectured about their behavior. 

The   lectures  were  undoubtedly  a  result  of  some  residents  being
discharged for "conduct unbecoming a Confederate veteran." This included
drunkenness.  There was a black market in whiskey and tobacco.          

Pat  reviewed  the  records  of  a  number  of  residents which included
interesting and colorful information.                                   

Virginia Governor John Garland Pollard (1930-1934) wanted  some  of  the
Home's  property  to  build the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and pleaded
with the veterans to support him.  The Museum would  control  the  land,
but  would maintain a perpetual park commemorating the Home.  The Museum
was built and has expanded several times.  The Old Soldiers Home  closed
29  January  1941.   Fortunately,  the  Chapel remains and is managed by
Lee-Jackson Camp # 1 of the SCV.  The Chapel is open to visitors, and  a
program is held there each Memorial day.                                

					Walter                   

February meeting attendance 37.

CIVIL WAR PRESERVATION TRUST

2007-2010 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" from July through December  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         Clint Cowardin   
Taylor Cowardin Lee Crenshaw    Ray Crews              Jason Fazackarley
Dale Harlow     Michael Hendrick                       Don Jewett*      
Crawley Joyner  Jack Kane       Peter Knowles, II      Lewis Mills      
Conway Moncure                                                          
Bob Moore       Joe Moschetti   Joseph Sterling Price  Waite Rawls      
Peyton Roden    Cary Shelton    Chris Trinite          Walter Tucker    
David Ware      Harold Whitmore Hugh Williams          Anonymous        

Legend:                                    
* in memory of his late son Chris, who was a Longstreet Camp member