The Chattooga Dispatch Rider
Commanders Comments January 2009
On Saturday, January 3rd, some members of camp 507 placed eight stones in five cemeteries around the county. The stones placed complete the work in three area cemeteries with the exception of clean-up. The cemeteries finished were the Mills and Manor cemeteries in Haywood valley, and the Price Bridge Road cemetery in Chattoogaville. Stones were also placed in Alpine and Lyrely cemeteries. I want to thank those who were able to come out on short notice and remind everybody that at least 14 more stones are still on order. Five of those are in now and ready to be set.
I want everyone to be thinking about what we should put on the Trion Factory battle marker. We will be needing something that's both short and still descriptive and that pays respects to the men who are buried there regardless of which uniform they wore.
Lets all welcome our newest camp member, Scott Brock. Or as Stan and Cooper call him, "Snake". We're glad to have him with us.
At our November meeting, someone had the excellent idea to hold a Confederate Memorial Day service/event in 2009. Let's hear some suggestions as to where and exactly when we could have it. Now is the time to start planning!
And finally, an article from the Richmond (VA) Daily Dispatch from January 18th, 1861:
Verdict of the working Men of New York-- anti-coercion. &c.
An enthusiastic demonstration of the working men of New York city , against coercing the Southern States, was held in that city on Tuesday night. The attendance was very large, and the sentiments expressed and resolutions passed were of the most decided character, and show decidedly that the working men of the great commercial metropolis have a due conception of the value of the South, as the great market for their goods and manufactures. South of that point, it is to be hoped a like estimate, at least, will be manifested of the value of the Southern market. As a proof of the soundness of the views held by the New York working men, we annex their resolutions, as follows:
Resolved, That we regard the present movement of several of the Southern States, in resuming the powers they delegated to the General Government, as an effort to preserve our Constitution from being overthrown by Abraham Lincoln, as his party platform requires and demands him to do.
Resolved, That we are for the Union--the Union of our fathers; for the Constitution — the glorious charter of our liberties — as expounded by the recognized authority, upon the basis of equal justice, liberty and immunities to all the citizens of all the States.
Resolved, That, believing that the people of the Southern States are, and have ever been, content to remain in this Union under the Constitution as originally designed, we deeply sympathize with them in their unwilling resistance to an incoming Administration, which, by a perverted and unauthorized construction of the Constitution, tends to destroy their peace, welfare and happiness.
Resolved, That we are firmly and unalterably opposed to any and every attempt on the part of the Government or the people of the North to coerce the Southern States, or any one of them, into submission to the will of the majority of the North, when that will has been authoritatively declared by the Supreme Court to be in opposition to the true construction of the Constitution of the United States.
Resolved, That we will, by all proper and legitimate means, oppose, discountenance and prevent the Republican party from making any aggressive attempt, under the plea of "enforcing the laws" and "preserving the Union," upon the rights of the Southern States, believing at we do that any such attempt can only result in a protracted and destructive civil war to attain an end which that party can readily and peaceably accomplish by abandoning their hostility to the South, and declaring their willingness to abide by the Constitution, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, and accepted by all conservative men of the country.
Resolved, That we regard the Republican party, which, to use the language of Jefferson, "has wriggled itself into power under the auspices of morality, " as embodying the policy that Great Britain has pursued for a quarter of a century in endeavoring to equalize the races on this continent — to reduce white men to a forbidden level with negroes, and thus overthrow not only the Union, but destroy the glorious free institutions, which, seventy-six years ago, our fathers extorted from an unwilling despot; and, if any additional evidence he needed to show the alliance of the so-called Republican party with the monarchists of Great Britain to dissolve the Union, regardless of its fearful consequences, it can be find in the fact that its recognized leaders in Congress have deliberately rejected Senator Crittenden's compromise, although it is well known that it does not grant the South her full, just and equal rights under the Constitution.
Resolved, That we demand that our representatives and servants, (and not our rulers, as some ignorantly style them,) both in our national and State Legislatures, shall at once initiate movements for a peaceable solution of our difficulties, so that civil war may be avoided, and the wheels of business may again begin to move, and remunerating labor return to thousands now out of employment, and suffering from the stubborn refusal of the Republican party to grant the South her just rights under the Constitution.
Resolved, That Southern slaveholders, as truly said by Thomas Jefferson, are "the natural allies of Northern laborers;" that the votes of Southern slaveholders in Congress have repeatedly saved them from oppression; that the voices of the slaveholder Jackson preserved the Northern masses from a moneyed oligarchy which threatened to reduce them to that slavery to capital which tends to make "the rich richer, and the poor poorer;" and we regard the Republican party, under the guise of freedom for the negro, as aiming at essentially the same objects, and animated by the same spirit of hostility to the people.
Resolved, That we, the working men of New York, hereby pledge ourselves to oppose the British anti-slavery party in every legitimate way; that we feel with sorrow that Great Britain has conquered the North with the pen, having abolitionized the press and the pulpit, and while the heel of her oppression is upon white men in Ireland, England and Scotland, she tries to divert attention from her sins at home by false philanthropy for negroes in America; and believing our Southern brethren now engaged in the holy cause of American liberty, and trying to roll back this avalanche of Britishism, we extend to them our heartfelt sympathy, and when they shall need it to resist unjust oppression, we believe we shall not be found wanting in more effectual support.
Resolved, That the State Legislature be respectfully requested to convene the people of this State in convention, for the purpose of securing an expression, of public sentiment upon the new and startling issues which a few weeks have so rapidly evolved, and the Chair is directed to appoint a committee of five gentlemen to present these resolutions and this request to the Legislature.
SCV New Years Resolutions
For the year beginning with the Annual Division Reunion , as a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, I resolve to:
Retain: My membership in good standing and invite (select your goal: 1, 2, 3, ____) members who recently left the SCV to return as dues paying members.
Educate: Familiarize myself with the history of my ancestors and share educational resources with others in my family, neighborhood, and community (Web course, books, living history events)
Invite: Bring 1 guest a month from my family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues, to attend my camp’s SCV meeting
Recruit: Assist (select your goal: 1, 2, 3, ______) men to become members of the SCV this year.
Attend: Every regularly scheduled meetings of the (Circle all that apply: Camp, Brigade, Division Reunion, National Reunion ) I will also attend (select 1, 2, 3…) special events this year.
Participate: Find one function, job, or skill needed (list:_______ _________ ___) within the SCV that I enjoy and that I am proficient at, and will contribute this talent to the cause. (Skills might include but are not limited to: newsletter production, transportation of members to and from meetings and events, organizing fundraisers, Confederate graves preservation, clean up, dedication, living history, public speaking, public relations, media relations, political relations, community/church relations, membership retention/recruitme nt, planning meetings, working with schools, parades, manning heritage booths at community events, letters to the editor, historical research, genealogy volunteer, organization officer, camp greeter, artist, writer, photographer, computer volunteer, etc………….___________ _________ ______)
Volunteer: Commit to 1 hour each (select your goal: day, week, month ) in service to an SCV project.
Fundraise: Commit to raising or donating (select your goal: $1, $2, $3 or $________) each (select your goal: day, week, month ) to help with heritage projects sponsored by the camp, brigade, or division.
Cooperate: I try to work cooperatively to promote the ideals and goals of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and focus on the common good of the order. (As a member of the SCV I may sometimes disagree with actions of some members at times. Cooperation sometimes that may be trying to convince others of a better path to achieve a goal, at other times it may mean ignoring insults, even from brothers within the organization, becoming the bigger man by moving on and working harder on the projects that I feel will be the most beneficial to honor our ancestors.)
Remember the Charge to the SCV. In everything I do, every day, related to the SCV and my Confederate Heritage, Culture and History, I will stop and think about what I wish to say and do, and how those words and actions reflect on my obligation to live up to the charge as a Son of a Confederate Veteran.
"To you, Sons of Confederate Veterans, we submit the vindication of the Cause for which we fought; to your strength will be given the defense of the Confederate soldier's good name, the guardianship of his history, the emulation of his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles he loved and which made him glorious and which you also cherish. Remember it is your duty to see that the true history of the South is presented to future generations"
Credit: John A. Griffin GASCV
This Month in History
1 January 1863 Battle of Galveston , TX . General Magruder recaptures the port & City of Galveston & disperses the Federal blockading fleet. Called the first successful cavalry charge upon a naval fleet.
3 January 1861 Fort Pulaski seized by Georgia State Troops.
5 January 1822 General Joseph B. Kershaw born in Camden , South Carolina .
5 January 1861 Forts Morgan & Gaines seized by Alabama State Troops.
8 January 1821 General James Longstreet is born in Edgefield District , South Carolina .
8 January 2000 Sons of Confederate Veterans demonstrate in support of Confederate History & Heritage & in support of flying the Battle Flag at the capital in Columbia , South Carolina .
9 January 1861 Mississippi secedes from the Union , The Bonnie Blue Flag is flown.
9 January 1904 General John B. Gordon (former governor of Georgia ) died in Miami , Florida & is later buried in Atlanta , Georgia .
10 January 1861 Florida Secedes from the Union .
11 January 1861 Alabama secedes from the Union .
15 January 1821 General Lafayette McLaws is born in Augusta , Georgia .
16 January 1988 John K. McNeill Camp #674 Sons of Confederate Veterans Moultrie , Ga. has official Charter Signing at the Old Greenfield Church .
16 January 1821 Confederate General John C. Breckinridge ( 14th Vice President of the U.S. ) is born at Cabell’s Dale near Lexington , Kentucky .
18 January 1862 The Confederate Territory of Arizona is formed.
19 January 1807 General Robert E. Lee is born at Stratford Hall Plantation in Westmoreland County , Virginia .
19 January 1861 Georgia Secedes from the Union .
21 January 1824 General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson is born in Virginia .
24 January 1861 Georgia State Troops take control of the Federal arsenal in Augusta .
26 January 1861 Louisiana secedes from the Union .
26 January 1861 Georgia State Troops seize Oglethorpe Barracks & Fort Jackson .
27 January 1826 General Richard Taylor is born near Louisville , Kentucky .
28 January 1825 General George E. Pickett is born in Richmond , Virginia .
28 January 1865 CSS Stonewall officially designated, begins trip to Confederacy.
30-31 January 1863 Ironclads CSS Chicora & CSS Palmetto State , dispersed entire Union blockade fleet in front of Charleston , South Carolina raising the blockade for a 24 hour period.
Charges Dropped Against SCV Member With Flag In Window
By Scott C. Boyd
(January 2009 Civil War News)
CONCORD, N.C. — How could a hotel participating in a Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) convention have a guest evicted from his room and arrested for displaying a Confederate flag? It happened the evening of July 17, at the Wingate Inn in Concord , N.C. , where the SCV was holding its annual national convention (reunion).
It took two court dates before misdemeanor charges of second degree trespass were recently dismissed against the Kentucky member who could have faced a fine and/or community service if found guilty.
SCV events were held at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center from July 16-20 in Concord , where seven hotels, including the Wingate Inn, offered a group discount rate. The Wingate also hosted some smaller meetings.
Basil D. “Bazz” Childress, vice-president for a community bank in Kentucky and Lieutenant-Commande r of the SCV Kentucky Division, was the man arrested.
He checked in to the Wingate on July 16. The next night he was to host his annual “ Kentucky Soiree” for an expected 100 or more guests.
Childress said he decorated the walls of his room with flags from his camp, John C. Breckinridge Camp 100 in Lexington . He hung a Confederate flag (a rectangular, or naval jack, version) inside the window, opposite the door, where it picked up the fading rays as the sun set.
While smoking a cigarette outside the non-smoking hotel, Childress said he noticed that the flag in his window could be seen from out front. He hadn’t planned it that way, but he thought it could help guests find their way to the soiree.
Within 30 minutes of hanging the flag, he received a call from a front desk clerk asking him to “display your flags inside the room.”
“I bit my tongue, because the technical response – the literal response to that question — was, ‘Well they all are inside my room,’” Childress said in a phone interview.
Instead, he asked the clerk why she was making this request and she told him “we’ve had some complaints.”
Inquiring about what kind of complaints, the desk clerk told Childress it was a “sensitivity issue.” He said he informed the clerk he would think about her request and hung up.
After that, he guaranteed the guests entering his room that he’d get another call from hotel management. He was right.
General Manager Garrett Jenio phoned Childress about 30 minutes later. Childress said Jenio specifically asked him to take down the flag in the window.
Having paid for his room, Childress said he told Jenio he had a common law right as a renter to the “quiet enjoyment” of his room.
Before he would remove the Confederate flag, Childress said he insisted that Jenio would have to “demonstrate that I’m in violation of my rental agreement,” and he asked to see a copy of the document.
Jenio replied that he did not have to show Childress a copy of the Wingate’s rental agreement for guests. Childress said he countered by saying he would not take down the flag under those circumstances.
Before Jenio hung up, Childress asked him if this situation would exist if the flag in question were the British Union Jack instead of the Confederate flag. Childress remembered Jenio replying, “Probably not.”
A short while later, Joel Griffin, one of the Wingate’s owners, went to Childress’ room. Childress said Griffin declined to shake his hand and told him, “You have a decision to make. You’re either going to take that flag down or I’m going to call the police and have you arrested for criminal trespass.”
Childress said he tried to discuss the “contractual problems” regarding whether he was violating his rental agreement by not taking down the flag. He said Griffin ’s reply was, “I’m not getting into a debate with you. You have a choice. Make it now or you’re going to go to jail.”
Characterizing the choice Griffin presented him as unreasonable, Childress said he told Griffin to call the police.
Griffin stormed out of the room, as Childress remembered it, returning some 30 minutes later with a Concord Police Department sergeant and two officers.
He said the police explained it was no longer a civil matter concerning the rental agreement, but was now a matter of criminal law. If Griffin wanted to claim Childress was criminally trespassing, the police said they would “have to deal with it.”
In a brief speech in defense of his position, Childress recalled saying: “I don’t see any way out of this matter of principle. I am absolutely finished with putting up with demands that cave in to the cultural Marxist interpretation of our history that requires spitting on the graves of our ancestors who gave birth to this country and hiding them and their symbols away in the name of a false tolerance. A line had to be drawn somewhere.”
An officer took Childress aside and asked how to defuse the situation. Childress explained he thought Griffin ’s position was unreasonable. “The [Confederate] flag is plastered over everything we’re wearing and over our cars in the parking lot. So, what is the fundamental problem here vis-à-vis visibility?” Childress asked.
Griffin injected himself into the conversation and Childress told the officer, “I’m done with this silliness. Take me to jail.”
Frank Earnest, past commander of the Virginia Division, who was in Childress’ room when Griffin and the police were there, said in a phone interview, “ Griffin ’s actions made no logical sense.”
As national SCV Chief of Heritage Defense, he said what happened to Childress was definitely a “heritage violation,” which includes situations when people are mistreated because they display Confederate symbols.
Childress said his room was packed with supporters, many of whom arrived after the Virginia and North Carolina caucuses downstairs adjourned early when word got out about Childress’ situation (see related story).
Among them were lawyer Kirk Lyons of the Southern Legal Resource Center that specializes in freedom-of-speech cases involving display of Confederate symbols and incoming national SCV Commander-in- Chief Chuck McMichael, who said he was “appalled by what happened.”
After Childress made arrangements for his personal belongings to be packed by a friend, the police escorted him to one of their cars. He held out his hands to be handcuffed, and was told he would not be handcuffed.
Childress recalled the officer complimented the SCV people in his hotel room and in the halls, saying they “behaved as perfect ladies and gentlemen this evening, and we appreciate it.” Childress and Earnest likewise later praised the police officers’ professionalism.
After going through the police paperwork, Childress was released and picked up at the station by some friends who were waiting. He stayed at a different hotel for the rest of the convention.
The incident was the first topic discussed at the convention the next day by outgoing national Commander-in- Chief Christopher M. Sullivan. Resolutions were passed to praise Childress for his courage and the Concord Police Department for their professionalism, as well as to establish a legal defense fund. SCV members were urged to boycott all Wingate Inns and other hotels in the Wyndham Hotel Group.
The Wingate Inn charged his credit card for four nights, even though Childress only spent one night there. He had to dispute the charge with his credit card issuer to get a refund for the other three nights.
The inn lost a lot of other money the night Childress was arrested as a large number of SCV convention attendees checked out to protest how Childress was treated, according to Earnest.
At the Sept. 30 court hearing, the prosecutor was granted a continuance until Oct. 28. The prosecutor then asked for another continuance.
Childress said his lawyer, Chris McCartan, objected that this was the second time Griffin failed to appear and that Childress had come all the way from Kentucky . The judge agreed and approved the motion to dismiss the case.
No one connected with Joel Griffin or the Wingate Inn in Concord sent him an apology, according to Childress, who said he is pursuing a civil lawsuit in the matter. Griffin declined to comment for this story and Jenio did not return repeated e-mails and phone calls.
Postscript: The flag in front of Childress’ window came down after the police escorted him out. Inn owner Griffin did not seem to want to be photographed taking it down, said Childress.
John Suttles, Commander of the Purchase Area Brigade in the Kentucky Division, said he took the flag down after Griffin told him he had ancestors who fought under the flag.
“We wanted him to take it down, but after he stated this, I told him I didn't want him to dirty that flag, and I took it down,” reported Suttles. “Then Les Williamson, another Kentuckian, and I folded the flag and retired it from the room.”
A reminder that if you are attending the Lee and Jackson Banquet on January 17,2009, Dale needs the money asap. $15.00 per person__.
Next Meeting Our next meeting will be Thursday January 29, 2009 at the Trion Rec center.
News Letter Editor : Roger Cothran