Alamo City Guards Camp #1325

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1 April 2017 Alamo City Guards Camp #1325 FROM HEADQUARTERS, Russ Lane Compatriot David Calandra has thrown his hat in the ring to run for the Camp Commander position when elections are held in December. Others are welcome to announce their candidacy for any of the officer positions. Compatriot Rodney Seiler has volunteered to become the Camp Adjutant when Compatriot Jim Evetts steps down. The Adjutant is an appointed position and will be appointed by the new Commander. The Confederate Heroes Day Dinner planning committee will hold their first meeting in May. We have signed the contract with the same hotel and we have an agreement with Scott Bowden, a nationally recognized and respected authority on Robert E Lee, to be our speaker. Please mark 13 January 2018, 6 pm to 10 pm, on your calendars. We hope to build on the success of our first such event. Recruiters get credit for new members, new Cadets, new Friends, reinstating members and transfers. Consider giving a membership as a gift to your eligible family members who are not already members. Current recruiting results for the new recruiting year are on page 6. Let us all keep working to help the SCV continue to grow. If you are aware of any recruiting opportunities, please notify our Recruiting Officer, David Calandra, at davidcalandra202@yahoo.com. Ms. Robin Terrazas, President of the Albert Sidney Johnston Chapter 2060, United Daughters of the Confederacy, presented A Program of Southern Music at our March meeting. Her presentation was well received. In April we will hear from Friend of the Camp, David Astwood, who will speak on The Forgotten General: R M Gano. Please attend and bring family members, friends and potential recruits with you. Let 1Lt Commander Raymond Reeves, defiantray53@gmail.com, know if you can make a presentation or recommend someone for future meetings. Mark your calendars for the Flambeau Parade on 29 April and Confederate Decoration Day activities on 30 April. We are unable to have a truck and trailer again this year, so participation will be limited to those able to walk. This is the largest night parade in the country and provides the opportunity to show the flag to 6-700,000 people on the streets of San Antonio. For the first time ever the Vanguard will be televised, providing the opportunity to be seen by over a million people. Decoration Day activities will be at the Confederate Cemetery and will begin at 2 pm. Compatriot Dale Schultz will conduct a concert of period music by a brass band following the ceremony. Maximum attendance is encouraged for each of these events. The national SCV General Executive Council (GEC) met last week and approved changes to the annual dues payment process. In the past, dues were payable in July and due by 1 August with a 90 day grace period (1 November) for payment of dues before becoming delinquent. Effective immediately, the grace period has been reduced to 30 days. Dues must be received by 1 September to avoid becoming delinquent. Please plan now to submit your dues in a timely manner once you are "billed". The GEC also adopted a new system for payment and accountability of dues and member information. Details will be provided as soon as they are available. The most important item right now is to pay your dues in a timely manner. We failed, but in the good providence of God apparent failure often proves a blessing. Robert E. Lee

2 Page 2 April 2017 Editor s Note: The following is extracted from an article detailing an address given by Col. Charles Marshall, Gen. Lee s former Aidede-Camp on Lee s birthday January 19th, [Confederate Veteran, Vol. II, February 1894, No. 2. pp ]. Photos from the National Park Service [ A MATHEW BRADY PHOTOGRAPH OF LEE, HIS SON CUSTIS (LEFT) AND ADJUTANT LIEUTEN- ANT COLONEL WALTER TAYLOR TAKEN SHORTLY AFTER THE SURRENDER. Occurrences at Lee s Surrender General Lee, with an orderly in front bearing a flag of truce, had proceeded but a short distance after passing through our rear guard when we came upon the skirmish line of the enemy advancing to the attack. I went forward to meet a federal officer, who proved to be Lieutenant Colonel Whittier. Colonel Whittier delivered to me General Grant's reply to General Lee s letter of April 8th, declining to discuss the terms of a general pacification, on the ground that General Grant possessed no authority to deal with the subject. General Lee immediately sent a letter requesting an interview for the purpose of arranging the terms of surrender. There were indications that the advance of the Federals would soon get into a brush with our troops, and I expressed to Colonel Whittier the hope that the hostilities would suspended until the letter reached General Grant. Colonel Whittier soon afterward reported that an attack had been ordered, but General Meade, upon learning the nature of the note sent General Grant, assumed the responsibility of suspending hostilities for one hour. I have said that as General Lee passed through his rear guard the men cheered him as of old. They were the flower of the old Army Northern Virginia, and I felt quite sure that if the officer commanding the advancing Federal troops should consider himself bound by his orders to refuse my request for a suspension of hostilities until General Lee's letter could reach General Grant, the rear guard of the Army of Northern Virginia would secure all the time necessary. Colonel Babcock, of General Grant's staff, soon appeared with the reply to General Lee's note, He and I then rode to Appomattox Court House to secure a suitable room for the meeting. This we found in the house of a Mr. McLean, who had moved there from the battle-field of Bull Run to get out of the way of the war. General Lee, Colonel Babcock and myself sat in the parlor of this house for about half an hour, when a large party of mounted men arrived, and in a few minutes General Grant came into the room, accompanied by his staff and a number of Federal officers of rank, among whom were General Ord and General Sheridan. General Grant greeted General Lee very civilly, and they engaged for a short time in conversation about their former acquaintance during the Mexican war. Some other federal officers took part in the conversation, which was terminated by General Lee saying to General Grant that he had come to discuss the terms of the surrender of his army, as indicated in his note of that morning, and he suggested to General Grant to reduce his proposition to writing. Grant assented, and Colonel Parker, of his staff, moved a small table from the opposite side of the room, and placed it by General Grant, who sat facing General Lee. When General Grant had written his letter in pencil, he took it to General Lee, who remained seated. General Lee read the letter, and called General SHOWN IN THIS PERIOD ILLUSTRATION ON THE SURRENDER ARE L-R: LT. COL. CHARLES MARSHALL, GEN. ROBERT E. LEE, LT. COL. ORVILLE E. BAB- Grant s attention to the fact that he required the surrender of the horses of the cavalry as if they were DORE S. BROWERS, MAJ. GEN. EDWARD ORD, LT. GEN ULYSSES S. GRANT, COCK, BRIG. GEN. SETH WILLIAMS, LT. COL. ELY S. PARKER, LT. COL. THEOpublic horses. He told General Grant that Confederate cavalrymen owned their horses, and that they ERICK T. DENT, BRIG. GEN. JOHN G. BARNARD, LT. COL. ADAM BADEAU, LT. COL. HORACE PORTER, BRIG. GEN. JOHN A. RAWLINS, BRIG. GEN. FRED- BRIG. GEN. RUFUS INGALLS, AND MAJ. GEN. PHILIP H. SHERIDAN. would need them for planting a spring crop. General Grant at once accepted the provision, allowing the retention by the men of the horses belonging to them. At the direction of our superior officers, Colonel Parker made a

3 Page 3 April 2017 copy of this letter in ink, and I wrote out General Lee s acceptance, both of us using my small inkstand. In the midst of this work General Grant, who was talking with General Lee, turned to General Sheridan and said, General Lee tells me that he has some 1,200 of our people prisoners with his men, and that none of them have anything to eat. How many rations can you spare? General Sheridan replied "About twenty-five thousand." General Grant turned to General Lee and said, General, will that be enough?" General Lee replied, " More than enough." Thereupon General Grant said to General Sheridan, "Direct your commissary to send twenty-five thousand to General Lee s commissary." General Sheridan at once sent an officer to give the necessary orders. When Colonel Parker had completed the copying of General Grant s letter, I sat down at the same little table and wrote General Lee s answer. I have yet in my possession the original draft of that answer. It began: "I have the honor to acknowledge." General Lee struck out those words and made the answer as it now appears. His reason was that the correspondence ought not to appear as if he and General Grant were not in immediate communication. When General Grant had signed the copy of his letter made by Colonel Parker, and General Lee had signed the copy of his answer, Colonel Parker handed me General Grant's letter, and I handed to him General Lee's reply, and the work was done. Some further conversation of a general nature took place, in which General Grant said to General Lee that he had come to the meeting as he was, and without his sword, because he did not wish to detain General Lee until he could send back to his wagons, which were several miles away. This was the only reference made by any one to the subject of dress on that occasion. General Lee had prepared himself for the meeting with more than usual care, and was in full uniform, wearing a very handsome sword and sash. This was, doubtless, the reason of General Grant s reference to himself. At last General Lee took leave of General Grant, saying that he would return to his headquarters and designate the officers who were to act on our side in arranging the details of the surrender. We mounted our horses, which the orderly was holding in the yard, and rode away, a number of Federal officers standing on the porch in front of the house looking at us. When General Lee returned to his line a large number of men gathered around him, to whom he announced what had taken place, and the causes that had rendered the surrender necessary. Great emotion was manifested by officers and men, but love and sympathy for their commander mastered every other feeling. According to the report of the chief of ordnance, less than 8,000 armed men surrendered, exclusive of the cavalry. The others who were present were unarmed, having been unable to carry their arms from exhaustion and hunger. Many had fallen from the ranks during the arduous march, and unarmed men continued to arrive for several days after GENERAL LEE'S RETURN TO HIS LINES AFTER THE SURRENDER. the surrender, swelling the number of paroled prisoners greatly beyond the actual effective force. - Headquarters Army of Northern Virginia Appomattox Courthouse, April 10, 1865 General Order No. 9 I need not tell the survivors of so many hard fought battles who have remained steadfast to the last, that I have consented to this result from no distrust of them, but feeling that valor and devotion could accomplish nothing that could compensate for the loss which would have attended the continuation of the contest, I have determined to avoid the useless sacrifice of those whose past services have endeared them to their countrymen. You will take with you the satisfaction that proceeds from the consciousness of duty faithfully performed, and I earnestly pray that a merciful God may extend to you His blessing and protection. With an increasing admiration of your constancy and devotion to your country, and a grateful remembrance of your kind and generous consideration of myself, I bid you an affectionate farewell. Robert E. Lee General [

4 Page 4 April 2017 San Antonio Civil War Round Table Confederate soldier and Union soldier meet in friendship to talk and remember the great conflict. We Meet on 3 rd Thursday of Odd Months: May 18, July 20, Sep. 21, Nov. 16 We Meet at Grady s Barbecue 6510 San Jackson-Keller Social Hour/Dinner at 6:00 pm Program/Speaker/Trivia/Raffles at 7:00 pm. We Would Love to Have You There! (Rebel, Yankee or Undecided ) *Find us on Facebook*

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6 Page 6 April 2017 Alamo City Guards Camp 1325 Sons of Confederate Veterans 2017 Essay Contest For High School and Middle School Students Related to Camp Members, Friends and Roses Associated with the Camp Subject: Minority Contributions to the Confederacy during the War Between the States. Guidelines: word essay with notes and references. Awards: High School 1 st Place $100, 2 nd Place $50 Middle School 1st Place $100, 2 nd Place $50 Deadline: Submit NLT Mar 31, 2017 to Richard Brewer, rbrew@sbcglobal.net Include your full name and address, your school and grade level and your relationship to a qualifying person. For example, Grandson of Joe Brown

7 Page 7 April 2017 "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. Lt. General Stephen Dill Lee, Commander General, United Confederate Veterans, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1906 Camp Officers Commander Russ Lane, alamocamp@yahoo.com 1Lt Commander Raymond Reeves, defiantray53@gmail.com 2Lt Commander Dave Kunz, dave_kunz@hotmail.com Adjutant Jim Evetts, jevetts@satx.rr.com Past Commander Rudy Krisch III, rkrisch@sbcglobal.net Genealogist Joyce Manuel, southern_heart_ranch@juno.com Judge Advocate Egon Tausch, ertausch@aol.com Chaplain Ken McAllister, jlckenmca@gmail.com Color Sergeant Scott Davis, historicalone@hotmail.com Web Master Michael Climo, mclimo@ca.rr.com Communications Officer Russ Lane, alamocamp@yahoo.com Newsletter Editor Scott Woodard, scott.c.woodard92@gmail.com Recruiting Officer - David Calandra, davidcalandra202@yahoo.com RECRUITER OF THE YEAR STATUS Total recruited since 1 August July 2017 (New, Reinstated, Cadets, Transfers and Friends): 15 Communications Officer (Not eligible for the award): 4 Adjutant (Not eligible for the award): 1 Kevin Smith 3 Rusty Mahan 1 John Carleton 2 Scott Woodard 1 Ted Terrazas 2 Ruben Perez 1 Upcoming Events 1 April, Tejeda MS History Faire 29 April, Flambeau Parade 30 April, Confederate Decoration Day Meetings are on the first Thursday of the month at Luby s Cafeteria, 911 N. Main at I 35 South in San Antonio. Visitors are always welcome. We meet to eat and visit at 6 PM; meetings start at 7 PM. Bring a family member, a friend or another potential recruit. Remember, the Confederate Battle Flag is the internationally recognized symbol of resistance to tyranny. Fly it proudly and defend it!