THE GILMOR BLADE Those who allow the surrender of their history, also surrender their future! Official Newsletter of THE COL. H.W.GILMOR CAMP, No. 1388, SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS The annual memorial ceremony honoring the births of Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas Jonathan Stonewall Jackson will be hosted on Saturday, January 17, 2015 by the Col. Harry W. Gilmor Camp #1388, Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Maryland Division, United Daughters of the Confederacy. January, 2015 Rally the troops! Lee-Jackson Birthday Celebration January 17, 2015 Monument. Please check in with the Wreath Coordinator at the event upon arrival. We cordially invite you and your re-enactment unit, patriotic or heritage organiation, and your family and The Charge "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." friends to participate in this important annual event to honor our heritage and heroes. For more information, contact Elliott Cummings, 410-296-9235 or by email at: basilduke@comcast.net. Join us at 11:00 AM at the double-equestrian Lee and Jackson Monument located at the intersection of Art Museum and Wyman Park Drives, about two blocks west of Charles Street and across from the Baltimore Museum of Art. We will assemble across the street from the monument. Paid on-street parking by credit card may be required. We cannot park on the Johns Hopkins campus or parking lots. There is minimal free parking on sidestreets. All groups, military or civilian, are encouraged to bring wreaths or floral tributes to be placed at the The Col. Harry W. Gilmor Camp SCV will celebrate General Robert E. Lee s 208 th birthday by having noted historian William S. Connery speak on Honoring President Robert E. Lee Wednesday, January 14, 2015, 7:30 p.m. at the Baltimore County Historical Society 9811 Van Buren Lane, Cockeysville, MD 21030 General Robert E. Lee made his greatest contribution to the South in the years following his surrender at Appomattox. A brilliant military commander and strategist, Lee brought to a small town in western Virginia those skills, as well as his ability to work with and engender respect from a wide assortment of people. 2015 is the sesquicentennial of these events and the conclusion of the 150 th commemoration of the War Between the States. William Connery grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, considered neutral territory in the War Between the States. He has a degree in history from the University of Maryland College Park. Mr. Connery has been contributing to the Civil War Courier, the Washington Times Civil War page and other publications. In 2012, he was awarded the prestigious Jefferson Davis Historical Gold Medal for his first History Press book, Civil War Northern Virginia 1861. His second book is Mosby s Raids in Civil War Northern Virginia. He will have copies of both books available for signing. Mr. Connery is a member of the Company of Military Historians, the Capitol Hill Civil War Round Table, and the E.A. Poe Society of Baltimore. He is a frequently requested speaker on the Civil War and other American history topics in the Washington, D.C. metro region. It may be of interest that William s great-grandfather (John Connery) was an Irish Cop in Baltimore when Harry Gilmor was one of the Police Commissioners! He can be reached at william.connery@verizon.net or call 703-719-6639. 1
The Civil War in Southern Maryland 150 years later January, 2015 From http://somdthisisliving.somd.com/ezi ne/articles/the_civil_war_in_southe rn_maryland_150_years_later Although south of the Mason-Dixon Line and therefore geographically considered part of the South, Maryland did not secede from the Union. Despite strong sympathies for the South, joining the Confederacy would have been perilous. A Union blockade of the port in Baltimore would have caused economic havoc, and defending the northern border against Washington and the Union state of Pennsylvania would have been daunting. Plus the state was divided in loyalties by geographic region: The northern and western areas, which had economic ties to the North, were pro-union, while the eastern and southern areas, being agrarian, relied on slave labor for their plantations and were staunchly pro-confederacy. Although no battles were fought in Southern Maryland, the area was far from quiet. The Union maintained a strong presence a training camp in Benedict, an army brigade at Budd s Ferry and a prisoner-of-war (POW) camp. Because control of the Chesapeake was crucial to both capitals, Washington and Richmond, the Union s Potomac Flotilla prowled the Chesapeake Bay area trying, as College of Southern Maryland professor Dr. Richard Siciliano says, to protect D.C. from the pirates of the Northern Neck. Despite the Union presence, Southern Maryland was a Confederate stronghold; many men crossed the Potomac into Virginia to serve the Confederacy, and the tri-county area was filled with renegades, spies, smugglers and blockade runners. One of the most famous Southern Maryland sympathizers was Thomas Jones, head of the Confederate spy network, who lived on Pope s Creek in Charles County. Jones ferried people, mail and supplies across the Potomac to Virginia at night. In return, boats from Virginia crossed the river and deposited their mail in the crook of a tree on Jones property. But today Jones is better known for his role in John Wilkes Booth s escape: He hid Booth and co-conspirator David Herold for almost a week before supplying them with a boat to cross to Virginia. The most colorful figure in Southern Maryland was undoubtedly Richard Thomas, who adopted the surname Zarvona. Born on his family s plantation on the shores of the Patuxent in St. Mary s County, Richard and his two brothers all served the Confederacy. In 1861, he devised a daring plan to board a supply boat, the St. Nicholas, with his cohorts as passengers, seize the vessel, and then overtake the USS Pawnee, a vessel in the Potomac Flotilla. Thomas, who boarded the boat disguised as a French woman and flirted outrageously with the crew, was later dubbed The French Lady. The capture of the St. Nicholas was successful, although the Pawnee eluded Thomas. In piratical raids on three other ships, Thomas and his men captured coffee, ice and coal all valuable commodities to the South. Thomas, celebrated in the South for his daring exploits, was later recognized aboard the Mary Washington, taken to Fort McHenry, and imprisoned. Most citizens, regardless of their sympathy with the Confederacy, led far less adventurous lives than Jones and Thomas. Since its economy was based on tobacco, a labor-intensive crop, Calvert County relied heavily on slavery. Consequently, the war s impact on the county was largely economic. By the end of the war, large plantations were no longer sustainable, and the growth of seafood harvesting forever changed the county s economy. While slaves toiled on Calvert plantations, other African-Americans were just across the Patuxent River at Camp Stanton in Benedict, where the United States Colored Troops (USCT) were recruited and trained. Camp Stanton, named for Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and built by the recruits, operated from October 1863 to March 1864. The first recruitment garnered 500 men from the Eastern Shore, and a month later 130 men were recruited from raids on oyster fleets. During the third recruitment effort, Eben White, a Union lieutenant, was shot by John H. Sothoron when he See Southern MD, p.5 2
January, 2015 Camp minutes: December 10, 2014 meeting and holiday party The meeting was opened at 7:40 p.m. by Commander Michael K. Williams. Commander Williams welcomed everyone to our annual Christmas meeting and party. Chaplain John Ross offered the Invocation. Commander Michael K. Williams led us in the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. flag and the Salute to the Confederate Flag. X members and guests were in attendance. Grace was offered by Commander Williams. Members and guests were treated to a wonderful assortment of holiday refreshments, including eggnog, barbeque, and a wide variety cookies, pies sandwiches and cakes. The group also enjoyed an evening of beautiful Christmas and period music by the Gilmore Light Ensemble. The meeting was adjourned by Commander Williams with a prayer and best wishes to all for a Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year at 9:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, G. Elliott Cummings Adjutant The election of Camp officers for the year 2015 was held. The following Compatriots were elected to Camp office: Commander: Michael K. Williams 1 st Lt Commander: Dan Pyle 2 nd Lt Cmdr: Rocky Demarco Treasurer: Bruce Null Adjutant: Elliott Cummings Historian: Gene Leasure Color Sgt.: James Jones Quartermaster: Steve Adamski Judge Advocate: Carroll Holzer Celebrate Harry s birthday with us! Date: January 24, 2015 Time: 12:00, noon Place: 3620 Wilkens Ave. As in past years, the Col. Harry W. Gilmor Camp, SCV will hold its annual informal gathering at the grave of Col. Harry W. Gilmor, Confederate Hill, Loudon Park Cemetery on the occasion of Colonel Gilmor's birthday. Photographs courtesy of Elliott Cummings is on a Saturday. We hope many of you can join us. You will probably have to use the Wilkens Avenue entrance to Loudon Park. For information, contact Elliott Cummings, Adjutant. There is a possibility that adult beverages may be available to toast Harry. This year, Harry s birthday 3
January, 2015 Southern MD Continued from p.2 attempted to recruit the slaves on Sothoron s plantation south of Benedict. The Camp Stanton recruits, primarily from Southern and Eastern Maryland, formed four regiments the 7th, 9th, 19th and 30th which trained at Camp Stanton and later served in combat. A historic marker at the intersection of Benedict Avenue and Maryland Route 231, and an interpretive sign on the pier at Benedict, are all that currently remain of the camp s site. Also in Charles County, a Union Battery was stationed at Budd s Ferry, across the Potomac from Quantico. From this site, Thaddeus Lowe, who established the Balloon Corps, ascended in a hot air balloon to spy on the enemies across the river. One marker on the Civil War Trail commemorates the battery s site, and a second marks General Hooker s headquarters at Chicamuxen Methodist Church. Most Southern Marylanders are familiar with the notorious POW camp at Point Lookout, but a few documents mention a Calvert County Civil War POW camp called Prison Point, located at the mouth of Battle Creek. Karen Sykes, archivist at the Calvert County Historical Society, confirms the existence of the references to Prison Point, but Don Shomette, a historian currently working on a book about Southern Maryland in the Civil War, says there is no evidence that Prison Point played a role in the Civil War. Shomette believes that the error was made in a local history publication and became a common folk story. Bob Crickenberger, a Calvert County historian, thinks the confusion may have arisen because of the convergence of the name Prison Point, the presence of Federal agents in the county, and Fort Hunt, a WWII prison located near Prison Point. Both Shomette and Crickenberger concur that the only POW camp in Southern Maryland was at Point Lookout. The Point Lookout camp, officially named Camp Hoffman, was built at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. The camp, the largest in the North, opened in 1863 and covered about forty acres. Built to hold 10,000 prisoners, it sometimes held almost twice that. By the time it closed in 1865, around 50,000 soldiers had been imprisoned there. Men slept in tents and endured harsh treatment. Overcrowding, exposure to cold, contam- inated water supplies, rampant disease and inadequate food combined to make Point Lookout the worst POW camp in the North. The prison closed shortly after Lee s surrender at Appomattox. Today, an eighty-foot obelisk rising from the Point Lookout Confederate Cemetery at Ridge commemorates the spot. A Civil War Museum/Marshland Nature Center, located in Point Lookout State Park, contains artifacts and photos of the POW camp. Southern Maryland s best known association with the Civil War, however, is undoubtedly tied to the escape of John Wilkes Booth. On April 14, five days after Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln at Ford s Theater. Having broken his leg in the leap to the stage, Booth, along with coconspirator David Herold, stopped to have his leg set at the Charles County home of Dr. Samuel Mudd. After leaving Mudd s house, he found refuge with Thomas Jones for a week before escaping across the Potomac into Virginia. Today, drivers can follow Booth s escape route from Ford s Theater down routes 5 and 301 into Virginia (www.civilwartraveler.com / east/md/booth.html). This year marks the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, and although 150 years have passed, reminders of that conflict still surround us. To learn more about the war in Southern Maryland, visit the Point Lookout museum, stop by Dr. Mudd s house for the Christmas festivities, or follow the Civil War Trail through Southern Maryland (www.civilwartraveler.com /east/md/chesapeake.html). The Lee-Jackson Monument: A little history Excerpted from: http://monumentcity.net/20 09/04/17/jackson-leemonument-baltimore-md/ Dedicated on May 1st, 1948, this monument is by artist Laura Gardin Fraser and was paid for by the $100,000 left in J. Henry Ferguson s will, who idolized the Confederate generals as a youth. A design contest was held in 1935 and Fraser won the commission. Architect John Russell Pope created the base and the dedication took place on the anniversary of the eve of the Battle of Chancellorsville (1863). According to the sculptor, the geography itself mimics the conditions at Chancellorsville. 4
January, 2015 Monument dedication honors Arkansas Civil War soldiers From http://harrisondaily.com/people/mo nument-dedication-honorsarkansas-civil-warsoldiers/article_a95a2164-7a2f- 11e4-9503-7f1e17b952d1.html After three years of planning and raising funds, members of Jo Shelby Camp Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Boston Mountain United Daughters of the Confederacy of Harrison attended a dedication in honor of Arkansas Civil War soldiers at the battle of Franklin, Tennessee Saturday, Oct. 25. Records show that November, 30, 1864 was a tragic day in Arkansas history. The Confederate Army of Tennessee, under the command of Lieutenant General John B. Hood, was ordered to attack a Union Army under the command of Major General John M. Schofield. The opposing armies were about equal in number, around 30,000 each. The Southern troops obeyed their orders even though they were all seasoned veterans who knew the strength of their enemy and the powerful position they held. They advanced without artillery support and knowing that all of their Army had not reached the battlefield. Their advancement was into what became known as The Valley of Death. According to a spokesman, this charge was made over a mile of open ground. It was to be the effective end of the Army of Tennessee and the death of Dixie. Major General Patrick R. Cleburne commanded a division of the Con- federate Army. Cleburne, born in County Cork, Ireland, had made Arkansas his home and his division was filled with Men of Arkansas. Brigader General Daniel H. Reynolds Brigade consisted of the 4th Arkansas Infantry, 9th Arkansas Infantry, 25th Arkansas Infantry, along with the 1st Arkansas Mtd. Rifles (dismounted) and the 2nd Arkansas Mtd. Rifles (dismounted). The Second Brigade of Arkansas Soldiers was under the command of Brigader Gen. Daniel C. Govan. It consisted of several consolidated regiments; the 1st and 15th Arkansas Infantry, 2nd and 24th Arkansas Infantry, 5th and 13th Arkansas Infantry, 6th and 7th Arkansas Infantry and finally the 8th and 19th Arkansas Infantry. Prior to the attack General Govan went to General Cleburne and made the following statement. General not many of us will make it back to Arkansas. General Cleburne knowing full well what they faced replied If we are to die let us die like men. The South suffered 6,252 casualties including six generals General States Rights Gist of South Carolina, General Hiram Granbury of Texas, and Generals John Adams, John Carter, and Otho French Strahl all of Tennessee. Major General Patrick R. Cleburne of Arkansas was also among the dead. Winstead Hill in Franklin, Tennessee, is where the Confederate Army of Tennessee s officers met to gaze at the Union lines of defense. The Larry Fisher, left, and Everett Burr, members of SCV Jo Shelby Camp in Harrison stand by the monument erected Saturday, Oct. 25 in honor of Arkansas soldiers giving their life at the battle in Franklin, Tennessee during the Civil War. Contributed Photo Sam Davis Camp of Brentwood, Tennessee, owns this property. There are monuments to the Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, and Mississippi troops who fought but were none for the Arkansas soldiers. On October 25 of this year, the Arkansas Division Son of Confederate Veterans and the Arkansas United Daughters of the Confederacy dedicated a newly erected monument to these brave men who fought at Franklin. This project was spearheaded by the SCV JO Shelby Camp of Harrison after members of the Jo Shelby Camp visited Winstead Hill three years ago and decided to start a project to commemorate the sacrifices the soldiers of Arkansas. Funds were raised and on Saturday, Oct., 25 that dream came true. They had waited 150 years but now The Men of Arkansas have their monument, stated a Jo Shelby Camp member. 5
THE GILMOR BLADE Bruce and Nancy Null 2600 Masseth Avenue Baltimore, MD 21219 The Gilmor Blade is the monthly publication of the Col. Harry W. Gilmor Camp #1388, Sons of Confederate Veterans. SAVE THE DATES: January Camp meeting 1/14/15 Lee-Jackson Ceremony 1/17/15 Harry s Birthday 1/24/15