The Sharpsburg Sentinel Volume 10, Issue 4 The Sharpsburg Camp and the SCV denounce racism, racial supremacists, hate groups, and any group or individual that misuses or desecrates the symbols of the Confederate States or the United States. April 2015 Commander s Notes Our next meeting, will be on Wednesday, April 1st, 2015, 7:00 P.M., Sharpsburg Town Hall, 2 nd Floor, 106 East Main Street, Sharpsburg, MD. Our guest speaker will be our own Adjutant Jan Hiett who will be presenting a program on, Horses In Service To The Confederacy. I have speakers lined up for the next several months which I hope you will find enjoyable. Our meeting in July will be our annual chartering dinner and I m in the process of planning that. Our guest speaker for the dinner will be Frank and Bonnie Orlando, who are honorary life members of our camp, and they portray General and Mrs. Lee. This is one of the finest WBTS performances you will ever see. Besides the shows they put on around the Gettysburg area, they also travel the country doing their act and they are also sought after to do leadership conferences at companies large and small. It is an honor to be able to get such a high caliber of talent for our little group and I highly recommend that you don t miss it. They performed last year for us at our dinner at the Fairfield Inn and put on a great show. I ll be sending out more information on this dinner just as soon as I firm up a few more of the details. I want to thank each and every one of you for being a member of the SCV. Remember, this is your camp and I encourage all of you to participate fully. Yours in the cause, Michael David Wasiljov Commander Sons of Confederate Veterans 301-992-3122-C mike24745@aol.com I hope that all of you, who are able will be attending the Maryland Division Volume SCV State 9, Issue Convention 1 which will be hosted this year by the General Isaac Ridgeway Trimble Camp #1836 and held on Saturday, April 18 th, 2015, 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #69 Convention Hall, 2832 Nine Mile Circle, Catonsville, MD 21228. For more information and pricing, please contact our Camp Adjutant Jan Hiett at bsc1582@aol.com for more information.
ADJUTANT REPORT MINUTES: The March 4, 2015 meeting for the was held at the Sharpsburg Town Hall. There were 10 Members and Friends of the Camp, along with 5 guests in attendance. Prior to the meeting, the Camp signed a get-well card to Compatriot Ted Alexander who had a recent hospitalization. Commander Michael Wasiljov called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The opening ceremony included the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag and the Salute to the Confederate flag. The Invocation was given by Adjutant Jan Hiett. Volume 9, Issue 1 Old Business: We are happy to report that Chaplain Toby Law continues to make great progress while recovering from a stroke. He expects to be back in formation in the near future. Commander Wasiljov continues to look for monthly speakers. If you have a topic and are willing to offer your services please contact our Commander. A public hearing was scheduled for March 6, 2015 to discuss making the town of Sharpsburg a part of the Heart of the Civil War Heritage area. In the past there has been some opposition to this proposal. This hearing was postponed due to weather. Our Camp is prepared to support Sharpsburg being incorporated into this heritage area at the rescheduled hearing. The Maryland Division Convention will be held on Saturday, April 18, 2015 in Catonsville, Maryland. Several of our Camp members plan to attend this event. Registration information has been forward to our members. As special guest, Charles Kelly Barrow, Commander-in-Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans will be attending this convention. We are honored by his attendance. Members were reminded to check the Upcoming Events section of the newsletter as March and April are busy months for the Sons of Confederate Veterans. New Business: A motion was made by Commander Wasiljov and seconded by Lt. Commander McClung that the Camp donate $25 toward the Save Historic Antietam Foundation in appreciation of the excellent presentation made by Tom Clemens. The Camp passed the motion without opposition. The Treasurer has been notified to make this donation. Our guest speaker for the March 4, 2015 Tom Clemens, history professor emeritus at Hagerstown Community College. He is also a founding member and current board member of the Save Historic Antietam Foundation (SHAF). His presentation was entitled, Letters from Lee s Veterans, Excerpts from the Antietam Battlefield Board Letters. Our speaker edited two volumes of Ezra Ayres Carman s work. It is important to note that this is considered to be an important piece of research to both historians and enthusiasts. First, Brevet Brig. General Carman was a participant in the battle of Antietam commanding the 13 th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry. Second, after the war he was appointed the historical expert to the Antietam Battlefield Board. He created a pamphlet to guide Congress in future decisions about the battlefield. In 1895, he solicited veteran s to give their recollections of the battle, but at that time many of the Southern veterans were not willing to share their memories due to their mistrust of the government. In the South, Carman placed advertisements in newspapers like the Richmond Times, hoping to get the accounts before they were lost to history. He used these collected stories to detail the 1862 Campaign in Maryland and the Battle of Antietam. Since Carman s manuscript was published many writers have cited his stories of the battle. Carman found as he expected the accounts of these older veterans, both North and South, tended to be distorted with age. Whenever possible he attempted to use documentation that was written at or directly after the battle as they tended to be the most accurate. Our speaker noted that Carman often praised the Confederate army and was not afraid to criticize Yankee Generals. Letters from Confederate veterans which Carmen presented in an interesting fashion attested to his objectivity and character. Because of his positive relationship with many Confederates, other Southern veterans were encouraged to share their remembrances with Carman.
His efforts produced a very accurate account of the battle. As an experienced officer he knew how the views of the battle can become confused. As an author Carmen was careful and did his research. It should be noted that a third volume of his work is expected to be release later this year. In fairness to our speaker, Members and Friends of the Camp know that the correct name is the Battle of Sharpsburg. The closing prayer was offered by the Adjutant with the meeting ending at 8:15 p.m. Respectively submitted Jan Hiett-Adjutant-Newsletter Editor Volume 9, Issue 1 ADJUTANT COMMENTS This is a great time of year to be a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. As you will see in the Upcoming Events section there are numerous events that are worthy of your attendance. One of my favorite events is the Decoration Day held at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Frederick, Maryland. Services are held at the chapel and then the Color Guard leads the attendees to the Monument to the Unknown Confederate Soldiers. The monument was erected in 1881 and is dedicated to the 40 unknown interred Confederate soldiers. This cemetery is also the final resting place for 408 Southern heroes. The event is sponsored by the Major-General Isaac Ridgeway Trimble Camp and is well worth the short drive. I recently returned from the Richmond Area International Plastic Modelers Society. Building plastic models has been my passion for a number of years. IPMS-Richmond is usually one of the earliest contests-conventions of the year. It is a MUST for some of my closest friends. Given it is held in Richmond I will take these trapped friends on a tour of our nation s capital. I am happy to report that there are still Confederate monuments standing. The natives tell me that there is a continued effort to dismantle or move out of sight, monuments to our Confederate heroes. I spoke to the IPMS-Richmond contact person to let him know how pleased I was to see that they continue to use the statue of JEB Stuart on their club logo. He informed me that there has not been any complaints about the use of Stuart on the logo, award trophies, or other items. He was well aware of the movement to erase all offensive monuments of the South. I hope Richmond can remember her roots and be proud of her heritage. Most of my traveling party simply do not get this Southern thing, and do their utmost to provoke a discussion about slavery and the evil South. One even suggests that reparations would be appropriate. I agree, I believe that those Southerners that lost their homes, factories, possessions, and yes even their lives need to be reimbursed. I ll continue to ride with them to the Richmond convention but I will defend my family s honor and the sacrifice of my Great-Great Grandfather and my other relatives of his generation made in this War for Southern Independence. QUOTE OF THE MONTH: In a memorial sermon in 1909 Albert Louis Banks, then pastor of Trinity Methodist Church of Denver, said: Abraham Lincoln once asked General Winfield Scott the question: Why is it that you were able to take the city of Mexico in three months with five thousand men and we have been unable to take Richmond with one hundred thousand men? General Scott replied, I will tell you. The men who took me into the city of Mexico are the same men who are keeping us out of Richmond now. No soldiers fought harder or struggled more bravely than those of the South. By the thousands they died in prison rather than give up the Cause to which they had sworn allegiance. It is that generation that we recognize. May God Bless the South. Thanks to Compatriot Don Goodwin for his contribution of this quote which he located in the August 1917 Confederate Veteran. If you have a favorite quote please feel free to submit it for publication.
LYRICS OF THE MONTH: GOD BLESS ROBERT E. LEE Well the mansion where the general used to live is burning down. Cottonfields are blue with Sherman s troops. I overheard a yankee say yesterday Nashville fell. So I m on my way to join the fight, Volume 9, Issue 1 General Lee might need my help. But look away, look away Dixie, I don t want them to see what they re doing to my Dixie, God Bless Robert E. Lee I won t ever stop loving you my Dixie till they put me in the ground, and the last words they probably hear from me are God bless Robert E. Lee. This song was released in 1983 and sung by the late Johnny Cash. INVENTIONS AND TECHNOLOGY 1861-1865 As you are probably aware I will offer a short presentation for the April Camp meeting on Horses in the Confederate Service. While doing the necessary research it became apparent that one of the reasons why horses have not received the recognition they deserved, was the fact that the War for Southern Independence produced a large number of new inventions. These new killing machines and technology overshadows the poor horse. Here are some of the new inventions and advances in technology that appeared during the war. Let us not forget the noble beast, the horse. Hot Air Balloon- These were used for aerial reconnaissance. They were used by both Union and Confederate forces. They saw use at the Battles of Manasssas, Chancellorsville, Gaines Mill, Seven Pines, and Fredericksburg. Ironclad Ships-The exposed upper parts of wooden ships were covered with iron and steel. The most famous Battle of the Ironclads was fought between the Monitor and the Virginia. Submarines-The Confederate submarine the Hunley could submerge and navigate under water. Its eight man crew was credited with the sinking of the first ship by a submarine using a new invention called the star-torpedo. It consisted of a bomb propelled at the end of a long pole with a charge attached to the end. Under-water Mines-Use of mines began in 1861. They were used to such an extent that they made the James River impassable. They were also used during the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864. Land Mines or Subterranean shells -These booby traps appeared in 1862 and were designed to explode from the slightest pressure.
Military Signal Service-The Signal corps were established in 1860 with messages being sent by means of flags, torches, colored lights, and limelights. High signal towers allowed messages to be seen for 20 miles. Machine Guns/Gatling Guns-These rapid-fire guns appeared in 1861 being produced by Dr. Richard Gatling. These powerful weapons were six-barreled guns Volume that were 9, capable Issue 1 of firing up to 350 rounds per minute. The Confederate army possessed a Williams gun at the Battle of Seven Pines in 1862. It proved to be too unwieldy for practical use. Railroad Improvements-Railroads cut travel time by 90%. The Confederates were the first to move troops into a battle, Manassas in 1861. The war saw railroads as a major means of transporting troops and supplies. Railroads and depots became major objectives. This era also produced the first mobile siege artillery which was mounted on rail cars. This changed the type and amount of large weapons used on the battlefield. Battlefield Treatment of Casualties-Union Dr. Letterman pioneered the first military Ambulance Corp and the triage system of classifying casualties. Also introduced were hospital trains that were designed to carry casualties from field hospitals to general hospitals. A better understanding of medicine, surgery and other care of the diseased and wounded advanced the medical profession by decades. Hand Grenades-The Union developed in 1861 the Ketchum hand grenade which was used in siege battles such as Vicksburg and Petersburg. This was a cast iron projectile explosive that was thrown like a dart. The Confederate weapon was called the Raines Grenade. Repeating rifles-breech loaded single-shot rifles were replaced in the early 1860 s with repeating rifles that provided a much greater rate of fire. Repeating rifles were single barreled, containing multiple rounds of ammunition from a magazine by means of either a manual or automatic mechanism. Minie Ball-Was a specific type of highly destructive bullet fired from a rifle, approximately the size of a quarter. Photographs-The first photographs taken in combat appeared during the war.
UPCOMING EVENTS April 1 Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. Camp meeting at Sharpsburg Town Hall April 7 Tuesday, 1:00 p.m. Trail Marker Dedication Gathland State Park April 10 Friday, 7:00 p.m. Chase for Lincoln s Killer Frederick City Hall April 18 Saturday, 8:30 a.m. Volume Maryland 9, Issue Division 1 Convention Catonsville, MD April 25 Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Decoration Day Mt. Olivet Cemetery Frederick, MD May 2 Saturday, 10:30 a.m. Pennsylvania Confederate Memorial Day Gettysburg May 6 Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. Camp meeting at Sharpsburg Town Hall May 16 Saturday, 11:00 a.m. Captain Wirz Ceremony Mt. Olivet Cemetery D.C. May 23 Saturday, 1:30 p.m. Sharpsburg Memorial Parade and Ceremony Further information about the above-noted events can be obtained by contacting the Adjutant of the Battle of Sharpsburg Camp #1582 at the Camp meeting, telephone 301-797-1021 or e-mail bsc1582@aol.com. Thanks!