March 2017 Alamo City Guards Camp #1325 FROM HEADQUARTERS, Russ Lane We have already formed the Confederate Heroes Day Dinner planning committee. We have signed the contract with the same hotel and we have an agreement with 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. Compatriot Scott Woodard spoke on Confederate Logistics and the Private Diary of Robert Patrick at our last meeting. His presentation was both educational and entertaining. We will have Ms. Robin Terrazas, President of the Albert Sidney Johnston Chapter 2060, United Daughters of the Confederacy, as our special guest in March. She will present A Program of Southern Music. She composed a number of the songs she will perform. 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. The National SCV leadership conducted a joint Heritage Operations and Recruiting/Retention seminar for the Army of Trans-Mississippi (ATM) in Texarkana on 25 February. We had six members in attendance. Notes taken by the six are being consolidated and a report will be provided the membership. Several of our members and Roses attended a ceremony honoring 72 Confederate veterans buried in Stockdale, TX sponsored by the Hood s Texas Brigade Camp on 25 February. 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 5-6 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. Remember, we are looking for someone to step forward and agree to be the new Commander in January! It is said slavery is all we are fighting for, and if we give it up we give up all. Even if this were true, which we deny, slavery is not all our enemies are fighting for. It is merely the pretense to establish sectional superiority and a more centralized form of government, and to deprive us of our rights and liberties. Patrick Cleburne
Page 2 March 2017 Editor s Note: In preparation of our speaker in March and our recognition of Saint Patrick s Day, we will review the combination of the two venues. If you enjoy this newsletter electronically, you can hyperlink to music videos on page 3. [http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/patrick-cleburne.html] Major General Patrick R. Cleburne March 17, 1828 November 30, 1864 Patrick Ronayne Cleburne was promoted in the Confederate army at an astounding rate enlisting as a private in early 1861, and rising to the rank of Major General by December 1862. Highly respected by both his soldiers and his enemies, he showed great physical and moral courage. In fact, it took great courage to issue his controversial but sincere January 1864 proposal to arm slaves to fight for the Confederacy. Born in Ireland, Cleburne was extremely loyal to his adopted country. In October 1864 he told his men, If this that is so dear to my heart is doomed to fail, I pray heaven may let me fall with it, while my face is toward the enemy and my arm battling for that which I know to be right. Cleburne began his military career in an unlikely manner. When he failed the entrance exam at Trinity College, he could not face his family. He enlisted in the 41st Foot in the British army. In 1849 he purchased his discharge and left for America eventually settling in Helena, Arkansas in June 1850 and earning his citizenship in 1855. Cleburne loved his new country, taking part in many Major General Patrick Cleburne (Library of Congress) community projects, and even being one of the few volunteers to care for the sick during a yellow fever outbreak. [ed. Cleburne had apprenticed as an apothecary and served as a pharmacist before the war.] In January 1861 he joined the Yell Rifles. By fall of 1861 he had risen to command the 2nd Brigade, Hardee s Division, in the Army of Central Kentucky. His first major battle was at Shiloh, April 6-7, 1862. At the Battle of Richmond, Kentucky, Cleburne was wounded in the mouth (August 1862) and lost several of his teeth. Still, he earned the thanks of the Confederate Congress for his actions there. During the October 1862 battle at Perryville he was wounded again twice, yet stayed in command during the battle. In December he was promoted to Major General. At the December 1862 battle of Murfreesboro (Stones River) Cleburne and his division earned the praise of General Braxton Bragg for their incredible skill and valor. Cleburne s actions and character played a large role in his men s determination during battle. In 1863 Cleburne faced off against Union General George H. Thomas at Chickamauga. Cleburne s and General John C. Breckinridge s assaults forced Gen. Thomas to call repeatedly for reinforcements. In November 1863 the Confederate army was forced to retreat after the battle of Chattanooga. However, Cleburne had defeated every assault against his men eventually charging his attackers. After the battle, Cleburne and his men were charged with covering the retreat. On January 2, 1864, Cleburne made his most controversial decision ever. He gathered the corps and division commanders in the Army of Tennessee to present his proposal. The Confederacy was unable to fill its ranks due to a lack of manpower. He stated that slavery was their most vulnerable point, a continued embarrassment, and in some respects an insidious weakness. Cleburne s proposed solution was for the Confederacy to arm slaves to fight in the army. In time, these soldiers would receive their freedom. The proposal was not well received at all. In fact, Jefferson Davis directed that the proposal be suppressed. In the spring of 1864 the Army of Tennessee moved towards Atlanta, Georgia. Cleburne and his men fought at Dalton, Tunnel Hill, Resaca, Pickett s Mill, Ringgold and Kennesaw. The Atlanta Campaign began in the summer and lasted until September, when General Hood evacuated Atlanta. Hood had taken command from General Joseph E. Johnston, which Cleburne felt to be a disaster for the Confederacy. General Hood hoped to stop Union General Schofield and his men before they could reach Nashville to reinforce General Thomas. Due to poor communications and nightfall Schofield slipped past the Army of Tennessee into Franklin. The November 30, 1864 Battle of Franklin was a tragic loss for the Confederacy. Hood threw his men into well-fortified Union troops. The results were disastrous. About 6,000 men were killed or wounded including six generals who were killed or mortally wounded. Cleburne was one of these six, killed while attacking Union breastworks. Cleburne was buried at St. John s Church, Mount Pleasant, Tennessee. In 1870 he was reburied in Helena, Arkansas. Surrender means that the history of this heroic struggle will be written by the enemy; that our youth will be trained by Northern school teachers; will learn from Northern school books their version of the War; will be impressed by all the influences of history and education to regard our gallant dead as traitors, and our maimed veterans as fit subjects for derision. Patrick Cleburne
Page 3 March 2017 http://www.loeser.us/flags/civil-irish.html Click on videos to Hyperlink! I am with the South in life or death, in victory or defeat. I believe the North is about to wage a brutal and unholy war on a people who have done them no wrong, in violation of the Constitution and the fundamental principles of government. They no longer acknowledge that all government derives its validity from the consent of the governed. They are about to invade our peaceful homes, destroy our property, and murder our men and dishonor our women. We propose no invasion of the North, no attack on them, and only ask to be left alone. Patrick Cleburne
Page 4 March 2017 http://txdivreunion.com/ http://scvmemphis2017.org/
Page 5 March 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: 500-600 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SOUTH TEXAS CONFEDERATE FLAG DAY MARCH 4, 2017 There will be trucks with decorated trailers available for those who may not be able to walk the 1.25-mile route up Congress Avenue to the State Capitol Building. Uniforms and period dress are encouraged but not required. Bring extra Confederate flags of all kinds on poles, if you have them. We want to have as many flags as possible. Invite others to participate with us. Everyone is welcome. We will assemble at the TXDOT parking lot on Riverside Drive near the intersection with Congress Avenue at 8:00 am and the parade will start at 9:30 am. From I35 take the Riverside Drive exit and go west for approximately 1.3 miles. The TXDOT parking lot will be on your right before you reach Congress Avenue. Bill Manuel will bring his 20 ft decorated trailer. The Brigade Commander has requested the following info from each camp: How many walkers and riders? How many in uniform or period dress? How many flags can be provided? Please let Russ know as soon as possible so he can submit his report to the Brigade Commander.
Page 6 March 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 2016-31 July 2017 (New, Reinstated, Cadets, Transfers and Friends): 14 Communications Officer (Not eligible for the award): 4 Adjutant (Not eligible for the award): 0 Kevin Smith 3 Rusty Mahan 1 John Carleton 2 Scott Woodard 1 Ted Terrazas 2 Ruben Perez 1 Upcoming Events 2 March, Camp Meeting, Robin Terazzas, A Program of Southern Music 4 March, Confederate Flag Day (Parade in Austin) 9 March, Arlon-Seay Elementary School 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!