Army of Northern Virginia Maryland Division Camp #1398 Colonel William Norris Sons of Confederate Veterans November 2015 Guest Speaker: Steve Bockmiller The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3, 7 p.m., at VFW John M. Carter Post 9862, located at 211 N. Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg. Entrance at lower level in rear of building (bingo entrance). See Inside Adjutant Report 2 Dues Reminder 2 Ball s Bluff Tour 3 Adopt-A-Road Cleanup 3 Antietam Battlefield Illumination 4 Steve Bockmiller is a City Planner for Hagerstown, Md., and has previously worked for Jefferson County, W.Va., and Howard County, Md. Bockmiller specializes in zoning, historic preservation and land development review. He also assists with the city s heritage tourism efforts. He represents the city on the Heart of the Civil War Hertiage Area, and serves on the advisory board of Historic Ships at Baltimore (USS Constellation). Bockmiller has co-authored two books on the USS Constellation, and has authored two books on Hagerstown in the Civil War. His next project Washington County in the Civil War is to be released in the spring. Bockmiller has received the John Frye Award for historic preservation from the County Commissioners of Washington County and received the Henry Kyd Douglas Award from the Hagerstown Civil War Roundtable. He is a member of the Military Order of the Stars and Bars and the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Bockmiller s program, Follow the Money, will relate the story of the July 6, 1864, Confederate ransom of Hagerstown, including little known facts about skirmishes that occurred around the city on that day, the intrigues necessary to arrange to pay the ransom, and how it was paid off after the war. Bockmiller will have copies of his booklet of the same title available for $5.95 per copy. He will also have copies of his other projects available.
Page 2 Sons of Confederate Veterans Adjutant Report Col. William Norris Camp #1398 Oct. 6, 2015, monthly meeting minutes Commander Frank Brown Jr. called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Members present were: Commander Brown, Dave Redden, Steve Fernandez, Dave King Jr., James Perry, Bob Jones, Bob Brewer and Michael Bertocchi. Special guest was Katie Brewer. The Guest Speaker was Tom Clemens. The invocation was given by Bob Brewer. Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. Flag and the Salute to The Confederate Flag was led by Commander Brown. Charge to the Sons of Confederate Veterans was read by Commander Brown. Topic discussed was the upcoming Christmas Party.. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Frank Brown Jr., Commander Dues Reminder Attention Norris Camp compatriots! Several regular members have not yet paid the annual dues. Dues are $45 for regular members, $15 for life members and $55 for those members that would like to receive a printed and mailed newsletter. The National Headquarters demand an extra $5 as a penalty for dues received after Nov. 1. A humble THANK YOU for those that have paid. Even with the higher dues amounts, we don t actually meet our budgeted expenditures. If you would like to make any cash contributions, it is important to important to remember that the Norris Camp is a 501c(3), non-profit, and legally registered with the Internal Revenue Service. Therefore, we can give you a receipt for any cash donations you make to the camp for income tax purposes. These receipts must be requested at the time you make your donation. Please send your dues at this time! Make checks payable to SCV, Colonel William Norris Camp #1398. Please mail to Commander Frank Brown, 5008 Tothill Drive, Olney, MD 20832.
Page 3 Ball s Bluff Tour On Nov. 14, the Col. William Norris Camp will host a tour at Ball s Bluff. Nestled along the Potomac River in scenic Loudoun County, the Ball s Bluff Battlefield Regional Park is an important stop for historians, hikers and Civil War enthusiasts. Recently restored by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, a variety of hiking trails and interpretive tours make visiting Ball s Bluff a can t-miss experience. The small battle, fought along bluffs overlooking the Potomac River, had dramatic ramifications for the Union war efforts. Please join us for the tour! Adopt-A-Road Cleanup Saturday, November 21 The camp will have a road cleanup on Saturday, November 21 at 9 a.m. We will meet at our usual location, which is Dickerson Regional Park. Please come out. All supplies are provided and it won t take us long to clean the road and parking lot area if we show up in numbers. Thanks in advance. Dave Redden Adopt-A-Road Coordinator Annual Holiday Dinner Announcement Please come and join in the fun and good food at our annual Holiday Dinner. This year the dinner will be held at the Old Country Buffet on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. More information will be provided at the Nov. 3 meeting. This a a family event. Please RSVP to Commander Brown at 240-876-7470 or email at fbrwnmcbrwn@aol.com. Come join in the holiday cheer!
Page 4 Antietam National Battlefield Memorial Illumination On Saturday evening, Dec. 5, 2015, Antietam National Battlefield, in cooperation with the American Business Women s Association, will host the 27 th Annual Antietam National Battlefield Memorial Illumination in honor of those soldiers who fell during the Battle of Antietam. In the event of poor weather, the Illumination will be rescheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015. Like strings of amber beads, 23,000 luminaries candles representing each person killed, wounded or missing in the Battle of Antietam will stretch across Antietam National Battlefield on Saturday. The 26 th Annual Antietam National Battlefield Memorial Illumination, with a driving tour of the candlelit grounds, will memorialize those who fought in the Battle of Antietam the bloodiest one-day battle in American history, Sept. 17, 1862. Notes: 1. If the weather threatens, they will make the decision by 9 a.m. If there is a question, call Commander Brown at 240-876-7470. 2. Meet about 10 a.m. at Mansfield Avenue, which is located at the north end of the battlefield. Enter in the parking area at the Clara Barton Monument. Enter the park and drive past the visitor center until the road turns right onto Mansfield Avenue. We will be located at the top of the rise near the Clara Barton Monument. 3. We will be putting out the luminaries and setting them into place in the morning. 4. Dress warmly. Sometimes it can be pretty cold and windy and/or wet. Please dress accordingly. 5. Around noon or so we will break for lunch. We expect to have hot dogs, desserts, hot soup, chips, sodas and etc. 6. About 2 p.m. we will start lighting the field. Barbecue lighters seem to work best. 7. We will be given a limited number of car passes for the drive-through, so be prepared to team up and pool the cars. At 3 p.m. all cars without passes must clear the battlefield, and we park those cars that don t have the passes down at the foot of Mansfield Avenue on the Hagerstown Pike. 8. At 4:15 p.m. the memorial service begins at the Maryland Monument near the visitor center. Only the volunteers are invited to this ceremony. It features a bagpiper or a bugler playing delayed taps. 9. As soon as the ceremony is over, the volunteers begin the drive through. 10. Please no alcohol beverages. 11. If anyone has any questions, they may call Commander Brown at 240-876-7470 or email at fbrwnmcbrwn@aol.com.
Sons of Confederate Veterans Army of Northern Virginia Maryland Division Camp #1398 Page 5 The newsletter of the Colonel William Norris Camp #1398 is published 12 times a year by the camp as a service to its membership and to the public. Officers Heritage Violations Notify the Camp Heritage Officer compatriot Jim Stargel (jim.stargel@ffa.gov) of any heritage violations. Frank Brown Jr., Commander 5008 Tothill Drive Phone: 240-876-7470 Olney, MD 20832 Email: fbrwnmcbrwn@aol.com David Redden, 1st Lt. Commander 19109 Dowden Circle Phone: 301-351-7260 Poolesville, MD 20837 Email: daveredden@hotmail.com Major David King Jr., 2nd Lt. Commander 5611 Oak Place Phone: 301-530-7634 Bethesda, MD 20817 Email: Dejota.King@verizon.net Dan Buckingham, 3rd Lt. Commander 11521 Front Field Lane Phone: 301-983-9002 Potomac, MD 20854 Email: danbuckingham@hurrisafe.com Steve Fernandez, Color Sergeant 702 Grandin Avenue Phone: 301-943-0039 Rockville, MD 20850 Email: remissong2730@msn.com Thomas Keefer, Chaplain 12558 Cross Bridge Way Phone: 301-980-9826 Germantown, MD 20874 Email: tskeef@yahoo.com John Howerton, Recruiting Officer 5031 Edmonston Road Phone: 301-779-0519 Hyattsville, MD 20781 Email: jech95@netzero.net Jim Stargel, Heritage Office/Quartermaster Email: jim,stargel@ffa.gov