Honor for the Confederacy at the Michigan State Capitol

If I were to ask, I'd venture to guess that very, very few could actually tell me the event of Confederate significance which occurred in Michigan during the fall of 1941. It was, however, on September 20th of that very year when the State of Michigan returned to the Southern states 13 battle flags and three swords, which were taken as spoils of war during The War Between the States more than 75 years earlier.

Taking place on the east steps of the state capitol building, it was described by Maynard Hill in the State Journal newspaper (out of Lansing, MI) as "one of the most colorful open-air ceremonies ever held here (in Michigan)." The event was broadcast nationwide on the radio, and covered by numerous print & photo journalists.

Gen. Julius F. Howell, CiC. of the United Confederate Veterans addresses, with Gov. Van Wagoner of Michigan. [This copy of the original 1941 image is in the Camp #1321 archives, but all rights belong to the photographer and original publisher and it is used under the Fair Use Doctrine.]

Michigan was one of the last of the northern states to return captured Confederate relics. It was through the initiative & efforts of local radio broadcaster Duncan Moore, his radio station (WJR) & the city of Detroit that the legislation was passed in the state congress to make this event happen. Also very influential in making the flag return possible was Mrs. John Bushnell of Detroit; Mrs. Bushnell was a past President of the Robert E. Lee Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in Detroit, and was also the mother of George Bushnell, a then-current Michigan Supreme Court Justice.

Representatives were sent from 12 of the former Confederate states to receive these southern war-artifacts on behalf of their respective states and the entire south. The representatives were:

TN - Gen. Julius F. Howell, Commander-in-Chief of the United Confederate Veterans
VA - Gov. James H. Price, Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia
KY - Hon. Rodes K. Meyers, Lt. Governor of Kentucky
TX - Hon. Hatton W. Sumners, U.S. Congressman from Texas' 5th District
AL - Peter A. Brannon, Alabama State Military Archivist
AR - John Pipkin, Arkansas Commissioner of Public Welfare
FL  - Lt.Col. Phillip Stockton May, Florida Governor's Staff
GA - Mrs. Arthur M. Wilson Jr., President of the Atlanta Ladies Memorial Association
LA - Roland Cocreham, Executive Assistant to the Gov. of Louisiana
MS - Dr. W.E. Holcomb, Representative of the Gov. of Mississippi
NC - Dr. C.C. Crittenden, Secretary of the North Carolina Historical Commission
SC - Edward B. Houseal, Representative of the Gov. of South Carolina

Faded & frail, the flags were packaged in gift boxes trimmed with red, white and blue, and the swords were similarly wrapped. Each was presented to the respective Southern representatives by the Governor of Michigan, Murray Delos Van Wagoner. As each presentation was made, the drum and bugle corps of the Morley S. Oates post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars was on hand to punctuate it with a blare of trumpets.

As a military event, this one was particularly unique, with men, both on the speakers' platform and in the audience, wearing military uniforms that spanned more than 75 years of American military history! There were Southern veterans in Confederate gray uniforms, several Union veterans in their blue uniforms, veterans of the (first) World War in their khaki uniforms, a cream-colored uniform worn by a Georgia military aide, and the brand new gray uniform of the then newly formed Michigan state "home defense" troops.

Heading up the delegation of distinguished Southern representatives was the 95-year-old Commander-in-Chief of the United Confederate Veterans, Gen. Julius F. Howell, who was representing the state of Tennessee. Upon receiving a flag and a sword from Michigan's Governor, General Howell thanked the Governor in a clear, firm voice, saying that it was "a most gracious gesture."

The event was tightly scheduled because of time constraints on the radio broadcast, and speakers were asked to make their remarks brief, but when a military aide tried to hurry General Howell, Howell just waved him off (which caused quite a laugh from the crowd) and proceeded to tell stories from his time in the war. Thankfully the radio affiliates were understanding, and respectfully continued their coverage despite going a little over the allotted amount of broadcast time.

In his address, speaking to the Southern delegation collectively, Gov. Van Wagoner said, "I speak for all of Michigan in thanking you for your graciousness in receiving them (the artifacts) in the spirit in which they are given," adding that the relics being given back "have not in a generation been looked upon as trophies. Instead, they have served as reminders of the the glory and the honor that [was] ... [Robert E.] Lee. They have served to remind us of our debt to those who bequeathed us a vast wealth of rich character, and a never-failing source of inspiration. Love and understanding have replaced all bitterness and hate. Mutual respect and fraternal fellowship have come to bless the common purpose of our national endeavor."

Much of the information on this event has been gleaned from the pages of the Winter 1942 edition of the Michigan History Magazine. At the end of the report, the following comments were included by the quarterly publication's editor, George N. Fuller, who wrote:

"We honor these flags, as we honor the brave men who marched beneath them in days that are gone. They are but flags, yet they speak to us of the thousands of boys in Gray, who with faith and hope of youth went into battle for a cause they held dear, the preservation of the ideals and traditions of the Old South. With the eye of fancy, we can see these boys as they stand in line, - as the word is given, see them charge, and form, as the air rings with the storm of battle, some of them never to return to the courageous wives and mothers who sent them away with their blessing. These flags tell of hopes, and of fears, and of prayers for these boys. And now these flags return home, and there they will speak silently to the sons and daughters of the men who bore them, of losses that can never be forgotten..."

[Image from the 1991 50th Anniversary Commemoration of Michigan returning it's Confederate relics.]

Before I close, I would be remiss if I did not mention that this event was remembered on it's 50th anniversary by the Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans with a parade & certificate of appreciation ceremony at the Michigan State Capitol.

DEO VINDICE!
- Jonathan M. McCleese
2nd Lieutenant Commander
Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn, MI)
Army of Tennessee, Sons of Confederate Veterans

Sources:
[Hill, Maynard. "Return of the Confederate Flags." Michigan History Magazine 1942: 5-23. Print. Volume XXVI, Winter Edition]
[Taishoff, Sol, ed. "Studio Notes." Broadcasting & Broadcast Advertising 6 Oct. 1941: 47. Print.]
[SCV Camp 1321 Archives]

Have You Forgotten...?

This past Sunday, our nation reflected on a dark day in it's history - September 11, 2001 - remembering the nearly 3,000 lives lost 15 years ago when Islamic terrorists hijacked airplanes and rammed them into the World Trade Center towers in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and attempted to fly a plane into another target (probably either U.S. Capitol or the White House) before being thwarted by the plane's brave passengers who rammed the plane into the earth to save other lives.

An oft heard question each year around that date is "Have You Forgotten?"

While it is safe to say that no one of a certain age who was living in this country on that dark day has intentionally forgotten what happened, one day that event will become a factoid in a history book and no one who was alive then will still yet inhabit the planet to recall it's horrific events.

Here we are in 2016, more than 150 years after the conclusion of the War Between the States, the costliest conflict in this nation's history in terms of lives lost and blood shed, but I must sadly declare that many Southerners have forgotten not only it's causes and events but also they have forgotten about the lives of their ancestors who were killed for the cause of Southern independence from federal tyranny.

(Image Courtesy of Maeve Magdalen)

Have YOU, personally, forgotten that...

... more than 4,700 Confederate soldiers were killed in the Battle of Gettysburg between July 1-3, 1863?

... more than 2,300 Confederate soldiers were killed in the Battle of Chickamauga between September 19-20, 1863?

... more than 1,700 Confederate soldiers were killed in the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862?

... more than 1,700 Confederate soldiers were killed in the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864?

... more than 1,600 Confederate soldiers were killed in the Battle of Chancellorsville in April & May 1863?

... more than 1,500 Confederate soldiers were killed in the Battle of Sharpsburg on Sept. 17, 1862?

... more than 1,500 Confederate soldiers were killed in the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House in May 1864?

... more than 1,400 Confederate soldiers were killed in the Battle of Gaines's Mill on June 27, 1862?

... more than 1,400 Confederate soldiers were killed in the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864?

... more than 1,200 Confederate soldiers were killed in the Battle of Stones River between Dec. 31, 1862 - Jan. 2, 1863?

... the tens-of-thousands more Confederate soldiers who were killed or wounded at dozens of other battlefields across the South?

... the civilian casualties of Lincoln's war on the South, which are estimated by historians to number into the tens-of-thousands, maybe as high as 50,000+, the vast majority of whom were Southerners?

While it is good and right to remember those victims of terrorism from 9/11/2001, it is despicable that we sons & daughters of Confederate veterans cannot show the same respect & honor to our ancestors, who were no less victims of invasion & terrorism, without being vilified for it! Today it's the memory of our Confederate ancestors which is under attack; in 150 years it might be the memory of you or someone you personally know & love who served in the U.S. military after that dark September day.

We should never forget what happened to our ancestors and to our native Southland in the War of 1861-1865...

WE, THE SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS, WILL NEVER, EVER FORGET!

DEO VINDICE!
Jonathan McCleese
2nd Lieutenant Commander
Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn, MI)
Army of Tennessee, Sons of Confederate Veterans

The Sandlick Creek Cemetery (Whitesburg, Letcher Co., KY)

Greetings Confederates!
I just returned earlier this week from my second of two excursions down to the Southland. While down there, I had the pleasure of meeting & spending time with members of several camps in the Kentucky Division of the SCV. One of those occasions was at the August camp-meeting for the Col. Ben E. Caudill Camp #1629, out of Whitesburg, KY, where I was permitted to sit in on the meeting and also assist with a clean-up effort at one of the Confederate sites that camp maintains - the Confederate section of the Sandlick Creek Cemetery. 

Though I didn't get any pictures of the meeting, this was not my first visit to the cemetery, so I do have some pictures I can share with all of you from the site.

The Sandlick Creek Cemetery rests in the Appalachian foothills of southeastern Kentucky, and during the war between the states it was located near the home of John A. Caudill, Confederate sympathizer and father of Col. Benjamin E. Caudill of the 13th Kentucky Cavalry, one of the "Immortal 600." It was on his father's property where Col. Caudill would drill and train the men under his command, and also where a hospital was established for Confederates in that area. As men from the regiment died, many of them would come to be buried on this nearby hill, and it is also where Col. Caudill's parents would come to be buried.

This section of the cemetery where the Southern defenders lie at rest was neglected and forgotten over time. For many years it was covered in weeds and brambles until, through the efforts of Camp #1629, these graves were located. With the assistance of some surviving records, several of the Confederate graves were able to be completely marked, but for many there is only a stone with a Southern Cross insignia and the words "Unknown Soldier." That is because many of the records from the old Confederate hospital were burned by Union troops.

The Col. Ben E. Caudill Camp #1629 takes great care of these Confederate graves and those others located in what is known as the Big Sandy River Valley area. Since the 1980s, Camp #1629 has marked the graves of more than 1,300 Confederate soldiers & veterans, and also maintains several other monument sites which they have erected in southeastern Kentucky.

Below you will find more pictures that I took while visiting the Sandlick Creek Cemetery in July 2015. I'd like to thank all of the members of Camp #1629 for the hard work, time, money, and effort they put in towards honoring our brave boys in gray. I also want to extend a special thanks to Camp #1629's Cmdr. Manton Cornett & Chaplain Lawrence Cook for the extreme kindness and hospitality they showed me when I visited on Thursday, August 18th, 2016. It's an honor to be a part of the SCV knowing men like you are a part of it!

 

DEO VINDICE!

- Jonathan McCleese
2nd Lieutenant Commander
Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn, MI)
Army of Tennessee, Sons of Confederate Veterans

I Hate to Say 'I Told Ya So,' but...

Hello friends & Compatriots!

By now you've almost certainly heard about the latest flag controversy, this time over the Gadsden flag. If you're unfamiliar with the term, it's a flag that originated during the 1st War of American Independence. It's a yellow flag with a depiction of a coiled rattlesnake and the words "DON'T TREAD ON ME" written underneath.

Apparently, somebody filed a complaint in 2014 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) about a co-worker wearing a hat with a depiction of the Gadsden flag, saying that it was racially offensive. The EEOC recently said in a statement that "whatever the historic origins and meaning of the symbol, it also has since been sometimes interpreted to convey racially-tinged messages in some contexts,” and that "in light of the ambiguity in the current meaning of this symbol, we find that Complainant’s claim must be investigated to determine the specific context in which [the coworker] displayed the symbol in the workplace."

When this blog first started one year ago we were just entering the new era of Confederaphobia. At that time so many of us warned that the war on Confederate flags & symbols would only be a first step in this war on American culture, and that it would not stop there.

In one of the earliest blogs posted on this page, I wrote that "[t]he movement now underway to remove [the Confederate] flag, dishonor the brave soldiers that served under it, and disrespect the 70-million descendants of Confederate veterans is rooted in the same demonic cesspool as the movements in this nation to slander historical figures & traditional symbols of America..."

Using the allegations of racism, and in our current culture of political correctness, it seems that anything could be construed as racist. Instead of laughing at the ridiculousness of the claim and throwing it out, as should have been done, this federal commission is giving legitimacy to the most ludicrous of claimed offenses, and thus setting a precedent for even more of this nonsense to follow.

Many folks, including some good and well intentioned people, were suckered into joining the chorus of voices calling for the public banishment of Confederate flags and symbols in the last year. Some of those people would have encouraged us to replace our "rebel flags" with those of "the original American rebellion against tyranny." Now they are finding out that we what we were saying all along is true.

I call on all Americans who love freedom and the historical symbols under which it has been defended to stand with the Sons of Confederate Veterans in the defense of Confederate flags & symbols! If the politically correct myth makers fail at changing perceptions of our symbol they'll have less of an incentive to go after yours!

A QUICK REMINDER: SCV Membership dues were up on August 1st. If you haven't paid your HQ and camp dues yet, you only have so much time before the grace period ends, so please renew your membership as soon as you can.

Also, a meeting for Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 has been scheduled for October 8th! Camp members, please save the date and watch for emails for further information about the meeting.

Before I close, I apologize for the lack of updates recently, but they'll pick up again soon. To help keep up with updates as I post them, I've added a subscription bar, which you can find over on the right side of the page. Just type in your email, submit it, and then follow the instructions to confirm your subscription.

DEO VINDICE!
- Jonathan McCleese
2nd Lieutenant Commander
Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn, MI)
Army of Tennessee, Sons of Confederate Veterans

Hot Days, Sunshine, Flags Flyin'... It's Summertime!

Greetings y'all! I hope you're enjoying the warmth that summer brings upon us. Even up here deep in Yankee territory, it's the perfect time of the year for us to have our flags flying high for all to see! While most people include the words "summer" and "vacation" together, summer can often be one of the busiest times of the year. Even vacation has a sort of business to it as we get ready and make plans for our trips.

Pres. Jefferson Davis Birthday Picnic, SCV Camp 1321

Summer time has already been busy for those of us in Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321, as we held our biggest and most important election recently at our annual President Jefferson Davis Birthday Picnic & Meeting. Never before has our Camp had so many enthusiastic members requesting nominations to elected office, and for that we are extremely grateful.

The following men were elected to hold office in the Camp for the next two years, beginning their terms on August 1st...

COMMANDER

Darron Williams

1st LIEUTENANT  COMMANDER

George Calder

2nd LIEUTENANT COMMANDER

Jonathan McCleese

ADJUTANT

Frank Peters

TREASURER

Jonathan McCleese

JUDGE ADVOCATE

Zachary Welch

QUARTERMASTER

Montie Ocha

SURGEON

Rev. Bernard Maynard

CHAPLAIN

Rev. Danny Slater

COLOR SERGEANT

Steven Panther

I'd like to say that as one of those elected, it was a great honor to be chosen for higher service in the camp, and congratulations to all of the others who were elected to serve for the next two years.

Before I close, I'd like to remind all camp members that your annual membership dues are currently being collected. If you're a member of the camp and have not yet done so, please mail in your dues before August 1st. If you have any questions about your dues, contact our Camp Adjutant, Frank Peters, for more information at the following address:   scv_semmes_1321@yahoo.com

DEO VINDICE!

- Jonathan McCleese

Sergeant-at-Arms

Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn, MI)

Army of Tennessee, Sons of Confederate Veterans

A Special Message from SCV CiC Barrow Re: the Southern Baptist Convention's Heritage Violation

[The following is a statement from Charles Kelly Barrow, Commander-in-Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, regarding the Southern Baptist Convention's passing of a resolution to disavow the Confederate Flag. - SAA. McCleese]

The history of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has been inextricably tied to the Confederacy and her heirs for over a century and a half. Great pulpit expositors, as well as seminary professors that left their mark in the area of Biblical thought and world view offered service to the Confederacy, as chaplains and men of arms, as well. Therefore, it was a profound disappointment and excruciatingly disheartening to hear the anti-Confederate Battle Flag resolution that was approved by SBC messengers meeting in St. Louis on June 14.

The resolution offended on several levels -- first of all, simply put, it did not adequately deal with the Truth of the nature of the Flag, particularly disappointing as Christians should place a premium on the Truth. The 800,000 men that served the Confederacy held, and always will hold, full title to that banner -- it is a soldiers' flag and their political agenda was nothing more than defense of their home. Furthermore, as the Fifth Commandment compels us to "honor father and mother", those of us who enjoy Confederate ancestry are bound to tell the Truth of our ancestors fight and flag. Finally, the tone of the resolution has the effect of intimidating the consciences of Southern Baptists into holding a terribly negative opinion of Confederate symbols.

All that said, the SBC is not a hierarchy; local congregations are in no way bound to the resolution. They may continue on as they have done, in some cases, for many years, in helping their community to retain its history and honoring the men that rebuilt their community after a tragic war and devastating reconstruction. Today, we call upon the great SBC congregations throughout the South to do just that, ignore this distraction and get on with the priorities of Gospel proclamation, building up of the fellowship of Faith and pursuing a witness of goodwill in the community. Untold numbers of these SBC churches, over the years, have cultivated great relationships with SCV camps by opening their facilities for regular meetings and special occasions, not to mention the cemeteries owned by SBC churches where the remains of legions of Confederate heroes lie -- these are sites for numerous memorial services.

Of course, in addition to the historical ties of the Confederacy and SBC, thousands of SCV members are also members of SBC churches. In closing, we call on our camps to pursue"peace with all men" (Heb. 12:14) by cultivating good relationships with all organizations in their community, particularly houses of worship, be they SBC, other Christian denominations or Jewish Synagogues.

Deo Vindice!

Charles Kelly Barrow

Commander-in-Chief

Sons of Confederate Veterans

@scvcic

Camp #1321 News: Cmdr. White Stepping Down After 25+ Years

Last Monday (May 30, 2016), at the Johnson's Island Memorial Day event, Cmdr. Stanley T. White announced publicly that he will not be seeking reelection after serving as Camp #1321's leader for more than a quarter century. His tenure at the camp's helm will end at 12:00 a.m. on August 1st, which is when officers to be elected at the June 18th meeting will officially take office.

It was in 1988 when White, then Commander of the Sgt. B.F. Foley Camp #1448, began working to reactivate the Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn, MI) after a six-year period of inactivity. With a zeal & level of commitment reminiscent of that possessed by Cmdr. Jerry Moore (Camp #1321's founder & 1st Commander), Cmdr. White has worked tirelessly to keep the SCV's presence in the Great Lakes State going for nearly three decades.

Cmdr. White has never been one to take much credit for all that he's done, always giving credit to the camp. Besides serving as Commander for Foley Camp #1448 (prior to 1989) & Semmes Camp #1321 (since 1989), Cmdr. White has also previously served as 2nd Lieutenant Commander for the Army of Tennessee.

It has been said to me by many that Cmdr. White has been the face of the SCV in the state of Michigan for more than a quarter century. It is highly likely that had it not been for his efforts, the SCV would not currently have a presence in this state. We are blessed to know that once his tenure ends as Camp Commander he will still remain a member of the camp and will serve on the camp's Executive Committee as a Past-Commander of the camp.

More will certainly be written here about our long-time leader between now and August 1st. It is this author's hope that all members of Camp #1321 will make it out to our June 18th meeting & picnic to join Cmdr. Stanley White at his last meeting as Commander of Camp #1321.

DEO VINDICE!
- Jonathan McCleese
Sergeant-at-Arms
Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn, MI)
Army of Tennessee, Sons of Confederate Veterans

Memorial Day 2016 @ Johnson's Island

On Monday, May 30, 2016, the Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn, MI) commemorated Memorial Day at the Confederate Stockade Cemetery on Johnson's Island in Marblehead, OH. Nine camp members made the trip down, and counting members' family & friends, about 30 of us were in attendance to honor the nearly 300 Confederate soldiers & officers who are buried therein.

Following our arrival between 9:30 - 10:00 AM, flags were placed at all of the 206 marked graves, as well as at the Confederate Cross of Honor commemorating all Confederate soldiers buried there, the two memorial markers honoring ladies of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and next to the two modern monuments that list the names of all who are believed to be interred there. Prior to our arrival, flags had already been placed next to "The Lookout" monument, and those were left in place out of respect to whoever had placed there.

Shortly after the placement of the flags, a memorial service was held.
The order of the ceremony was as follows:

Welcome & Opening Remarks - Cmdr. Stanley White
Opening Prayer (The Lord's Prayer) - SAA. Jonathan McCleese
Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. Flag - 2nd Lt.Cmdr. George Calder
Salute to the Confederate Flag - 1st Lt.Cmdr. Darron Williams
Singing of "Dixie" - SAA. McCleese
Placement of Officer's Jacket at "The Lookout" Monument
Poem ("Only a Soldier's Grave") - Cmdr. White
Memorial Address & Closing Prayer - SAA. Jonathan McCleese

Compatriot Welch, SAA. McCleese, Cmdr. White, & Compatriot T. Watson

After the conclusion of the service, members of the Camp remained at the cemetery throughout the early afternoon, paying our personal respects to our brave heroes and talking with members of the public who stopped by throughout the day to pay their respects. Visitors included residents of the island & tourists, all of whom were very appreciative of the Camp's efforts to honor the brave men buried there. One island resident said that she'd never seen the cemetery decorated so nicely.

To all of the compatriots, their family members & friends, and all of the visitors who came to pay their respects on Monday - THANK YOU! I also would like to give special thanks to the Johnson's Island Property Owners Association for their kindness to the Camp. 

1Lt.Cmdr. Williams, Cmdr. White, Compatriot Welch, & SAA. McCleese

Below are some more images from our day at Johnson's Island. I want to thank compatriots Steve Panther, Travis Watson, & Zach Welch for donating some of their photos to the Camp Archives and for granting their permission to share them here.

SAA. McCleese placing the Confederate Naval Officer's Jacket at "The Lookout" monument.

Compatriot Travis Watson as he pays his respects to the fallen POWs.

The inscription on the side of "The Lookout" monument's granite base.

Compatriot Zach Welch

Cmdr. Stan White & his lovely wife

Compatriot Steve Panther

Cmdr. Stan White exits the cemetery.   Cmdr. White has been leading Confederate Memorial services here at Johnson's Island for more than a quarter-century.

A Heavenly scene looking out from the cemetery toward the waters of Lake Erie.

UPDATED: Memorial Day Event Set for Johnson's Island, May 30th

[Image: Camp #1321 Archives; "The Lookout" Monument at Johnson's Island, 1989]

 Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn, MI) will be observing Confederate Memorial Day this year on Monday, May 30, 2016 (the same day as "national" Memorial Day) at the Confederate Stockade Cemetery on Johnson's Island, near Sandusky, OH. (You can see Cedar Point from the cemetery.) We hope all who are able will make it out for this, our most important event of the year.

It is our intention to place flags at the 206 marked graves, and also at 'The Lookout' monument. Flag placement will begin right around 10 a.m., with a small memorial service taking place shortly afterward to honor the hundreds of Confederate Prisoners of War interred at the site.

For those planning to attend:
- There is a toll booth to get on to the island. The cost is $2.00 (two dollars) in coins or paper money with a machine to accept the money, which then opens the gate. Bring quarters and one dollar bills.
- Please bring a small cooler with something to eat and drink for yourself and guests attending with you. Most of us are bringing some lunch meat, bread - basic sandwich stuff.
- If you require outdoor seating, feel free to bring a lawn chair.
- At this time it appears as though we will have access to the Johnson's Island Property Owners Association (JIPOA) Clubhouse, located right near the cemetery. This will provide us a place to use the restroom, and shelter from the elements if weather is an issue.

Our Camp has observed Confederate Memorial Day at Johnson's Island numerous times in the past. In 1995, our camp was instrumental in getting the Veterans Administration to restore the statue, 'The Lookout,' that stands guard over the cemetery.

Between 1862-1865, the U.S. Federal Government confined more than 10,000 Confederate military personnel (mostly officers) at a military prison facility on Johnson’s Island. All that remains of this POW Camp today is the Cemetery.

Some sources say that more than 300 Confederates died while interred here. Originally the graves were marked by simple hand-carved wooden markers, but over time these deteriorated. In 1890, the 206 old, worn markers that could still be found & read were replaced with marble headstones. Recent efforts using ground-penetrating radar have located 267 graves in and around the cemetery boundaries.

Camp #1321 Goings On (May/June 2016)

[Image Credit: The Michigan Camps of the SCV, 2015]

Spring has sprung here in Michigan, though the past day or two some might think the spring has unwound, as here in southeastern Michigan we saw some very light sleet and snow flurries on the third Sunday in May! Despite the crazy weather, the SCV Compatriots of Camp #1321 have been working on things for the coming summer.

As has already been reported here on the Camp blog, our camp will be hosting a Memorial Day event at the Confederate Stockade Cemetery on Johnson's Island near Sandusky, OH on May 30th. Besides being held on the date of the national holiday, May 30th is also the date set aside this year for Confederate Memorial Day in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We're very much looking forward to this event, as Memorial Day is our most important Camp event of any year. We hope everyone interested will come out to honor those brave men in gray who are buried so far away from the Southland they so bravely fought to defend.

Then in the month of June, we'll be holding our bi-annual Camp elections at our Jefferson Davis Birthday Picnic & Meeting! I cannot stress enough for members of Camp #1321 how important this meeting will be. A Camp is only as strong as it's membership makes it, and this is the opportunity for Camp members to elect the officers who will serve them for the next two years. If you're a member of the camp, you should have received an email from Adj. Frank Peters about this meeting with more details.

We look forward to seeing all members of the camp at our various meetings and events over the next few months as we head into the summer. Remember, the life of the local camp is only as strong as the membership makes it, and the local camps are the strength of the national organization. We must stand up for own heritage; nobody else will do it for us.

DEO VINDICE!
- Jonathan McCleese
Sergeant-at-Arms
Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn, MI)
Army of Tennessee, Sons of Confederate Veterans

An Unexpected Result of the Lincoln Assassination

150 years ago tonight, between 10:00-10:30 pm EST, John Wilkes Booth shot and fatally wounded Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C.  He would die from those wounds around 7:22 am the next morning.

The violent death of a man who caused so much unnecessary violent death & destruction in the Confederate States is not viewed as a great tragedy by many. Some, on the other hand, liken his death to that of Christ's, believing he paid the ultimate price to save our nation from a national sin.

Regardless of how you view his assassination, one consequence of that event cannot be ignored. If Abraham Lincoln had not been shot & killed, it's likely that we would not have as racially diverse of a nation that we have today. What am I talking about? If a real history lesson doesn't interest you, then you might as well stop reading now...

Despite all of the mythologizing of "The Railsplitter" as "The Great Emancipator," a factual look at history will teach you that Abraham Lincoln didn't want black people to be in this country at all, as slaves or free people, and certainly not as citizens. If Lincoln would have had his way, all blacks would have been shipped off after the war. Don't believe me?

Lincoln himself was, as most white people were at the time, a racist. In the fourth of his historic debates with Stephen Douglas during the 1858 Illinois senate race, Lincoln said the following in regards to racial equality:

"I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races, that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race." 

Though he realized in 1858 that it would be impractical, Lincoln desired freeing the slaves and colonizing them outside of the United States, in either Liberia, Haiti, Central America or Africa (pretty much anywhere but the U.S.). He met with a group of black men at the White House on April 14, 1862 to discuss and encourage them to support this very matter! In December of 1862, he delivered his second annual message to Congress (what is now known as the State of the Union address), and in it he proposed three new amendments to the Constitution, one of which (if adopted) would have given Congress authority to "appropriate money and otherwise provide for colonizing free colored persons with their own consent at any place or places without the United States." Lincoln never gave up completely on the idea of colonization. In early 1865, while discussing with Union general (and good friend of Lincoln) Benjamin Butler about what to do with black soldiers after the war, Lincoln expressed, "I believe that it would be better to export them all to some fertile country with a good climate, which they could have to themselves."

Lincoln's (and the Radical Republicans') opposition to the westward expansion of slavery also was not born out of good will toward blacks. They wanted blacks to not be mixed with the white man at all! Take the words of Lincoln himself as proof...

"There is a natural disgust in the minds of nearly all white people to the idea of indiscriminate amalgamation of the white and black races ... A separation of the races is the only perfect preventive of amalgamation, but as an immediate separation is impossible, the next best thing is to keep them apart where they are not already together. If white and black people never get together in Kansas, they will never mix blood in Kansas..."
 
These are all very inconvenient truths for those who would push the myth of "Lincoln the Great Emancipator." The Emancipation Proclamation itself was merely a war measure, designed to insight a mass uprising of slaves to seek freedom and then force them (enslave them) into the Union ranks to fight for that freedom. Though Lincoln held the opinion that the seceded states were not actually separated from the Union, he could only hold that opinion as long as he could militarily oppress the south into submission (which is hardly a government of, for, and by the people when it's held together by the sharp end of a bayonet). In reality, Lincoln's Emancipation freed no slaves, as it was limited to the slaves in states outside of his control. Meanwhile, to the slaves in the states where he did have control (Kentucky, Delaware, Maryland, Missouri and in certain areas of the Confederacy that were firmly held by Union military force) he did not extend the effects of Emancipation. In the two years of war prior to the Emancipation, Lincoln even fired two generals who had freed the slaves in their areas of operation!  

Of course, many will never accept such a fact based view, and will cling tightly to the mythological Lincoln they most likely learned about in school. Without a doubt, Lincoln was a masterful politician, and he celebrated his ability to manipulate the thinking of others. In regard to the extent he would go in order to preserve the flow of Southern cash into the federal coffers, Lincoln once told a newspaper editor that "I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views." Unfortunately he continues to manipulate the masses today through those who worship him and bolster his myth, but we here in the Sons of Confederate Veterans are committed to an honest look at the facts, and we honor the service of all honorable Confederate veteran, regardless of race or skin color. 

An honest look at these undeniable facts makes it reasonable to assume that if not for a bullet to the head of Abe Lincoln, there would have been no 14th or 15th Amendments in their current form, maybe even no 13th Amendment to free the slaves, and there almost certainly wouldn't be any black people in the United States today. Unlike Lincoln toward the black Union soldiers, white Confederate veterans were grateful to the brave blacks Confederates who fought along side them in the struggle against federal tyranny, and they both were proud of their service to that cause.

DEO VINDICE!
- Jonathan McCleese
Sergeant-at-Arms
Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321
Sons of Confederate Veterans

FROM HQ - A Proclamation by SCV Commander-in-Chief Barrow

[Image Credit: Michigan Camps of the SCV]

 The following is an official proclamation by Charles Kelly Barrow, Commander-in-Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans:

WHEREAS: April is the month in which the Confederate States of America began and ended a four-year struggle for states’ rights, individual freedoms, local governmental control, and independence, which they knew to be right and just; and

WHEREAS: The Sons of Confederate Veterans, the direct heirs of the United Confederate Veterans, honor, observe, and celebrate the Confederate States of America, its history, those who served in its armed forces and government; and

WHEREAS: All those millions of its citizens of various races, ethnic groups and religions who contributed in sundry and myriad of ways to the Cause that they held so dear from its founding on February 4, 1861, in Montgomery, Alabama, until the CSS Shenandoah sailed into Liverpool, England and surrendered to Her Majesty’s Government on November 6, 1865; and

WHEREAS: It is important that the Sons of Confederate Veterans and those of Confederate descent reflect upon the Confederate States of America’s past to honor and respect the devotion of her Confederate leaders, soldiers, sailors, Marines and citizens; and

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Charles Kelly Barrow, Commander-in-Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, do hereby proclaim the month of April, as:

NATIONAL CONFEDERATE HISTORY and HERITAGE MONTH and encourage all Compatriots to celebrate their states' historically recognized and designated Confederate holidays; however, during the month of April, Compatriots are urged to participate in properly honoring the Confederate States armed forces, her elected and appointed officials, its citizens, and innovations by creating educational programs, ceremonies, and gatherings.

Deo Vindice!
- Charles Kelly Barrow
Commander-in-Chief
Sons of Confederate Veterans
@scvcic

HERITAGE VIOLATION: Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, IN (UPDATED 3/30/2016, 7:21pm)

1993 Confederate Mound Rededication [Image Credit: Michigan Camps of the SCV]

 UPDATE: The following was posted on Facebook by the Indiana Division, SCV on Tuesday night (March 29, 2016): 

"Compatriots, I have today received the following email from the President of Crown Hill Cemetery. I deeply wish to thank each and every one of you who have taken the time to write letters or email on our behalf. As you can see, we will be allowed to distribute our normal SCV programs with Battle Flag images at our memorial service. They also imply permission will soon be given to fly a Battle Flag along with the U.S. Flag inside Confederate Mound. I personally feel this is a satisfactory compromise between all groups concerned and while we still cannot fly a Battle Flag on Crown Hill property, we have accomplished most of what we have set out to do. The flag our men fought under will fly over their graves on April 30th! The VA National Director's office is only a few miles from my home and I will follow up on our formal request. This is what can happen when good people of faith and devotion to our Cause band together as one voice for truth and justice. - Alan E Losure, IN. Division Commander"

...and here is the text of the email from Crown Hill Cemetery officials to the Indiana Division Commander...

"Hi Alan, The president of Crown Hill wanted me to communicate to you that your group can print the Confederate flag and your SCV logo on your event program. You organization will be able to honor Confederate veterans on the Confederate Lot, a U.S. National Cemetery, with a Confederate and an American flag as allowed by law. I know you've sought this permission and I'm sure you'll hear back from the Director of the Marion National Cemetery soon. You can also honor these veterans by firing volleys in front of the Confederate Lot from the road."

Obviously this blog post from yesterday was too late to have had any influence, but many of you reading this probably first heard about it on social media and responded accordingly. Thanks to any and all who called, wrote, emailed, Facebook messaged, etc. 

Since the Indiana Division is satisfied with the result, we stand behind their call.  The information below will remain, but no further action in response is requested. - SAA. Jonathan McCleese
==================================================================
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As you probably know by now, the officials at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, IN are hindering efforts by the SCV's Indiana Division to hold a Memorial Day ceremony at the cemetery's "Confederate Mound." If you don't know anything about the matter, let me get you up to speed...

Indianapolis, IN was home to Camp Morton, a Union military prison which housed Confederate soldiers captured during the War Between the States. Obviously, many Confederates died while in the prison, and those that did were originally buried in individual graves at the city's Greenlawn Cemetery. According to "the official story" (yeah, we know how that goes), found on the National Parks Service's webpage about the matter, "[i]n 1912, the Federal Government erected a 27-foot tall monument to commemorate the Confederate dead at Greenlawn, as individual graves could not be identified and marked with headstones. In 1928, this monument was relocated to Garfield Park, three miles south of downtown, where it still stands today. In 1933, the remains of the Confederate soldiers were reinterred to a mass grave located in Crown Hill Cemetery and marked by a new six-foot tall granite monument."

Confederate Mount Monument at Crown Hill Cemetery [Image Credit: Michigan Camps of the SCV]

Folks have been honoring these 1,616 Confederate veterans at the mass grave for decades upon decades. Since 1989, the Indiana Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has been holding memorial services at the "Confederate Mound" without any incident, as best as I am aware. In 1993, an Indiana Mounted Patrol officer named Stephen Staletovich vigorously pursued and succeeded in getting installed the ten bronze plaques mounted on granite bases with the names, military units, and dates of death for each one of the Confederate veterans buried in the mound. Let me note here that the casting of those bronze plaques was funded by the United States Veterans Administration, as these veterans are granted by the U.S. Government equal status with Union veterans of that period. A re-dedication ceremony of the Confederate burial mound was held on October 3, 1993, and at that time the Crown Hill Cemetery was more than cooperative with the Sons of Confederate Veterans in the production of the event, which included remarks by then U.S. Congressman from Indiana, the late Andy Jacobs.

Confederate Mound Rededication; Oct. 3, 1993; (Far Left) SCV Camp #1321 Cmdr. Stan White, (Far Right) Camp #1321 Compatriot Jeff Windsor. [Image Credit: Michigan Camps of the SCV]

Last Thursday (March 24), the Indiana Division, SCV posted the following on their Facebook page, in part:

"The mass grave, although in the Crown Hill Cemetery, is controlled by the Director of the Marion (Indiana) National Cemetery. There is a short plastic white chain fence that surrounds Confederate Mound. Everything outside of the fence belongs to Crown Hill Cemetery and is controlled by them. This “dual jurisdiction” is causing problems for us.

"Our Division Commander, Alan E Losure, contacted Ms. Marty Davis in January to remind Crown Hill of our desire to meet there again on April 30th. She informed him that there were some changes that the President of Crown Hill has made and she would get back with him soon. She did so last week and we were informed:
(1) No Confederate flags may be flown on Crown Hill Cemetery property.
(2) Written permission must be obtained from the Director of the National Cemetery to allow any visitor the right to step over the fence in order to view the names engraved upon the brass name plates.

"On Monday March 7th, Commander Losure hand carried the required government form asking permission to allow visitors to step over and view the engraved names. He also provided a written letter outlining this request, a copy of Confederate Veteran magazine and the already printed one page program that has been passed out to all attending members and visitors since 1989.

"On March 10th, he received an email that the President of Crown Hill Cemetery now banned the use of this program because there is a Battle Flag printed on it."

Then the IN Div. SCV posted this update from their Commander this past Monday (March 28):

"I got an email from Crown Hill. They are being inundated with emails and letters. They are sending out three paragraph reply to all of our men telling the steps the Federal Government requires for the placement of flags on Confederate Mound. Guys, all of that was accomplished on March the 7th and I have spoken with the Marion Director already. All of that is simply a smoke screen! The last sentence she wrote says we cannot fly flags on Crown Hill property. That has been the issue all along. That and censorship of our programs... Quoting Federal regulations is only an attempt to hide from what they have done."

Now that you are up to speed, you might be wondering how you can contact the President of Crown Hill Cemetery to let him know that you want him to remove any & all prohibitions of Confederate flags & symbols on cemetery property. Remembering to be polite and respectful, please feel free to contact him by the following means...

Keith Norwalk
President
Crown Hill Cemetery
700 West 38th Street
Indianapolis, IN. 46208
[Phone] (317) 925-3800
[Email] info@crownhill.org, cemetery@crownhill.org
[Facebook] https://www.facebook.com/crownhill.org/

I wrote Mr. Norwalk my letter and mailed it out on Monday. Please consider doing the same, or contacting them by one of the other means provided above.

Yours in the Bonds of the Old South,
- Jonathan McCleese
Sergeant-at-Arms
Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321
Sons of Confederate Veterans

"Stand Up For The South"

Greetings Compatriots & Friends!

Starting back in January, I began the process of digitizing the records of Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn, MI). The camp has been in existence for over forty years, so you can just imagine the number of files I've placed across my scanner bed!

While thumbing through the "newest" batch of old records to scan, I ran across the 1967 Directory for the Sons of Confederate Veterans. While it is generally void of fancy imagery or graphics, it had an interesting message on the third page, and it seemed so appropriate to share with everyone in light of the events of the past 9 months. It says the the SCV slogan for 1966-1967 was "Stand Up For The South," and then lists the following three ways that we can do so...

1. By speaking and writing the truth about the South, the Southern people and the principles for which the Confederacy fought at every opportunity. Do not wait for the opportunity to come to you. Go out and find it.

Write short articles of fifty words or less to the local papers about the heroic exploits of Confederates, or other Southerners of local interest. Do it often.

Make talks before your Sunday School classes, local school classes, civic organizations, and other local groups, at every opportunity, on such subjects that will tend to glorify the South, the Southern people and/or the Confederacy.

Write letters to the local papers, to religious and to the political leaders stressing how our Confederate ancestors, under the most adverse conditions and against the most severe diffculties, raised up a generation more polite, better mannered, more devout in their Christian religion  and of stronger moral character than can be found anywhere else on this earth, yet we have those today who, although well fed and well clothed without working, riot, plunder and burn under the guise that they are driven to it by their lot in life. This is a wonderful opportunity to bring this out so that the world will know it.

2. By refuting the mis-information being spread about us by our enemies at every opportunity. Again, do not wait for the opportunity to find you. Go out and find it. Read the newspapers, the magazines, school books, look at the TV, listen to the radio, public speakers and even personal conversation - For one purpose. To see to it that everything written or spoken that tends to smear degrade or in any way cast aspersions upon the South, the Southern people or the Confederacy is called to their attention and a correction is asked. Do it in the most diplomatic manner. Always be polite. It gets better results and disarms the offender.

3. There is a viscous anti-Southern campaign being waged by a powerful, well financed group to eliminate every vestige of the Confederacy from the news media. Do not give them aid or comfort. Watch carefully for the sin of "omission." One which does not show Confederate Memorial Day or the birthdays of Confederate heroes but shows others, send it back with a polite note saying you would rather not have it and tell them why. Have eternal vigilance in everything.

For a document almost fifty years old, these words ring more true today and provide a great amount of wisdom for those of us today. These three principles can easily be applied to the modern age with our online news sites, Youtube videos, etc. One does not have to engage in endless debate; simple leave well thought out, reasoned comments to state the facts. Eventually someone will read it, and may be inspired to research the facts for themselves or to reach out to you or the SCV in their quest for knowledge. We must be ready to give them the truth.

With that said, I hope and pray that everyone has a blessed Good Friday and Easter. Till next time...

DEO VINDICE!
- Jonathan McCleese
Sergeant-atArms, SCV Camp #1321

They Will Never Stop: A Call For Resolve

At this point I have lost count on all of the attacks upon Confederate symbols across this country in the span of the last nine months. Flags and statues in the public square have been targeted by the hate-agitators, and their sights are unlikely to be diverted anytime soon. As warm weather returns over the next few weeks, I suspect that we'll see the purveyors of ignorance & social unrest emerge from their winter hibernation with new plans to remove, destroy, and erase more of the symbols of Confederate heritage which dot the landscapes of towns and cities all over the American southeast. I have been asked, repeatedly, since last June, "When will this madness end?"; We must, however, acknowledge the uncomfortable truth that stares us right in our eyes - THEY WILL NEVER STOP.

For many of us, this struggle to vindicate the good name of the Confederate soldier has gone on much longer than eight or nine months. We are well aware that this is simply the most recent wave of attacks in a war of ideas that has gone on for more than fifteen decades. Others reading this may be new to this ideological battlefield, and we are certainly grateful to have you rise up beside us. Pledge within yourself to stand firm, resolute in the fight to preserve the monuments of honor that your ancestors-in-gray so valiantly earned on the fields of battle. They had it much harder than we did, as we're not constantly looking down the barrel of cannon and no one has a bayonet pressed to our chest. Instead, this is a thinking-man's war, and we must arm ourselves with facts and truth in order to achieve our victories. 

Regardless of how long you've been in this thing... whether you've been fighting this good fight for decades or a few months... it could be easy to get discouraged as we see the hateful hoards amass and mount for another summer of assault on our heritage. Let me give you a word of encouragement in the vein of our beloved "Stonewall" Jackson, who would tell us to look to the Bible as a guide and source of strength.

"Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."
- Paul, the Apostle (Galatians 6:9)

 DEO VINDICE!

- Jonathan McCleese

Sergeant-at-Arms, SCV Camp #1321

An Intercepted Enemy Communicade

One of the many Sentinels in Grey that top monuments across the south.

Yesterday one of the oldest bastions of Yankee propaganda, 'The New York Times,' published an article, titled "Momentum to Remove Confederate Symbols Slows or Stops," which laments the inability of the cultural Marxists in our nation to do more in their efforts to revise history, destroy the honorable legacy of the Confederate States of America, and malign it's brave men who fought in defense of their homes & home states against an invading foreign army. The article essentially admits the goal of exploiting last June's tragedy in Charleston for their devious and despicable purposes.

This article is, in many ways, a rally cry for our enemies. It's a plea from their backers in high places to not give up their hateful crusade. It's also useful for those of us in the Confederate Heritage Defense movement, much like an intercepted strategy letter would have been during the War Between the States. So what can we learn from this piece? Here's three things I think we can take away from it and use to our advantage...

#1. They know we are paying attention, and are attempting to mislead us.

While this article is a sign that that our defensive measures have largely worked thus far, the headline is extremely deceptive. Saying in the boldest print that their momentum has stalled could lull us into a false sense of security. We must keep in mind that strong efforts throughout the south to remove Confederate monuments and symbols still press onward, and no further evidence is required than to look at the situation in Mississippi. There they are using every means at their disposal, from bully pulpit rallies against the battle-flag canton of their state flag to the most ludicrous of frivolous lawsuits to sue the Governor over declaring April as Confederate Heritage Month. Our compatriots in Louisiana are also still in a fight to preserve the existence of the Confederate memorials in New Orleans, and the Governor of Virginia just vetoed legislation that would have further increased protection for memorials to American veterans of all wars.

#2. They know that they have to impose their hate through political means.

Those who seek to remove monuments to the Confederacy know that they don't have the support of the people in the south, so they'll further seek to manipulate politicians into achieving their agenda, be it through state legislatures or executive orders from state governors. Politicians don't care about our heritage for the most part, especially not in the face of an economic or political backlash. One example of this that is presently ongoing is where an organization called 'Take It Down Now' (in conjunction with the NAACP) is calling on the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) to pull support from the upcoming "Medal of Honor Bowl" football game if the state doesn't act to remove the Confederate Naval Jack that is displayed at the Military College of South Carolina (The Citadel). They are even suggesting that they'll organize a boycott of this event if they do not get their way.

#3. They are planning to expand their range of attack.

The article notes that an upcoming report from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC, the nation's most well funded hate-group, which poses as a "political action" group) will announce that there are more than 1,100 "publicly funded Confederate symbols across the country." The SPLC commissioned this report last summer, calling it their "Erasing Hate" campaign. The purpose of this campaign has nothing to do with "erasing hate," and instead seeks to inspire more attacks on more Confederate monuments, and will likely result in encouraging increased vandalism to these memorials like we've seen already throughout the South.

So now that we recognize what they doing, what should be our response? 

First and foremost we must STAND FIRM. Many battles throughout history have been lost in the calm before the storm, as people let their guards down and make themselves vulnerable to attack. We see now what the enemy is planning, and must remain ever vigilant. We were caught off guard last summer, and must not ever let that happen again.

Secondly, we must continue to spread the our message of truth. The more we can do to positively promote our honorable heritage, the further we can get the word out, the better chances that the general public will stand by our side when a strong wind comes to test our resolve. This is also the best way to get the SCV into the public eye and bolster recruitment efforts around the nation.

The third thing we can do is write our public officials and people of influence. If the enemy can use this tactic, then why can't we? Be polite and tell the truth, but be firm: We will not support those politicians, individuals, or organizations who stand in opposition to our heritage.

Finally, let me suggest that the most important things we can do are to be involved in our local SCV Camps and support defense efforts already established by the national organization. The SCV has established The Heritage Defense Fund to financially support legal defenses against those seeking to erase our history. Individual contributions are important, and local camps can raise funds through various means that can be donated toward this effort. Generally speaking, the local SCV camp is the heart of the national organization, and is dependent entirely on the participation of it's members. The best way you can help be a part of the solution is to be involved with your local camp.

We have the knowledge, my fellow Compatriots, and we have the tools; now we must exercise the will to stand in the face of whatever odds we may face.

RISE UP! 

STAND FIRM! 

GIVE NO QUARTER TO THE VIOLATORS OF OUR HERITAGE!

DEO VINDICE!
- Jonathan McCleese
Sergeant-at-Arms, SCV Camp #1321