BG Evander Law Gazette

Volume 2 Issue 2 February 2014 Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp #1323 Lakeland, Florida

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COMMANDERS CORNER
Compatriots, Well folks, another month has passed. We currently have the Battle of Bowlegs going on right now, and we have a Southern Cross of Honor Ceremony scheduled for April 19th in Lakeland at Gapway Cemetery. Please spread the word, and if anyone is interested in helping out on April 19th, see Russell, Tony, or myself. We can us all the help we can get. Remember the charge. Stay Southern my Friends.

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GOOD OL REBEL

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GOOD OL REBEL
By Major Innes Randolph, Confederate Army

Oh, Im a good old Rebel, now thats just what I am; For this Yankee Nation, I do not gave a damn! Im glad I fought against er, I only wish wed won, And I aint asked any pardon for anything I done. I hates the Yankee Nation and everything they do, I hates the Declaration of Independence, too! I hates the Glorious Union - tis dripping with our blood, And I hates their striped banner, and I fit it all I could. I rode with Robert E. Lee for three years there about, Got wounded in four places, and starved at Point Lookout. I cotched the roomatism a campin in the snow, But I killed a chance o Yankees, and Id like to kill some mo! Three hundred thousand Yankees is stiff in Southern dust! We got three hundred thousand before they conquered us. They died of Southern fever and Southern steel and shot, But I wish wed got three million instead of what we got. I cant take up my musket and fight em now no more, But I aint a gonna love em, now thats for sartain sure! I do not want no pardon for what I was and am, And I wont be reconstructed, and I do not care a damn! Oh, Im a good old Rebel soldier, now thats just what I am; For this Yankee Nation, I do not give a damn! Im glad I fought against er, I only wish wed won, And I aint asked any pardon for anything I done.

CONTENTS
3 Commanders Corner 5 Good Ol Rebel 7 The Great Seal of the Confederacy 8 Old-Time Confederates 9 A War Waif in the Army 11 Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Rolls 12 Confederate Soldiers Prayer 15 Communities of our Fallen Soldiers Memorial Wall 16 The Graves Registry Memorial Project

Source: http://tinyurl.com/201402SCV02

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THE GREAT SEAL OF THE CONFEDERACY

Confederate Veteran (Dec 1932) Vol. XL No. 12 Although the story of the Great Seal of the Confederacy, its disappearance and recovery, has been given in detail through many publications, there is still much speculation upon the subject and fanciful stories are still afloat as to its whereabouts. The fact that replicas of the Great Seal were told widely in this country in the early seventies should have been evidence that the original was in the hands of someone then and could not be classed as lost, yet in the thirty years before it was located no one is known to have made any special search for it. The story of its recovery is told in the following: The Great Sea of the Confederacy was provided for by joint resolution of the Confederate Congress, April 30, 1862, at Montgomery, Alabama, the design for it is said to have been made by Judah P. Benjamin, Secretary of State, C.S.A. It was to be a device representing an equestrian portrait of Washington after the statue which surmounts his monument in Capitol Square, at Richmond, surrounded with a wreath composed of the principal agricultural products of the Confederacy, and was to be of the best material. The design was intrusted to Hon. James M. Mason, Confederate Commissioner to England, who placed the order for the seal with the firm of J. S. Wyon, London, the Queens chief engravers, and it was made of silver (as not so liable to rust) by that firm at a cost of some six hundred dollars. The seal was packed with the press and other appliances and ready for shipment in July, 1864, and Mr. Mason wrote the Confederate Government that he was sending it to America by Lieutenant R. T. Chapman, C.S.N., under orders to deliver it to Secretary Benjamin. A statement by Lieutenant Chapman shows that he thought it best to repack the seal in a valise he had had made especially for it, so that he might carry it himself and thus give it better protection in case of emergency. He made the voyage to America on the Cunard liner Africa from Liverpool to Halifax, and from Halifax to the Bermudas on the steamboat Alpha; and while running the blockade to enter the South, Lieutenant Chapman was constantly prepared to throw the seal overboard, in the event of capture by the enemy and he had placed lead in the valise with the seal to make it sink quickly. He must have thought it too hazardous to undertake to bring in the package containing the press and other appliances through the blockade, and it was evidently stored somewhere in the Bermuda port and never reached the Confederate Government. The March (1932) number of The Bermudian carries out this theory in a story telling of the press having been found there in a castaway condition, and is now in the possession of a prominent family of the Bermudas as a prized relic of the Confederacy. It is hoped that someday it may be secured for the Confederate Museum in Richmond. After reaching Wilmington, N. C., by running the blockade, Lieutenant Chapman was unfortunately taken ill, and had to intrust the precious package to a comrade, Lieutenant Campbell, who reported having delivered it safely to Mr. Benjamin. Of that there is no doubt, but there is no record of its ever having been used on any State papers, doubles because the press and other appurtenances were missing. The fate of the Great Seal was connected with the downfall of the Confederacy, for upon the evacuation of Richmond many valuable papers were left in the care of one William J. Bromwell, a clerk in the State Department, and by him these official papers and the Great Seal were hidden in a barn near Richmond. Later, as the story goes, the seal was taken out of Richmond in the bustle of Mrs. Bromwell, and then to

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Washington. In 1868, William Bromwell got in communication with Colonel John T. Pickett, then a lawyer in Washington, but who had been the sometime Confederate Commissioner to Mexico, and an officer on the staff of General John C. Breckinridge, who acted as his attorney in the effort to dispose of these papers. They were taken to Canada, and from there negotiations were entered into with the government at Washington. The governments agent, Captain Thomas O. Selfridge, U.S.N., was sent to Canada to inspect the papers, and in April 1872, the sale was closed at $75,000. As a token of his appreciation, Colonel Pickett presented the Great Seal to Captain (later Admiral) Selfridge, but he borrowed it in 1873 and had the replicas made and sold widely. The location of the seal in the possession of Admiral Selfridge was discovered by Gaillard Hunt, Chief of the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress, in going over some papers of Colonel Pickett which had come into the possession of the Library, and he at once opened negotiations with Admiral Selfridge for the return of the Great Seal to the Southern people. It was eventually acquired by purchase on the part of several public-spirited citizens of Richmond, Va. Eppa Hunton, Jr., William H. White, and Thomas P. Bryan and by them placed in the Confederate Museum, where it has a place of honor in the Solid South Room, an object of much interest to the thousands of visitors to the Museum yearly.

OLD-TIME CONFEDERATES
[Sung to the tune of Old-Time Religion] We are a band of brothers, We are a band of brothers, A band of Southern brothers, Who fought for liberty? Chorus: Were old-time Confederates, Were old-time Confederates, Were old-time Confederates, Theyre good enough for me. Jeff Davis was our leader, Our chosen leader, Our true and faithful leader; He was good enough for me. Lee and Johnston our chieftains, Bragg, Beauregard, and Johnston. These were glorious chieftains, They were good enough for me. We followed Stonewall Jackson, The Christian soldier Jackson, The terror-striking Jackson, He was good enough for me.

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We fought with Hood and Gordon, With Longstreet, Polk, and Cleburne, With Ewell Hill and Hardee, They were good enough for me. We rode with Stuart and Hampton, With Fitz Lee, Duke, and Morgan, With Forrest and Joe Wheeler; They were good enough for me. We wore ourselves out fighting, We wore ourselves out fighting, We wore ourselves out fighting For Southern liberty. Now our country is united, Now our country is united, Now our country is united, Its good enough for me. We must all meet in Heaven, We must all meet in Heaven, We must all meet in Heaven, To rejoice eternally! Author Unknown?

A WAR WAIF IN THE ARMY

by A.L. Slack, Tallulah, LA Confederate Veteran (Jan 1894) Vol. II No. 1 I enlisted as a private in the Second Louisiana Volunteers in 1861. My first real soldiering was on the Yorktown Peninsula, in Virginia. While there, or at Suffolk (I forget which), there strolled into camp a young boy, scarcely 10 or 12 years of age, who attached himself to one of the neighboring regiments. Who he was, or where he came from, I cannot now recall. He was looked upon as no mans child, and as such found genial fellowship among the soldiers. I soon realized that he was a cosmopolitan, and at home anywhere, for I next saw him the pet of the First South Carolina Volunteers. How long he stayed with them I cannot say. It was fully a year before I saw him again. His small form and boyish face were a great contrast to the men among whom he mingled. I remember then how odd it seemed to see that lad in a camp, but he was truly the child of the regiment. After we had fallen back to Richmond, and after those terrible seven days of battle, the army was reorganized and the troops brigaded by States, so I lost sight of our Carolina neighbors, and also the boy.

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At the second battle of Manassas, on the 29th of August, 1862, our brigade (Starks poor fellow, he fell at Sharpsburg), was lying in the woods nearly opposite that terrible deep cut when the dripping, spattering fire of the Yankee skirmishers drove in our out-lookers (as Old Jack didnt have a counter skirmish line) the ery F-o-r-w-a-r-d rang along our lines, and we advanced and ran almost into the Yankees, who, giving us a deadly volley, fell back rapidly across a field and into the woods beyond, where a battery, supported by a swarm of troops, was posted. Nothing checked us. Under a withering fire of minnies and a canister we pressed on. Bradley T Johnson riding ahead, with his sword run through his hat, waving us on, until we waved him out of our line of fire. When we arrived within about one hundred yards of the battery the line was halted, and under this raking fire the alignment was corrected, and the men right dressed to be shot down. I have thought often since that command of halt, under such a fire might have been heroic, but it certainly was not wise. However, not a man faltered. Again, Forward! and we drove straight for the guns. Just then I felt a thud, a sting, a twist around and fell. A minnie had struck my pocket Bible edgewise, and passing nearly through the New Testament part, dug a trench across my left side into the flesh. With the blood spurting from the wound I started rearward, while our boys brave fellows went up and over the battery, scattering its supports like chaff. As I struggled back over the field, the dead and wounded, blue and gray alike, lying around, I heard a great rumbling on my left and turned and saw that our guns were plunging to the front, under lash and shout, to seize the hills whence to pour shot into the then retreating foe. I can see them now tumbling, bouncing, and surging to gain that front. What else did I see? So close I could nearly touch him, the little boy sitting on the limber of one of the pieces, his eyes aflame, his hat waving, his treble voice shouting excitedly, and his whole being lit up and aglow with the terrible magnetism of battle, cheering on the line. He passed on and was lost in the cloud and smoke of the field, but the memory of that inspiring scene will never fade. It has well been said that truth is stranger than fiction; the sequel to the above sketch (shich is absolutely true) proves the truth of this adage. The sketch was first published in the Detroit Free Press on the 23rd of April 1891. Finding out the address of Colonel Bradley T. Johnson, I sent him the M.S., which he published in the Baltimore Sun in the December following. I received from the Colonel a most flattering letter, in which he said: Your graphic description of the War Waif touched my heart. I have given it to the Baltimore Sun. That defense of the railroad cut was a feat of arms. I had 800 muskets and Stark hardly 900, and we held it against 18,000 (Fitz John Porters whole corps). We did as well as men could do, but the real work was done by Stephen D Lees guns, on our right, which enfiladed and tore up the assaulting column. But that charge! Wasnt it glorious? There was genuine, real, soul-stirring, blood-thrilling gaudium certaminis! Those days of our golden prime! The Colonel, in the above, has confused the defense of the railroad cut with the charge I describe. The incident I refer to occurred on the 29th, while that defense of the railroad took place on the 30th of August, 1862. But this is not the coincidence I started out to refer to.

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It so happened that when the sketch appeared in the Free Press (Detroit) that the hero of my sketch was a subscriber to that paper and read himself in the article. He at once wrote to that paper inquiring who the author was, as only my initials, A.L.S. were signed to the piece. The information was furnished him and I received several communications from him. That he is the identical boy I have no doubt. A few days before last Christmas he paid me a visit and we passed several days recounting the scenes in Old Virginny. His name is W. J. Pucket, and his residence is Armstead, Mississippi. He tells me that at the time referred to he was just 13 years of age; that he belonged to the Louisiana Guard Artillery, and that he surrendered at Concord Station, near Appomattox, when our cause finally collapsed.

CHICKEN ALFREDO LASAGNA ROLLS

9 lasagna noodles 2 cups alfredo sauce 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken oregano garlic salt 3 cups shredded Mozzarella, or cheese of your choice Spray an 8x8 pan with non-stick spray and pour cup alfredo sauce, or just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Boil 8-10 cups water in a large pan, cook lasagne noodles until al dente. (I usually cook 1 or 2 extra just because lasagna noodles always seem to break on me when I am stirring them.) Now this is the important part! Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water to prevent them from sticking to each other. Then, lay out each noodle individually and blot dry with a paper towel. Spread about 2 Tbs. alfredo sauce over each noodle. (if there is too much sauce you will have a big mess on your hands!) Sprinkle oregano and garlic salt on top of sauce. Take 1/9 of the shredded chicken and spread it out evenly over each noodle. Add approx. 3 Tbs. cheese. To roll up, start at one end and roll the noodle over the toppings. You will need to lift the noodle a little to prevent squishing out the inside ingredients while rolling.

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Place the roll-ups in the pan, one by one, seam-side down so they don't come undone. Once they are all in the pan, pour the remaining alfredo sauce over the top. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted on top. I sometimes broil mine the last 5 minutes to make the cheese toasty on top. Source: http://tinyurl.com/201402SCV01

tonymyers.scv123@gmail.com

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Open Invitation to our Southern Communities! Ladies and Gentlemen, we, the members of Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp #1323 which is located in Lakeland, Florida are attempting to maintain some form of a recognition system in place to honor all of our fallen veterans. Currently in place, we have a working registry system of various local cemeteries within Polk County; listing the identities of over 300 Confederate Veterans buried here just in Polk County. We currently maintain a Soldiers Memorial Wall of Confederate Veterans, belonging to all of our registered Camp #1323 camp members, both direct and collateral family members. You will find our direct ancestor upon which we joined the SCV, highlighted in blue. Our Camp #1323 is now inviting you, the community to join and become a member of your own Soldiers Memorial Wall. Have your Confederate Veteran(s) listed on the Communities of our Fallen Soldiers Memorial Wall for the low price of only $5 for a 2 year period. Your listing will be posted on our Camp Website located at (http://www.lawsbrigade.org/registry/honorwall) as well as being listed in our monthly newsletter (shown after this invitation). If you would like to honor YOUR Confederate Veteran for the next two years, simply complete the form and mail it along with a $5 check or money order for each veteran; made out to SCV Camp #1323, 2807 Hardin Combee Road, Lakeland, Florida 33801.
Submitters Information Your Name: __________________________________ Your Address: _________________________________ Rank: ______________________ ____________________________________________ Birth Year: __________________ Your Phone: __________________________________ City or County & State where Born: Example of Veteran Information Combee, Hampton (Pvt) 1837 Edgefield, South Carolina 1902 Lakeland, Florida Co K, 1st Florida Cavalry POW [X] KIA [ ] H/C [X] Please let us know if your vet was a POW, was Killed in Action during conflict or because of wounds received during battle, and if he has a Southern Cross of Honor/Iron Cross at his gravesite. Also, if you are aware of the cemetery name and location, could you provide that information also? ____________________________________________ Death Year: ________ City or County & State where Died: ____________________________________________ Company and Unit Assigned: ____________________________________________ Cemetery/Location Buried: ____________________________________________ Former POW [ ] KIA [ ] H/C [ ] Your Veteran Information Vets Name:_______________________________________

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32 Veterans Memorialized February 2014 Deo Vindice Page No. 18

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