The Dispatch

The Official Publication of The Dixie Guards Camp # 1942

Sons of Confederate Veterans
 
 

 


               

 

 

 

 

 

Volume 2, 4th Edition

July 2002

 

 

 

 

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Dixie Guards

P.O Box 719

Metter, Ga. 30439

 

 

 

 

 

 

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www.dixieguards.org

Commander's Comments

           

             July has arrived and like I said in last July's newsletter, we should never forget the nearly 30,000 Confederate casualties of Gettysburg.  July of 1863 was in fact a terribly rough month on our Confederacy, let's do all we can to make sure we remember their efforts in July of 2002.

            Let me begin by stating that if you missed our Reunion in Moultrie, you missed a Convention that earmarks what I've said about our brotherhood.  Like many conventions during the business session, there were some points that were disagreed on.  What makes us different than other groups is that even though we had semi-heated debate on some topics and many disagreed, we still all left as brothers and with the common goal of our ancestors in our hearts and minds.  I really want to thank Tony and Wayne for taking the time to go.  Sadly, we missed out on 3 of our votes.  Our next reunion/convention will be locally in Statesboro.  We have pledged to co-host with the Ogeechee Rifles and will also be joined by the Ebenezer Rifles.  Mike Mull is heading up the project and already has much of the groundwork planned out.  Anyone that would like to serve on this committee, let me know.

            For those that weren't at last month's meeting, you really missed a good program from Kelly Barrow. A big thing that came out of the meeting was a change for July's meeting.  Our regular meeting for July would have fallen upon July 4th, so we changed it to Saturday, July 13th.  We will be having a Family Picnic instead.  We will be having it at George L. Smith State Park just off of GA Hwy 23, North of Metter.  The time will be 4:00 PM.  I'm asking that all members be there by 3:45 or so, in order to convene long enough to accept any New Membership Applications and then adjorn to the fun.  We want to really encourage everyone to bring their "entire" family and friends to this event. 

            We will be inviting all of the Camps from our Brigade to join us.  We are inviting our New Division Commander Jack Bridwell, our New Lt. Commander-South Rooney Kea and our New Brigade Commander David Moncus.  Plus, we are inviting as many reenactors as we can find to come too!  We've been given the green light to shoot off cannons and muskets as much as we like as long as no ammunition is involved.  So, this will be a great opportunity to meet reenactors and learn from them if you're interested in starting the hobby.  Also, it will be a great chance to see and hear the weapons in action. The kids should really love it and could take some very good history lessons home with them.

            Next, we planned a BBQ Chicken Sale for August 3rd.  Compatriot Jason West will be heading up this project.  Last year we made about $1300 on this project.  Let's all do our part to make this one a success also.  If you didn't get your tickets, please get with Jason or me for details. For those visiting brothers who get this newsletter, you are invited to come out on Saturday, August 3rd for a day of fellowship with us.  Like last year, the member who sells the most tickets will win a prize.  I've got a prize in mind, but I'll save it for later.  Rest assured, it will  worth the effort.

            Finally, I want to thank you for all of your hard, hard work during our first year.  We didn't win any awards in Moultrie and that's fine.  Our award can be that we know we gained 33 members last year and hopefully we'll still grow. When you think of it, there should be far more members in our Camp than 66 for a town the size of Metter and when you add the surrounding areas that we gain members from, we should be 3, 4, or 5 times that size. Our ancestors deserve our best, very best effort.  After all, doing their work is just preserving our Family Names. 

            If we haven't seen you at a meeting in a while, don't think we haven't noticed.  We mish you.  I hope to see you in July.  Bring your whole family, a friend, a neighbor, a new member and a covered dish.  We'll have a great day together.  Hope to see you there!

                                                                                                God Bless You and Your Families,                                                                                                                   Randy

 

Adjutant's Report

 

Treasury Report: $790

Minutes from last meeting:

 

Old Business: 1.The Georgia Divison SCV Reunion was discussed.  Our voting delegates totalled 6.  3 members planned to attend. 2.The 1st order of Camp Merchandise is here.  Not all of the merchandise has arrived.  If you have any questions or need to pay for your stuff or pick it up, get with Commander Crooms or Adjutant Thompson.

 

New Business: 1.  The Camp decided to have a BBQ Chicken Sale on Saturday, August 3rd.  Jason West is taking the lead on this project.  We have about 500 tickets to sale, get with Jason or Commander Crooms for details.  Commander Crooms said the member who sells the most will win some kind of prize, but it wasn't determined yet.  He stated that it would make the effort well worth it. 2.  The Camp decided to have a Family Picnic on Saturday, July 13th instead of our regular meeting on July 4th.  The Picnic will be at George L. Smith State Park and will begin at 4:30 PM.  Members were asked to come a little early to meet just long enough to vote on any new members, then adjourn to the picnic.  The whole family anyone else is invited.  Everyone is asked to bring a Covered Dish, Desert or Drink.  The Camp will cover the plates and stuff.

 

Program: Compatriot Kelly Barrow presented our program on the Black Confederate Soldiers.

 

 

New Members

 

Ted E. Lewis honoring Pvt. Remer L. Franklin - Co. D, 61st GA Volunteers

 

Camp Calendar

 

July 13th - Camp Family Picnic - George L. Smith State Park. 4:00 PM. 

                                Bring a Covered Dish and the Whole Family

August 1 - Regular Monthly Meeting - Western Steer - 7PM Meal/7:30 Meeting

                                                  Bring a Guest or New Member

               Speaker:  Compatriot Steve Burke with his Native American Program

                               Steve will show you hand made Bows/Arrows and all sorts of

Native American items that he made by hand.  He’ll also share all                       sorts of information on the Native American cultures of our area.

              

Recruitment Challenge Raffle

 

June – September

 

Each time a Member recruits a new member, both the Member and the New Member will be entered into a drawing for their choice of a Customized Golf Shirt, Casual Shirt, or Denim Shirt with the Camp Name and SCV Logo.   This Raffle is for Recruiting Members and the New Members only!!       Recruit and Win!!!

 

Famous Generals

Of

The Confederate States of America

 

Major General George E. Pickett

 

          George Edward Pickett was born in Richmond, Virginia on January 28, 1825.  He entered The United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 1846.  Soon after, he was brevetted twice for gallantry during the Mexican War.

 

            After the Mexican War, he served on the Texas frontier from 1849-1855 and in the Washington Territory from 1856-1861.  He gained much favorable attention for his defiance of the British in the San Juan Island Affair in 1859, when he occupied the island with a small force of United States troops.

 

            Upon the secession of Virginia, he resigned his commission in the US Military and offered his services to his native Virginia.  His first service was a Colonel in command of forces in defense of the Lower Rappahannock.  He was appointed Brigadier General on January 14, 1862 and distinguished himself during the Peninsular Campaign where he was subsequently wounded at Gaine’s Mill.

 

            Pickett was promoted to Major General on October 10, 1862 and was placed in charge of a Division of Lt. General James Longstreet’s 1st Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia.  It was while in this service that Major General George E. Pickett would become famous.

 

            On the July 3rdat  the Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee instructed Longstreet to attack the strongly fortified position of Cemetery Ridge with an assault of troop’s made up of Pickett’s Division and those of James J. Pettigrew and Issaac Trimble of the 3rd Corps.  The attack was preceeded by a mass artillery duel by both armies with over 200 cannon engaged.  Afterwards, it was reported that the sounds of the barrage could be heard as far away as Washington, DC some 100 miles distant.  After the artillery duel, Longstreet’s men went forward in what has become known as Pickett’s Charge. In about an hour, Pickett’s, Pettigrew’s and Trimble’s men marched into glory, but failed in their charge.  

 

            Gettysburg would ultimately become the worst engagement in American History, with nearly 60,000 combined casualties.  To place this battle in perspective, there were more battle casualties at Gettysburg alone, than the entire Vietnam War.  Let us remember all of our Soldiers,  from our beginnings to our current days and may God Bless Them.

 

 

Dixie Guards

Family Picnic

 

Saturday, July 13th

4 pm

George L. Smith State Park

 

 

Bring the Whole Family     Bring a Guest   Bring a New Member

 

 

 Come Meet Newly Elected Georgia Division SCV Officers

Georgia Division Commander, Jack Bridwell

Georgia Division Lt. Commander – South, Rooney Kea

Georgia Division South Central Brigade Commander, David Moncus

Georgia Division Southeast Brigade Commander, Don Newman

 

All of the Camps from our Area and Brigade will be invited !!

 

Come See Area Reenactors Blasting Their Cannons

Come See Area Reenactors Firing Their Muskets

 

** Come Join Us and Bring Your Whole Family**

** Bring Your Neighbor **

** Bring A Potential Member or New Member **

** Everyone Is Invited **

 

 

Just Bring a Covered Dish, Desert or Drink

 

Paper Plates, Napkins, Forks/Spoons, Cups, & Ice will be provided

 

 

 

 

Dixie Guards Chicken BBQ

 

 

The Camp is selling tickets for a Chicken BBQ and will have it on Saturday, August 3rd.  Many of you might not have your tickets.  We need your help!

 

We have 66 members and 510 tickets.  Many of our members are from out of town and understandably won't be available to assist in selling the tickets.  We need everyone that can to get as many tickets as possible and sell them.  Last year, we had a Chicken BBQ after just a month as a Camp.  We had 90% participation from our membership and made over $1200 profit.   For this project to be successful, we need everyone's help.  Everyone's! 

 

The only times that we are "scheduled" to meet together again prior to the BBQ are at the Picnic and the August meeting on the Thursday before we cook on Saturday. We might need to get together to turn in our money to Jason, or you can get it to him as you sell the tickets. 

 

Please do your best to help us in this effort.  Several members have mentioned that they'd like to see us raffle a Musket or some other nice item.  To be able to do that, we must have funds in our kitty.  We also need money to do little things like , when authors come, we purchase their books and donate them to the Library.  Many SCV Camps aren't as lucky to have a good relationship with their Library as we are.  So far, we have donated several Pro-Confederate Books.  Without these donations, the Library most likely wouldn't have these books and our side of the War would not be told.  This is just one example of how important it is for us to have a War Chest of money. 

 

All around our area, School Boards are denying children the right to celebrate their heritage and are actually suspending kids for wearing clothing with Confederate Emblems on them.  This won't happen in Metter, you say!  Well, it's happening right now in Richmond Hill, just down the road.  Will it come to Metter?  I don't know!  But, it could and might.  In Richmond Hill and several other Georgia towns, this had developed into large court cases to defend these kids Constitutional Rights.  In these areas, SCV Camps have worked hard to raise money to donate to these cases.  If this ever comes to Us, we must be ready.  This BBQ is only a small way that we can have "Seed Money" to help defend the memory and honor of our Southern Soldiers.  Our BBQ only involves a little selling and one Saturday morning by the hot fire, surely our Ancestors are worth that to us.  They did so much more!!

 

To pick up your tickets or get more tickets, contact Compatriot Jason West or Commander Crooms.  Remember, there is a prize for the member who sells the most tickets and its sure to be a good one.  Who will win!!