"1986,1987,1988Scrapbook.pdf" · Virginia Room Digital Collection (2024)

,.

Bentonville
Battleground
Roanoke City plantingfrom atop the
Channel JO building.

I

~ ~ ~ u .IJ-c, ~
ck_ <J~~

Scene of the Last Major. ~onfederate
Offensive of the Civil War

administered by

9#~9#~CfJ~

DIVISION OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY
DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL RESOURCES

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NORTH CAROLINA HISTORIC SITES

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ROANOKE, VIRGINIA
1990-1991

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ROANOKE, VIRGINIA

1990-1991

WILLIAM WATTS CHAPTER
GENERAL NO. 809
VIRGINIA DIVISION NO. 8
UNITED DAUGHTERS
OF THE
CONFEDERACY
Organized 1895 - Chartered 1904
Re-organized 1904

Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.

Charter Members
J. A. Watts
Mrs. F. A. Lindsey
Henry Gray
Miss Mattie Christian
T. W. Lewis
Mrs. J . T. Mitchell
Gooch Vaughn
Miss Elvira Jones
Objectives
Historical, Education, Memorial,
Benevolent and Patriotic.

"Love makes Memory Eternal"

-3 -

Jti&wa/?~?~
and~~

Mat~~~~
Atk inson, Bessie Graves (Mrs. Leon)

~
Ferguson, Carrie R. (Mrs. H. B.)
Mrs. Raymond W. Floyd

Foltz, Lossie Dalton (Mrs. C. R.)

w4~M-&C?@~
MY~a£a&~

. . . . . ._ _ ___..4.

.5.

• Mrs. Henry Grey . ... . .... . . . ...... ..... . 1904
·Mrs. J . Allen Watts .. .... .. ..... . .. . . .. .. 1905
• Mrs. N. H. Hairston .. . ................... 1906
·Mrs. S. J. Evans . . ......... .... . ...... . . 1907
• Mrs. J. Howard Morris .... . . . ..... .. ...... 1908
• Mrs. Henry T. Parrish ..... .... .. ...... . . . 1909
·Mrs. S. J. Evans .. . . . . .. . ........... 1910-1911
• Mrs. John W. Sherman ........ . .......... 1912
• Mrs. Delas Thomas . . ... .. . ..... .. ... . ... 1913
• Mrs. C. S. Gookin .. .. . . . . .. . .. .... ..... . 1914
• Mrs. N. S. Hairston . . .... . .. .. . .......... 1915
·Mrs. Mercer Hartman ... . . ... . . .. ... 1916-1917
• Mrs. E. L. Keyser . . . .... ......... ... 1918-1919
·Mrs. J . F. Arm entrout ... .. . ..... .. ...... . 1920
·Mrs. C.R. Williams
1921-1922
• Mrs. M. J. Patsel .. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : 1923-1924
: ~rs. D. W. Hess ............... 1925-1926-1927
• Mrs. R.H. Dyers ....... .... . . .. . ... 1928-1929
• rs. J. Kyle Montague ........ . .... . . 1930-1931
• Mrs. E. C. Whitehurst ....... . .. . 1931-1932-1933
• Mrs. C. A. Williams . . ............... 1934-1 935
Mrs. S. A. Wheeler ... . ... .. .. ....... 1936-1 937

. 6.

... . 1938-1939
940-1941
•Mrs. E. C. Whitehurst · · · · · · · · · · ·
1
•Mrs. R. Frank Taylor · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 42-1944
19
* Mrs. John Morgan · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 1945-1946
*Mrs. R. Frank Taylor · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 1947-1948
* Miss Grace Buford · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 1949-1950
*Mrs. H. 0. Chilton · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 1951-1952
• Mrs. G. H. Bishop · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 1953-1955
• Mrs. S. J. Wolfe .. · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 1956-1957
* Mrs. Ernest B. Fishburn · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 958-1959
1
• Mrs. G. H. Bishop . · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
1960
Mrs. W. E. Barton . · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · "1 '961. -1963
•Mrs A. P. Martin . · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 1964-1965
• Miss Anne Lucas . · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 1966-1967
·Mrs. E. J . Goggin · · · ··· · · · ·· · ····· ·· 1968-1969
Mrs. C.R. Foltz . · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 1970-1971
Mrs. B. H. Riley · · · · · · · · · ........... 1972-1973
Mrs. A. C. Stafford······ · ··········· 974-1975
1
Mrs. B. H. Riley · · · · · · · · · ......... . . 1976-1977
Mrs. R.H. Patrick . ··· · ·· ··· ···· ··· · · 1978-1980
Mrs. R. S. Templeton ···· · · · · ···· · · ·· 1980-1982
* Mrs. Ena Robertson · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 1982-1984
* Mrs. F. A. Reynolds · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · : 1984-1986
• Miss Gertrude Richardson · · · · · · · · · · · : .1986-1988
Mrs. B. H. Riley · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · : : .. 1988-1990
Mrs. 0 . R. Counts ... · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

•7•

(Prepared by Mrs. J. D. Beale,
Montgomery, Alabama 1904.)

United States Flag
"I I
States ,PAedg~ allegiance to the Flag of the United
stands
m er~ c a and to the Republic for which it
0
and J~sti~: ~~t'Z ~.~nder God, indivisible , with Liberty

1

Salute to the Flag of Virginia
..,salute
the Fl
. . .

and patriotic dev . ag of V1rg1nia with reverence
Statesman' Whicho~ion to 'the Mother of States and
it represents - the Old Dominion
where Libert
y and Independence were born."

..

Salute to th

e Confederate Flag
I salute the C
Reverance and u .onfederate Flag with Affection,
ndytng Remembrance.•'

.8.

President:
"Daughters of the Confederacy this day
gathered together in the sight of God, to
strengthen the bonds that unite us in common
cause ; to renew the vows of loyalty to our sacred
Principles; to do homage unto the memory of
our gallant Confederate Soldiers, and to
perpetuate the fame of their noble deeds unto
the third and succeeding Generation : To this
end we invoke the aid of our Lord .
Hear our Prayer, O God; attend unto my
prayer."

Response
"From the end of the earth will I cry un to
Thee when My heart is Overwhelmed; lead me to
the rock that is higher than I. "

. 9.

President:

. " For Thou, Lord are good, and ready to
forg ive, and plen teous in mercy unto all them
that call upon th ee. "
Response:

"Give ear, 0 Lord, unto my prayer and
attend the voice of my supplication. "

We thank Thee for its pure reco~d 0 ~ ~ir­
tue, valor and sacrifice: and for the rnspirrng
reflection that, despite its bitter disappointments
and sorrows, it proclaims for us to all the world
that we came through years of trial and struggle
With our battered shields pure, our chara~ter as
a Patriotic and courageous people untarni~hed ,
and nothing to regret in our defense of the rights
and the honor of our Southland."

All:

[§>~
(Composed by Bishop Ellison,
Capers, South Carolina.)

"Give us grace our Heavenly Father, faithfully to accept Thy will concerning us, a~d make
us all to glorify Thee in a sincere obed1e~ce to
Thy Holy Commandments through the ments and
mediation of Thy Son, our only Savior, Jesus
Christ. Amen. "

President:
"Al ·
adore Th ~ ighty God, o~r Heavenly Father, we
our coun{ ove and providence in the history of
our Co fry and especially do we thank Thee for
n ederate history.

- 10 - 11 -

PRESIDENT
Mrs. K. A. Womack, Jr. (Alise)
VICE PRESIDENT
Mrs. W. E. Barton (Nell ie)
RECORDING SECRETARY
Mrs. C. W. Miller (Gretchen)

Mountain View

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY
Miss Lucy V. Dallman

Thirteenth Street, S.W.
Second Monday -

TREASURER
Mrs. B. H. Riley (Mary)

12:00 P.M.

HISTORIAN
Mrs. R. W. Floyd (Florence)

Dues: $12.00 Per Vear. September

REGISTRAR
Mrs. 0 . R. Counts (Belva)
RECORDER OF CROSSES
Mrs. Calvin Mooch (Neva)
CHAPLAIN
Mrs. J. R. Richardson (Frances)

. 12.

----

. 13.

.

FLOWERS
Mrs. R. W. Floyd

Barton, Nellie Garst (Mrs. Wm. E.)
1225 Roanoke Road, Daleville, Va. 24083
992-2442

MAGAZINE
Miss Mary Minichan

Admitted June 20 1935 - Birthday Sept. 14
Abraham Moody, 2nd Virginia Infantry Regiment

PRESERVATION OF DIARIES, DOCUMENTS,
SITES AND MONUMENTS
Mrs. W. P. Burks

Berkeley, Mamie Lucas (Mrs. Nelson)
2140 Denniston Avenue, S.W., Roanoke 24015
344-6193

SCRAPBOOK
Mrs. R. E. Myers

Admitted November 18, 1946 - Birthday June 28nt
John Calvin Lucas, 22nd Virginia Infantry Regime

YEARBOOK
Mrs. B. H. Riley
Mrs. W. E. Barton
TELEPHONE
Mrs. R. W. Floyd
Mrs. Regina Jungels
PARLIMENTARIAN
Mrs. H. C. Foster

Bowles, Myrtle Graves (Mrs. R. E.)
21
08 Memorial Avenue, S.W., Roanoke 240 15
345-1239

'

l

Admitted March 9 1964 - Birthday Sept. 4
.
t
George William P;ice, 30th Virginia Infantry Regimen

Burks, Marion Thomas (Mrs. W. P.)
461
3 Delray Street, N.W., Roanoke 24012
366-1555
Admitted February 10 1954 - Birthday May W
t
N
. . In fan try Regimen
athaniel A. Thomas, ·51 st Virginia

• 15 .

---Counts, Belva Marshall (Mrs. 0. R.)
6804 Northway Drive, N.W. , Roanoke 24019
366-8127
Admitted May 9, 1983 - Birthday March 6
.
Robert Wilson Marshall, 22nd Virginia Infantry Regiment
Supplements:
.
t
James Thomas Edwards, 51 st Virginia Infantry Regimen
James Monroe Hillman, Sr., 1st Virg inia Infantry Battalion
(Capt. Vandeventer) (Cav.)

Dallman, Miss Lucy V.
944 Hershberger Road, N.W., Roanoke 24012
563-5904
Admitted June 15, 1989 - Birthday Sept. 1
John David Pring, Co. A. Mountain Rifles 28th Regiment
Infantry Virginia C.S.A.

Floyd, Florence Hall (Mrs. R. W.)
5819 Hollins Road, Hollins, Va. 24019
366 -6944
Admitted September 10, 1973 - Birthday October 7
Reuben Hall, 52nd Virginia Infantry Regiment

Foster, Elizabeth Miller (Mrs. H. C.)
204 1 Lee-Hi Road, S.W., Roanoke 24018
774 -7738
Admitted April 10, 1961 - Birthday February 4
George William Price, 30th Virginia Infantry Regiment

• 16 .

Henry, Miss Ruth
814 Marshall Avenue, S.W., Roanoke 24016
342-7964

Admitted February 15, 1943 - Birth.day May 9 vt
James Franklin Henry. Sampson Artillery N.C. (P ·
Corp. 1 Sgt.)

Hicks, Mrs. Ruth
P.O. Box 487 Lexington, Va. 24450

.

3
Admitted S~ptember 14, 1981 - Birthday April 2
Samuel Carl Lindsay, 31st Virginia Infantry Regim ent

James, Miss Ann
2412 Maiden Lane, S.W., Roanoke 24015
342-4946

1
Admitted January 9, 1984 - Birthday June
Hansford James, Pvt. Virgini a Infantry Regiment

Jungels, Mrs. Regina James
15
2412 Maiden Lane S.W., Roanoke 24 o
342-4946
'

24
Admitted January 9 1984 - Birthday July
·
. .
f t Regiment
Hansford James, Pvt. Virginia In an ry

Miller, Gretchen Moore (C. W.)
47 09 Colonial Avenue, S.W., Roanoke 24018
774-3045

. d October 14
Admitted June 15 1989 - Birth ay
f t Regiment
,
Dr. Thomas Henry Howa rd, Co. I 54th In an ry

. 17.

Minichan, Miss Mary L.
110-23rd Street, S.W., Roanoke 24013
342-7572
Admitted February 15, 1943 - Birthday June 6
John Alexander Francis, Pvt. Virginia Artillery

Mitchell, Hazel Hudson (Mrs. E.W.)
3127 Allendale Avenue, S.W., Roanoke 24014
342-5522
Admitted August 15, 1925 - Birthday August 4
Thomas J. Hudson , 56th Virginia Infantry Regiment

Mooch, Neva Semones (Mrs. Calvin)
3936 Bandy Road, Roanoke 24014
344-1772
Admitted July 31, 1986 - Birthday April 8
Andrew R. Akers, Co. 14th Preston's Reserves, Va. C.S .A.

Myers, Louise Rothwell (Mrs. R. E.)
3835 Thompson Lane, S.W., Roanoke 24018
774-3295
Admitted September 15, 1965 - Birthday June 16
Theodore Henry Rothwell, 1st Battalion Va. Infantry

Ogden, Ethel Perdue (Mrs. John 8.)
3648 Larson Lane, S.W., Roanoke 24018
774-0383
Admitted April 14, 1969 - Birthday May 19
John Daniel Morris, Pvt. 1st Vi rgini a Infantry Reserve

. 18 -

Richardson Frances Rothwell (Mrs. J. R.)
5638 Ingleside Drive, S.W., Roanoke 24018
774-6802
21
Admitted September 15, 1965 - Birthd0'aDl~~~ntry
Theodore Henry Rothwell, 1st Battalion
·

Riley, Mary Cofer (Mrs. B. H.)
19
6815 Tinkerdale Road, Hollins, Va. 240
362-0000

Admitted May 16, 1961 - Birthday March :~air
Richard H Cofer 2nd Regiment Virginia C
y

Skala, Catherine Foster (Mrs. C. ~}
8
9211
No. 7 Catspaw Cape Coronado, Ca 1 A .1 11
Admitted September ~5. 1977 - Birthd~~gi~~nt
George William Price, 30th Va. Infantry

Templeton, Virginia Logan (Mrs. A. ~k~ 2 4018
3434 Brandywine Avenue, S.W.. Roan

77 4-0191

. thday March 11
Admitted September 13, 1965 - Bi~ try Regiment
Beniamin Daniel Selph, 52nd Va. In an

· (Mrs K A. Jr.)
Womack Alise Mclaughlin
· · k 24018
3438 Bra~dywine Avenue, S.W., Roano e
774-1362

. da December 13
Adm itted November 8, 1976 .-: Birth y Regi ment
David Henry Nash , 14th Virginia Infantry

- 19 -

wn.tIJ.r w.a.ns
OJ' !!m ConnDD.lcr?'
10.llf~.

Vl]W!lfli

Akers, Lillian Persinger (Mrs. P. L.)
Clark, Madge Organ (Mrs. W. A.)
James, Miss Margaret
Keller, Louise Walker (Mrs. G. 0 .)
Pannell, Janice Draper (Mrs. N. S.)
Reynolds, Caroline Henson (Mrs. F. A.)
Richardson, Miss Gertrude
Semones, Clara Akers (Mrs. J. A.)
Sommerdahl Bertha Clark (Mrs. C. H.)
l

.
d who walks
"We do not think of our fnends as de~·ri we tread,
with us no more along the path of 1 e
they have but gone before. "

. 21 •

. 23 .

Sect ion 2.

th• June mn1:1.ng 1h&ll b• known u

1:h~

t11tilii f or t t 1 In.1 t &l.lation o! 0!!1o•rs a.n4 !or
il!Ict! I - Duu
~1 duu 1hall

abl• 1li
be $8.00 per :rear, p&Y h&11 be

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1 , •ti011
!1ptecb1r. 7or a new 111nl>4ir th• 1ni1:1at1an
S
• 'rh11 1nclud11 D1T111 an and ~:pter 1.nit.l.lld !1rl1: r•ar du11.
oma ucal.lS
Secti on 2, J. 11nb1r in arr11.r1 two r•arw 11 111t
!:'opped from mew ben b.ip after PZ"OJ'• r 1101:1t1aat1011.

o4 1tand il!S
Section ). J. np1tend 1:1niber rn1~ 1.D. g~ 4uU.
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ut
o! th• ~b•

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!h• Chapter llh&ll oon!ilu ih co11tribut1an1, 11:1

aot1Tit111 and 11:1 •ndc.nn•nh to apprOTld worlc o! th•
D&nchten ot th• Con!ederaoy.

np ort1.

S1oti on 1 .

ffilDmJ lllTL1:5

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2. 'rh• Chapter llh&ll nn.4 oa.r41 to anb4in oon!ilu4 1.D. a
ho1pital by liolr:Zleu and 1!1&ll Hn4 nowen ~•n 11.0ti!ild

41ath ot a

Ch&~•r

a9111t1r.

3 • fh• Chapt• r llh&ll plao • a l>ook 1.D. a lo cal 11'l:n.rT cm
IC•an.&l Dq 1.D. aeaorr ot the 4101u14 11niben.

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IUJ=lt11 !or th• 7rw114111t, •••lMre d11~ a OOJIT llllla't :plao•
their ord&r wut 1.~• a>-..avur ~uunr, r.i.o "1.U obtai..D. the

l:1:mt11 !rom ~· Diltricrt ~. ~. ~.:&;ter •!l&ll
111t1ortbe to th• O,D.C. ~aine !or 1:t• R11tori&n.

lac!:. 11111:1"oer irtt•ntw 'th• montU:r anttnc •!:&ll ~
a OCITl:"ld.dish to 1ao..!: 111111:1J!4.
lrn.rion Cocm1tt11
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rn. 1. J.. B.10!'.a.K8011, Sr.
nu Ckrt1"'1t• B.1~1011., C"'..au-n

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111&T be ~• to tten »r-La,.. at
I w... pttr b)' t1ro-third1 TOtl Of thOll
&11•ll4m•nt !:&1 bun 111bmitt1d 1.D. wrttill& at
o! 1:h1 C1ia~ter.

•••tin(

J.!!ICt? !IV - R1pr111111tat1011

-27 -

L

- 26 .

at th•

Bentonville
Battleground

Scene of the Last Major Confederate
Offensive of the Civil War

administered by

DIVISION OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY
DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL RESOURCES

N O RTH CAROLINA HISTORIC SITES

The Battle of Bentonville, which took
place during the three days of March l 9-21.
1865, was the last full-scale action of the
Civil War in which the Confederate Army
was able to mount an offensive attack. This
major battle, the largest ev er fought in
North Carolina, was the o nly significant
attempt to d efeat Sherman after he left
Georgia. L eaving Savannah in Jan uary
1865 , Sherman had m et little resistance on
his m arch northward_ u nio n forces adv anced throug h south Ca rolina, capturing
Columbia and devastating the countryside. Only North Carolina lay betwe~n
Sherman's army and u.s. Grant's forces in
Virginia, and Confederate forces in th~
Carolinas were widely scattered. Genera
·te
Joseph E. Johnston was ordered to uni t
these troops and attempt to prev~nh
Sherman from combining his armY wit
that of Grant.

The Battle of Bentonville was fought over
an area of 6,000 acres. over 4,000 men
were reported killed, wounded, or missing
during the three-day battle. During the
battle wounded Union soldiers were taken
to the farm home of John and Amy Harper.
where a field hospital was established.
some wounded Confederates were also
treated at this facility.

Harp<r
Hous.

imlt

ta

~
_

I

ToGoiJdwf'9

BaHk Lin.es
of

March

2.0-2.1

... nearerand nearer they came .. . When not over
forty or fifty paces from us, the order so anxiously awaited was given. and a sheet of fire
blazed out from the hidden battle line ... that
was demoralizing and fatal to the enemy. They
battled, reeled. and staggered, while we poured
volley after volley iryo them, and great gaps
were made in their lme, as brave Federals fell
everywhere . ..
Eyewitness account of Union assault on
confederate lines, March I 9, I 865

Costu m ed interp reters ins truct SC
on Ci v il war life

hool grouP

The Harper House still stands at Bentonville Battleground and is furnished as a
field hospital. Reminders of the battle are
displayed in the visitor center, and a
confederate cemetery as well as a section
of Union trenches are located nearb y .
Roads in the area are marked with plaques
highlighting events of the battle.

day, Sherman's left wing stumbled into
Johnston's trap. Initial Confederate attacks
overran large sections of Federal lines. One
gn_ion division managed to hold on despite
emg surrounded on both sides by confederate adversaries. Failing to completely
crush the Union lines, Johnston's Con·
f ed~rates pulled back into positions held
ea~her in the day. Sherman's right w ing
arn~ed on the battlefield early on March 20,
e ndmg Johnston's hope of d ealing w ith a
smaller Union force.
An operating room at the Harper House
field hospital

"A dozen surgeons and attendants in their shirtsleeves stood at rude benches cutting off arms
and legs and throwing them out of the windows. whe:e they lay scattered on the grass.
The legs of infantrymen could be distinguished
from those of the cavalry by the size of their
calves, as the march of I .ooo miles had increased the size of one and diminished the size
of the other."

Remembrances of a Field Hospital
at Bentonville
Colonel William Hamilton
9th Ohio cavalrt..1
Jo s eph E. Johns ton

With less than half as many men as
Sherman's 60,000. Johnston knew his only
chance for success lay in the possibility of
finding Sherman's army divided_ Miserable
road conditions forced Sherman to divide
his command into two wings, and on
March I 8th Johnston learned that the
sections had b ecome separated by a halfday's march. seeing the opportunity to
strike one of the wings with his force of
about 20.000. the Confederate general
moved his troops into position near th e
village of Bentonville.
On the evening of March Is, Johnston
organized his forces into a sickle-shaped
line along the Goldsboro Road and waited
for the advancing Federals. The following

William T. Sherman

For two days the o pposing forces faced
each other. cannon and rifle fire were
cons tant. on March 2 1, a Federal advance
commanded by General J.A. Mower outflanked Con federate positions and approached within 200 yards of General
Jo~nston·s headquarters before bein.g
dnv en back. That evening Jol1nston s
Weary troops abandon d their positions
and Withdrew towards Smithfield. Federal
fo rc e s observed but did not pursue the
Confederates. Johnston failed to halt the
Union adva n ce. and Sherman's arr:iiY
m a rc hed on to Goldsboro where supplies
a waited the tired troops. on April 26, at the
B ennett Place n ear ourham. Johnst?~
su rrendered to Sherman. ending the ovi
War in th e Caroli nas.

as t 0 f .t '
.
·
r
ate
eonfede

standing in the community," says

,

Holly
the activities
director DeJarnette,
at the home.
"lt wo1:1ld~'t
hurt if they had a promin~?t Virgmia name to back them up.
The home began in 1897, when
women banded together t? seek
1five
refuge from a world they did not

t-

,

.

'

:va;~tt~in~~:~;~~~·o~~e:d~~~~~~~
\
ued. Broken in spirit but despera~e \

to survive, the lost cause was still
their cause.
.
~~~%%@%iii
With the help of the Ladies

, ~~~~[\jl~~~~- \Auxiliary
of Camp
t~ey or-a
ganized their
firstPickett,
fund-raiser,

11

bazaar, which netted them $1,000 t he beginning of a dream come true.
In l898, the home's first charter was
drawn and approved by the General
Asse. mbly. The purp,?se, the .document stated, was to pr.ovide a
home for needy wives, daughters,
sisters widows of Confederate Soldiers.',' Thus was born "The Home
for Needy Confederate Women."
President of the board was
Mary Custis Lee, daught~r of Robert E. Lee. Acting president was
Mrs .. Andrew Jackson Montague, ,
wife of then attorney general and
future governor of Virginia. These
women, with an eye toward the fut ure needs of these Confederate
belles, started concentrat~~ efforts
to secure a permanent facihty.
In 1900 the doors formally
opened at 1826 Grove Ave. in Richmond. Feeble, homeless, helpless
and friendless women were received at the home.
'I
By 1904, the waitin~ list t~ enter the home was growmg rapidly.
To accommodate more wol!len, the
home was moved to a roomier location.
L
In 192 4, the Robert E. ee
Camp of Confederate Veterans proAt Richmond's Home for Confederate Women, employees·Williarn
osed donating a 211z-acre tract of
d on Sheppard Street to the
Taylor and Bessie King help Mae Toliv~r, 97, with her bingo cards
an
Unfortunately, the land be· · an d
=:-----:--;-:=-::7-:----------------------------1 home.d to the state of v·irgmia
Story and photos by
long~ n the proposed site for the
DEBBIE TOKARZ HELSER
had eeovernor's mansion. With
?.:;eat gpersua~ion" from the wom-

!

When the reside~ce was c~ "·
pleted in 1932, the General Ass~y.)
bly agreed to make an annP
appropriation to the home1 aga
stipulating that when the h~me wa
"no longer in use," it would rever\
to the state. Nor did the home hav
to pay any state taxes. This contrac
held good until 1982, when the state
rescinded its near $195,000 a year
a ppropriation to the hol!le-.
"Basically, the maJonty of the
members felt the state was wasting 1
its money," said a staffer for .a Virginia delegate, who asked not to be
identified . "We had to cut back on
anything .we deemed frivolous expenditure. If these women are ~o
continue, they have to do so on their
1
own. Why should the state or anyone
else be burdened with the care of
lineal and collateral descendants of
Confederate soldiers? The state has
to concern herself with more pressing responsibilities."
When· the state rescinded its
funding in 1982, it extended the
charter to all lineal descendants,

1

lf

,;.....---------------------------- ---_j

R

ICHMOND - As the front door
latches behind the incoming visitor,
the Confederacy is awakened.
Within these walls of gleaming white
limestone live the remaining daughters of
brave Confederate soldiers. Amid memories
of a time of lavender and lace, crystal
' chandeliers and horse-hair furniture, they
keep the Confederacy alive at the Home for
Confederate Women.
''This is no place for a damn Yankee," a
paperboy once chided a Pennsylvania tourist
who arrived at the home for a visit. "They
don't like people from the North ve"ry much.
You'd think some of these ladies were still
~igbling the war. Don't they know what year
lt la"!"

Upo~ e~tenng the home's foyer, anyone
would think it was 181>~.
. "So many ~pie have tried to let the
home and what it stands for fade away ,,
says Eloise Lipscomb, herself a 29-yea~ veteran of the home and resident manager.
..These women represent a period in time
unappreciated and forgotten by most. I only
hope their legacy can be kept alive."
Their legacy is fading. "At one time,
governor's wives were interested in the
home, but seven wars have occured since the

Yf ~r Between the States,'' Lipscomb says.
Its no wonder people have lost interest in
en's board and on his lasl day of ofwhat this home stands f~r." Janet Burhans
fice, then Gov. E. Lee Trinkle, who
board of trustees president, is the grand- '
came from Wythe County, and the
daughter of the late Mrs. Andrew Montague
General Asembly donated the propa founders of the residence.
'
erty to the home on these conditions:
"I don't want the home to become an
that the home cost · no less than
institution," Burhans says. "We are not a
$250,000 to build; that it take no
home for the elderly. We are a residence. We
more than eight years to complete;
will never allow the home to be turned into
and that, when the last Confederate
an institution."
daughter should die, the home and
Burhans' "we," the board of trustees, is
property would revert to the state.
made up of 15 women, most of whom are
Mrs. Montague wanted the new
direct descendants of Confederate soldiers.
house modeled on the ori inal lans
At one time, a men's advisory board had
for the White House. Asg the ~tor
responsibility for all the home's operations,
goes, she persuaded a White Hous~
except its social functions, which were left to • aide that the original Hoban drawings for the White House "needed a
the women's board. But the men's board
dissolved, as members died or lost interest.
, little airing." So after 100 years of
Th
e ~omen's board took over.
rest, the plans were whisked away,
lf there were to be a formal board
copied and returned, without the
they would have to be lawyers, doctors,'
National Archives' knowledge.
people who not only had clout, but in gOOd
Merrill c. Lee, the commissioned architect for the home, noted
Please see Confederacy, Page c 3 in his diary that he was able to copy
and combine these sketches - with
the result that the main structure of
Debbie Tokarz Helber is a
the mansion is closer in design and
scale to the original plans than the
Richmoflld free-lance writer and
White House itself.
photographer.

I

whether they be granddaughters of
Confederate soldiers or their fifth
cousins three times removed. Now,
a great~r number of women ~~ eligible to live in the home - if it remains open. Because the property
and the building are owned by the
state, no federal funding is available.
I
Nor can board members apply
for a loan, because they have no \
real collateral except the furnish· I
ings inside. "I've had some of the
most magnificent put-downs you've l
ever read," said Janet Burhans, regarding some of the foundations
she's approached.
If the Home for Confederate
Women were to be declared an institution, it would be eligible for
grants from some 3,000 foundations.
But those involved with the home
are adamant that it maintain its sta- 1
tus as a residence. Were it to be
termed an institution, they argue,
then the state-owned home would be
· available to anyone, whether they
be related to a Confederate soldier
or not - which would defeat the
purpose of the home's existence.
one recent development that
may help the home continue was its
designation in April as a Virginia
historical landmark. As such; the
home has automatically been nomi, nated for national historic landmark
status.
~t resent, only . 15 women,
P. g from 87 to 100 live at
ages rangm
•
I 301 N. Sheppard St. That ~eaves 60
rooms vacant and av~lable to
l needy women. But t~e vacant roo~
now house only furmture left ~ehind
by the women who spent their l~t
l days here.
.
.
,,
. "I h.a~e.see1~g this go to waste,
said ~ct1v1ties director I?eJarnette.
Women are be1'!g tur~ed
away, women, who qualify t~ hve
here, but there s not .much left i~ the
endowment, a~d private donations,.
thOugh appreciated, ar_e not enough
to keep the home nmnmg. What we
need is the total support of the
bo.ard'. and the ~ourage to not take
this txmg dow.~.

t.:onversauon wifli residents :
here is difficult, for these women :
can only remember th~r yester- 1
days. They don't like discussing tomorrows. The subject of death is
taboo. Funerals take a back Seat to
stories of their childhoods.
With Stonewall Jackson guarding the dining room, and J .E.B.
Stewart keeping vigilance in the
hallways, these ladies still look up
to Robert E. Lee as the protector of
Southern virtues.
There's no escaping the war
here, for inside the home numerous
oil paintings of Confederate heroes
adorn the walls. In one of the great
rooms, they still play Jefferson
Davis' daughters' piano. The main
room is furnished just as it was
when the borne first opened; the
bookshelves are full of Harper's
Bazaars and Littell's Living of Age,
dating back to the 1860s.
But the bitterness that infused
the home when it was occupied by
war widows 'has passed. Today the
spirit of the home is directed more
to the preservation of the home's
existence.
Since state funding was cut, the
home has been maintained mostly
by private contributions. The economics of efficiency have forced
employees' hours to be reduced. But
the home still runs with the same
care that has been the basis for
these women's happiness and contentment with life.
.
"Not long ago, someone offered
to donate a complete sprinkler system for the home and the safety of
the women living here. The board
turned it down. Probably because
the board members knew it
wouldn't be much longer before the
home closes,'' remarked Holly DeJ arnette.
"I'd hate to see someone . . .
take it over and turn it into offices "
she continued. "This is a complete
residence for the elderly. Why
should the home be anything else
than what it was meant to be?
There are women who can't afford
to go anywhere else. They could
come here . .. It seems that everything this home stands for, and
stood for when it first opened, is
being left to the wayside."

Residency in the Home for
Confederate Women is free to
any woman related to a Confed.erate soldier.

Seated amid some of the Home for Confederate Women's numerous Civil war
antiques, Floye Crump, 87, waves the Stars and Bars

CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY
Sunday, May 26, 1985
East Hill Cemetery, Salem, Va.
Invocation
Pledge of Allegiance to U.S. Flag
Salute to the Virginia Flag
Salute to the Confederate Flag
Introduation of Guests
Purpose of Memorial Day
Introduction of Speaker
Speaker---Mr. Bayse Wilson
Reading of Poem
Benediction
Volley Salute
Taps
The graves of the Confederate soldiers buried i ·
this cemetery were graciously decorated with
roses and flags by the Hanging Rock Rangers
Chapter #664, Children of the Confederacy
This ceremony is in honor and memory of our
beloved Confederate ancestors. /
Love Makes Memory Eternal
Roanoke Chapter #1907
William Watts Chapter #809
Southern Cross Chapter #746
UNITED DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY
Hanging Rock Rangers Chapter #664
CHILDREN OF THE CONFEDERACY
Fincastle Rifles Camp #1326
SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS

/

t(/I/ .I l /1t1N

-··'-'.·

............_._, .

.A2,~:7\~.:~. .

· --- --r-~--,...._..,.....-,...,..

. . . ...... , o uc wvc cm

vvumen-1-anu-;oanvma-mgnrt arles salute re-enactment troops as they pass Sutherlin House, last capitol of Confederacy

'IHI CLOSEST
10 JEFFERSON·
.· .

'

L~si 1~7le~s

great-great-grandson
gets the presidential
treatment in Danville
Story by DWAYNE YANCEY
Photos by DAN DOUGHTIE

ANVILLE - On a g~orious April
weekend, with the dogwood and redbud in bloom and a Southern breeze
stirring the flags, a 37-year-old geologist from
the Dallas suburbs found that Virginians never forget.
In Richmond, they gave him a police escort · down Monument Avenue so he and his
wife could see the statues and lay a wreath in
Hollywood Cemetery.
In Danville, 100 people attended a ban. quet in his honor, where old men with Sons of
Confederate Veterans medals pinned on their
coats stood in line to get his autograph.
The next day he was given a guided tour
of the city and at lunch two more old gentlemen came up; one asked him to autograph the
local newspaper, the other simply wanted to
show off a family scrapbook.
That afternoon, at a ceremony at the Last
Capitol of the Confederacy, several hundred
people turned out to see him review the reenactment troops, who cheered him with a
hip-hip-hooray and a few spontaneous rebel
yells.
Then he retired upstairs to sit at the same
table · where his great-great-grandfather
penned the Confederacy's last proclamation

D

North Carolinian Roy Roach plays
over-shoulder cornet, aimed so
troops could hear music
- "Let us meet the foe with fresh defiance... " - and signed more autographs.
For Bertram Hayes-Davis, this fifth-generation hero-worship still comes as a giddy
surprise. "I'm just beginning to learn how to
handle it," he laughs.
He's not even a Southerner by-birth - he
grew up in Colorado - and he married a Yankee - Carol is from Cleveland - yet his rebel
blood is still pure enough for even the strict
constructionists of the United Daughters of
the Confederacy to claim him as a lost son.
Exactly 120 years ago this week, Jefferson Davis, president of the dying Confederate
States of America, was forced to flee Danville
one rainy night after re~eiving the news that
Lee had surrendered and federal troops were
on the way.
This past weekend his great-great-grandson was welcomed back with brass bands,
Please s~e Hayes-Davis, Page C&

Hayes-Davis sits at table where great-greatgrandfather signed last Confederate
proclamation. His· wife, Carol, looks on.

r

,-rom Page C 1
sunny skies and a proper reverence
for the Lost Cause.

* *

When he's not an unreconstructed rebel, Bert Hayes-Davis manages
the Rocky Mountain division of the
Hunt Energy Corp., part of the Hunt
-brothers oil empire.
But a decade ago, he became
interested in genealogy as well as
geology. Now he spends a half-dozen
weekends a year speaking about his
famous ancestor throughout the
South at Civil War re-enactments
and other historical ceremonies.
"I don't really think I'm a scholar or a well-known public figure. I
could not make money from it,"
Hayes-Davis says. "I do it more for
the fun of it and to present his
history."
.
He fears Jefferson Davis is becoming the Civil War's forgotten
man. Hayes-Davis remembers that
when he was in school, the Confederate president "was barely mentioned at all, just one sentence."
Yet, he says, "here's a man who
led half the country for five years."
He notes that Davis was a
"giant" of his era - a Mexican War
hero, a prominent senator and Cabinet member before he was elected
.president of the Confederacy. His
birthday - June 3 - is still a legal
holiday in seven Southern states.
"You always wonder if anything needs to be changed in the history books. But there was another
president. Let's not just diminish the
fact be lost. If it had been the other
way around, I wonder if we would
have heard of Lincoln today."
Hayes-Davis' standard theme is
the need for the preservation of historical sites and sometimes a little
bit about his family history:
President Davis had only one
child who married and that was a
daughter, Margaret, who married a
banker named Joel Addison Hayes.
When their son, Jefferson Addison Hayes, was 11, the family persuaded the Mississippi state
•~-.~1-.."··-

•-- ----- . . __ . . .

-L

.-1.....---t_..n

DAN DOUGHTIE/RT&WN

Bertram Hayes-Dav is
Does it 'for the fun of it'
Colorado Springs, a famous TB
treatment center in its day, and the
Hayes-Davises have been there ever
since.
Bert Hayes-Davis jokes that he
was elected president of the Davis
Family Association nine years ago
at the biennial family reunion in
Mississippi because he was standing
too far away from the podium to
hear what was going on.
But he's been re-elected at every reunion since and admits "actually I rather enjoy it."
He's the only family member
who goes in big for public appearances. It helps, he says, to have an
understanding boss and a wife who
likes to travel.
Carol used to be a legal secretary, but the lawyers, she says, "just
couldn't understand why I was always asking for every other Friday
off, between this and his other business trips." Now she sells real estate, so she can set her own
- . hours.
~

Ana wm::..............., 6 v, at least
in the South (they've never ventured
up North) they're treated like celebrities, as if old Jeff himself had
returned to lead a new rebellion.
Tiny rebel battle flags marked
each place setting at Friday's
$35-per-couple dinner in Danville
and the program began with the
pledge of allegiance to both the
American and Confederate flags.
Hayes-Davis was given a standing ovation when he was introduced.
He thought that was it, but then representatives of various historical
groups trooped forward to present
him with three books on Danville, a
portrait of Jefferson Davis and a
Sons of Confederate Veterans baseball cap with presidential gold braid
around the brim.
"I like this better than my oilfinding hat," he joked.
And when Jo Ricketts, a honeyvoiced sophom*ore at Tunstall High
School, lit into "Dixie" toward the
end of the evening, everyone knew
to stand at attention.
Saturday there was a flag-raising ceremony to mark the 120th
anniversary of Danville serving as
Confederate capital for one week in
April 1865 between the fall of Richmond and the surrender at Appomattox.
Hayes-Davis spoke to the crowd
- young couples with children eager to see the show to old women in
spring hats and furs who brought
their lawn chairs - then stood on
the porch and saluted the rag-tag
rebel troops as they marched smartly by the mansion.
When it was over and HayesDavis had gone inside for a reception and only the band was left on
the lawn to serenade the stragglers,
a small, white-haired man came up
the walk.
S.A. Bell, a retired railroad
worker from Roanoke, was smiling
as if he had just whipped a pack of
Yankees all by himself. The row of
medals on his chest, including one
designating him as commander of
the Fincastle Rifles camp of t~e
Sons of Confederate Veterans, gUs- · ··
fternoon sun.
. shake his hand? I did.
~est you'll ever get to
r·.,., Davis."

I
~z

;c:;

x---r

Confederate house
to be renovated
Associated Press

ti
di
th1
ne

na
a
pr

RICHMOND - The for mer
White House of the Confederacy will
get a $4.5 million face lift, the trustees of the house say.
David Bundy, a spokesman for
the house, now called the Museum of
the Confederacy, ann ounced
Wednesday a fund-raising drive for
the building where President Jefferson Davis and his family lived during the Civil War.
The house, located near the Virginia state Capitol in downtown
Richmond, was built in 1818. After
Richmond was abandoned by the
Confederacy, the house served as
the headquarters for Union occupation forces in Virginia. It was later'
used as a public school.
The campaign is to raise money
for interior restoration and for other
related museum facilities Bundy
said.
'
. Plans call for restoring the interior of the- house to its wartime
appearance, using many of the artifacts and other materials the muc
seum has collected and stored.
Other goals include completion of
the museum building adjacent to the
house and 'the establishment of an
endowment for future operations he
said.
'

[Jackson, King both loyal
IN RE PONSE to Glenn Ayers'
le! ter Feb. 13, we would like to dispel any myths about. Thomas. J.
"Stonewall" Jackson being a traitor
to his country.
.
Jackson did not beheve that he
was fighting against his country or
the Constitution. On the con ~ry, ~e
was fighting for the
enca in
which he believed. Jae
" s both
anti-slavery .and anti:se s on, and
his decision to side with the Confederacy w~s a pain~ul .o~e Loya!ty to
his tJome
te. Virgima, led him to
this decision.
Jackson did not seek to "butch-

er'.' his. fellow countrymen. During
this period, a person was more likely
to be loyal to his state than to his
country. To our ancestors oJ that era,
the American idea was embodied in
love for their home sta and they
sided with that state in
war.
Like King, Jackson was a pious
and dedicated man who fought for
something he believed in. Both were
loyal and great men who deServe a
respected place in American history.
KEVIN E.
GREGORY D. G
Blacksburg

r

,·rom Page C 1
sunny skies and a proper reverence
for the Lost Cause.

*

*

When he's not an unreconstructed rebel, Bert Hayes-Davis manages
the Rocky Mountain division of the
Hunt Energy Corp., part of the Hunt
<brothers oil empire.
But a decade ago, he became
interested in genealogy as well as
geology. Now he spends a half-dozen
weekends a year speaking about his
famous ancestor throughout the
South at Civil War re-enactments
and other historical ceremonies.
"I don't really think I'm a scholar or a well-known public figure. I
could not make money from it,"
Hayes-Davis says. "I do it more for
the fun of it and to present his
history."
.
He fears Jefferson Davis is becoming the Civil War's forgotten
DAN DOUGHTIE/RT&WN
man. Hayes-Davis remembers that
Bertram Hayes-Davis
when he was in school, the ConfederDoes it 'for the fun of it'
ate president "was barely mentioned at all, just one sentence."
Yet, he says, "here's a man who
Colorado Springs, a famous TB
led half the country for five years."
treatment center in its day, and the
He notes that Davis was a
Hayes-Davises have been there ever
"giant" of his era - a Mexican War
since.
hero, a prominent senator and CabiBert Hayes-Davis jokes that he
net member before he was elected . was elected president of the Davis
president of the Confederacy. His
Family Association nine years ago
birthday - June 3 - is still a legal
at the biennial family reunion in
holiday in seven Southern states.
Mississippi because he was standing
"You always wonder if anytoo far away from the podium to
thing needs to be changed in the hishear what was going on.
tory books. But there was another
But he's been re-elected at evpresident. Let's not just diminish the
ery reunion since and admits "acfact he lost. If it had been the other
tually I rather enjoy it."
way around, I wonder if we would
have heard of Lincoln today."
He's the only family member
who goes in big for public appearHayes-Davis' standard theme is
the need for the preservation of his·
ances. It helps, he says, to have an
understanding boss and a wife who
torical sites and sometimes a little
likes to travel.
bit about his family history:
President Davis had only one
Carol used to be a legal secrechild who married and that was a
tary, but the lawyers, she says, "just
daughter Margaret, who married a
couldn't understand why I was albanker n~med Joel Addison Hayes.
ways asking for every other Friday
When their son, Jefferson Addioff, between this and his other busison Hayes, was 11, the family perness trips." Now she sells real essuaded the Mississippi state
tate, so she can set her own hours.
legislature to pass an act changing
"Everywhere we go it's an exhis name to Hayes-Davis.
perience," she says. "We get to see
The elder Hayes suffered from
places we wouldn't have seen. We
tuberculosis, so the family moved to
meet people we wouldn't have met."

-

- ... -

Ana wm:. ". "' """J 6 v, at least
in the South (they've never ventured
up North) they're treated like celebrities, as if old Jeff himself had
returned to lead a new rebellion.
Tiny rebel battle flags marked
each place setting at Friday's
$35-per-couple dinner in Danville
and the program began with the
pledge of allegiance to both the
American and Confederate flags.
Hayes-Davis was given a standing ovation when he was introduced.
He thought that was it, but then representatives of various historical
groups trooped forward to present
him with three books on Danville, a
portrait of Jefferson Davis and a
Sons of Confederate Veterans baseball cap with presidential gold braid
around the brim.
"I like this better than my oilfinding hat," he joked.
And when Jo Ricketts, a honeyvoiced sophom*ore at Tunstall High
School, lit into "Dixie" toward the
end of the evening, everyone knew
to stand at attention.
Saturday there was a flag-raising ceremony to mark the 120th
anniversary of Danville serving as
Confederate capital for one week in
April 1865 between the fall of Richmond and the surrender at Appomattox.
Hayes-Davis spoke to the crowd
- young couples with children eager to see the show to old women in
spring hats and furs who brought
their lawn chairs - then stood on
the porch and saluted the rag-tag
rebel troops as they marched smartly by the mansion.
When it was over and HayesDavis had gone inside for a reception and only the band was left on
the lawn to serenade the stragglers,
a small, white-haired man came up
the walk.
S.A. Bell, a retired railroad
worker from Roanoke, was smiling
as if he had just whipped a pack of
Yankees all by himself. The row of
medals on his chest, including one
designating him as commander of
the Fincastle Rifles camp of tbe
Sons of Confederate Veterans, gVstened in the lft~rrtoon sun.
"Did you shake his hand? I did.
That's the closest you'll ever get to
meeting Jef/e1'$"n Davis."

I
~z
1'7 <?SConfederate house
to be renovated
Associated Press

ti
di
th,
ne
na
a~

pr

Wf
t~
UI

en

RICHMOND - The former
White House of the Confederacy will
get a $4.5 million face lift, the trustees of the house say.
David Bundy, a spokesman for
the house, now called the Museum of
the Confederacy, announced
Wednesday a fund-raising drive for
the building where President Jefferson Davis and his family lived during the Civil War.
The house, located near the Virginia state Capitol in downtown
Richmond, was built in 1818. After
Richmond was abandoned by the
Confederacy, the house served as
t~e headquarters for Union occupation forces in Virginia. It was later
used as a public school.
The campaign is to raise money
for interior restoration and for other
related museum facilities Bundy
said.
'
. Plans call for restoring the interior of the· house to its wartime
appearance, using many of the artifacts and other materials the museum has collected and stored.
Other goals include completion of
the museum building adjacent to the
house and 'the establishment of an
en~owment for future operations, he
said.

I'

~ ackson, King both loyal
IN RESPONSE to Glenn Ayers'
le! ter Feb. 13, we would like to dispel a"rey myths about . Thomas. J.
"Stonewall" Jackson being a traitor
to his country.
.
Jackson did not believe that he
was fighting against his country or
the Constitution. On the con ~ry, ~e
was fighting for the merica m
which he believed. Jae n as both
on, and
anti-slavery .and anti:s
his decision to side with the Confederacy wa a painful one. Loyalty to
his home s te, Virginia, led him to
, this decision.
"
.
Jackson did not seek to butch-

er'.' his. fellow countrymen. During
this period, a person was more likely
to be loyal to his state than to bis
country. To our ancestors of that era,
the American idea was embodied in
love for their home sta ~ and they
sided with that state in tne war.
Like King, Jackson was a pious
and dedicated man who fought for
something he believed in. Both were
loyal and great men who deserve a
respected place in American history.
KEVIN E.
NE
GREGORY D. GILI.JAM
Blacksburg

"-·~....

·""

··~

'.......

-

1Jou au coidiaffy inuifr.d
to atfr.nd thE
!20th c:llnniuEuaiy CE[Ebiation
of Canf*ckiah ~7\E1idEnt JEffEuon CJ:jaui1'
ui1it to ~anuif[c.
in cf/-fnif of 1865.
'.Jhi1 EUEnt wiff takE placE
on c:llp.id 6, 1985 at 2:00 p..m.
at the. ~anudfE d{/( u1Eum of
'.:hnE cf/-ih and d/i1toiy.

Cffzt: :Danuif[c. cMu:irnm of 'Jint:
cf7it:i and d/i:itoiy,
cf7nnt: Efiza :J-ohn:i Ch.ap.tt:i
'li.nitt:d '.Daughtt:a of tht: Conft:dnacc.y,
Cfh.t: '.Danuifft: d/i:itoiica[ Socit:ly,
18th <1/i'l.ginia <1/o[untt:n:i Company 23.,
q}aint:tt-9.Jt:tti9nw Ch.ap.tn cMditaty <!Jidn
of tht: ataa and !Baa,

HILL HISTORY
"Still Peedinq the Shenandoah Valley After 137 Years"

On a tragic day in 1 758 , a pa rt y of savage Indians, led by
the not orious c hief Bi l l Buck, atta c ked the resid e n ts o f Hawksbill
Sett le men t nea r Lur ay , Vi rginia, killing a ll bu t two you ng hays who
were taken as prisone rs. One o f those yo u ths was Ge orge Bis hop who ,
?assessi ng a dmirable hunting skills, gained confidence o f the young
~ hief.
S tanding proudly, tall and e r ect, Bis hop was ref er r e d to as
~Gra r.d s taff" by h is captors, who said that he ca rr ied himself like a
q r a nd s taff.
He was held capt i ve for three years, fi nall y escaping
from the Indians during a hunting exc ursion in 1761 .
The yo un g ma n
~hos e to retain the na me Gra nd staff upo n r e turning to civilization,
as d re ni nder o f his t i me with th e India ns .
He set tled first in
White Ho u se Settlement near Luray and, later, on Narrow Pa s sage
Cr e ek. Grandstaff married and had two sons, Georg e a nd Philip.
~ime quickly passed and Phillip s oo n had s ix so ns and four daughters of his own.
His so n, George, namesake of the first Grandstaff,
·•as born in 1787 and grew up in Ed i nburg, becoming very active in
the political and military affairs of his county.
After serving as
a n offi c er in the War of 1812, Major Grandstaff ret u rned to Edinburg
marrying, and raising nine children.
In 1848, Grandstaff built the E~urq Gr~t f1j.J.l.
As the
t urmoil of the Civil War erupted several years l ate r, the Shenandoah
I/alley b ecame known as "the grainery of the Confederacy,• and the
Edinburg Mill supplied much of the grain to the Southern forces.
As
~ nion G~ Sh~ blaz ed his way through the So uth, the mil l in
Sd inburg was to be one of his fiery targets.
Storming into the town,
Sheridan and his raiders twice set fire to the mill, but the flames
were quenched after Nellie Koontz and Melvina Grandstaff, the Major's
charming grandaughters, b oldly and courageously pleaded with t h e
Yankee Ge neral to spare the mill.
Nellie even recieved pP.rmission
ride Shridan's horse and, with a Confederate flag sewn to her
pe ttic o ats, rode daringly through the Valley, warning t he Confederacy
o f Sheridan's plan for attack.
The mill survived the Ci vi l War and
co ntinued to supply the grain vital to the Edinburg area.
The charred
embe rs from Sherida n ·· s b lazing torch, however, still serve as a reminder
~o the War, representing the scars left on the building.
The Edinburg
Mill stayed in production from 1848 until 1978 and, after a succession
o f millers during 131 ye ars rich with history, is sti ll fee ding the
She nan doah Valley.

11rn1.11 11 1~ 1111 1 \

.l/'\CKSON
W I

IRh\

Appetizers

EDINBURG MILL
LUNCHEON MENU

CRABMEP.T co*ckTAIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 3 . 75
CLAMS ON HALF SHELL . . . . . . . . . . •...• .. . . . . . . . .•. . . . . . . . $3. 25

Entrees

SHRIMP co*ckTAIL ....... .....• . .... . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • $3. 95

Soups
JUMBO PRIED SHRIMP .. ..... ..•..... ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5 · 75
TURTLE SOUP W/SHERRY ..BOWL

$2.2S . .. CUP

$1.SO

CLAM CHOWDER .•.....•.• BOWL $2. 25 · -· ... CUP $1. 50
Pull of Clams--Our Famous Recipe

Tend er and Deep Pried to Perfection
CRAB CAKES .•...•.......•..........••...•........ •..... $5 · 50
Our Famous Recipe for 32 Years
GOLDEN PRIED OYSTERS(in seasonl°••..••.•..•.•.... ...... SS.25

SOUP OP THE DAY ...••.. BOWL $1.75 .•... CUP $1.00

Plump and Juicy, Lightly Breaded
SCAMPI MARINARA ••.•...••.•••..•.•.••..••..•.......•... $5. 7 S
Shrimp in a Lightly Seasoned Sauce

SOUP AND SALAD BAR .••..• $2.95

SCALLOPS MARINARA .•.•..•.•.•.••......•.• ..•. .. •.... ... $S • 50

Salads

In a Lightly Seasoned Sauce
SHRIMP

SHRIMP SALAD •.••......•....•••..•••....•............. $5. 7S
STUFFED TOMATO w/ SHRIMP & CRABMEAT ....•..•....••..•. $6.25
CHEF SALAD

--- . ----..... -. --..... - . -. ---... - .. --........ . -...... $4.SO

&

SCALLOPS •..••.••.•••.•...••.••..•.•.....•...• $6 · 95

Sauteed in Creamy Wine Sauce
SOLE ALMONDINE •••••..•••.••.•••.•..•.•••.••••.••....•. $5 ·SO
Sauteed in Butter with Almonds
HADDOCK BRETONE .•.•....••..••••.•...••••....•.••...... $5 · 25

Sandwiches

Sauteed in Butter with Baby Shrimp and Mushrooms
CHICKEN NORMANDY •• ..•.... ....• . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . $4 · 9:.

l/4lb. CHAR.-BROILED HAMBURGER . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • • $1.95
with MELTED CHEESE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . • . . . . • .$ 2 . 2 5

Chicken Breast in a Cream Sauce with Mushrooms
ABOVE ENTREES INCLUDE VEGETABLE, COLE SLAW AND HOMEMADE BREAD

with BACON and CHEESE .....•••.•..•..••........••$2 ·SO
CLUB SANDWICH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3. 50
CRAB CAKE SANDWICH .••.......................•.•.• ••• . $3.SO
FISH SANDWICH W/COLE SLAW ...•.•...•...•.•..•.•...•..• $2. 95

$7.95 ..•• JOIN US FOR A SUPERB SUNDAY BRUNCH

11:00-3:00

$4.95 .••• LUNCHEON BUFFET MONDAY THRO FRIDAY

11:00-3:00

PORK BAR-B-Q SANDWICH w/COLE SLAW ..•.•••.•••.•••...• $2.95

$5.95 ..•• SATURDAY LUNCHEON BUFFET

11:00-3:00

TURKEY SANDWICH
BAM

&

.................................................... $ 2 . 9 5

CHEESE . . . • . . . . . . • . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . • . . $ 3 . S 0
ABOVE SANDWICHES INCLUDES POTATO

CHIPS

Side Orders
FRENCH PRIES

$

. 7S

STUFFED POTATO

Desserts
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE ..........••.................•••... $1. 8-5

ONION RINGS_..• Sl.00
SKINS ... $2.75

HOMEMADE FRUIT PIES w/REAL ICE CREAM ..•..•••..•........ $2.50
SINFUL MILLER. . . . . . . . . • . . . . • . • . • . • . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . • . . . $ 3 · 00
HOMEMADE TOLL HOUSE PIE ...... · · · · · · · · . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2. 00

ffltW/ OP
~"Y k.YP& Pt:'vp,l.A_s

ST. JOHNS
EPISCOPAL

CHURCH

BATTLE OF
JUNE 9 I

62

Cuera l ton• "'•ll Jae • • n "' hh b OOO Conlede ratea 11t •tted C ea....i
Ja•u ~ hJ t l d• ' 111 u ard
0 00 u nder Cenen l E 8 Tyln whteh ~U
• • ht 1 d ··• l1.1n:r •ll•y to Join G u r al J C Fre nao nt 1 1r•1 J•r~•
•Cuen IC! "'1a'1er • t:rfa•d• bo l& t• r ed t-y tb• 7 1h Loulet ....
a••a J•f th • f d Mi ia u ptured one Cont dera1• . - - .
""•IR. Eto ll dh 111 ton and Ce Dera l Die Taylor'•
ar ; •d •:ad u rtu r ed th• atx gu n l .. plare d 11 •••
~. f
e f'll toun 1er1 n u td and r C':oored tlle ,..._

THE OLD STONE BRIDGE. JUST
TD THE NORTH, PLAYED A PART
IN THE BATTLES DF' MANASSAS.
HERE RESTED THE CDNF'EDERATE
LEFT IN THE EARLY MORNING or '
JULY ZI. 1861, DYER THE BRIDGE
POPE'S RETREATING ARMY PASSED.
AUGUST 30. 186Z.

THESE ARE THE GROUNDS OF' THE
HENRY HOUSE, WHERE OCCURRED
THE MAIN ACTION OF THE FIRST
BATTLE OF MANASSAS. JULY 21,
IB61. AND THE CLOSING SCENE DF
THE SECOND BATTLE OF MANASSAS. AUGUST 30, 1862.

Salem

Til!!!!:~egister

Above 18 a photo by A. H. Plecker or the laat packet boat on the James. It carried Stonewall .Jackson's
remains from Lyncbbura to Lexington. Below left 11 L. Asbury Maury of Salem holding a portrait
photo of Robert E. Lee taken by his arandfather's uncle, A.H. Plecker (below right),

T
y Maxyn Trompeter
If n picture i worth a thousand
wor • th n L. Asbur Maury should
h • worth milli ns.
Sitting in the hasem*nt of Maury's
house on Diamond Road in Salem is a
large cumbersome trunk lad~n with.Civil
War history and photographs t1&ken by
his grandfather's uncle.
Maury's grandfather's uncle, A.H.
Plecker, was a photographer of some
reknown during the Civil War. Some
say he wa Robert E. Lee's pet onal
photQgra pher. Maury says he "oouldp't
say for sure.''
" Mr. Plecker was a very interesting
man," Maury recalled . "He took
photographs througho ut the 'Civil War,
traveling in a horse and buggy, taking
pictures as he roamed."
Though more than 100 years old , the
photographs and reproductions appear
starkly real, unabashedly grabbing
one's attention.
There's the photograph of Ro bert E.
Lee, surrounded by 13 "belles." It's a
picture that still has people wondering
who these young women might be,
Maury said.
And there's Lee on his hot;')e
Traveler, taken in 1866 and copyrighted
in 1906. Another photograph has Lee
standi ng proudl y erect, ho ld ing
Traveler's reins . Yet another shows Le.e
in a ,quiet mood , his white beard and
hair offset by dark eyebrows.
Still another · is a persona lly
a4tographed portrait-looki ng photo of
the general.
Mrs. Lee al o is among those whom
Plecker photographed many times ,
from many d'fferent angles.
One pose shows her sitting in a
wheelchair, draped in a shawl ,And

we ring a hat from which her graywhite curls cascade. Another shows her
w.it h dark hair and a stern. steady stare.
There's also a forma l photograph of
Stonewall Jackson in full uniform at
Winchester. T he on ly break in the
severe study is his curly beard.
l n addition to high-ranking officers
and enigmatic women, Plecker often
photogra phed ordinary sold iers and
scenes surrounding their daily routines:
One particular photograph shows all 82
mem be ~ of the Anderson Battery, the
unit to which Plecker belonged during
the war. In this picture, Plecker

painstakingly numbered each man and
identified him fully.
Among other Plecker treasures is a
meaty scrapbook with a flag on the
front and three flags on the back.
Sandwiched between the hard covers
are other photographs .and clippings
relating to Plecker's life.
About the same time he was
acqu1r 1n g a reputation as a
photographer during the war, he and
his wife Margaret a lso acquired a
ready-made family.
When Margaret's brother John Kelly
S. Maury of Fincastle was killed during

the Battle f Williamsburg in 1862. she
insisted ·that the Plecke rs take in
Maury's four ch ildren and raise them as
their own.

became a tinner. "He escaped by
putting 0 11 roofs," Maury la ughed.
Plecker died at the Old Soldiers'
l:lome in Richmond in the 1920's. His
belongings were se nt to Maury's gra nd·
They grew up in Sa lem, spe nding
many years in the Plecker home on father who was living with Maury at the
time.
South Alabama Street, now the site of
When the trunk arrived , there wa · a
the Sa lem firehou se, Maury sa id.
lot of interest in the memories it held.
"Mr. Plecker made photographers Maury sa id . As the years slipped away,
out · of three of them," he recalled. howeve r, so did the interest.
Nowadays, Maury "rarely" looks
Maury's grandfather, Charles, was a
photographer in Martinsville; his through the memorabilia anymore.
brother Ed had a photography studio in although he admits the large trunk is a
Lynchburg; and sister Sallie opened "constant a nd interesting reminder" of
o_ne in Salem. The fourth sibling, Ed. · his family's past.

c:

·"'
(I)

('\

· Hobbyists
re-enact

Civil War
battles
By FMN ARRINGTON
!any people have studied the
the Civil War in school, but few have
ado.ally fought in a batUe ·of that
war.
Roger Marcum has. He and five
other Roanoke-area men get together on weekends and relive the bat·
· les of the Civil War as members of
Company C of the 2nd Virginia Calvary, also known as "The Botetourt
Dragoons."
According to Marcum and the
company historian, Mike Howard,
the original Company "C" was
formed sometime before 1859 to
serve and protect the citizens of
Fincastle.
Qn May 17, 1861, a group of
men. young and old, left FincasUe
en route to Lynchburg. They arrived
six days later and were sworn into
service as Company C. The:1 were
placed under the command of Jubal
A. Early and immediately ordered
t.o Manassas to do battle.
.
And, as the recruitment litera·
ture for Roger Marcum's Company
C states, "The rest is history."
By organizing his Civil War ~
enactment unit, Marcum has given
new life to the 2nd Virginia Calvary.
The new company, formed last February, offers its members a chance
to defy nature and slip back into
PIAAsP.-

Sl;!A

Chai War. Page

s 11

~1v1l

War

From Page 55

time.
"Our purpose as re-enactors is
to recreate, as close as possible,
according to information and documents available to us, the life of a
common calvaryman during the
1861-1865 period of the Civil War,"
Marcum said.
Marcum explained that the
group participates in three types of
events. Actual battles are re-enact·
ed as closely as possible to the real
battles. Field exercises are conducted that are similar to "Capture the
Flag" games. And the group partici·
pates in what are known as "living
histories."
During these "histories," no
fighting is done. Instead, campsites
are set up just as they would have
been during wartime, and specta·
tors are allowed in to watch the
-company drill.
Marcum said the re-enactments
often take his unit up and down the
East Coast, to Maryland, North and
South Carolina, Tennessee and other
states.
On a typical battle weekend,
Marcum said, his company would
leave for the battle site on Friday
night and return home late Sunday .
evening.
These trips include drilling exercises, drill competitions, uniform
competition, ladies' dress competi·
tion and tea for the women. Also
included is a tactical exercise, a
Civil War period dress ball, church
services Sunday morning and a Sunday battle staged for spectators.
''We really have a good time,"
Marcum said. "We try to fight as
close as possible to the real date
each battle was fought on. But, since
we only fight on weekends, sometimes that's not possible.
"We also try to fight on the ac·
tual sites, if we can," he continued.
"But a lot of. them are national
parks now and they're real strict
about what you can and can't do."
Because many of the parks
prohibit horses or real ammunition,
Marcum said his unit tries to avoid
the parks. Instead, they opt for an
open field where they have a freer
hand at re-enacting their battles.
Marcum and Howard both
stress authenticity in every other aspect of the re-enactments.
"I go to the library and do a lot
of research on each battle," Howard
said. "We go through a lot of detail
to have everything just like it was
when the battle was fought."
"Anybody who joins the company has got to understand that we
;tress being authentic," .M~r~m

agreed. "It can get pretty expensive
with uniforms, weapons, ammuni·
tions and all that. But everything
has to be from the time period."
Jackets have to be gray and of
wool. Buttons must be either of
brass, pewter or rubber. All trousers
must be light blue, of wool and held
up by suspenders.
Also, during a re-enactment,
calvarymen must eat only commodities that were available to the real
Confederate soldiers.
"On our latest trip, we took fixins for stew," Marcum said. "We ate
that for supper. For breakfast, we
ate eggs, .bacon and fried sweet potatoes, all cooked over the open
fire."
The hobby is an expensive one,
however. Marcum estimated that a
properly outfitted calvaryman will
spend between $500 to $800, depending on whether he makes or buys
most of his uniform and equipment.
He said those figures include the
prices of a musket or carbine and a
revolver.
He and Howard named a few
things that are not authentic and
thus are not allowed during these
weekend re-enactments. Among
them are some things that many
people consider essential equipment
today.
They include wristwatches
(only pocket watches are allowed),
eyeglasses (only wire-framed are
permitted), flashlights, candles, and
sleeping bags (only wool blankets
are allowed).
Despite hardships, Marcum is
adamant about authenticity:
"We know this is an expensive
hobby, but we want people who
won't mind spending the money to
get the real thing," he said. The
company is hoping to deter some of
those expenses by achieving a nonprofit status, he added.
"We're looking for an attorney
who will volunteer his time to help
get us incorporated. Then some ~f
these expenses will be tax deductl·
ble."
Marcum said although the com·
pany will not discriminate against
any person, women and blacks _could
have very limited, if any, role m the
re-enactments.
"We get women sometimes who
say they want to do actual fi~hting,
but that's just not the way 1t was
back then," he explained. "Most
women on the battlefield were in the
nurses corps, and that's what our
women will be doing."
As for blacks, Marcum and
Howard sa1d thev know of onlv nru>

black man who participated in the
company.
"He was a slave who belonged
to one of the generals," Marcum
recalled. He said that to have a
slave on the battlefield was rare In
Company C; thus, Marcum said his
company "discourages blacks frum
joining."
Marcum said his unit also discourages problem drinkers, Vietnam veterans who suffer posttraumatic stress disorders, and individuals affiliated with such groups
as the Ku Klux Klan and the NeoNazi Party.
Those interested in joining
should visit the company's Civil War
Recruiting Station Saturday at the
Vinton Folklife Festival. The festival runs from 10 a.m: to 5 p.m.
All recruits will be asked to fill
out an application form and go
through a screening process. Once
approved, all recruits will be s·
in during a ceremony set for
p.m.
Those unable to attend thi .
tival may call Marcum at 563
from 6 to 10 p.m. any evenin ...

r

.;

jACK GAKING/RT&WI\

Mike Howard (left) and Rog.er Marcum in their

:···.,iforms

AP Laserphoto

. Rebel victory

ii~~"])~~ l

Bo b Leco unt, left , and Kenneth Blahto n , me mbers
of the So ns of Co nfederate War Veteran s, stand at
Civil War era earthen fortifications of Warwick
'18.lvd ., near Fort Eustis in Newport News, Va. Th e

re doubts , bui lt by sl aves and soldiers in 1862,
were sc heduled to be demolished for new housing,
but recently were saved with a special designation
from the city's historical c ommittee .

PROGRAM
ANNUAL LEE-JACKSON DINNER

OF

THE FINCASTLE RIFLES CAMP, s.c.v.
March 16, 1985
7:00 P. M.

CALL TO ORDER • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
DodSon Chaplain,
'TV'("'"j\ 'TION • • • • • • • Mr• Melvin P•
.u.'y\J\,,tn
Fincastle Rifles Camp, s.c.v.

PLEOO-E OF .ALLmIANCE TO ir:.uia~'i:dley, Lieutenant commander ,
Fincastl e Rifles

Camp

Mr. c. D. Chilton

. PROORAM
ANNUAL LEE-JACKSON DnmER

OF
THE FINCASTLE RIFLES CAMP,

March 16, 1985

CALL TO ORDER • • • • •

s.c.v.

• • • • • • • • • • • • 7:00 P. M.

INVOCATION • • • • •· •• Mr. Melvin P. Dodson - Cha.plain,

Fincastle Rifles camp,

s.c.v.

PLEOO:E OF ALLmIANCE TO THE U. S. FLAG
Mr. Larey Bradley, Lieutenant Commander,
Fincastle Rifles Ce.mp

c. n.

Mr.
STAILSPANGLED BANNER. •

Chilton

• • • • • • • • • • , Assembl.1'

SALUTE TO THE FLAG OF VIMINIA

Mr. Larry Bradley

Lieutenant Commander, Fincastle Rifles Camp
c. D. Chilton

Mr.

CARRY ME BACK TO OLD VIIGINNY ••• • • • • • • Assembly
SALUTE TO THE CONFEDEFATE FIAG, • • • • Mr, Larry Bradley
Mr. c. D. Chilton

DIXIE • • • • • • • • • • •

•

• • • • • • • • • Assembly

DINNER

WELCOME

Mr.

s.

A. Bell, Conmiander

F1ncast1e Rif'l.es Camp
l:NTRODUCTION OP D:ISTD«ltT.ISHED GUESTS

Mr. S • A. Bell, Commander

F.Lncastl.e R:l:f'l.es Cem;p

ADDRESS

c. Middleton,
Retired Assistant Managing
Editor, Roanoke ~:I.mes .and
World News

MEDLEY OF CONFEDEPATE SONGS

Mr,

PRESENTATION OF MEDALS .

Mr, s. A, Bell, Commander
Mr, Jeffrey Briggs

REMARKS

Mr. Gary Walker

Mr. Norwood

c.

D. Chilton

Mr. Jeffrey Briggs

BENEDICTION

Mr. Melvin P, Dodson,

Chaplain, Fincastle Rifles Camp,

s.c.v.

THE BIVOUAC IN THE SNOW

.;
I

The representative woman singer of the Confederacy here furnishes
a picture in full contrast with the preceding. She was the daughter of
the eminent Presbyterian clergyman, Dr. George Junkin, who was from
1848 to 1861 president of Washington College. On the outbreak of
the war he resigned and returned North, but his daughter, who in 1857
had married Professor J. T. L. Preston, founder of the Virginia Military
Institute, warmly championed the cause of her husband and of the South .

Halt!-the march is over,
. Day is almost done;
Loose the cumbrous knapsack,
Drop the heavy gun.
Chilled and wet and weary,
W antler to and fro,
Seeking wood to kindle
Fires amidst the snow.
Round the bright blaze gather,
Heed not sleet nor cold;
Ye are Spartan soldiers,
Stout and brave and bold.
Never Xerxian army
Yet subdued a foe
Who but asked a blanket
On a bed of snow.
Shivering, 'midst the darkness,
Christian men are found,
There devoutly kneeling
On the frozen groundPleading for their country,
In its hour of woeFor its soldiers marching
Shoeless.through the snow.
Lost in heavy slumbers,
Free from toil and strife,
Dreaming of their dear onesHome, and child, and. wifeTentless they are lying,
While the fires burn lowLying in their blankets,
'Midst December's snow.
MARGARET JUN KIN PRESTON.

CAVALRY CROSSING A FORD
A line in long array where they wind betwixt green islands,
They take a serpentine course, their arms flash in the sun hark to the musical clank,
'
[ 13-1 l

t/ /I- .

MEMORIAL HOUR
87 t h ANNUAL CONVENTION
VIRGI NIA . DIVISION
UNITED DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY

-

At subsequent meetings, Mr. Frances Meeks was requested to have the ground cleared for the cemetary. "Johnny
Reb" was the subject of the lecture by Col Farrar. Major
McLean entertained Col. Farrar during his stay at the
Court House and Mr. John W. Webb i'urnished the necessary
trans portation to and from the depot.
The coffins for the bodies of the soldiers, buried in
the cemetery, were made by persons emplpyed for that purpose with a part of the lumber being contributed. The reinterment of the bodies took place on the 1st day of December, 1866, at which time an address was made by L. D.
Isbell, F,q., and religious services were conducted by
Rev. G. W. Leyburn. The .following is a list of the names
so .far as lrn.own of the Con.federate Soldiers buried in the
Cemetery at Appomattox Court House and the order in which
they are buried. The graves are numbered from the centre
right and left alternat ely from the head of the graves.
Grave
Grave
Grave
Grave
Grave

WAR MEMOR I AL CHAPEL
BLACI<SBUHG , VIRGIN I A

Grave
Grave
Grave
Grave
Grave
Grave
Grave
Grave
Grave
I Grave
Grave
(}rave
Grave

No.
No.
No.
No.
No.

1

2
3

l+
5

No. 6
No. 7
.No. 8
No. 9
No.10
No.11
No.12
No.13
No.11+
No.15
No.16
No.17
No.18

Capt. Mil~s C. Macon, Fayette Artillery Va.
Sergt. o. F. DeMesme, Donaldsonville Art. La ,
A. B. Hicks, Co 11 D11 26th Va. Regiment
J ·. H. Hutchins., Co 11 A11 5th Alabama :Battal ion
J. W. Douglas, Found near Conner's Ol d Hous e
under Mulberry tree
J. W. Ashby, 2nd Yirginia Cavalry
P .F .M.Winn, Battery 11 E 11 9th Ga. 'Regiment
J. A. Hogan, Co. "E" 26th Ga. Regiment
Name unknown, Found near Mrs.E.S. Robertson ' s
Name UnknO'\·m, Found near Conner is Old Hous e
Name Unknown, Found near Sam. 1 1 H. Coleman 's
Name Unknown, Found in Pryor Wright rs .fieid
Name Unknown, Found near Conner's Old House
Name Unknown, Found in Jack Sears' .field
Name Unkno~m, Found near Capt. Hixrs Icepond
Name Unknown, Found near Appomattox Depot
Name Unknown, Found near Appomattox Depot
Name Unknown, Found near Willis Inge's f ord

Mrs. Ella W. Flood, Corresponding Secretary, was requested to write to the families of deceased soldiers
whose address could be a.scertained .
The .funds on hand
with a neat plank .fe

____ _.

.-~-

enclose the cemetery

n

.d Y

Chairman - One thing have I desi red of the Lord , which
I wi 11 require;

MEMORIAL HOUR
VI RGINIA DIVISION
Tuesday, Oct ober 5, 1982 - 2~00 p,M .
W
ar Memoria l Chapel
Bl ac ksburg , Virgin i a
Miss Ruth B. Burgess, Memor ia l Chairman, Presiding
Organ Pre l ude .

....... .

Mrs. M. C. Newton, Sr .

Response - Even that I may dwell in the House of the
Lord all the days of my life, to behold
the fair beauty of the Lord, and visit His
temple.
Chairman - For in the time of trouble He shall hide me
in His Tabernacle.
Response - Yea, in the secret place of His dwelling
shall He hide me, and set me up upon a rock
of stone.

Hymn - "How Firm a Foundation"
How firm a foun dat ion, ye sai nts of the Lord,
Is laid fo r your fa i th i n Hi s excellent Word !
What more can He say t ha n t o you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
To you who for refu ge to Jesus have fled?

Chairman - And now shall He lift up mine head.

Call t o Servi ce:

Chairman - Therefore, will I offer in His dwelling an
oblation, with great gladness.

Rev. Alfred C. Payne

"Man as ked Life of Thee and Thou gavest it Him
His struggles
1n morta l combat are indi cative of Man ' s wi ll to live .
L ~t us reca ll t hat Hi s influence can l ong outlive the
life that sheds i t, that much of thi s world's work
is being done by t he departed, that among all, the
forces of the earth there i s none more potent t han
that of those we ca ll dead."
~ve n length of days forever and ever .

PRAYER . . . . .

......

. .... .

In Uni son

"Al mi ghty God with Whom do live th e Sp i rits of
those who depart hence i n the Lord, we gi ve Thee
hearty thanks f or the good exampl es of all those Thy
Servants who, hav i ng f i ni shed their course i n faith
do now rest f rom t heir labours . We beseech Thee
to g~ant them cont inual growth i n Thy l ove and
serv1ce, and to give us grace so to foll ow their
good examples , t hat wi th them we may be parta ke rs
of Thy11 Heavenly Kingdom, t hro ugh Jesus Christ Ou r
Lord. Amen.
RESPONSIVE READING - Psa l m 27: 4_7
led by Miss Rut h B. Burgess

Response - Above mine enemies round about me.

Response - I will sing and speak praises unto the Lord.
Rev. Alfred C. Payne

PRAYER .

"Almighty God, we remember this day before Thee
Thy faithful servants and we pray that having opened
to them the gates of longer life, Thou wilt receive
them more and more into Thy joyful service, that
they may win, with Thee and Thy servants everywhere
the eternal victory through Jesus Christ our Lord."
SPECIAL MEMORIALS
Division Officers
Hampton No . 26

Mrs. Harry Tyler Lewis
(Louise Dupuy Wehn)
Recorder of Crosses
Virginia Division 1933-35

Sa rah Rice Pryor No . 197

Mrs . Thomas J . Blair
(Clarine Jeannette Bailey)
Past Third Vice President &
Treasure r Virginia Division

Special Chapter Memorials
Arlington No. 149

Mrs. T. Leigh Gibson
(Bruce Marie Hughes)

Arlington No. 149

Mrs. Lloyd L. McMul l an
(Margaret Haran)

City Point No. 187

Mrs. J. T. Epperson
(Josephine Wade)

Lee No. 123

Mrs. Eleanor Pillow Ewell
(Eleanor Rives Pillow)

Lee No. 123

Mrs. Cl au de E. Wi1 ey
(Cora Louise Hillsman)

Mary Anna Jackson No. 189 Miss Lulu Neblette Gravely
Mineral No. 176

Mrs. Sidney Hugh Swift
(Janie Hanco*ck)

Pickett-Buchanan No. 11

Mrs. H. Lloyd Church
(Effie Helen Shane)

VOCAL SOLO

MRS. ROBERT McDUFFY

ROLL CALL OF DECEASED DAUGHTERS

Miss Ruth B. Burgess

PRESENTATION OF MEMORIAL WREATH

Miss Ruth B. Burgess

Accepted by Mrs. John M. Wingfield, President Virginia
Div i sion, and placed at Monument of Dr. Harvey Black,
Westview Cemetery.
BENEDICTION . . . . . . . . . .

Rev. Alfred C. Payne

Organ Postlude . . . . . . . . Mrs. M. C. Newton, Sr.
PAGES
Mi ss Irene Francis
Miss Lucy Lee Lancaster
Mrs . Curtis J . Tate

Miss Louise Francis
Miss Katharine Gilbert
Miss Hattie Moseley

l

////-

MEMORIAL HOUR
87th ANNUAL CONVENTION
VIRGINIA . DIVISION
UNITED DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY

-

.

At subsequent meetings, Mr. Frances Meeks was requested to have the ground cleared for the cemetary. "Johnny
Reb" was the subject of the lecture by Col Farrar. Major
McLean entertained Col. Farrar during his stay at the
Court House and Mr. John W. Webb i'urnished the necessary
transportation to and from the depot.
The coffins for the bodies of the soldiers, buried in.
the cemetery, were made by persons emplpyed for that purpose with a part of the lumber being contributed. The reinterment of the bodies took place on the lst day of December, 1866, at which time an address was made by L. D.
Isbell, Eq., and religious services were conducted by
Rev. G. W. Leyburn. The following is a list of the names
so far as lrn.own of the Confederate Soldiers buried in the
Cemetery at Appomattox Court House and the order in which
they are buried. The graves are numbered from the centre
right and left alternately from the head of the graves.

WAR MEMORIAL CHAPEL
BLACKSBURG , VIRGINIA

Grave
Grave
Grave
Grave
Grave

No.
No.
No.
No.
No.

Grave
Grave
Grave
Grave
Grave
Grave
Grave
Grave
Grave
Grave
Grave
I
tlrave
1
Grave

No.
No.
.No.
No.

I

1

2

3
l+
5

6
7
8
9

No.10

No.11
Na.12

No.13
No. ll+
No.15
No.16
No.17
No.18

Capt. Mil~s C. Macon, Fayette Artillery Va.
Sergt. o. F. DeMesme, Donaldsonville Art. La ,
A. B. Hicks, Co "D" 26th Va. Regiment
J. H. Hutchins, Co "A" 5th Alabama Battalion
J. W. Douglas, Found near Conner's Old House
under Mulberry tree
J. W. Ashby, 2nd Virginia Cavalry
P .F .M.Winn, Battery 11 E11 9th Ga. Regiment
J. A. Hogan, Co. "E" 26th Ga. Regiment
Name unlrn.own, Found near Mrs.E.S.Robertson's
Name Unknown, Found near Conner 1 s Old House
Name Unknown, Found near Sam 1 1 H. Coleman's
Name Unknown, Found in Pryor Wright 1 s field
Name Unknown, Found near Conner's Old House
Name Unknown, Found in Jack Sears ! fie ld
Name Unkno"l'm, Found near Capt. Hix' s Icepond
Name Unknown, Found near Appomattox Depot
Name Unknown, Found near Appomattox Depot
Name Unknown, Found near Willis Inge's ford

Mrs. Ella W. Flood, Corresponding Secretary, was requested to write to the families of deceased soldiers
whose address could be ascertained.
The funds on hand were used to enclose the cemetery
with a neat plank fence.
~
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\

I

1

Memories of Civil War
fresh for eal Daughters
Associated Press

. LYNCHBURG - To the women
who call themselves the Real Daughters, the long-dead soldiers of the
Confederacy are as vivid as the
memories of childhood.
"My father was in the Stonewall
Brigade," said Katherine Gwinn, 94.
"He carried a bullet in his elbow all
his life."
John William Middleton died in
1906 at age 72, Gwinn said Tuesday.
Gwinn, of Giles County, was one
one of seven Real Daughters attending the 91st convention of the United
Daughters of the Confederacy, Virginia Division, taking place here
through today.
A tiny, stooped woman with
white hair, Gwinn is in her 65th year
of membership in the UDC.
Her father, a private, "was in
the service almost the whole of the
war," she said. "He was captured at
Gettysburg."
He spoke little of-a war he·wanted to forget, but was an admirer of
Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
"The men loved him," she said.
" He had prayers with his soldiers.''
Gwinn joined the UDC because
it was a way to help the veterans.
"The UDC helped the sick get hospital care they couldn't afford," she
said. "The Northern ones had the
money."

.'

Bessie A. Nutt, 72, of the Mary
Custis Lee 17th/ Virginia Regiment
Chapter, spoke of her father, John M.
Altaffer, who fought with the 12th
Virginia Calvary for four years. He
died in 1929 at age 85.
Wounded twice, he fought in the
May 1864 Battle of the Wilderness
near Fredehcksburg. ·
Altaffer left the South after the
war, Nutt said.
"He went to Kansas and homesteaded. The land grant came from
President Grant."
.
He was one of only two Confederate veterans in the county there.
"It was hostile country," she explained. "Definitely North, John
Brown territory."
Lynchburg sisters Mildred R.
McKee and Bland Richeson recalled
how their father, Thomas Varland
Richeson, barely 16 and too young to
fight, took an old gray mare, Nellie,
and headed into the Battle of Newmarket. He-wa'.s sent back home but
later returned to become a cadet at
Virginia Military Institute.
Geneva Brodie, formerly of
Roanoke and now of Lynchburg and
the Old Dominion Chapter, only recently joined the UDC. Her father,
Joseph A. Owen, was one of four
brothers who fought in the Civil War.
Denied entry into the service, he
walked from Roanoke County to
Waynesboro where he enlisted in the
36th Infantry. "He was captured

Katherine Gwinn
Member for 65 years
shortly after he enlisted," she said. ,
Owen was sent to the Union
prison camp at Fort Delaware. "He
was there nine months," Brodie said.
"I was there two years ago," she
said. "It was a terribly emotional
day to see those black prison walls."
Until that trip, she had not been
interested in the UDC.
Brodie, 76, was her father's 20th
child, and his last. She went to Fort
Delaware with her husband, their
son and his wife.
· "I shed many tears that day,"
she said.
Before he. died, Owen had suffered a stroke. "I remember his arm
in a sling, and walking with a cane,"
Brodie said. "I remember standin{
by his chair, combing his hair." .

(

Memories of Civil War
fresh for

eal Daughters

PROCH/1J!

l\NNU/\L llDC-CofC-SCV LUNCHEON
fv!ARCH 29, 1986
SI IEPv\TON INN, SALEM VlRGlNIA

'lEN lll

PROCESSIONAL
INVCx:ATION .... ...... . ... .. . . .. . .. ... .. . .. . . ....... Mr . ~1elvin Dodson, Chaplain
Fincastle Rifles Camp #1326,SCV
PLEOCE OF ALLEGIANCE 1D U.S . FU\G ................. Mrs. R.C. Procter, District I Chairman
Virginia Division, UDC

1HE NATIONAL

ANTin:1'~ .

... . . .... . ...... ... . ...... ... . Assernbly

SALUTE 1D FLAG OF VIRGINIA .. ... .. .. . ..... .. .... . .. Mrs. Peyton Dt.mcan, Treasurer ·
Virginia Division, UDC

CARRY i-il:: EAC1' 1D OLD VIrGir·INY .. .. . .. .. ... .... . . . .. AssemLly
SALlJIE

1D CONFEDERATE FLAG .... .. . ... ..... ......... Mrs. Clyde M. Fuller, Director
Mary Cabell Smith Chapter, C of C

DIXIE ... . . ... .. .... .............. ... . . .. .. . .. .. ... Assembly

'she said. ,
the Union
ware. "He
rodie said.
ago," she
emotional
on walls."
d not been
ther's 20th
.nt to Fort
and, their .

ll.JNCHEON

BESTCMAL OF CROSSES OF 1-CT.LITARY SERVICE . ... ....... Mrs . Andrew V. Bily, Jr .
hat day,"

AMERIG\,MY COUNTRY TIS OF 11-UE ...... . . ... .... . ... . Assembly

'

WELCXJ1E .. . . • ..•..••. . •.. . ...• .... . ...... . ... . .• . .. Mr.

Jeff Briggs, Chairm:m
UDC-CofC-SCV Luncheon Carrnittee
Ccmnander
Fincastle Rifles Camp #1326, SCV

WELC0t1E ..... . ... . . .. . .. . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . ... . . Mr. S . A . Be 11 ,

INTRODUCTION OF DISTINGUISllED

Q IJ~STS ..

.. . ......... Mr. Briggs

INIRODUCTION OF SPEAKER ..... . .................. . . .~Ir. Bell

ADDRESS . ........ . ... . ... . ............. .. . . . .. . . .. .Mr . Nevin R. Frantz, Jr . , Professor,VPI&sU
''Brigadier General James H. L:me, CSA''
SELECTION OF

soun IERN

so~s

. .. .. . . .... .. .......... Mr .

Alex Martin
accanpanied by M3.ry Anderson

SING AW~ . ... .. ... .. . .. .. · · · · · · · . · . . ...... .. .... . Assernbly

led by Mr. Martin

GRECTIN\.S AND MESS/\CES . .. . . · · · · · · · · · · ·. · ... . . . . . .. Mrs. J olm G. Williams, Sr .
President General
United Daugl1ters of the Confederacy

M:s
.. Ar:1dr6:' ~- Bily,
Virgllli.a Division

Jr. , President

United Daughters of the Confederacy
Mrs. Ferdinand Jones, Pres ident
North Carolina Di · .
United Daughters 6£s~ Confederacy
Miss Leigh Ann Price President
Virginia Division
'
Children of the Confederacy
SPECI/\L MEl''DRIAL .... .. . .. .. .. .. .... · · · · · · · · · ····· ·.Miss lDuise Francis McCorras Chapter , UDC
and Mr. Briggs
'
ANNOUNCF:MFNIS .... .... ......... . . . . .. .... . .. . · · · · · . .Mr . Briggs
DIX1E ..... .. . . . .. . ... .. . . . ... .. .. . .. .. ... . ... · · · · · .Assembly

B£NETIIC1'10N .. . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . · ... Mr . Dodson

had sufr his arm
h a cane,'·
standinl
hair."

DAUGHTER OF ROBERT
E. LEE. DIED·. 1862. AGE
23 . AND WAS BURIED

ONE-HALF MILE WEST.
LEE VISITED GRAVE. 1870.

Photographs: Mike Clemmer

The oak-shaded grounds of Beauvoir
(right), near Biloxi, Mississippi, appear
much the way they did when Jefferson
Davis came to live here in 1877.

It was a weary Jefferson Davis (below)
who retired to the Mississippi coastal estate
to write his account of the Confederacy.

The Final Home
Of the South's Only President
From his airy library in Beauvoir, Jefferson Davis could watch the clear blue
waters of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
There he would sit for hours, feeling the
Gulf breezes that played through t~e
open doorway and working on The Rise
and Fall of the Confederate Government,
a two-volume history of the nation he had
led for four turbulent years .
Davis died in New Orleans a few years
after finishing his book, but his seaside
home near Biloxi , Mississippi, remains.
Today, Beauvoir is a picturesque reminder of the intense Mississippian who
spent most of his life serving the gover~­
ment of the United States, yet made his
most lasting mark by leading a rebellion
against it.
A weary, war-torn Davis came to
30

Southern Living

Beauvoir ("beautiful view") in 1877,
after spending nearly two years in a Virginia prison and more than a decade trying to start a new life. Mrs. Sarah Dorsey,
a Louisiana woman, had purchased the
coastal estate four years earlier. A
staunch Southern supporter, Mrs. Dorsey
gladly rented one of the mansion's small
side cottages to Davis , who was looking
for a peaceful spot in which to write his
account of the Confederacy. The former
president's family joined him at the retreat, and in 1879, Davis bought the
property from Mrs. Dorsey.
A~er his death, Beauvoir passed to
Davis' daughter Winnie, and later to his
wife, who was offered $90",000 for the
property by a resort developer . The estate's location, between the two coastal

cities of Gulfport and Biloxi, made it a
prime place for a hotel, but Mrs. Davis
turned down the offer. Instead, she sold
Beauvoir to the current owners, the Mississippi Division of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans, with the provision
that they use part of the land for a Confederate veterans' retirement home.
The Confederate soldiers home was
built beside the main Beauvoir house and
offered shelter for veterans and their
wives or widows until it closed in 1956.
Today, the retirement home is a Confederate museum , a shrine to the generals
and enlisted men who served during
Davis' one-and-only administration.
Recent restoration has given the main
mansion a fresh face. Inside the Jong
reception hall and around the bedrooms,

Dolls, paintings, and furniture

(right) of the Davis family fill the
main Beauvoir house, as well as
a museum underneath the building.
A Confederate soldiers' home

(below), built beside the main house

after Davis' dealh, is now ashrine lo him
and the men who served the Confederacy.

newly painted frescoes on the walls and
ceilings look down on visitors . The main
house was home to the Davis family during their stay at Beauvoir, but the two
small cottages on either side are full of
their own memories. The Hayes Cottage
to the west of the main mansion was used
frequently by Davis' daughter , Margaret
Davis Hayes, and her family, and is still
periodically used as a guesthouse.
The East, or Library Cottage, however, is most likely the reason the family
came to live at the estate. It is here that
Davis put down his feelings and explanations of the Confederate years. For about
three years , he squeezed into the small
room and, surrounded by his books and
papers , he wrote . With his wife Varina
acting as secretary, he eventually filled
hundreds of pages of The Rise and Fall
of the Confederate Government and A

The library in which Davis wrote The Rise and
Fall of the Confederate Government (left)
is located in a small cottage east of the main
house. For a period of three years, Davis
worked on the history, surrounded by pictures
and correspondence from his family and friends.

Short History of the Confederate States
of America.

The Beauvoir estate has also become a
gathering place for Confederate artifacts
and monuments. Late in 1979, the remains of an unidentified Confederate soldier were found near Vicksburg and
brought to the cemetery behind the main
home . A marker was erected to this
Southern " unknown soldier" in the center of the cemetery.
An inkwell once belonging to Davis
was sent to the estate last year , nearly 120
years after leaving its owner. The glass
32

Southern Living

inkwell was taken from the Davis plantation in Brierfield , Mississippi, by a Union
corporal in 1863. The corporal's family
kept the memento until his granddaughter requested in her will that it be sent to
Beauvoir. It's now displayed with other
family artifacts in a museum underneath
the main house.
Throughout the buildings and grounds
of Beauvoir are memories of Davis and

his family-pictures of laughing grandchildren and great-grandchildren , trees
planted by Mrs . Davis, dresses worn by
her and her daughters. A four-lane highway now separates the property from the
Gulf waves that once foamed in front of
the estate, but little else has changed .
On a warm summer's day , as salty
breezes slip through the louvered windows of the library cottage , it's easy to
imagine the Confederacy's President bent
over his writing desk . Putting the story of
his temporary nation on paper , perhaps
he hoped that future generations would
always remember-and understand.
Beauvoir is on U.S. 90, midway between Gulfport and Biloxi . The home
and museums are open daily, except
Christmas, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission is charged. Correspondence
should be addressed to Beauvoir, Box
200, West Beach Blvd., Biloxi , Mississippi 39531; or telephone (601) 388-1313.

82 .
-

Roanoke Tim es & Worl d-News, Thursday , A pril 2, 1987

v v 1Ull l vv1 .... 1 .• - - ••••••·· · - ·

----···---···· -- - -· ~ · --- -- ··- • • _..,.

Woman, 87, found stabbed to death in her apartment::.
..
"

't
;t
~r

By MIKE HUDSON
Staff writ er

Relatives found an 87-year-old woman stabbed to death Wednesday in her
apartment in Southwest Roanoke, police
said.
It was the fourth killing of a Roanoke

resident by intruders in the victim's home
since last October. Arrests have been
made in the three earlier slayings .
Bertha Sommardahl was found dead
about 10:15 a.m. Wednesday. She had been
stabbed in the side of her neck, a police
spokesman said.
The killing apparently had happened
overnight Tuesday, the spokesman said.

~raoo--eo
--=--=====--=======-==1
f~om

Page 81

~

She was a widow and lived alone
the Grandin '\'ilia Apartments in
e 1800 block of Grandin Road.
"It was a shock to all of us,'' said
ardElbridge, an upstairs neighbor.
"The place has been buzzing all
day."

Elbridge said Sommardahl
moved into the apartment building
just after he moved there nine years
ago.
The retirees who live in the
b~ding are a close-knit group, he
said. Sommardahl had invited a
half-dozen residents to her apart-lJ}ent for dik er last Friday.
"The group out here is more or
- i ess a family affair," Elbridge said.
""'In other words, one family makes a
cake, everybod~ gets a piece of it."
Elbridge said Sommardahl was

hard of hearing, but she was self-sufficient and "she was very mobile.
She could get around right 'good."
A daughter from Salem checked
on her frequently and took her to the
store, said another neighbor, Thomas
Self.
Roy Hunt, who grew up with
Sommardahl, said she was born and
raised in Nor thwest Roanoke on 11th
Street.
'
"She was a lovely person. A
very fine, outstanding person," said
Hunt, who was a neighbor at Grandin
Villa until 1985. "She surely was."
Self said he knew of no crime at
the building before Wednesday, although there had been a break-in not
long ago at adjacent condominiums.
Self said he thought the motive
may have been robbery, but "I don't
know what she had that they wanted
to rob her for. She didn't keep any
money around, I don't think."

Norfolk council

She was found in her bedroom and apparently had already gone to bed, the spokesman said.
An intruder entered through an unlocked window. Apparently the last anyone heard from Sommardahl was when a
relative talked to her on the phone about
8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
No arrests had been made and no

A .A - --- _I - -- - - - - -- - _ ,,.,_ .

-

f

'

t
n

I·

e

c;;{Jtiewds a111,d

Associated Press

NORFOLK - City Council, responding to complaints from
blacks, has removed the Confederate flag from its dais.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People had voted earlier this month to seek removal of the flag. A
group of local NAACP members went to City Hall Tuesday to ask;
that the flag be removed, but when they got there it was gone

James ~

Mary M. Williams of the United Daughters of the Confederacy
c~me to the meeting to ask the coun. Afithter u~ing the flag as a backdrop for city business for gene
cil t.o keep the flag tkhind the dais
1ions, e city on Tuesday removed it from the council' chambe~
. She said ancestors of Norfolk'~
res~dents fought in the Civil War
'Th The b~nner was removed along with the British tJnion Jack
&-.
e Amencan flag, the Virginia flag, the Norfolk flag and th~ "with honor and dignity" and that
the flag was a symbol not of slavery
iormer Norfolk borough flag remain behind the dais.
b ut of that struggle.
Ma~or Jos~ph A. Leafe and the council did not address the
."It's unfortunate people have
~~i~n~r ~:rg down the flags until after council's business had the idea that ,tpe c~~federacy stimds
uc e and members of the NAACP and United Daughfor s~avery, Wdhams said. " It
ters of the ~onfederacy offered opinions about the flag's removal
doesn t. It was the second war f,
"We
did
d
·
·
·
.
,, Le fi no~ es1re to see anythmg made an issue that's not an independence."
or
issue,
a e said.
Gay called the flag a "dark
He said ~e flag has nothing to do with the way the city is run. p art" of the city's history.
Leafide.s aiddh~ di~ not know when the flag was removed or who
"I think the council r .
1
remove
~- · ·
that the symbol of the Conf:~ 1ized
Le t1 ' a. ding it was a consensus Wi>ClSlon.
a e sa~d t.he flag is in storage in City Hall and ·
Flag has negative connotationer~te
reappear again in the council chambers. The Union J wcl!l not many black citizens " be sa · 5 ?r
removed "for balanc ," h aid,
a was hope this is an attempt by the~ ·i
cil to be sensitive to that."
un-

1

Please see Stabbed, Page 82

df1.eww~
7f{§covd
c;fol!'P

pulls rebel flag

'.'I guess I'll have to change my speech," said
president of the local NAACP.
•

motive had been determined, the spokesman said today.
Sommardahl had been a nurse at
Roanoke Memorial Hospital before she
retired. She was a former president of the
Roanoke Council of Garden Clubs and a
member of First Baptist Church.

~tives

r

BOOTHE, HAZEL L.
Hazel Lee Boothe, age 91, of 320
Hershberger Rd., N.W., died Thurs•
' 'day, Sept. 11, 1986. She was the widow of Archie M. Boothe, Sr., and was
' a member of Villa Heights Baptist
, Church. She is survived by two sons,
Archie M. Boothe, Jr., Roanoke, and
Howard P. Boothe, Greenville,
Tenn.; two grandchildren and five
great grandchildren. Funeral services will be conducted from Oakeys
North Chapel, 11:30 a.m., Saturday,
Sept 13. In the absence of her pastor
services will be conducted by th~
Rev. J . Landon Maddex and Rev. Dr.
Denver J . Davis. Burial will be in
Sherwood Memorial Park. Friends
niay. call Oake~ North Chapel. The
fanuly will receive friends from 2:00
to 4:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m . Frid y
at the funeral home.
'
•

,. .

-r:

82
v vlUI llvv1 ~> .

Roanoke Times & W orld-News, Thursday, April 2, 1987
·-- •• ,, , ••.. __ ---- . . ·-·· . · ·-- · . - -· __ -- - · ·- . .. -·

Woman, 87, found stabbed to death in her apartmen·t
By MIKE HUDSON
St aff writer

't
;t
!r

Relatives found an 87-year-old woman stabbed to death Wednesday in her
a partment in Southwest Roanoke, police
said.
It was the fourth killing of a Roanoke

resident by intruders in the victim's home
since last October. Arrests have been
made in the three ear lier slayings.
Bertha Sommardahl was found dead
about 10:15 a.m. Wednesday. She had been
stabbed in the side of her neck, a police
spokesman said.
The killing apparently had happened
overnight Tuesday, the spokesman said.

She was fo und in her bedroom and apparently had already gone to bed, the spokesman said.
An intruder entered through an unlocked window. Apparently the last anyone heard from Sommardahl was when a
relative talked to her on the phone about
8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
No arrests had been made and no

motive had been determined, the spokesman said today.
Sommardahl had been a nurse at
Roanoke Memorial Hospital before she
retired. She was a former president of the
Roanoke Council of Garden Clubs and a
member of First Baptist Church.

A A _____I _ __

Please see Stabbed, Page 82
~

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-,L..,_ " -

I n Memory Of
MRS . BERTHA CLARK SOMMARDAHL
Wi d ow of
Ca r l H. Sommar d a hl

She was a w!rlow and lived alone

f.1 the Grandin nna Apartments in

·w e 1800 block of Grandin Road .
.....,, "It was a shock to all of us," said
ward Elbridge, an upstairs neighbor.
"The place has been buzzing all
Clay."

Died Ap.ci l l t
Ser vices
Oakey's Roanoke Chapel
1 0:30 A M. Sa turday
Ap n. l 4, 19 8 7

Elbr idge said Sommardahl
moved into the apartment building
just after he moved there nine years
ago.
The retirees who live in the
b~ding are a close-knit group, he
said. Sommardahl had invited a
half-dozen residents to her apart...tPent for dinner last Friday.

Ofiic1ating

Rev, John Coch r an
Ir.tecment
Blue R1dg 8 Me morial Ga d ens

"The group out here is more or
iess a family affair," Elbridge said.
'In other words, one family makes a
cake, .everybod~ gets a piece of it."
Elbridge said Sommardahl was

Jn d e aLh by
a Son:
DR, CARL H- SOMMARDAHL , J R .
P rec~d~d

Norfolk c

* Sur v1 1.tng *

pulls reb

Daugh ter & Son -in-l a w:
Lo rr ai ne & Geant M.

Sp.t: i nkle, Jr.
Son & Daughter-in-law:

Char i es Wacner & Shir l e y
Scmma.t:dahl
Grand c h1ldi:e n:
Ka1lynn Spr inkle

NORFOLK - City Council
blacks, has removed the Confed~rate
The National Association for th
People had voted earlier this month to
group of local NAACP members went
that the flag be removed, but when

Dr

'. 'I guess I'll have to change my s
president of the local NAACP.
. After using the flag as a backdrop
tions, the city on Tuesday removed 1t
'

~-·" • uer

I
1

T-be b~nner was removed along
1s trnion Jack
'!'he Amencan flag, the Virginia flag, ne Norfolk flag and th~
iormer Norfolk borough flag remain behind the dais.

Ma~or Joseph A. Leafe and the council did not address the

~~~~~~n~~::;is ~own

th:

flags until after council's business had
f h C
an mem ers of the NAACP and United Daughers ~~e e . onfede~cy offered opi~ions about the flag's removal.
issue,,, Le~ ~~~£.esire to see anything made an issue that's not an
t

G, Spc inkle, I I I

Kayla S

He said ~e flag has nothing to do with the way the city is run.
Le8d'e.sa1d h~ di~ not know when the flag was removed or who
remove lt, ~dding 1t was a consensus decision.
Leafe sai.4 t?e flag is in storage in City Hall and ·u
reappear again ID the council chambers. The Union J ~ not
removed " for balance, .. he $aid.
ac was

t ms of the Units of the Confederacy
0 the meeting to ask the coun.
cd t.o keep the flag behind the dais
. She said ancestors of Norfolk'~
res~dents fought in the Civil Wa
"with honor and dignity" and tha~
the flag was a symbol not of slavery
but of that struggle.
. "It's unfortunate people- have
the Idea that ,~he C.o~federacy stands
for s~avery, Williams said. "It
~oesn t. It was the second war fl
mdependence."
or
Gay called the flag a "dark
part" of the city's history.
" I think the council r I'
that the symbol of the Conr:~ ized
Flag has negative connotatio er~te
many ~la~k citizens," he sai~ ~r
hope this is an attempt by the · 1
cil to be sensitive to that.,, coun-

Hall

'· BOOTHE, HAZEL L.
Hazel Lee Boothe, age 91 0 of 320
: 'Hershberger Rd., N.W., died Tburs' day, Sept. 11, 1986. She was the widow of Archie M. Boothe, Sr., and was
a member of Villa Heights Baptist
, Church. She is survived by two sons
Archie M. Boothe, Jr., Roanoke, and
Howard P. Boothe, Greenville,
- Tenn.; two grandchildren and five
great grandchildren. Funeral services will be conducted from Oakeys
North Chapel, 11:30 a.m., Saturday,
Sept 13. In the absence of her pastor
services will be conducted by th~
Rev. J. Landon Maddex and Rev. Dr.
Denver J. Davis. Burial will be in
Sherwood Memorial Park. Friends
maY. call. Oake>'!l North Chapel. The
family will receive friends from 2:00
to 4:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 pm Frid
at the funeral home.
· ·•
ay,
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84

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Roanoke Times & W

EATff/FUNE

..

<!J}n YlpprecitJI ion

.
orld-News • W ed nesda
l :uu to
p.m.

~:uu

vve~::.,,~!~~h 11 , 198]

CLARK, MADGE o
CLEARWATER. FLA
' · - Mrs
Madge o
Fla. dieJ~an ~lark, of Clearwater:
She 'was bo~es. a~ March 10, 1987.
J anua 3
m ampbell County
late Hry 0, 01895, a daughter of th~
orace rgan and Ma
Organ. She was a member ~~h.~s
Methodist Church Roanoke mi Y
Real Daughter of the United'oand ha
ters of the Confederac
aug twice married, to the lat~·ESEbe Dwads
· u lbey and W· A· Clark. She is ·survived
y one son, E. E. Dudley Clearwa

c

'Jt

~~~!~~.o;fa~r:O°iJ~o:is?e~~~di~~

('.

~-

g~rua Or~an, Gladys. Gra~eside ser:
vices will be conducted Tb
2:00 p.m. by the Rev Hen ~rsday
united
' a ys.

~iu~~sldtbdury

~etb':J~~

'•

BELL, EL~V.

· ""Mrs. Ella Virgtn\a Bell age 86
of 4902. ~randin Rd . s.
died
Tuesday m a Salem hospital. She
was the widow of Jackson w. Bell
a nd a m~mber of Raleigh Cour t
Presbyterian Church. Surviving are
a daughter, Mrs. Clyde (Janet) Riley, Roanoke; three grandchildren
Tracy Riley, Roanoke; R. Vincent
Howard, ~thens, Ga.; Kent J. Howard, Wahiaw":, Hawaii; and five
g~eat-g~andchi ldren . Funeral services. will be 2:00 p.m. Thursday at
R~leigh Court Presbyterian Church
~1th. Dr. J ames A. Allison Jr. officiating. Interment will follo w in
Ever green Cemetery. The family
sugg~sts memorials be made to the
Ra~ei~h Court Presbyterian Church
Bu1ldmg Fund. Friends may call at
Oakey's Roanoke Chapel.

w.,

-

~anoke Times & World-News. Wednesday, Dec. 2, 1987

OBITUARI
S
.
p ·d brtuades et 1oVallable
to••-" who would 1;ke mo•• .,n1onnotoon

P~~u::..d than apP88<• ;n the deoth not;ces carr;ed ;n ou< news columns.

Easton and Philip W. B~rkelman; 11
grandchildren, Jacqu~lme E. CookKELLER· LOUISE
• enour, Virginia E. Gibson, Thomas
Louise Laura Alice Walker Ke
G Keller J . Randolph Keller, Ruth
ter age 101, of 1210 Howbert Ave. K·. Wrenn', Gregory S. Keller, Phyllis
JlO~noke, and formerly of Buena Vis· B. Schunck, Ruth B. Taggart, Laura
ta departed this life at home on A. Berkelman, Laura J. Morgan, and
~ember 1, 1987. Her life began James H. Jennings, 111; and beloved
August 20, 1886, in Esterville (now companions, Lucy S. Sif!1mon~ and
Gate City), Va. She was the widow of Louise Harris. The family will reGuy Otis Keller, Sr., and the last ceive friends at Oakey's Roanoke
survivor of nine childr en born tc Chapel from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
JUV· John Randolph Walker, a min· Wednesday. Funeral services will be
tster in the Holston Conference, and beld Thursday from Oakey's
Mar y Jane Brown Walker. Devoted Ro"ooke Chapel at 1:30 p.m. with Dr .
t o the work of the Lord, she lived HiS Theodore Landis officiating. Gr avecommandments. Since 1916 she had side services will be in Green Hill
kept her membership in St. John's Cemetery (Buena Vista, Va.) at 3:~5
IJnited Methodist Church, Buena Vis- p.m. In lieu of flowers the family
ta· from 1958 until 1980 she particirequests memorials be made to St.
ated as an active member in
John'• United Methodist Church
breene Memorial United Methodist
(Buena ViSta, Va.), Greene Memorial
Church. She attended Martha WashUnited Methodist Church, C)r Raleigh
ington College in Abingdon, Va., and
court United Methodist Church.
·t aught school in Elk Creek, Abingdon Gate City, Buchanan, and Buena
Vista. Affectionately known as
nMother Laura" to her 13 great
1,
grandchildren, .she is also survived
l>Y a son and daughter-in-law, Dr. l
1
GUY o. Keller, J r., and Beverly S.
t
J<eller, of Charlotte, N.C.; four
daughters, Louise K. Easton, Char1
tottesvUle; Jean.K .. B~rkelman, Mel~0se, Fla.; Vir gima T. Keller, 1
~ anoke; and Phyllis K. Wampler, s
1
Jtoanoke; two sons-in-law, F . Jack
t

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?

Out-of-state
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Madge
Organ Clark, formerly of Roanoke,
Va., died Tuesday. Graveside service
Thursday at 2 ·p.m., Wesleybury
United Methodist Church, Gladys,
Va.

A statue of R obert£. L ee stands atop a
60-foot column in L ee Circle.

Lee Stands in
New Orleans
. Even.in a city of monuments, the memonal dedicated to Robert E . Lee stands
m New Orleans.
out
Atop a 60-foot marble column h
st.atue ,
is dramatically
t
night, depicts Lee standing .th
f Id d l
·
arms
o Th
e ' ookmg
out over the Cly.
.twi
e . statue that anchors Lee Circl .
. e is
a familiar landmark to lo caI resident
assengers
who
ride
the
St.
Charle
s.
P
nue streetcars pass by it on th ~ Aveto the Garden . District , A u du b on
err p way
k
an d T u lane Umversity.
ar '
, Jefferson Davis, Gen. P.G T B
regard , and many othe fi; · eauRobert _E. Lee were
of
:nemonal was unveiled .
the
year of the New Orie , m 1884-the
cotton centennial exp os1t1on
an~ mdustrial and
Alexander
Doyle
a
New Yo rk d · . ' young ·sculptor from
' esigned the monu
bronze figure of Lee is 16'/;2 f ment . The
weigh 7 ()()()
eet tall and
. , s '
pounds . Doyle also d'd
city s memorial for General B
I
the
. _eauregard ,
the " Great Creole" of th
gave the command to fi e CIVIi W ar who
Before the Lee me~~ o~ Fort Sumter.
Lee Ci.rcle was called Tiv~~ "".as erected ,
was ongmally planned to be Circle, and it
. a garden surrounded by a canal . Th e ctrcle
the focal points of a plan
~as one of
early 1800's by Barthelem devised in the
area now called the Lo y Lafon for the
trict . Lafon gave h'
wer G arden Disc ll
is streets na
a iope, Melpomene , and Tha~es like
the Greek muses.
ia , after
Lee Circle is located at St
Howard Avenues.
· Charles and

wh~ch

light~d a~

pres~nt :~~

=-----..!.R~coanoke Times & ~

D£ •111

---4·-·/
•F;.:U~N,:£~

-

.

orld-News, Wednesday Mar
·1 :00

J~h 11, 1987

to :t:uu p.m. YH:uii'.:-..

Cl.ARK, MADGE 0

C'

CLEARWATER. FLA
Madge Organ Clark 'of Cl~
:i::··w~dboTues~ay, March 10, ~:~:
· J
rn m Campbell County
laf°aary 30, 1895, a daughter of th~
e orace Organ and Mary H h
Organ. ~he was a member of fif:n~
Methodist Church, Roanoke
Y
Real Daughter of the United'Dand ha
tei:s of the Confederacy. Sheaug twice married, to the late E E n':as
and W. A. Clark. She is ~W:viv!
one ~on, E. E. Dudley, Clearwa' Fla., one grandson Gre DudJ
S~~asota, Fla.; and a s~ter ~ V~Y.
gJDJa Organ Gladys G ' ·
irvices will be
· raves1de ser2·00
conducted Thursday
· p.m. by the Rev. Henry w tk
~hturWheslGeyl
bury United Meth':is~
c , adys.

1

Your kind expression
of sympathy and friendship
will always remain
in our memories.
Thank you
for your
thoughtfulness.

Af8·

iey

tfr

BELL, EL{..A V.
rs. Ella V1rgili\a Bell, age 86,
of 4902 ~randin Rd. S. W., died

~anoke Times & World-News. Wednesday, Dec . .2, 1987

OBITUAlH S

.

.

Paid obituaries ar available to readers ~ho wou.l d li~e more mformat1on
published than appears in the death notices camed m our news columns.

KELLER, LOUISE
•
Louise Laura Allee Walker Ke
Ier age 101, of 1210 Howbert Ave.
Ro~noke, and formerly of Buena Vis·
·ta, departed this life at home on
becember 1, 1987. Her life began
;\ugust 20, 1886, in Esterville (now
Gi,lte City), Va. She was the widow of
· Guy Otis Keller, Sr., and the last
survivor of nine children born to
Rev. John Randolph Walker, a min·
Jster in the Holston Conference, and
Mary Jane Brown Walker. Devoted
to the work of the Lord, she lived His
commandments. Since 1916 she had
kept her membership in St. John's
United Methodist Church, Buena Vista. From 1958 until 1980 she participated as an active member in
Greene Memorial United Methodist
Church. Sh~ attended Martha Washington College in Abingdon, Va., and
taught school in Elk Creek, AbingJ:lon Gate City, Buchanan, and Buena
·:V.ista. Affectionately known as
}i"Mother Laura" to her 13 great
grandchildren, .she is also survived
J>Y a son and daughter-in-law, Dr.
µuy O. Keller, Jr., and Beverly S.
J<eller, of Charlotte, N.C.; four
ttaughte~. Louise K. Easton, Charlottesville; Jean. K.. B.erkelman, Meltose, Fla.; V1rg1ma T. Keller,
oanoke; and Phyllis K. Wampler,
oanoke; two sons-in-law, F . Jack

Easton and Philip W. Berkelman; 11
grandchildren, Jacqueline E. Cookenour, Virginia E . Gibson, Thomas
G. Keller, J. Randolph Keller, Ruth
K. Wrenn, Gregory S. Keller, Phyllis
B. Schunck, Ruth B. Taggart, Laura
A. Berkelman, Laura J. Morgan, and
James H. Jennings, III; and beloved
companions, Lucy S. Sif!lmon.s and
Louise Harris. The famlly will receive friends at Oakey's Roanoke
Chapel from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Wednesday. Funeral services will be
held Thursday from Oakey's
Ro"noke Chapel at 1:30 p.m. with Dr.
Theodore Landis officiating. Graveside services will be in Green Hill
Cemetery (Buena Vista, Va.) at 3:.15
p.m. In lieu of flowers the famlly
requests memorials be made to St.
John'• United Methodist Church
(Buena Vista, Va.), Greene Memorial
United Methodist Church, or Raleigh
Court United Methodist Church.

~

J

t

s
I

r

?

Tuesday m a Salem hospital. She
was the widow of Jackson w. Bell
and a m~mber of Raleigh Court
Presbyterian Church. Surviving are
a daughter, Mrs. Clyde (Janet) Riley, Roanoke; three grandchildren
Tracy Riley, Roanoke; R. Vincent
Howard, ~thens, Ga.; Kent J. Howard, Wah1aw~, Hawaii; and five
g~eat-g~andch1Idren. Funeral service~ will be 2:00 p.m. Thursday at
R~le1gh Court Presbyterian Church
":~t~ Dr. James A. Allison Jr. officiating. Interment wm follow in
Evergreen Cemetery. The family
sugg~sts memorials be made to the
Ra.Ie1~h Court Presbyterian Church
Bulldmg Fund. Friends may call at
Oakey's Roanoke Chapel.

Out-of-state
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Madge
Organ Clark, formerly of Roanoke,
Va., died Tuesday. Graveside service
Thursday at 2 p.m., Wesleybury
United Methodist Church, Gladys,
Va.

A statue of Roberi E. Lee stands atop a
60-foot column in L ee Circle.

Lee Stands in
New Orleans
Even in a city of monuments the mem

~al dedicated to Robert E. Le~ stand

os out
m New Orleans.
Atop a . 60-foot marble column, the
statue, which is dramatically Ii ht d
· ht ' d ep1cts
·
g e at
rug
Lee standing w'th
folded , looking out over the 't '
anns
Cl y.
Th e statue that anchors Le
c·
.
·li
e 1rcle 1
a f anu ar landmark to local
.d
P
res1 ents .
. the St. Charle
assengers who nde
nue streetcars pass by it on the~ A Veto the Garden District A d b
way
.
, u u on Park ,
an d T u1ane Uruversity.
, Jefferson Davis, Gen. P.G T B
regard , and many otbe fr.. ·
eaur
iends
f
R b rt E L
o e . . ee were present when o
the
.n emonaJ was unveiled .
year of the New 0
, 10 1884-the
1
cotton centennial ex~~:i~~nmdustriaJ and
Alexander Doyle
·
New York d .
, a young sculptor from
, es1gned the monum
Th
bronze figure of Lee ,·s 161" .. ent.
e
· h
~2 1eet tall
d
we1? s 7,000 pounds. Doyle al o di an
city s memorial for General Bea d th
the "Great Creole" of the Civil ~regard,
gave the command to fi
ar who
Before the Lee me.:~rio7 Fort Sumter.
Lee Ci.r~le was ca lled Tivo~ "".as erected,
was onginaily planned to be Circle, and it
rounded by a canal Th . a garden surthe focal points of ·a p~trc!e .was one of
early 1800's by Barthelemy t~sed in the
area now called the L
a on for the
trict. Lafon gave h. ower Garden Di' Calli
M
ts treets narnes li
ope , elpomene. and lb·lr
ke
the Greek mu es.
• •a, after
Lee Circle i located at St Cb
c
•
arl <Ind
Howard Avenues.

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~:aff :~~GJ:µ;[~L:AD70CDCTIi---:--~~,~.Ex -newspaperman verifies

legend ·n his boo on Salem

o~_an. Middleton gleaned information from the Virginia State Library, the Army Corps of Engineers and
other sources to nail down the rumor. He discovered
that three boats docked at Salem on Oct. 11, 1828.
"I g~t a charge out of being able to tr~te all these
mysterious dates " Middleton said. "It stems back to
the research I h~d to do as a newspaper reporter."
Middleton, who retired from ~he Roanoke Times
& W?rl~-News three years ago, titled his book "Salem:
A Virginia Chronicle."
It stretches fro·m prehistory through the founding
of Salem by James Simpson in 1802 and into the great
flood of 1985. Middleton originally planned to stop
before the 1980s, but his newspaperman's nose for a
good story compelled him to .include the flo~. .
Salem has been included m many other histories
but has never had a book of its own. When ~ddleton
was president of the Salem Historical Society, from
1981. through 1983, he realized that Salem, a community that officially has existed for nearl;,L two
centuries, had no independent history.

he rumor has lingered in Salem like a
friendly dog nobody wants to claim, yet nobody
wants to turn away.
Andrew Jackson, Old Hickory, hero of the BatMermaid Tavern in Salem.
He also discovered that the "Dr. Johnstons" was
tle of New Orleans and seventh president of the July 17, 1836."
Jackson wrote:
Dr. John Johnston, a horse breeder and friend of
United States was supposed to have visited Salem.
"I am thus far on my way to the Hermitage, but Jackson's who lived at Great Spring - now West Main
Norwood' "Woody" Middleton was familiar with
from the State of the roads, there can be no calculaS~ree~. Jackson once stopped over for three days with
the rumor. He was determined ~o lay it to rest one way
tion made when we may reach there - it took us
his friend because he was suffering from "the billious
or the other when he undertook his comprehensive
seven hours to day, to travel 10 miles, and in the
collick." Middleton is continuing his research on Dr.
history of Salem, which recently has been published.
streets of Salem broke a swingle tree and the fore
for the Jackson scholars at the Hermitage
"i kept }\'aking up in the middle of t~e night axes of the Carriage - in many places it takes ten Johnston
who have expressed interest in him.
thinking of ways to document Andrew Jackson's visits
horses to pull through the bog one waggon - in this
The Jackson legend is just one that Middleton
to Salem," Middleton said. "I knew there had to be
section of the country it has been raining for 14 or 16
turned into fact. Another is the story of Salem as a
presidential papers, so I wrote to the Tennessee State
days and the earth is perfectly full of water ...."
-port on the Roanoke River. It was once the terminus
Library. They referred me to the-Hermitage. The first
Jackson apparently liked to spell the way he
Q{ a canal that stretched to Weldon, N.C. At
thing I knew, I got a photocopy of letters." .
talked and .wrote one letter from the "Mair Maid"
one time, water travel' was possible from Salem to the
One of the letters Jackson wrote was to h1S son,
tavern. Middlet~n discovered that it "'.as actually the
Andrew Jr. It was mailed from "Dr. Johnstons, Salum,
.uc-- ..,a. .. ,,. ... .i-.1("'''"·--;.-..:
nolle County Chamber of Comt Salem Public school, a er J\ca emerce.
my Street School - but her teachin
Middleton worked on the book career took her to Sumter, S.C. 1
for two years, ferreting out facts where she met Middleton's fathe
fro~ old !lewspapers, community and where Middleton was born.
archives, libraries, courthouses and
Middleton, following in her foot·
people who remembered how things steps, came to Roanoke College in
used to be. He's proud of the fact that the 1930s and, after graduation
~here are 1,128 listings in the topic worked there as public relations di
!ndex and 1,533 names in the name rector and editor of the Collegian. H
i!!dex. The hardbound book, pub· went to work in the Roanoke World
hshed by the historical society, has News' Salem bureau in 1939. Except
472 pages and costs $25.95. It's illus- for a stretch in the Army and three
trated with photos and is handsome- years as managing editor of the
ly bound and printed by Roanoke's Southwest Times, Middleton worked
Pro2ress Press. Of a printing of for the Times-World Corp. He served

T

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a
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Please see Salem. Page C2

Norwood
Middleton, author
of 'Salem: A
Virginia Chronicle,'
stands beside
Chestnut Street in
Salem at the site of
the Mermaid
Tavern, now
occupied by the
house at right. The
Wilderness Road, ·
traveled by Gen.
Andrew Jackson,
once ran where
Chestnut Street
runs today.
BETIY MASTERS/ RT&WN

Old Hickory slept here
f

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~OHNSON CITY PRESS,

unday, October 19 1986

- -or

Ten e
By Thomas s. wats(!)n.
Associated Press Writer

LO tr£.S VILLE, Ky. - Men
dressed in the red and gray of the
Southern army li ste ned as a
speaker extolled the Confederacy,
but there were no rebel yells as
the remains of Cyrus G. Clark
were removed Saturday from a
· cemetery to be returned to his native Tennessee.
Clark, a prisoner of Union
forces during the Civil War, died
in 1863 and bis whereabouts remained unknown to the family
until 1972 when Katherine Cassetty, the wife of a great-gi'ea~­
grandson of the soldier, found his
grave at Cave Hill Cemetery in
Louisville.
Records show that Clark died
either late May 31 or early June
1 1863. He had been t aken pris·
~er in his native Jackson County and imprisoned at Louisville
42 days earlier on April 29. It
wasn't known if Clark died of
wounds of perhaps an illness.
"We, the descendants of those
who wore the gray, who fought
beneath the Confederate banner
have a unique opportunity in
being here at this moment. It is
as if we have stepped back in a
time machine ... ," said the Rev.
Eurie H. Smith, chaplin of the
John Hunt Morgan Camp 1342,
Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Clark was serving with Morgan's
command when Clark was cap-

tured.
"At this moment we are firsthand participants in an event of
the great war of northern aggresL_b.

.,

-a
Cl)

.:;--

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Civil War veteran Cyrus Clark's body is given an official escort
sion," he said .
"We care for our ancestors,"
Smith told about 100 people, in-

gathered bis bones in · that long that Clark might have been
and distant foreign land so the buried in a blanket instead of a
children of Cyrus gathered his coffin , accounting fot the de-

cluding many newsmen an d

bones to carry home," Smith said.

photographers, during graveside
ceremonies Eaturday. "We want
to know w o they are, what they'
did and wher< they rest." Snrith
praised the family for its e!Torts
to "find and bring home their fal·

len warrior." .
"Just as Joseph's children

.

.

A backhoe was used to a depth tenorat10n of the remains.
of more than six feet; then Lewi• The, bones were lo•ded into a
Napier Sr., the cemetery's grave 1
coffin and carried a balfdigger, spaded around in th• dirl
dres ed as Confader• removing chips of the skull, pai ate
· There were volleys of

WT';_"

~ ~ldrnr
.~y.men

of t he pelvis and two thigh bonern
B1i·t1tcfire
1

an1 dHi~embers of the

But there was little else an u
entra
gh School band
some family members speculate playe
march.that
The had
coffi~ anda funeral
gravemarker
mistakenly listed Clark by the
~r t name of "Silas" were loaded
mto a truck for the trip to Ten·
nessee.
,Mrs. ~asse~ty said. the remains
ot Clarks wife, Celia Jane, will
be exhumed from a mall cerneter.1 so she can be buried next to
her husband at Gainesboro. The
r burial ceremony will be SaturdaX at, Gainesboro City Cemetery.
We re going home to 'Homecoming 86' in Tennessee," aid

C arol - Shealy, a great- re
,granddaughter of Clarkg f a tNashville. "lt' a good feeli r~.m
Jenny .Clark 94, Hobart
k
~nd Lucille Weems, the re 3:r
mg grandchildren of Clark ma1mto be on han~ for the r eb p ~
ceremon Saturday in Te
urial
Mrs. Ca setty aid.
nnessee,
. "I think it w s his (Cla k '
sire to go home " M
r ) de,
rs Ca
s~i"d. 'That wa hi
setty ,
1
_In C lark's la t i:tste request ."
wife , March 14. 1863 h r t o h is
would give the wo;Jd e twrote, "l
home with all las I have ob be at
George T . McWhortcr 0een. "
Mor gan Camp sang ''The { t h e
Prayer" and "Goin' Home" d or.d'
the ceremony. Afterward a ~~ing
1
less hor e followed the pr
.e:rdown the winding cemete;er~~~

cl

t

of
a
'troubled
dream'
T
By CHRIS GLADDEN
STAFF WRITER

JACK GAKING/Staff

The White House of the Confederacy, seen from the street,
narrowly escaped demolition in the late 1~90s. The large .
porch (top photo) is where Jefferson Davis son suffered his
fatal wound.

HE gray and white house at
Richmond's 12th and Clay
streets has a history as
star-crossed as the lives of its
most famous residents.
It was here that Jefferson Davis
governed the doomed Confederacy for
four bloody years. It was here that his son
Joseph fell from the back porch and suffered a fatal wound; a neighb~r child ran
crying down the street. And it was from
here that Davis fled in April of 1865, soon
to be imprisone ·n..F<u;t Monro and.
charged with but never tned for treason.
The 14-room mansion was not a carefree home - the Davises lost four child ren and Varina Howell Davis spent
much of her life dressed in black. Davis, a
Kentucky-born Mississippian transplanted to the Old Dominion, was an unpopular
president, and his position weighed heavily on hir.i. In 1894, Davis' widow wrote to
a friend: "As homeless as I now am, it
seems like a troubled dream to me that I
lived hoped and suffered in that dear old
house' so long. "
The White House of the Confederacy
itself has been part . of a tro';lbl~d dream.
But 170 years after it was built, it appears
that the house's troubles finally will be put
to rest.
This summer will mark the culmination of a $4.5 million renovation and endowment program that will restore the
house to its appearance at the period of the
Davis residency. The National Endowment of the Humanities has awarded a
$500,000 challenge grant toward the endowment.
"This thing is world-famous," says
Tucker Hill, director of curatorial pro-

The other
White House
is undergoing
$4.5 million
face lift
grams for the Museum of the Confederacy,
of which the White House is a part. "No
one has seen it this way since April 1865.
We have re-created all the elements that
have disappeared. . . . After 125 years,
we're re-creating a government mansion."
The house served as the Confederate
Museum from 1895 to 1978, the year it .
was closed to the public for restoration. It's scheduled to reopen this June. The collections it once housed are now displayed and
·stored in the modem building next door.
" Nothing's easy," says Hill, speaking
of the time lapse between the 1960s decision to..renovate the house.and completion
of the project. He could as well be referring
to circ*mstances of a century ago that determined the house's fate.
Today, the house represents the kind
of exacting science and detective work accuracy-c0nscious restoration experts vigorously pursue. But it also represents a
social phe~. )menon that took place after
the War Between the States, one that is
responsible for the house's survival.
After Davis fled, the building became
Union Anny Headquarters until the end of
Reconstruction. In 1870, the city of Richmond took over the house again - the city •
leased it to the Confederacy during the war
- and turned it into a public school. After
20 years, the school board asked the city to
tear down the· 0ld neoclassical mansion.
But the city fathers hadn't counted on a
passionate movement afoot among those
who remembered the war.
A civic religion had been formed
around the Lost Cause.
"Southern preachers compared Davis
to the Man from Galilee," Hill says. "The
PLEASE SEE DllEAM/6

\Jews, Thursday, Feb. 25, 1988

Dream
FROM PAGE 1

White House of the Confederacy
was called a shrine."
Artifacts from the war had taken on the aura of relics. The soul of
the Confederacy was symbolized by
a butterfly, and Varina Davis, one of
the leaders of the movement, made a
quilt with Confederate flags surrounding the ephemeral insect.
Though Davis had been unpopular during the war, his subsequent
imprisonment and his post-war efforts to justify the South's struggle
elevated him to the position of the
South's elder statesmen and leading
saint.
"Religion was surely a factor in
the Lost Cause," writes Emory M.
Thomas in a Museum of the Confederacy publication. "Southerners
believed themselves to be a righteous people, a people chosen by
JACK GAKING/Staff
God. How were they to explain their Work goes on: Renovation of the historic mansion is nearing completion
defeat? Had God abandoned them?
Such a notion was too devastating
even ~o consider. Eventually many
Southerners, and Northerners as time, Davis had been dead for four have been talking about the phar- searchers found, in the museum's 1
well, reconfirmed, ev~n magnified, years ·and Varina had moved across aohs. Preservation was in its infan- collections, · samples of carpet that t
their belief in Southern righteous- · the Mason-Dixon Line to New York cy." The concept of integrity of ma- had been used on the floors.
City to become a journalist for the terials had yet to be developed.
"We debated returning to wood
ness."
York
Sunday
World.
'New
floors;
it was close," Hill says. "But
The
important
thing,
Hill
says,
And so it came to pass that the
But the fervor of the Lost Cause is that the building was saved so that the point became moot when we I
women of Richmond waged a holy
was still at a high pitch, and Mrs. modem preservationists could re- found the fabric they left behind."
war on the city's fathers and won.
Davis sent family memorabilia to store it with accuracy. The preserThe.material goes by the generic 1
They mobilized themselves as the museum.
vation
team,
consisting
of
archiname
Brussels carpet, and it was
the Confederate Memorial Literary
The idea to preserve a historic tects, paint experts, decorative arts made by machine. The museum is
Society, because literary societies
were eligible for city aid, and set out structure was way ahead of its time scholars and others have worked to having it made to order by a northdiscover the way the house looked ern manufacturer; it will cover the
to save the White House of the Con- in the 1890s, Hill says.
However, the means to preserve inside and out. Tiny scraps of wall concrete floors.
federacy.
the
structure
hardly reflects the atti- paper, wooden trim that was num"Our standards are to come as
Their weapons were deviled
tudes
of
20th-century
preservation- bered by the original preservation- close to the real thing as possible "
crabs and sweetbreads, cold ham
ists when it was removed and faint Hill says.
'
and sponge cake. By the time hungry ists.
traces of baseboard left on the wall
"The
idea
is
to.
see
the
daily
life
was
perceived
as
the
greatFire
supporters pushed themselves away
provided clues to the house's interiof an executive mansion at war
from the table at the 1893 fund-rais- est threat to the building after the or appearance.
What did they read? What did they
ing feast, more than $30,000 had city's decision to demolish it had
"We found a piece of trim lon- t~lk about? How did the children
been pledged, half of which went to been overturned. So all the hardthe preservation of the White wood floors wel'e replaced with mas- ger than a door frame, so we knew it hve? We have compiled a day-bysive concrete slabs, wood trim was had to be window trim. That set us day chronology through newspa·
House.
The wives of Richmond's rich replaced with terra cotta facsimiles off on our search for fragments," pers. We're trying to find out everv
and powerful had persuaded their and an iron staircase was installed. Hill says. There were also sketches day for four years what was going ,
husbands to sit on the house's advi- The White House of the Confedera- and first-person observations, but here."
sory boards, Hill says. The men, in cy had become the block house of these were not always to be trusted
because of the fallibility of memory.
tum used their influence to per- the confederacy.
The concrete floors posed a ma"Remember," Hill says, "this
suade the city to relinquish the
house to the literary society. By that was the 1890s. We might as well jor problem. It was solved when re-

I

1s or1ans
hope to save
. a~other site
\0..,'{,

·. j

I

fy/ 4l. i') tc:.-CL~ 11

...

Associated Press

.BRANDY STATION - Historians and preservationists, fresh
from victory in Manassas, are preparing to wage a second battle of
Brandy Station to prevent commercial development on the historic
Civil War site.
Members of the Fredericksburg-based Association of Civil War
Sites Inc. and two other groups are
concerned about a developer's purchase of 3,500 acres at Brandy Station, site of the largest cavalry battle
in American history.
Developer Lee Sammis said his
firm has no immediate plans for the
Culpeper County land except to
farm it, and no development plans
have been filed.
Representatives of the Association of Civil War Sites, the Friends
of Culpeper and the Piedmont Environmental Council plan to talk with
Sammis about preserving portions
of the property, and to lobby for
zoning to protect historic sites at
Brandy Station and elsewhere.
Bud Hall, a director of the preservation association, acknowledged
it is unusual for a group to organize
opposition before a developer submits plans. He said the group
learned from its experiences opposing development near the Manassas
National Battlefield Park, however,
that it is never too early to fight to
protect historic land.
In Manassas, Hall's association
and other local and national groups
helped persuade Congress to halt development of a shopping mall complex next to the battlefield, and to
authorize the purchase of the site.
Preservationists should be prepared
to "beat on the war drum like we did
at Manassas," said historian Brian
Pohanka, secretary of the Fredericksburg association.
Sam.mis, who has been called
one of Washington's " premier land
gamblers" by the Washington Busines~ Journal, told the magazine in
September that he is investing in
Culpeper because he believes the
county is going to grow with " some
time and a lot of effort."
Scott
Gaynor,
Sammis'
son-in-law and business partner,
said no development projects are on
the drawing board. "My family
bought the property as an investment," he said.
Gaynor said Sammis is conncious of the historic significance of
the site and is willing to cooperate
with preservationists. He said he has
spoken with Hall and "extended our
cooperation," but called the preservation group's behavior somewhat
" pushy" and " antagonistk."
The clash at Brandy Station is
considered the beginning of the end
of the Southern cavalry and of the
use of mounted troops in wartime.

v , ·te.6

At Appomatox in 1865, Julian
Shakespeare Carr of Chapel Hill,
NC, was only 19 and still a
Confederate private after enlisting
the year before, near the end of his
sophom*ore year at the University of
North Carolina. When he died in
1924, he was Commander-in-Chief
of the United Confederate Veterans
of America.
Today, Carr is virtually
forgotten. Yet, in his sixty years of
adulthood, · he left footprints
everywhere he went. He virtually
invented international advertising in
the process of moving a little
tobacco business from a manuallabor-mail-order shop to fame and a
first fortune from his Bull Durham
conglommerate.
For decades, Carr was one of
the wealthiest and most influential
laymen in th<( ~ethodist Church.
Because of his support and
management of little Trinity
College, there is a Duke University
today.
Without Carr's financial help, a
drifting young Chinese seaman
calloo "Charles Soon" wolifd never
have b~qn educated at Trinity
College and Vanderbilt University
to return to China in 1886 as a
native missionary, gotten involved

HOOVER, HELENA M. /'JSf){
: Miss Helena Mae Hoover, formerly of Westover Avenue, S.W.,
died Friday evening in a local nursing home. Miss Hoover received her
BS degree in education from the University of Virginia. She was retired
with forty years service from the
Roanoke City School System, where
she served as teacher and principal
at Lee Junior Annex and Woodrow
Wilson. She was a member of the
Roanoke Chapter UDC, Delta Kappa
Gainma, Thursday Morning Music
Clu.b, Roanoke Historical Society,
Rojmoke Symphony Auxiliary,
Church Women United, Retired
Teachers Association, and Virginia
Classical Association. She was a
member of St. Marks Lutheran
Church and served as a Sunday
school teacher. Surviving are two
cousin&, Mrs. Lucy Hoover and Mrs.
Phyllis Clark, both of Rocky Mount.
Services will be 11:00 a.m. Monday
at 'the graveside, Sherwood Burial
Park. Dr. Charles w. Easley will officiate. Friends may call at Oakey's
Roanoke Chapel.

-

f

v PF

~

Southern Seen

" Carolina's Car.r."

..

p~

By Larry McGehee
in the Hung P'ang ''Red Gang,"
become secretary-treasurer of Sun
Yat-sen's, prospered in flour mills
and in bible publishing, and
fathered six children.
One of them T. v. Soon,
became China's minister of finance;
another, Ai-ling married H. H.

the Masons, and with a bishop and
three ministers leading a cortege of
150 automobiles to private services
at the cemetery.

Many of those · present had
attended a gigantic 75th birthday
celebration for Carr in 1920, and
some would still be arouond in
Kung, a descendant of Confucius of 1945 for the official state holiday
enormous wealth who also was
minister of finance and of celebrating his lOOth birthday.
Few men of wealth and
commerce and industry; another, prominence received such acclaim
Ching-ling, married Sun Yat-sen and respect. The South once was
himself; and a fourth, May-ling, dominated by men of Carr's moldmarried a man who already had a paternal patriarchs who somehow
wife and several concubines,. wno climbed high without forgetting the
common touch that being a
was named Chiang Kai-shek.
Without "Jule" Carr, there Confederate private and unemployed
would probably be no Durham veteran gave. Some are still around,
Public Library, the first library to in single-industry towns with long
be sustained by public funds. One memories and old habits, but
of Carr's sons, Julian Jr., introduced entrepreneurs are less conspicuous
"industrial democracy" into his and managers more muted and
hosiery industry, with joint labor- multiplied now.
management quality. - control
They served the south well in
systems and "profit-sharing" for the , its infancy, and through the War
workers.
and its second infancy. With the
The Carrs were connected by coming of the Depression and of
marriages
and
business World War II, the people moved
partnerships, and even by rivalries, into a third stage of dependency and
with the great familiess of th~_;.t~u_rned to federal !&encies for
region, including Moreheads, . fa erly lielp. After World War II,
Cannons and Dukes. The expansive the adolescence of the South, so
grandeur of Carr's homes and farms long deferred, finally came into
rivaled those of the Vanderbilt being and was enjoyed by all who
Biltmore Estate. He served on rushed into new employment and
almost any civic and business board afflue.nce.
of any significance. He ran for
Now, with economic leadership
governor and for U. S. Senator, was and political leadership shifting
mayor of Durham early in his career back to the South, it remains to be
and a state legislator near its end, seen whether the southern people
was offered as a favorite-son are ready to move into their
i candidate for the Democratic vicematurity or back into youthful
E presidential nomination in 1900,
dependencies.
1 and tried to enlist in World War I
Jule Carr was born of southern
and served instead as a public aristocracy and bred a new one of
campaigner for the U . s. Food his own. The Carr money came and
Administration program headed by went, but the capacity to rule never
Herbert Hoover.
ebbed. But a far greater portion of
The weddings of his children the southern people never had that
matched the extravaganzas of any background nor that drive, never
northern belle of prominance. As acquired the habits nor the
his biographer, Mena Webb, points opportunities to acquire them.
out (UNC Press, 1987) Carr was Perhaps the times in which we live
determined to prove that the South as their century ends will be times
could rise phoenixlike above a war for uncovering and testing dormant
and reconstruction. In his jovial southern instincts for leadership and
manner, high style of living, cultural improvement.
c?~cern for working conditions and
Those people like to be
c1v1c progress, Carr personified the elevated to fuller responsibility in
New South, which was a vision of the newest version of the New
the Old South re-financed and a South, as 2000 A.D. draws closer,
little more democratic.
could do worse than recall the
He was. buried on a Sunday civility, the di gnity, and the faith
afternoon m, May 1924 , with placed on education and ethics
20,000 people lin ing the streets , shown by some past giants such as
attended by honor guards of Julian S. Carr. Those, more than
Confederate veterans, the Elks, and his birth, suc.,cess, and wealth, were
the real sources of his power.

-If 10.u~.d :~~ke ·i=oJi¥~· .to :be 1011.
heed MOther.~~Jfl~ve

about events and people, but she's
not confused about life itself."
Louise Keller recalls the events
of her life clearly. "My father was a
The eyes look straight out from
the photograph; the image is neither Methodist minister," she said.
The sixth of nine children, Kelfaded no11 softened after more than
80 years of handling. The girl in the ler was born in Esterville, now
picture is wearing a white lace dress known as Gate City, on Aug. 20, 1886.
a nd her hair is swept back in a bil- During her childhood, Louise Keller
lowy pompadour. She is solemn and and her family moved all over the
state, following their father from
beautiful.
Today, 101 years after she was church to church. '"I've tried to live
born, Louise Laura Walker Keller, like he taught us to live," Louise
the girl in the photograph, is cele- Keller said. .
She and her sisters all were enbrating anothrolled at Martha Washington Cole r birthday.
lege, but Louise Keller was forced to
And although
quit six weeks before graduation to
her: face is no
take care of her father, who was ill.
longer youthVirginia said her mother bore the
ful, her eyes
disappointment well, as she has othare still bright,
er disappointments in her life.
and her mind is
In 1916, at the age of 30, Louise
alert.
·
married Guy Otis Keller. They
K e ll er
moved to Buena Vista, where they
lives with her
lived four doors down from Southern
daughter, VirSeminary College. The couple had
ginia, a retired
five children before he died in 1938.
math teacher. Keller
From then on, Louise Keller supportVirginia Keller 62, repeated a description a. ed her four daughters and her son by
nephew, Jay Jennings, gave of his herself.
"People would ask how she did
grandmother: "She may be confused
it," Virgina said. To feed the chif- ·
dren, Louise Keller kept a ·cow and
milked it herself and also grew a
garden.
Virginia, who was 13 when her
father died, said her mother "worked
CLARK, MADGE 0 . /t:f'6° '?_
her fingers off for us."
CL~ARWATER, F LA. - Mrs.
They weren't poor, Virginia
Madge Organ Clark, of Clearwater
said, because "we were rich in the
Fla., died Tuesday, March 10, 1987'.
blessings of being fed."
She was born in Campbell Couniy;Louise Keller also was blessed
January 30, 1895, a daughter of the
with friends, one of whom arranged
late Horace Organ and Mary Hughes
for the girls to attend Southern Semiorgan. She was a member of Trinity
nary, free of charge.
Methodist Church, Roanoke, and a
Louise Keller worked for the
Real Daughter of the United DaughWorks Progress Administration for
ters of the Confederacy. She was
three years, teaching classes in sewtwice married, to the late E . E. Duding,
cooking and nutrition. Later, she
ley and W. A. Clark. She is survived
took the state teacher's examination
by one son, E. E. Dudley, Clearwaand worked for the Buena Vista
ter, Fla.; one grandso~, Greg Dudley,
school
system.
Sarasota, Fla.; and a sISter, Miss Vir"It was a different world, then,"
ginia Organ, Gladys. Graveside serVirginia said, explaining that no spevices will be conducted Thursday
cial
training was needed to become a
2 .oo p.m. by the Rev. Henry Wuntke
teacher at that time. Teaching also
Wesleybury United Methodist
was one of only a few career choices
Church, Gladys.
open to women.
Louise Keller's career lasted 19
years. She taught in Elk Creek,
. Abingdon and other school systems
in Virginia, as well as a school for
the handicapped in Philadelphia.
Later, she becam~ a student herself
and took classes at Radford College.
When Louise Keller retired in
1958 and came to Roanoke to live
By BET~Y BIESENBACH

~

at

-

with Virginia and another daughter,
Phyllis Wampler, she didn't slow
down. One of Louise Keller's sisters ·
lived down the street, and she helped
look after her nieces and nephews
while the sister worked.
Louise Keller also belonged to
several church groups, the Wasena
Garden Club, a neighborhood prayer .
group and taught Sunday school. She
participated in these organizations,
Virginia said, well into her 90s.
Another favorite activity was
visiting residents at the Liberty
House nursing home. One day, Vir-.
ginia said, when her mother was in
her 80s, someone asked why she was
a volunteer at her age. Keller replied: "I've come to read to the old
folks."
In 1980, Keller fell and broke
her hip. She recovered from the injury "beautifully," Virginia said, but
the family decided she needed a
full-time companion. Virginia said
she was worried about bringing
someone she didn't know into her
home. She wanted her mother
treated kindly.
Virginia said she prayed about
the problem and ho~ she would
find the right person.
Meanwhile, Lucy Simmons, a
nurse's aide, was praying, too.
· Simmons, Virginia said, had just
lost a patient she had been with for
several years. She wanted to find a
new place with people she would
like. Simmons was the first woman
Virginia interviewed and she was the
last. Now that Virginia has retired,
Simmons, who is 77, comes to the
house about twice a week.
Another fall a few years later
was more serious, so Louise Keller
has used a wheelchair ever since.
However, she sometimes gets
around with the help of a walker.
"It's nice to be just rolled
around," Louise Keller joked.
Simmons said her patient is very·
independent ~nd very good to work
for.
·
This year, Virginia said, she has
not made any plans for a big birthday celebration. Last year, Willard
Scott said "Happy Birthday" to her
mother, and showed her photograph
on NBC's "Today" show.
Virginia said she was "astonished" when the saw the show. Her
mother, she said, slept right through

it.
Louise Keller had some advice
for anyone who would like to live as
long as she has: "If you want to have
a long life, live by the s~di:fds that
would give you a long life.
Young people, she said, should
"live by their parents' rule" and
"study the Bible and live by it."
As a final admonition, Keller
said: "Behave yourself!"

•

1n

t

r

Daug,hters of Confederacy seek ng Civil War veterans' nal}les
The Virginia Division of the United Daughters of
the Confederacy has made an "urgent" appeal for information on men who fought in the state's 90 or
more regiments during the War Between the States.
"Other states, both North and South, have printed muster rolls or histories of their regiments most of the Nor th immediately after the war," says
Suzanne W. Silek of Front Royal, president of the
state organization.
Many Southern states have begun to tackle the
·
project only recently.
" A Jot of the Confederate records are incomplete. Many have been destroyed ," she added. But the
longer they wa it to start the project, the fewer holes
they'll be able to fill . "There are· no more veterans
living" and their children are dying off "faster now."
·At the state cori.vention in October, the members
voted to mobilize their forces. " Nobody argued about
t he importance of it all," said Mrs. Silek. The first
deadline was the second week in December. By then ,
the 3.200 members in the state 1s 81 chapters were to
have ·turned in forms indicating their ancestors' full
name, unit, da te of birth, date of death, place of
death and burial, whether wounded or captured, copies of pictures in uniform (not veterans' uniform, but
active duty), copies of letters or diaries or permission to make copies.
Letters were Circulated to the media to enlist
the aid of the general public.
i\s it is envisioned now each regiment will meri t
a separate volume. except perhaps the ones forn:ied
late in the war and some of the artillery battenes.
There will be 10 pages of maps and 10 of photographs
in each. The first six vol umes are to be published in
paperback this year and will sell for $10 each.
In addition. a complete annotated muster roll of
men ih each unit is planned.
One regiment from each of the UDC"s districts
in the state has been chosen for the initial printing.
Once the machinery is in wor king order, the organization hopes to produce more than six a year. In fact,

YOUR
CLUB
By Trudy Willis

if all goes according to plan, all will be completed
within five to 10 years.
'"They"re not being written by amateurs." explained Mrs. Silek.
Harold E. ' Howard. a Campbell County history
teacher who works at Appomattox National Battlefield Park during summers. is coordinating the project and writing the volume on the 2nd Virginia
Cavalry, which included units from Bedford, Franklin a nd Botetourt counties a nd Lynchburg. Dr. James
I. Robertson Jr., who teaches history at Virginia
Tech , will be writing the volume on the 4th Infantry
from Southwest Virginia .
Among the others on the team of .10 historians
who are participati ng are Bob Krick with Fredericksburg National m sroric Park, Ed Bearss with the
National Park Service, and Lee Wallace, author of
the "Guide to the Org nization of Virginia Troop ,
1861-65."
The UDC has agre not only to help provide the
source material , but also to purchase a number of
copies, which will give the historian the financial
bac king they need to complete the work.
To contribute inforl"flation. write Harold E. Howard, 808 Sa n 11
r.
ur
5lJ2. In the
sprmg, e will attempt to inventory ceme enes m the
:;tate for clues to missing information. Anyone with
lists of Confederate soldiers who were buried in private or churoh cemeteries is asked to let him know.

'r

,-

* *

The UDC is so interested in attr11cting new blood

that it offers prizes to the chaptel' that enlists the
most members between the ages of 18 and 45.
Mrs. Silek, who is 38. has no idea what proportion of the members are between those ages "but we
are certainly in the minority."
Katherine Wood, president of the Roanoke chapter, says interest seems to be perking up in the Roanoke Va lley. '"We've had a number of calls from 1
:People who wanted to join. Usually we have to go out
and drag them in. " She hopes that they are not taken
aback to learn t hat they have to be recommended by
two members before they can join.
I
Although interest in genea logy seems to be 1
drawing them . the UDC is more a historical society
tha n a genealogical organization. she says. "We study
the history of the war" and its principals. The UDC's f
mission is to keep alive the history arid heritage of
the South and to ·p erpetuate the memory of those who
fought for the Confederacy.
"We don't have a high public profile, ' says Mrs.
Silek. but the UDC gives scholarships, sponsors essay
contests in schools, sponsors chapters of the Childterl
of the Confederacy. presents books to libraries and
works with veterans' hospitals and the Red Cross. " It
used to help needy veterans; now it helps needy
daughters of veterans."
·
It also cares for the graves of Confederate soldiers and sets up monument:; to their memory.
Mrs. Silek"s chapter in Manassas was successful }
"last yea r in convincing legislators to pass a bill to
extend Manassas Ba ttlefield Park. The land the UDC
wa nted to add included a house that had been pre· ;.
served as it was during the war a nd the woods in
which the Second Battle of Manassas was fought.
Anyone interested in joining the UDC can contact Mrs. Silek at 306 Brown Ave., Front Royal
226ao.
Ii
What's your clnb doing for tlie comrnunity or jnst for fun? Drop a n ote to Trudy Willis, Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Bo:c 2491, Roanoke 2-4010.

-

~·

Confederate
~. ~~aughters m eet
\).:

The Wythe-Grey Chapter United
~Daughters of the Confederacy will
,
hos~ the Virginia Division District I
·
~
Spnng Conference on Saturday May
1
' ;
9. District I covers 15 chapters' from
• " · Roanoke westward to Ewing and Big
\; · tone Gap.
: .;"'- The Virginia DivisiOn president,
~~ Mrs. Andrew V. Biley, J r. and other
~:) state officers plan to attend. Mrs. R.
~ C. Proctor, District I chairman will
:•!· preside at the conference.
'
The Wythe-Grey chapter will host 1
the conference at the Ramada Inn
and are busy making arrlll).gements
for a successful meeting.
1
The members of the Wythe-Grey
ch~pter are reminded that reser- 11
vations are d.ue by May 1, and can . l
~
.·. be made wtth Mrs. Fletcher K
:~ Sumner 228-4998.
· a
,

1rr ·1

S a le m Tlmes / Rep;ls U! r Photos /Da n Sm ith

United Dau ghters of the Confederacy Officers include (front from left) Mrs . William Lut:a s , Mrs. Ralph
Knieriem, Jac queline _R udd, Ruby Giragosian, Mrs. W. L. S eymour, Mrs. B urton Cha pman, Mrs . Allen
F. F oltz; (second r ow ) Mrs. James D. Gilliard, Mrs. John G . Williams Mrs . tl:M. Gl r a gosia n, Mr s. John
E . Williams, and Mrs. R ichard C. P r octor.
·
'
.

---

UDC
meeting set for Oct. l O
.
!Cf~'!

So uthern Cross Chapter,
Uni tea Daughters of- ther
Confederacy. will have its Oct.
10 meeting at the home of Mrs.
W. B . Zimmerman, 4538
Andover Court, Roanoke. Mrs.
Carl Tarpley will be in charge of
the program at the 2 p.m.
meeting.

The Virginia Division, United
Daughters 'of the Confederacy,
held i ts annual meeting this
p a st weekend, Mrs. Richard
Proctor and Mrs. Miller Petty
w er e co- chairman. Other
m em bers attendiJ!g were Mrs.
J ohn Arthur, President; Mrs.

Russell Johnston; Mrs. Thomas
Pouer;'Mrs. • -Carl Tarpley; Miss Virginia
Newman; Miss Fran c es
Fitzgerald ; Mr s. Anni e
Aldridge; Mrs. Penn Kime; Mrs.
Dorothy Cruiser and Mrs. Kyle
Roop.

JeDDY Probtot, Recorder of Cros s for the United Daughters of the t:ontederacypresented certilica.tes
ervice to five men at the UDO Convention in Salem Saturday. Shown h re
recipients (from left) Warren P . :i{tme ot Salem, John D. Hudgins of Kernersville, N .C. and Archie
satnuel Cannon of Williamsburg. Not pictured
Roy Alon a H\ldgins of Winston-Salem and ll rold
• tarke of AW d. The Hudgin are
. Proo r' brothers and a~ originallif from Salem.

ot the Cross of Military

ii.,ooKS, WILLIAM M.
, William McGlothlin Brooks 79
died Saturday in a local hospital. H~
~a~ born November 17, 1908, in Lou1SV1lle, Ky. He was a member of
~onnelly Memorial Baptist Church
m Roanoke. Since living in Roanoke
he was active in the Salem Kiw~
Club and was given the status "Life
Membership in Kiwanis.International". He was also a member of the
&lris of Confederate Veterans. Sur-~ng are HIS wife, Ruth Moser
Blfeoks; one brother, Rev. J. Boyce
Brooks, Roxboro, N.C.; three sisters
~ Blanche Cook, Mrs. Jane Spen~
cqf.»~d Miss Eleanor Brooks, all of
~~1gh! N.C.; also surviving are
IgMY nieces and nephews. His body
has ~n donated to the Virginia Anatorr.ucal J?epartment. Memorial
services will be held 11:00 a m
Wednesdal• March 30, at the CoMel~
l~ Memonal Baptist Church. Memor~als may be made to the Youth Services of the Salem Kiwanis Club Box
133, Salem, Va. 24153.
'

-------------------- .. ..

~ ,...

. ···~ "~" ··-·· ... ·-· -... -..

- ~-----..,-...,-----

Confederate Gava'Iry
relives past in Salem
'

It was Genera!' William Averall who
"tore up Salem" according to Roy
Hayth, Adjutant of Fincastle Rifles
Camp 1326, and a member of Sons of
Confederate Veterans. ·
David Greer, Commanding Officer
of the 14th Virginia Cavalry Company G, added to the tale. "It was in 1863 that
General A verall and his men came
through Salem. They tore up the crops,
burned down the railway depot,
destroyed bridges and, it's said, set fire
to a uniform factory located here. This
was the year before the Battle of
Hanging Rock.
·" General David Hunter was in
retreat from Lynchburg; he had been
groups of male descendants of those
ordered by General Grant to destroy
who served in the Confederate Army
everything in sight. The men were
and Navy formed throughout . t_he
crossing at Hanging Rock Gap : Ten
South. The federation was made
thousa nd had already passed through;
10,0PO more were left in camp.
officialJuly I st, 1896 during the annual
"Jubel Ear)y knew they were there,
meeting of the United Confederate
Veterans in Richmond. The
and · sent down a force of 2,000
Hupp / Oeyerle Camp was an active
Confederate cavalry and artillery, a
Salem group. The United Sons of
tho usand to the Newcastle area and a
Confederate Veterans was organized,
thousa nd to Salem. It was the morning
and J.E.B. Stuart Jr. was elected the
of the 2 1st of June, 1864, when Early's
first leader. Hupp / Deyer e became a
men caught up with the rea r guard of
Sons of Confererate Vete ·m Camp. It
the Federal troop and attacked the
is no longer active, and that's a shame. ·
artillery. They captured nine pieces,
We'd like to reactivate it. There are
dismantled them and threw the barrels
pictures of Captaiit Abraham Hupp
in Mason Creek." David laughed, "The
and Captain Deyerle in the Salem
Highway Department built a road
across it now! Between twenty and 1 Courthouse."
The four men had gathered to discuss
twenty-five Federal prisoners were
their favorite topic, the Civil War and
taken; ten to fifteen were killed. Two
their desire to reactivate Camps and
Confederate soldiers died at Hanging
gather more members for their various
Rock and they are buried now in the
Salem cemetery. But Hunter did
'
groups.
Mr. Bell continued, "Interest really
manage to tear up the train tracks and
livened up at the centennial of the Civil
destroy the bridges again before he got
through."
War, 1961-1965. That'swhenthingsgot
Jeff Briggs is the founder and former
into high gear."
Commanding Officer of the 11th
Both Bell and Hayth are involved in
Virginia Infantry, also a member of the
the historical aspect while Briggs and
Fincastle Rifles. Jeff was State
Greer are "the actors" who deal in
Adjutant for four years, overseeing the
"living history, first person impressions
20 camps in the State of Vi rginia.
and live shooting in the skirmishes".
Commander of the Fincastle Rifles
They bring history to life.
and member of the Sons of Confederate
"Captain Hupp was the commanding
Veterans Sharon Bell said, "In the days
officer of Salem Flying Artillery,'' Mr.
of the Civil War Roanoke, of course,
Bell told us when David . Greer
didn't exist but Salem did. Within
mentioned that it was the "original
Salem artillery regiment".
months after the cessation of hostilities,

David would welcome information
regarding the old location of "Camp
Zirkle, a former Confederate training
camp, organized in 1862. I'd just love to
track it down. I'd like to. start a reenactment of the Salem Flying
Artillery, so we need both information
and more members!"
Your reporter wondered about
feminine participation in the War
Between the States, Jeff volunteered,
"There was one woman commissioned
officer in the Confederate Army,
Captain Sally Tompkins, a nurse in
Richmond. She received Army pay but
wouldn't accept it; she turned it all back
to the cause."
"I'd like to add something to David's
story about Hanging Rock," said Mr.
Bell. "The ~randfather of Dr.
McCausland, General McCausland,
led the attack. My great grandfather,
William Walters, was killed in action at
the Battle of Chancellorsville, north of
Richmond, on May 2nd, 1863.
Stonewall Jackson was shot in the same
battle although he died some ten days
later.
"I talked with the man who buried
my grandfather when I was ten years

KneelJng: Peter Buchanan, Roanoke. Back, from left: Tom Sell, Vinton; David Greer, Roanoke; Roger Marcun,
Roanoke; and Bernard Weiswelller, France. •••'''"' l'h•••l••bt" o.wn•y
old," he reminisced. "He was my great
uncle, my grandfather's brother-in-law.
He was in his 90s when he told me the
s1ory. He rode with Jeb Stuart when
H1 ~ y circled Richmond -- it was
occupied by McClelland's army. It was
a reconnaissance ride," he grinned,
"maybe what Lee once called 'one of
Stuart's joy rides'!"
There was entertainment in the
camps , the predecessor of Bob Hope's
team. "Musicians went into battle,"
said David. "Lee talked of them piaylng
battle songs."
"That's right," agreed Mr. Bell. "In
fact, at the Battle of Franklin a band
from New Orleans led the troops. You
know, it's an interesting fact that the
soldiers of the North and the South
communicated between battles. For
instance, the southerners had a good

supply of tobacco and they'd trade with
the northerners for coffee and sugar."
David's Virginia Cavalry was
involved this past summer with a
different kind of shooting. Warner
Brothers is in the process of filming
"The North and South" and used the
Unit in battle scenes both in
Brightonsville, South Carolina, where
"there's an original plantation", and at
Cedar Mountain, Virginia -· "There
was a battle there in 1862, a victory for
the Confederates". David has just
received a letter from the film company
asking them to take part in the next
segment to be filmed in November. "We
don't know who the actors will be yet."
During the War, "sutlers -- suppliers
of uniforms and camp supplies -- came
to the army camps and sold them

tobacco, coffee, tea and so forth. We get
the uniforms we use for the skirmishes
from small facto ries; sometjmes they're
sewn at home.
"Some of the equipment -- belt plates
(buckles), rifles, revolvers , canteens,
sabers and other odds a nd ends are
original, but th e un ifor ms are
reproductions ."
Jeff is looking fo r infantry men· call
him at 774-0747. David needs artillery
and cavalry, "mounted or dis mounted".
His phone number is 343-38 12. And
both Mr. Hayth (366-7937) and Mr.
Bell (362- 1420) are interested in hearing
from "male descendants of those who
served the Confederate States of
America in military, naval or civil
capacity" to join Sons of Confect te
Veterans.

Salell!"u!~!!!!!,:Register

'fuESDAY, FEBRUARY

16, 1988

rowing up in Shrevepor t,
"It stands for the rights of
La., the mere sight of the
white people," DeShazo told
"Stars and Bars," whether
me. "Call it a symbol of white
on. a .car bumper, on a barroom
supremacy if you like. It's a
door, 01.1 .ai r.ontlal'l.Qor aboice___c:yv. vedrom thejeivil War._" __
Iii
the county courthouse-where
"It means no race mixing,"
it still flies- was always more
his son Mar k, 15, chimed in. "It
than a symbol of southern
means white is beautiful and
heritage. It was a warning.
that's the way we want to keep
it."
·
It said the Civil War may be
over, but black people had
After the march, I went into .
better be prepared for pitched
a restaurant on the ·outskirts of
Atlanta. The motif was "Johnny
battles against racial inequality
at any time. It said that black
Rebel," with Confede rate flags
hanging from the ceiling and
people may be run off the road,
Confederate license plates
that they weren't welcome in
particular homes and, in the
tacked 'to the bar.
My reaction as a black man
case of the courthouse, that
they had better quake in their
was tempered by the arrival of
boots upon being bnought to
a smiling blond, blue-eyed
trial.
"Dixie peach" who guided me ,to
Then I came to Washington
a table, asked how I felt and
/ 't:t//t::;::::::::;t?:>t:/} J, and began to pay more
what I'd like to drink. The
attention to the way things
bartender, dressed in overalls
' . were done up .north. I ~eard
and sporting a full red beard,
· how those white boys m Boston
took the order and smiled my
had used an American flag and
way. It's rare to be treated that
po e o beat up-a blac~ youth on
well-r:ight her~ in Washington.
, a beach. I starte~ seemg ho.w
The point is, the ConfederatEf
corpo7ate executives, .wearmg
flag may mean the same thing I
American flags on their lapels,
to black people but it d
t
BY BRAD WVE- THE WASHINGTON POST
,
· df
f
·1
oes no
1
p~act.
c~
~rms
?thracia
mean
the
exact
same
thing
to
The flag symbolizes liberation from illiteracy, drugs, apathy, self-hate.
1scrimmation WI
.
all whites. So why bother with
consequences as devastatmg as
a of th 1
·
nyBJ k em. h
.,; h
t he crimes
comm1'tted bYt he
Ku Klux Klan.
ac peop1e ave enoug
So when I hear about the
problen_is that they.can do
-=--..._-S001ethmg about without
· re ie"We<:I controver
\
running around picking fights
surrounding the Confederate
with the worst of the
flag, the efforts by the NAACP
And a flag for blacks
caucasians.
in places such as Alabama, ·
just
may
be
one of the things to
Virginia and Louisiana to force
mobilized.
help
us
get
state and county governments
I say keep·it as simple as the 1
to take it down, I have to take
stars
and bars. Red, for the
exception and say let it be.
blood
of people not shed in vain~
AS A WHITE and a Southerner, I say
What black people need to do
black,
for the color of our skin;
leave the Confederate flag alone. Our flag
is fly a flag of their own.
is part of history.
green,
for our youth and new
. 'th aH due respect to my
The blacks have their rights now, so
ideas. Now throw in a silhouette
esteemed
colleague,
Carl
leave our rights and our Confederate flag
-of Africa. Is this familiar? It
Rowan, whose historical
alone. No, I am not a racist nor my family.
ought to be. We used to have a
no
doubt
fuels
the
perspective
We are just Southern people who love our
n~I,!.a_!!st fl'!g that symbolized
OU
rage
th~tdemandsl'-=:...-;;::~
.
flag. As soon as we can buy a Rebel flag, it
liberation i om illiteracy, driigs,
Confederate flags be lowered
will fily high from our roof from our
apathy and self-hate.
Southern home.
immediately, I feel that blacks
need something positive to rally
It didn't even have to be
round before they can begin to
captured. We let it fall. If the
wage battles against anybody
NAACP wants tQ do something,
else.
it can help us raise it again,
~nd let's face it: Fighting
make sure it fliesjn every black
know
others
agree
with
me
but
just
1
a~a.1nst the Confederate flag is a
won't speak out. Has anyone heard about
household in America.
ny whites marching against the NAACR
tncky proposition. I remember
When black pe ople have
~resident concerning our flag? No, nof
become comfortable enuugh
. interviewing Al DeShazo, a
Reoublican nominee for
yeti
with their own identi ·
Congres rn:n~...___~
0
. g.
SHIRLEY DAVIS
District as he waved a
~EV.It.LE
then you can e at they W:ii't - - J
Confederate flag as a big as a
have the power to vote
beach blanket while protesting
Confederate fl11gs out of any
the arrival of black
government building where
demonstrators in Forsyth
they exist. Birt by then, I don't
County, Ga., a while back.
·think it will matter.

COURTLAND MILLOY
/

I
s,
orge
'
re en
ck,
For ed,

d

• I

Leave our rights
and flag alone

URDAY, FEBRUARY --'-~~~----=-.:..::..:...:.~::..:.::..:.:::.:..:....:..::.::.:..:_~~~~~~~~~~~13, 1988 A17
Tm: WASlll NGTON Posr

-~

The Stars and Bars
~. Is Not a Racist Symbol

Ie thatSo Confederate
Carl Rowan too (op-ed, Feb. 9] is demanding
flags be removed from public
· buildings, torn off of truck bumpers and yanked
from the flagpoles of the South. The argument
that the Stars and Bars is a racist symbol holds
about as much water as the claim that "Redskins"
is a racist name for Doug Williams' team.
The issue here is not racism. The issue is the
hom*ogenization and de-"Confederization" of the
South. It's a game of "let's pretend Manassas is
the same as Akron or Des Moines."
Take Fairfax County. It's not enough that
bulldozers are turning fields and Civil War battle
sites into town houses and industrial parks that
could just as well be in Wisconsin or New Hampshire. Now the revisionists want to make the
transformation complete by pretending that the
War Between the States never happened and that
thousands of men never died fighting under the
Saint Andrew cross with 13 stars.
Fairfax school officials, for example, have decreed that Fairfax High School's Johnny Reb
mascot is "offensive." The name "Rebels" will be
allowed to stay, but will now presumably refer to
the rebels of the Revolutionary War.
By extension, the names of the Jefferson Davis
and Lee-Jackson highways should be changed. The
plaques honoring such obvious "racists" as John
Singleton Mosby andJ. E. B. Stuart should be melted
down. The statue of a Confederate soldier in Alexandria should be ripped from its pedestal. The Confederate Museum in Alexandria should be gutted.
Northern Virginia has a claim to the Confederate flag that rivals that of almost any other part of
the South. I know, I know. Northern Virginia has
been so suburbanized and sanitized that it's hardly
part of the South anymore, but let's pretend.
The flag itself was designed in Fairfax City, by
Gen. P. G. ·T. Beauregard after First Manassas in
June 1861. Appalled by the confusion on the smoky
battlefield between the Union flag and the similar
Confederate national flag, Beauregard sat at a Fairfax kitchen table and drew a design for a battle flag
that was clearly different from the Stars and Stripes.
Lee chose to call his force the Army of Northern Virginia. Major battles of the war were fought
all across what's now Virginia suburbia. Hundreds
of thousands of us trace our roots to the men who
marched and fought, underfed and often barefoot.
Out none of that seems to matter anymore.
Developers have gouged up the site of the Battle
of Chantilly, in western Fairfax County. Twelve
hundred men died in the two-hour battle that

--

followed Second Manassas, one every six seconds. But the cornfields and railroad embankments that marked the battle lines are gone-to
be replaced by sleek industrial complexes.
The headstones marking where Union generals
Issac Stevens and Phillip Kearney fell during that
battle have been moved. Stevens' headstone says
he died ''with the flag of the Republic in his grasp."
That kind of heroism and sacrifice is quaint now.
As family history tells it, Jerimiah Jaco and the
d?zen ~r so other Jacos who fought and (mostly)
died under the Confederate flag ·did so without
ever having seen a black person. Too poor to own
slaves and too proud to allow Union troops to·
invade, they fought.
Cri~ics will rip into that as romantic drivel,
chargmg that anyone who honors their memories
by displaying the Rebel flag is a racist. Careful
now. Does that mean anyone who wore the'
America! or First Air Cav patches in Vietnam ·
fight~ng ~ost~y wi.th ho.n~r and to keep thei;i
buddies ahve, 1s an 1mpenahst baby killer?
!
I want nothing to do with skinheads who wear
Confederate flag patches alongside swastikas on
their torn-up denim jackets. A case can even ht:\
made for removing the Confederate flag from the
Georgia state flag, since it wasn't added until the
1950s as a reaction to school integration.
But the idea of ripping down Confederate flags"
hits a nerve. I am a white southerner and, more
often than not, damn proud of it. Facile arguments·
that the Stars and Bars represents racism may be.
boneheaded, but they are also opinions that can be·
debated loud and long. But any attempt to tear
down the flags takes aim at my heritage. That's
when a debate becomes a good old-fashioned fight.

-C. D. Jaco

State Still Pays
/ Relatives. of \lets
. Of.Civil War ·

.
1

By OZZIE OSBORNE
Richmond Bureau

RICHMOND - Well over a century after the Civil War
ended, Virginia is still paying pensions to widows of Confederate veterans.
~ o is paying pensions to daughters of veterans.
the number of both is dwindling and they'll probagone within a decade or perhaps sooner, says
the stat~ comptroller's office.
0 state budget has allotted $248,250 for aid to
the wia
and daughters. (By contrast the state appropriated ~OQ.,llro In fiscal 1972 alone for them.)
That includes pensions - $50 a month for the widows
and $.30 fort
ughters - and $100 in funeral expenses
for widows.
There are only seven widows left, Mfs. Stoll said and
310 daught
'
Nine dao · fers have dieq so far in February alone, she
says.
"The widOWli hang en longer than the daughters" says
. Mrs. Stoll, wttl) holds the position once known as Cortlederate pension administrator. The job requires only part of
Mrs. Stall's time. ~
She recalls that she used to try to get the pensions
raised, but without succe.ss.
,
"I tried for years ," she says, " but now I've just
stopped."
Now, she says, there probably won 't be any more widows or daughters left in 10 years - "maybe no more than
six years," she ays.
A widow hasn 't applied in the 15 years she has been in
her job, Mrs. Stoll says, and no daughter has applied in the
past 12 months.
She says there may be more in Virgiqia than are on
state rolls, but tire law says the pensions st:iall go only to
the needy and pe'.Phaps th~re are some who do not qualify.
~be oldest widow gettmg a pension is living in Oiester
and 1s ~5 years old, ~ys ~rs. Stoll. She adds that relatives
of the ~dow say she is qmte alert and articulate.

LETTERS

Renew honor
to emblems
of old South
AT A TIME when the sensitivites of
Southern whites are being ignored in order to appease some in the black community who are determined to rid our society
of all those traditions which we cherish, it
is refreshing to read articles such as yours
March 6.
I have long felt it is the responsibility
of the media to help restore the emblems
of the old South to their places of honor.
Much of the animosity exhibited by some
in the black community has been fueled
by the liberal press and television shows
that seek to brand as racism any use of the
Corueaera(e battle flag, or the singing of
"Dixie."
Surely, most Southern whites do not
harbor feelings of racism when they perpetuate the .traditions of our state and
region. Virginia sent thousands of her
sons to defend our commonwealth during
the War Between the States, and three out
of four Confederates did not even own
slaves!
Our children are given a full month of
black history in the public schools. As we
seek to learn more about the contributions
of blacks in our history, I would ask our
black brethren to accord us the same courtesy by allowing us the opportunity to
honor those traditions we hold dear. Of all

the universitie · ..

·

~th a..nsht

to cherish its traditions, Washington and
Lee should have that privilege.

EDWARD J. BENNETT

. ROANOKE

Confederate flag:
many meanings
A FEW racially motivated blacks and
whites are attempting to destroy both the
past and future of all Americans. Gene
Owens, in his column "It'~ time to lower
the flag," puts the full weight of the the
Roanoke Times & World-News on the
side of the destroyers who equate the Confederate flag with racism.
It is ludicrous to believe that the flag
stood for only one ideal. By that illogic,
the flag of the United States can only
stand for one concept. How ridiculous!
The Civil War was a major turning
point for constitutional law, states' rights,
race relations, political issues, social issues and economic policies. Closing one's
eyes (lowering the flag) will not change
that.
Mr. Owens should read his own newspaper. On th e same d ate as his
. column
there appeared an article "Virginia Civil
War legacy called big tourist lure." His
attack was not only on the heritage of all
Virginia, but on its future also. Tourist
dollars are not racially biased. They provide prosperity and employment for all.
The national symbol of the Civil War is
the United States and Confederate flags
crossed.
If there are those who feel they must
hate and pull down the symbol of the last

nation in North America to have legalized
slavery, then let them lower the flag of the
United States. The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in the Confederacy only. Slaves in Maryland, Delaware,
Kentucky, Missouri (under the control of
the United States during the war) were
exempted. Virtually every slave in what
was the Confederacy was freed by May
1865. Slaves in the North remained in
bondage until the fall (state) elections.
It is important to educate people
about the past, not distort and destroy it.
Those who attempt to destroy our past are
also damaging our future, and perverting
history for our children.

C6

Roanoke Times & World-News, Sunday, April 24, 1988

GARY C. WALKER
ROANOKE

WRITE .
Letters on public issues are welcome.
They must be signed. Please include
full address and , for verification only, a
telephone number at which you may
be reached during the day. All letters
are edited . Because of the volume of
letters at times, not all letters are
published. Writers are limited to one
letter in any 60-day period. Letters
should not exceed 200 words.

Letter to the editor
P.O. Box 2491

Roanoke, Va. 24010

Can't changE

Southern history
OUR NATION faces many difficult
p roblems such as AIDs, drugs, housing
and food for the needy and unemployment, just to name a few. Certain groups
should b~ using their time and money to
improve these conditions instead of trying
to destroy a flag and the Virginia state
song that so many of our people hold dear.
History cannot be changed .
The Sons of Confederate Veterans
and the United Daughters of the Confederacy are honorable and noble institutions. They are strictly historical and
non-political. They are certainly not racist.
There are people today who march
through our cities and towns who use the
Confederate flag as a racist symbol. They
are the ones who are doing a disservice to
the American people, not the historical
organizations.
ROY G. HAYTH SR.

.

Camp Adjutant
Fincastle Rifles Camp 1326..S....CV_

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• ROANOR't

etty Rice demonstrates bobbin lacemaking at the Vinton
olklife Festival Saturday at Lancerlot. Rice, who learned
itie craft while living in England, uses the lace on christentng gowns. The festival was moved from the grounds of
~e War Memorial because of a forecast of rain.

Manassas
rally draws
thousands
Associated Press

MANASSAS More than
3 000 Civil War buffs and preservationists braved sweltering heat Saturday at the Manassas National Battlefield Park for a spirited prot_est .
against plans to build a shopping
cumplex next door.
"Some people believe the be~t
way to preserve this battleground is
to build a l .2 million-square-foot
shopping mall on it," said Rep. Robert Mrazek, D-N.Y., au~hor_ofone of
several pieces of legislation that
would block the development.
Most historians believe Union
and Confederate soldiers lie in unmarked graves within the development site. "They deserve better than
having their remains bulldozed ~ver
for a Burger King or a Bloommgdale's " Mrazek said.
I~ temperatures approachin_g
100 degrees, politicians and celebnties mixed with local opponents of
the development plan and people
dressed in Civil War uniforms.
Sen. John Warner, R-Va., said
he hopes a compromise bill can be
pushed through the Senate that
would take from the developer and
add to the 4,600-acre park a hill atop
which Confederate Gen. Robert E.
Lee commanded his troops in the
Second Battle of Manassas.
Tight Senate purse strin~s. might
prevent Congress from ac_qumng the
entire parcel, Warner said.
The cost of buying the land,
closing two roads through the par~
and building new ones has been es~i­
mated at $100 million to $150 million.
NBC-TV broadcaster Willard
Scott· Jody Powell, press secretary
to fo~mer President Jimmy Garter;
and Jan Scruggs, who helped ~rea~e
the Vietnam. Veterans Memo~al m
Washington, 13.C., also spoke m favor of protecting the park.
"I came out because I just realized this was a cause I have to sup-

PLEASI; SEE PROTEST /83

~~ RE~!!;ndS c~!!.!.~~e~!n,~~,~~e!~.~~~ l ie ·1~~s
·~

The Virginia Division United
Daughters of the Confederacy First
District held !.heir Spring Conference at Auburn United
Methodist Church in Riner on
Saturday, May 7. Captain Hamilton D. Wade Chapter of Chris11ansburg was hostess for lhe conference.
Louise Francis, Chairman of
District I presided. Mrs. Burton

Protest
FROM PAGE 81

Division UDC and olher state of- ence.
ficers, spoke during lhe morning
session. There were 77 registered
including two real-daughters for
the conference.
An invitation for lhe 1989 First
District Conference was extended
by the Dr. Harvey Black Chapter
lo meet in Blacksburg.
Awarding of door prizes and
singing 'Blcst Be The Tie That

provisions that would prevent federal money from being used for costly
road construction associated with
the disputed project.
The House Interior and Insular
Affairs committee approved a bill
Wednesday that would authorize
the federal government to seize the
land, close two roads running
through the park and pay part of the
cost for new highways around it. The
measure should be voted on by the
House shortly after Congress reconvenes after the Democratic National
Convention.
"I am increasingly confident
that we're going to acquire this
land," Mrazek said. "We will pass
the House bill with more than 300
votes, which should send a strong
message to the Senate."

port," said Rich Saunders, who lives
in nearby Herndon but had never
visited the park. "There's only so
much heritage left."
Northern Virginia builder John
T. Hazel wants to construct a 1.2
million-square-foot shopping mall,
t. 7 million square feet of office
space and 560 homes on a 542-acre
t ract next to the park in which two
important Civil War battles were
contested.
The site includes the bluff from
which Lee commanded his troops.
Historians contend that two field
hospitals also were located there.
Hazel purchased the prnperty in
The park includes the site of
1985, and first proposed a smallscale office complex for the site. He First Manassas, the first significant
expanded his plans to the current land battle of the Civil War. A Confederate victory in that 1861 battle
co~cept last February, once Prince
Wllliam County offieials relaxed helped convince Union officials the
war would be a protracted affair.
zoning requirements.
~his angered local residents,
A Confederate triumph in Secwho felt they had been hoodwinked ond Manassas, in which more than
by he developer and the county.
20,000 casualties were recorded
Their cause has been buoyed by over three days in August 1862, is
congressional efforts. In the past two considered by many historians to be
weeks, transportation bills passed by the South's most spectacular victotl1e'House and Senate have included ry.

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The William Watts Chapter, U.D.C., Roanoke, Virginia
h o/WI' tlt.n/' 00{7,/ecle/'(t/e . .J /l(c:.rtor.r
_!.!ember

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Andrew R. Ake rs, Co. 14th Preston Reserves CSA
Richard H. Cofer, 2nd Regimen t, Virginia Cavalry
James Th omas Edwa rd s, 5lst Virgin ia Infa ntry Regiment
Sam uel W. Ferguson, 13th Virginia Infantry Regim ent
John Al exand er Francis, Pvt. Virginia Artillery
Reuben Hall, 52nd Virginia Infantry Regim ent
James Frankli n Henry, Pvt., Corpl ., & Serg . Sampson Artillery, N.C.
Jam es Monroe Hill man, Sr., Vi rginia Cava lry
Thoma s J. Hudson , 56th Virgin ia Infant ry Regiment
Hansford James, Pvt. Virginia Infantry Regiment
James Henry Kelly, 30 th Battalion, Virginia Infan try
Samu el Ca rl Li ndsay, 3 1st Vi rginia Infantry Regiment
John Ca lvin Lucas , 22 nd Virginia Infa ntry Reg im ent
Robe rt Wi lson Marshall, 22 nd Virginia Infantry Regiment
Ab raham Moody, 2nd Virgin ia Infantry Regiment
John Daniel Morris, Pv t. 1st Virginia Infantry Reserve
David Henry Nash, 14th Virgin ia Infantry Regiment
Warren Norman , Hom e Gua rd, Virgi nia
George Wil liam Price , 30th Virgin ia Infa ntry Regi me nt

Se th Richardson , 58th Virginia In fantry Regiment
Theodore Henry Rothwell, 1st Ba ttali on, Vi rgin ia In fa ntry
Benjami n Daniel Selph, 52 nd Vi rginia Infa nt ry Regiment
Nath an iel A. Thomas, 51st Virginia Infantry Regiment
Mrs. W. P. Bu rks, Registrar

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Mrs. Clara Semones
Mrs. B. H. Riley
Mrs. 0 . R. Counts
Mrs. P. L. Akers
Miss Mary Minichan
Mrs. R. W. Floyd
Miss Ruth Henry
Mrs. 0. R. Counts
Mrs. E. W. Mitchell
Mrs. Regina Jungles
Mrs. Kevin Kitts
Mrs. Ruth Hicks
Mrs. Nelson Berkl ey
Mrs. 0 . R. Counts
Mrs. W. E. Barton
Mrs. J. B. Ogd en
M rs. K. A. Womack
Mrs. F. A. Reynolds
Mrs . Leon At kinson
Mrs . R. E. Bowles
Mrs. H . C. Foster
Mrs . H. J. Wi lde
Miss Gertrude Richar·dson
Mrs. R. E. Myers
Mrs. J. R. Richardson
Mrs. R. S. Tem pleton
Mr. W. P. Burks

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BOYDVILLE

Built . 1812. by Ellshe Boyd.
ge nere l in the War Clf 1812,
on lend bought from Gen. Adam
Stephen. Mansion noted for its
fine 1·orkmanship. Home of his
son- in-law, Charles J. Faulkner,
Mi nister to France. and his
randson. U.S. S.:.nator Faulkner.

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Eort Chis well named for Welshman
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By M. CARL ANDREWS
The recently·p11;blicized efforts of amateur archaeologists from the University of
Virginia to locate the site of Fort Chiswell
in Wythe County, where a cloverleaf interchange for 1-77 and 1-81 is to be built shortly, raise an intriguing question this
Bicentennial y¢.
Who was Chiswell?
John Chiswell came to the Virginia colony from Wales early in the 18th century
·•r< and soon drifted to the frontier of the Blue

:.·a- ltlo~lb-'Ncws
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biceIDltemurnial
·

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Ridge In what was then Augusta County,
covering everything west to the Ohio and
Mississippi rivers.
You probably could best describe him

'Colonel's' namesake today

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It is unlikely that the fort stood in flat,
as a soldier of fortune although he seems to
have acquired the title of "Colonel" by open land where recent diggings have been
usage rather than any service in the colo- made. Without exception, these forts stood
nial militia. Colonels wer~ a sixpence a doz- on higher ground, commanding trails and
water approaches.
en then as are Kentucky colonels today.
Minerals bad a fascination for him and
When fabled Fincastle County was
there is reason to believe that he nourished created out of Botetourt in 1772, Gov. Dunthe dream first entertained by the founders more designated the Lead Mines as its seat. .
of Jamestown that gold was to be found It was there that the Fincastle Resolutions
somewhere to the west, perhaps in the for Independence were drawn on Jan. 20,
mountains, about which little was known. 1775, in a tiny log ~ourthouse, marked. to:
He could be numbered among our first day by a monument.
geologists.
The county seat was at Fort Chiswell
He entered history in June, 1756, when during the last year of Fincastle (1778) and
he discovered lead in a cave near the New after that county was split into Kentucky,
River while on one of his exp~ditions. '.fhe Washington and Montgomery, the village
story is now a legend that he undoubtedly was the seat of Montgomery County until
started himself, for he was a notable brag- 1790.
gart.
'
It was from the Lead Mines that Col.
· According to his story, he was being (later Gen.) William Campbell led a force
pursued by Indians while wandering along of 400 Virginia frontiersmen south to a renthe river and took refuge in a small cave.
dezvous with others and immortality in the
While waiting for the Indians to move victory at Kin~'s Mountain.
on he killed time by examining specimens
A rich man by any standard of tbose
of 'rock. To his delight, he discovered rich
deposits of lead. There was no need for al- days, "Colonel" Chiswell quickly became a
chemy: the lead was to bring him gold and pr?sperous business figure at the capital of
W1lliamsburg, where he tried to emulate
fortune.
the more cultured Byrd. His weakness was
Not long after that, Chiswell' discov- a.
for boasting, especially about
ered surface ore, worked outcroppings him- ·hispe~chant
mines.
self and set up a smelter. Obtaining a
generous land grant in the king's name, he . I~ was in June 1766, just a decade after
formed a partnership with his son-in-law, his dLScovery, that he put up in a tavern at
John Robinson, and enlisted the financial Cumberland Courthouse on the trail from
aid of Col. William Byrd m, who had a fin- Williamsburg to the mines. The drinking
.ger in every pot in those days, and was grew heavy and the story-telling, too.
soon a land speculator.
A friend ; John Routlidge, could not
The ore, sometimes exposed, some- resist teasing the braggart Chiswell. Entimes beneath a few feet of topsoil, assayed raged by the fancied insults , Chiswell
up to 60 per cent. Utilizing a "collimon air seized his sword and ran it through the unfurnace," the patners soon hacl pack armed Routlidge, who died on the spot.
trains carrying their produce to-fWmtier setArrested for murder, Chiswell was taktlements and to Eastern Virginia.
en back to Williamsburg in disgrace. Rell was this lead, molded into shot for leased on bond and awaiting trial, he died
the long rifles, that made possible the win- suddenly. The official story, was that he
ning of the west, victory for Col. (later s~cc.umbed to "nervous fits" but the unoffiGen.) Alldrew Lewis' army over Cornsta!L- eta! rum~r has i;>revailed ever since that he
in 1774 and sustammg the evolutio
~anged hunself m shame and remorse. KillEventually it was the basic supp y o
mg an unarmed ~n in disputes between
· P._onfederacy.
gentlemen was considered rank cowardice.
Obviously, the mine-s were so imporThe . lea~ mines passed through many
tant that they had to be defended. One in a ownerships m the next century, being un. chain of forts authorized by the colony was der state seizure during the Civil War.
built nearby by Col. Byrd and named in E~e~tually, as the lead "played _out," zinc
Chiswell's hoqor. Today highway markers nunmg became far moi:.e profitable for
can indicate the site only' vagu_ely, for tlie .most o~ another centu.ry.
.
town that grew around the fort disappeared '
Chiswell's lead mmes constitute one of
into the mists of time.
the most vital chapters in Virginia history.

SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 1864
With Gen. Jubal Early's
Confederate army in
· pursuit, Gen. Hunter's
Union army retreats .
toward Roanoke County ·
afte~ an unsuccessful
attac;k on Lynchburg to cut
off supplies to Lee's army
at Richmond.

MILE ~

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NEW
CAStLE

Hanging Rock
ESDAY .WHE 21, 1804

&Am.E AT
HANGING ROCK
As Duffle~s cavalry went

1

2

Capt. Abraham Hupp A.J. Deyerle
Commandin11 Olf!cer,
Saleln flying Artillery

Comml!fldinQ Qfficer.
The Dixie Grays -

LOCAL UNITS
Four complete units were mustered In
the area-The Salem Flying Artillery,
the Dixie Grays, the Roanoke Guar{!
and the Salem Grays

VALLEY
l>IKE
ROAD
(U.S. 11)

through the gap at
Hanging Rqck, they found
the road bloc.ked with
trees. McCausland, with
1,000 Confederates, fired
down on the federals.
Figures vary but about 10 Federals were killed,
40-50 wounded and 100
captured. Ten pieces of
artillery were captured or
destroyed. Mason Creek
ran red with the blood of
the pack horses and
mules. After Hanging
Rock, the Union Army
CQnttnue'd north through
New Castle and on to
Lewisburg.

MONDAY,
JUNE20, 1864

Union Gen. Alfred N.
Duffie burned every
r~lroad bridge between
Bufords Gap and the
Bonsack Station. At
Bonsack he burned the
woolen mill on the
gt0unds that it supplied
~e Confederates with
ankets and clothing.

.,.
-HUNTERS
BIVOUAC
On his retreat from
,, .
Lynchburg, Union
·· Gen. Hunter halted for
the night about 3
miles west of Bedford
as noted by a Va.
historical marker on
U.S. 460.

' · Gen. Hunter
passed
through
Bedford an
his way to
to attack
Lynchburg
and on his .
retreat.

$Al.EM'S ARST

INVASION

on Oe-nerober 16, 1-~6'3,

Union S.eneral Averafl
Invaded'. salem. Ha freed
prisonelS in the county
jaH. loote6 the stores,
' destroyers food supj>lles
and b1Jrilf(t;f the (l~pot.

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DUFFIE REACHES G LICK
AND S~LEM

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Near m~nig ht Duffie cavalry
•. destro~d the railroa station, some
(._ \
track a~ telegraph
at Big Lick.
, He conUnuedthroug sa1emand
\ turned toward Cataw aMountaJn.

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C:=======:!.I Brig. 6111. Alfl9d Dufli

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T E C V L WA CO ES
TO THE ROANOKE VALLEY

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Serv\ng those who only stand and wait ... and wait • • •
I hate to bring this up, but a lot of
you members C?f the public ha':"e a bad
attitude. Consider the followmg true
story, which was told to me recently bX
my attorney, Joseph"Joe. the Attorney
DiGiacinto of White Plams, N.Y., who
by the way is available for hire, although he of course is far too ethical to
advertise.
Joe has a client whom I'll call
Charles, a mild-mannered corporate ~­
nancial officer who has never been m
·any kind ·o f trouble. One evening
Charles was driving home from work
on the New England Thruway and
came to a toll plaz1:1.
When his turn came, he pulled up
to the booth and held out his $1.25. At
this point, the toll-taker PU:11ed out what
Charles described, accordmg to Joe, as
"the biggest pile of one-dollar bills "I
have ever seen," and started slowly
counting them. A minute went by. A
line of cars formed behind Charles. Another minute went by. The toll-ta~er
kept counting. Some people behmd
Charles started honking. Another m.inute went by. Charles sat there, looking
Dave Barry, wh~n he isn '_t writing
humor columns, hkes nothing better

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than
to hear from
subscribers
aboutnew~pap~r
their dehvery
comolaints . .. when the letters don't

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in disbelief at the toll-taker, who apparently planned to continue counting the
entire pile of bills, and then, who
knows, l'Ilaybe read. "War ~nd Peace."
In the lengthening hne behmd Charles,
more people were honking, shouting,

DAVE BARRY
gesturing, possibly rumma~ng through
their glove compartments m search of
firearms.
Finally Charles, despite being
mild-mannered, did a bad thing. In fact
he did three bad things: (I) He made an
explicit non-toll-related suggestion to
the toll:taker; (2) he threw his $1.25
into the booth; and (3) he drove away.
' He did not get far, of course. W.es~em Civilization did not get where it is
today by tolerating this kind 0£ flagrant
disregard of toll procedures. Char~es
was swiftly apprehended by two po~ce
·cars, which escorted him to the pohce
station where he called Joe, who managed t~ keep him out of prison through
the shrewd legal maneuver of telling
him to pay the $50 fine.
So justice was done, but this story
illustrates my point about the bad P1:1blie attitude. Too many of us are, like
Charles, guilty of assuming that everything is set up for our benefit. We come
d·
to a toll plaza, we see a person stan .mg
'n a toll booth, and we expe to 1ust

hand our toll to this person. We fail to
consider that this person might have
other things to do, and that it might be
more convenient for him or her if we
came back and paid our toll..later.
I am fed up with complaints about
postal clerks. Just because a· person
works for the postal service, in a job
called "postal clerk," standing behind
. the post office service coun~er, does not
mean this person has nothmg better to
do than help you conduct postal transactions.
Recently, while I was waiting in
line at a post office to purchase the new,
conveniently priced 29-cent stamp~, I
was shocked to hear people muttenng
because the three clerks behind the
counter were moving so slowly that, to
the untrained eye, they did not appear
to be waiting on anybody. They appeared to be .legally dead. Alt~ough I
think dead people are more arumated,
because of bacterial action.
When I heard people complaining,
got
1 angry. "Listen!" I wanted to shout.
"If you don't like standing in line for 4.5
minutes while these clerks fulfill wha~ 1s
apparently some .kind of Postal Setvice
requirement to display the sam~ energy
level as linoleum, take your busmess to
some other Postal Service!" But of
course I didn't shout, because it would
have violated a postal regulation, and
they might have put· me in prison, or PLEASE SEE B RRY/8
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l~esidents' diaries and letter$ give <;l- poignant, first-hand glimpse
of daily life -in @onfederate Roanoke
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By CHRIS GLADDEN
STAFFWRrTER

y father and
h usban d
were Union
men until
a f t e r
Lin c oln' s
call for troops, then there was only
one thing to do, and that was go
with the state."
Mary Terry began her recollections of Civil War life in Roanoke
County with that simple statement
in 1890, 29 years after the war.
Terry wrote eloquently of the impact the conflict had on her family
in a memoir for her daughters, who
were children during the struggle
that divided a nation.
Though Roanoke County was
spared much of the destruction that
ripped the rest of the state, it still
felt the hard fist of war on the home

''M

front and on the battlefield.
"A lot of men came out of
Roanoke County," says Virginia
Tech Professor James Robertson,
who wrote the recently published
"Civil War Virginia: Battleground
for a Nation."
According to Robertson, "nowhere in the nation was the full fury
of the Civil War felt as it was in
Virginia."
The fury of the war that ended
at Appomattox 136 years ago Tuesday took the lives of Roanoke
County men, brought a marauding
Union army through Big Lick and
Salem and over Catawba Mountain, and took food from the
mouths of those left behind.
It also created the kind of human drama that riveted viewers to
Ken Bums' public television documentarr "The Civil War" last year.
The senes is scheduled for rebroadcast in July.

Robenson is one ofBurns' critics, but he also gives "The Civil
War" credit for generating a groundswell of in terest in the war.
What fascinated many viewers
were the personal touches, the rem-

" Those who did not pass
through the war can have
no ideq how plainly we
lived."
Mary Terry
1890 Journal

iniscences, details of home and
.camp life tnd the poignancy and
humor of first-hand observation.
Gary Valker, a Roanoke writer, is col'ecting those kinds of
stories p~ed down through families for flistllird book on the Civ11

War. One story he recently heard
tells about a Salem infantryman at
Pickett's charge:
"The flag bearer out front went
down. Then the second flag bearer
got hit. The Salem man was the
third flag bearer. He looked around,
saw he was surrounded by Yankees
and ran. "
Later, the fleet-footed flag
bearer was asked by an arm-chair
warrior why he ran from the Yankees.
· "Because I couldn't fly, you
damned fool," he replied.
At the time of the Civil War,
the city of Roanoke was not in existence. Big Lick was the name of the
small farm town that would later
become Roanoke.
Mary Terry lived in Elmwood,
a house built in 1830 that stood
where the Roanoke City Library on
Jefferson Street stands today. Her
huchnn,.f

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lege to join Gen. George Edward
Pickett's division, leaving his 21year-old wife and two young chil·
·
dren behind.
"Those who did not pass
through the war can have no idea
how plainly we l·ived," Terry wrote
in a journal that is now part of the
collection at the Roanoke Library's
Virginia Room.
"Our coffee soon gave out, or
was hoarded for the very old and
the sick and for special occasions. It
seems almost impossible to realize
now the different drinks we used;
rye, wheat, chestnuts, ·sweet potatoes were all used for making coffee. Chestnuts and sweet potatoes,
parboiled and baked, made a preparation somewhat like coffee. We
used herb and root teas, camomile,
boneset, balm, sage, raspberry leaf,
sassafras, etc., but all these, being

FROM PAGE 1

known for their medicinal q_u~i­
ties savored too much of med1cme
to be popular as a drink for the
table.
"We had difficulty in obtaining
wheat and rye at all time~, s.o we
.cultivated temperance pnnciples,
and appreciated pure, fresh water
as a healthful and convenient table
beverage."
C'i.i.:. "s learned to improvise.
For

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Atkins graduatio
Jayne Fitzgerald At~ns . ,
rom James MadisOn Uruversi'
mber 14, 1990, with a M~ste1
nee in Education. Sh_e ma1or~
ess Education with a ·~
sychology. Jayne is the daught
.md Mrs. Calvert Fitzgerald.

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aren
and pistols in hand, co*cked, ready return they might search the facto- tryi!lg the year of the su;,.ender
to fire. "
ry, find the brandy and get drunk dunng the war."
A Lynchburg war correspon- and do a great deal of harm. It hurt
In later years Terry fl
d ent wrote that " everyone in the the factory hands so m_u ch to see the on those years of hardshipr:n~cte
1t
et took to t heir heels., and
waggood d brandy
wastmg on the cause
t~e
~ re
.
.
,,
s .fi for which she and he r f:anuly
pns, horses and every living thmg groun ·
acn teed their way of life.
·oined in th~ general stampe~e, ext ept t he ladies, whose cunosity exl;eeded their fear, and a few gentlemen who were in their houses."
O n e Salemite was killed,
Thom as J. Chapman, 26. He was on
a scouting expedition when confronted by the U nion forces. T~e
reporter for the Lynchburg Daily
Virginia n wrote: "Mr. Thomas
Chapman was ordered to su~ender
not dism ounting as q uickly as
t y wished was shot dead on the

~

BIRTHS

s·z

t

spot."
Ave rell rounded up some
Roanoke College students who h~d
pledged to help the Confederacy m
exchange for being allowed to stay
in school.
He asked them what they
thought of the Confedera~y an.~ an
embold ened student said: We
think it is doing very well."
Averell responded, "O, now
boys, you know it is most played
out. You aU go to your books and
study your best." Averell then ordered his young prisoners released.

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war

1

FROM PAGE 1

known for their medicinal qualities, savored too much of medicine
to be popular as a drink for the
table.
"We had difficulty in obtaining
wheat and rye at all times, so we
.cultivated temperance principles,
and appreciated pure, fresh water
as a healthful and convenient table
beverage."
('i.i.:. :s learned to improvise.
For a cousin's wedding, Terry
helped make the bridal wreath of
hairs taken from the tails of different colored horses "and for white,
used the long, fluffy hair of her little
dog's tail."
But such improvisations quickly lost their charm.
"The most discouraging time I
experienced was the Christmas [of
1864] before the surrender, we felt
our cause well nigh hopeless, we
were discouraged, despondent,
heartsick, almost destitute of clothing, and provisions.
" For our Christmas dinner we
had sorghum cakes, pumpkin custards made with sorghum, without
eggs and a small piece of spare rib. I
had filled my children's stockings
with apples, walnuts, hickory nuts,
sweet potatoes and sorghum candy.
I did what I could to make them
happy, for I dreaded what another
Christmas might bring forth.
"Let no one think we complained of our deprivations, it was
the growing conviction of the helplessness of our cause that was destroying our courage."
"Jbe taint of slavery

•

war
fRO M PAGE

in 1863 and

While slavery wasn't as prevalent in Roanoke County as in the
plantation country farther east, it
was still an obvious and odious
presence. There were more than
2,500 slaves in Roanoke County in

•

File photo

Even before the public television series "The Civil War" prompted a surge of interest in the war,
history lovers marked the anniversary of major battl~s with re-ena.ctments. Here, "soldiers" discuss
strategy during a re-enactn:ierit of the Battle of Hanging Rock, which took place ~une 21, 1864. The
house behind them was built in 1852 and was known as the Brubaker House dunng the war.

Nor her mother. Showvely said
she was treated well, and she later
married Moses Showvely, a free
man who worked on the railroad.
But slavery lost Showvely her
mother forever.
"Some years after de war, one

Four complete companies were
mustered in the area - The Salem
Flying Artillery, the Dixie Grays,
the Roanoke Guard and the
Roanoke Grays. Out of the approximately 100 soldiers in the Roanoke
Grays, only one was present for the
roll call at Appomattox on the

of being the l
1860.
banged in R
Martha Showvely of Roanoke of my daughters carried me back weekend of April 9, 1865, a testarode sitting
was
100 years old when she was down to Powhatan County on de ment to the action the unit saw.
make-shift g
interviewed about her life as a slave James to see if I could find my
part of Sale
by the Federal Writers Project in mother. After we got dere, dey tol'
Crowds lined
There were· hom·e guard units
1937. She had been sold in the me my mother had been dead three as well. One was formed at
passed by.
years."
Richmond slave market to a Ben
At the bt
Roanoke College of teen-age stuT~nsley, who then brought her to
Hollins Colle
dents.
Another was named the Crahis house in the Franklin and Call to arms
tute, and R·
dle to the Grave militia because the
Roan~ke County farm country sureach only 20
Roanoke County, chartered in members were very young or very
rounding Big Lick.
more of an e
1838,
supported the Confederacy old; the ~en in between had joined
Showvely was 9 when she was
active units.
lege because th
sepa~ated from her mother and on all levels. The Catawba Iron
cousins.
Works a~ Cloverdale supplied plate
dents were calle
Taxes to support the war effort
for the ironclad, C.S.S. Virginia
to protect the t
ed t:nen he bought me and start- better known as the Merrimack' were levied in the county, and Conunion troops
federate currency was printed in Sawas
.a e me off, I axe him if he
through.
De ~o~a tak:e all of us. He said no. Th~ Bonsack woolen Mill mad~ l~m to ~quip the volunteers and to
dem a er s~1d he was goina carry umforms for the army. Through the aid their families. The Roanoke
However,
c . ,down in 9eorgia. I started R?~oke and Salem depots of the Count~ courthouse was turned into
lins were not ul
rym . ~~ssa Tinsley asked what I V1rg10ia and Tennessee Railway
was cry1n for. I said I didn't want came the foods grown locally that !d~ospital for the sick and wound"We have
to
leave my co ·
nt stacking of arms by Confed
beets, and I
didn't want demusms.
Heh said .he helped feed the troops.
an'. d en
Sal Patrollers were appointed in
lettuce," wrote
me on off l
e earned
More than 1,000 Roanoke
em to look for deserters J
., . never did see my cousher niece in 18 , "
. ames
County men answered the call to E. Stover shot and kill d
ins agam. "
e a Patroller
"I think t
arms.
but we havee
we never 1
PLEASESEE W 19
that it will n
.,.--:;--~..,_,rar.·
ome, that 1
while I forgot to tell you that we cut~~~ ~rmy-;artt--~A~~v;e~n~u~e~in~arunnaattit:eenmijp)it:_fitoO-~~-wi~l'O\lm:r~--,,._:TR"~
od for it; '
The Sou e oices today
had ~uch a splendid serenade a Richmond. Lee sent the feisty, through the gap, over Cataw~a we . .
week ago by the band from Salem: 1 whiskey-drinking Early to intercept Mountain and on into West Virgin- yet it ;~:~ownfall of the Confederado wish you could .have hear? it. Hunter. It was a bold move because ia and safety. However, theY found over nd realizes that our ~efeat was
The three prettiest p1 e.c~s ,were The it severely weakened Lee's Rich- that the home guard had felled trees ~~taonly a national blessing, but a
Bonnie Blue Flag,' Du1e and 'The mond forces.
across the road. and they stopped to special blessing to the South . . . .
Voluntur.' The words of the latter
r n,. 1,, ...,.,.. u ..... ,,.,. ... ,..n,. 1 """"
remove them so the wa1mns ancl

t

War
''
•

fROM PAGE 8
jn 1863 and earned the distinctio11
of being the last man to be publicly
banged in Roanoke County. He
rode sitting on his coffin to a
make-shift gallows on the eastern
part of Salem near Main Street.
Crowds lined the streets as Stover
passed by.
At the beginning of the war,
Hollins College, then Hollins Institute, and Roanoke College were
each only 20 years old. The war had
more of an effect on Roanoke College because the teen-age male students were called into a home guard
to protect the town and impede any
union troops that might pass
through.
However, the women at Hollins were not unaffected.
" We have had peas, beans and
beets, and I have learned to eat
lettuce," wrote Betty Jane Miller to
her niece in 1863.
" I think the fare is very good,
but we have every reason to believe
that it will not be so good after a
while. I forgot to tell you that we
had such a splendid serenade a
week ago by the band from Salem. I
do wish you could have heard it.
The three prettiest pieces were 'The
Bonnie Blue Flag,' 'Dixie' and 'The
\T o\un\ur.' \he wotds ot \\\e \a\.\.et

Battle for Hanging Rock
The only Roanoke Valley site
listed in Robertson's "Civil War
Sites in Virginia" is the triangular
stone marker at Hanging Rock. It
commemorates the spot where
Gen. Jubal Early's Confederate
cavalry met and skirmished with
Gen. David Hunter's fleeing Federal forces in the first week of summer, 1864.
Gary Walker's most recently
published book is "Hunter's Fiery
Raid Through Virginia Valleys,"
and it details the Union general's
activity in the Roanoke Valley.
"If Jubal Early had been in pursuit earlier, it would have been the
end of Hunter's army," Walker
says. "It would have been a major
turning point in the war and relieved the pressure on the Southern
forces in the Shenandoah Valley."
A breakdown in communications that slowed Early's advance
prevented Salem from becoming
the site of a major battle.
Hunter, a fiery abolitionist
who burned and pillaged Virginia
localities wherever he could, advanced on Lynchburg that spring to
cut off supplies to Lee's army at
Richmond. Lee sent the feisty,
whiskey-drinking Early to intercept
Hunter. It was a bold move because
it severely weakened Lee's Richmond fotces.

"When passing through trying
The Union forces m ved on
into Salem, up what is nrkr Craig experiences of the war we never
Avenue in an attempt l 'io slip thought if defeat should come, th~~
t d It,
through the gap, over Catawba we would live to thank. qod for
Mountain and on into West Viroin- yet it is so. The South reJOices 0 ay
D'
over the downfall of the Confederaia and safety. However, they found cy, and realizes that our ~efeat was d
that the home guard had fe\led trees not only a national blessing, bµt a ~
across the road, and the'j S\O\YQed \O onec·\a\ blessing to the .South. . . .
EarJy .met Hunter near Lynch- remove tbem so tbe wagons and ,.,
anJ//e.ry pieces could pass
.. The greatest blessmg to us was
.P-'ece con:1D.1cnccd 'Weep nor dc- bu~ DDd '"'bung on by /uck and Che
oresz '
skin of his teeth " Walker says.
It was there that abo~t 1 OOO the abolish1!1ef!t of slavery, ~e w.ere
"We heard yesterday that our Nicknamed "Black Dave" by his Confederate forces under Gen. r~ised behevmg .the m~tltution
army has gone to Maryland. Do men the dour Hunter and bis John McCausland caught the Fed- nght, we thought 1t sanctioned by
hope it is so. I tell you I felt rather forc;s of 35 000 fled toward erals and fired on them from the Divine law, as well as \he law~ of
gloomy whe.r:i I heard the Yankees Roanoke County destroying prop- steep hillsides. McCausland or- our state, and that the sad thmgs
were advancmg, for I do no~ know erty as they went.
dered his men to kill t,he horses and resulting from it were great misforwhat would become of me if they
.
got to 'Culp' [Culpeper] and cut off
They forked mto the Roanoke mules first so the enemy troops tunes, and ~ot _nec~ssarily the rethe communications from here."
area along the roads that today are couldn't escape with their artillery. suits of the mst1tut1on.
. ·
U.S. 11 and U.S. 460. Because EarMason's Creek ran red with the
"One thing that we are proud
.
Thou~ the lett~rs and1oumals ly was at their heels, they didn't do blood of the animals, an observer of is that we were over-powered by
m the Hollms archives reveal con- as much damage to the citizenry as reported. Figures vary, but about our own people. Our war was a
cern about. the w~r, they refl~ct they had to those in the Shenando- IO Union soldiers were killed, 40 to family affair and settled among
more the daily details of college hfe: ah Valley. But they burned the rail- 50 wounded and 100 captured.
ourselves. I do not feel that the lives
prayer meeti~gs, primpi1:1g. for the road depots and the Bonsack Woolof our soldiers were sacrificed in
More important, says Walker, vain. Each true-hearted soldier
~aguerreo~yp1st, ~emonzmg Mo- en Mill, and they raided homes and
18 pieces of artillery were captured slain in our war deserves a patriot's
h ere, passing gossip.
businesses when they had the time. or
destroyed before the Union
This tidbit also came from Bet"The Yankees made a raid forces could escape over the moun- grave.
ty Jane Miller:
through here about the middle of tain. However, the effect was mini"But war is dreadful, especially
"Tell sister Louise I heard the the war, burned the depot and car- mal. Less than a year later, Lee civil war, where all the suffering
other day that Foly Kemper and ried off all the silver, firearms, hors- surrendered to Gen. Ulysses s. falls on one people."
somebody in Lynchburg came v~ry es and cattle they could find, killing Grant at the tiny village of Apponear having a duel about some girl. off some of the hogs that were too mattox Courthouse, 82 miles from
They both backed out like cowards. fat to drive," Mary Terry wrote. the Battle of Hanging Rock.
I think both of them ought to be "The next morning my little daughThe war, in essence, was over,
sent to the' army ."
ter saw them at a neighbor's on the but its effects and ramificat ions re·
opposite hill. I told her to look at mained profound.
the Yankees. She said 'Are they
Seeing combat
Yankees, why they look like men.' " Hard times
County c\tizens met the enemy
The federal troops barely
eye-to-eye t~
' · e during the war.
missed intercepting a supply train
Mary Terry wrote: "Money
In DecJ ber 1863, Union chugging out of the depot with was ~o difficult to obtain, there was
Brigadier Gen William W. Aver~Il supplies for Lee, and they were an- nothmg to sell, and everything to
invaded Salew . He freed the pns- gry.
b~y, the cattle and hogs had been
oners in the county jail, looted the
"Mr. Ferguson, who owned a killed to feed the soldier, the horses
sto res, destroY'4d food supplies and large tobacco factory on the way, had ~een taken away for the army,
burned the depot.
made the servants roll out two bar- weanng apparel, bed and table in· According fo Norwood C. Mid- rels of brandy, knock the heads out en al~ost worn ou_t, table-ware '1rodleton's " Salem: A Virginia Chron- and let the brandy waste," Terry ken, kitchen .ute~sils worn and
icle " the advance guard ~me recalled. "He wa-s afraid that after ken all larmmg 1mplemeJ1ts. n
iu~n M ain StTeet "four abreast theit \:a'-\ure a'\ '\b.e Q.e~'\., ()t\. '\'t:l.e\."' \.a"'\"''-a~ ()'\ u~'\u\.n.et.•s;, '-'--was rr.
and pistels ln h and, co*cked, ready return they might search the fact.o- '-rj'-~'& '\ne ';ear o~,\ne surte1\der,
to fi re."
ry find the brandy and get drunk dunn~ the war.
\n \a\er yeats, "tetT'j. reftecte
A Lynchburg war correspon- a~d do a great dea\ of harm. lt hurt
d ent wrote that "everyone in the the factory hands so much to see the on those ';ea~s of hardsh\\) and t~e
brandy wasting on the caus~ for wh\~h she and ~et fam\\':f
ktreet took to their heels, and wag- goo d d,,
sacrificed theu way of hfe.
groun
.
):ms, horses and every living thing
joined in the general stampede, except the ladies, whose curiosity ex\;eeded their fear, and a few gentleptep. who we.re in their houses."
O ne Salemite was killed,
Thomas J. Chapman, 26. He was on
a scouting expedition when confronted by the Union forces. The
reporter for the Lynchburg Daily
Virginian wrote: " Mr. Thomas
Chapman was ordered to surrender
l\1 .n ot dismounting as quickly as
t y wished was shot dead on the
ot."
Averell rounded up some
Roanoke College students who had
pledged to help the Confederacy in
exchange for being allowed to stay
in school.
He asked them what they
thought of the Confederacy and an
ornboldened student said: "We
think it is doing very well."
Averell responded, "O, now
boys, you know it is most played
out. You all go to your books and
study your best." Averell then ordered his young prisoners released.

The Museum and
White House of the Confederacy
.... ~

r. ·:?.i-:
t ,..-

.

;

'

:

~ons of <!onfeberatr ~rtrrans
F i nc ast l e Rif les Camp

·._.?:..

' ~. t:,

~ons

of <ll:onfeberate )}eterans

Finc as tl e Rifles Camp

--- -....._

.... - . . -

'

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE U.S. FLAG f America
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United Stat_es
God,
and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation
indivisable, with liberty and justice for all.

~nder

SALUTE TO THE FLAG OF VIRGINIA
. tic devotion
I salute the flag of Virginia with reverence and patno nts
to the Mother of States and Statesmen which it represe
the Old Dominion, where liberty and independence were

b~rn.

SALUTE
TO THE CONFEDERATE FLAG
d
1
salute the Confederate flag with affection, reverence an
Undying devotion to the Cause for which it stands.

.

!..

• 1

';

DIXIE 10
DANIEL DECATUR EMMETT

'

1815-1904

I wish I was in de land ob cotton
Old times dar am not forgotten· '
In1n°?~ away! Look away! L;ok away! Dixie Land!
lXle Land whar I was born in
Early on one frosty mornin'
'
Look away! Look away! 'Look away! Dixie Land!

CARRY ME BACK TO OLD VIRGINNY
BY JAMES BLAND

CARRY ME BACK TO OLD VIRGINNY,
THERE'S WHERE THE COTTON AND THE CORN

Chorus:
Den I wish I w . D. . l
In .. ,
as m ixie. Hooray! Hooray !
..
A D~ie s Laud we'll take our stand to lib an' die in Dixie.
A::yi Away! Away down South in 'Dixie.
y. Away! Away down South in Dixie.
Ole missus ma
"w·u
1 -de-weaber" ·
Will
rry
umk was a gay deceaber,
L oo away! L k
'
di
00
But when he· ut . away! Look away! Dixie Lan ·
He smil d
P his arm around her
e as fierc
f
'
Look awa 1 L e as a orty-pounder;
y. ook away! Look awav! Dixie Land!

AND'TATERS GROW,
THERE'S WHERE THE BIRDS WARBLE SWEET IN
THE SPRINGTIME,
THERE'S WHERE THE OLD DARKEY 'S HEART
AM LONG TO GO,
THERE'S WHERE I LABORED SO HARD FOR OLD MASSA
DAY AFTER DAY IN THE FIELDS OF YELLOW CORN .
NO PLACE ON EAR TH DO I LOVE MORE SINCERELY
THAN OLD VIRGINNY, THE STAT~ WHERE I WAS BORN.

His face was shar

_,
But dat did
Pas a butcher's cleaber·
Look awa;,ot~eei;1 to greab her;
'
0
Ole missus a~ted ~ aw~y! Look away! Dixie Land!
And died fo
e foolish part
r ::i. man d t b
'
Look away!
L k a roke her heart·
. oo away!• L oo k away!' Dixie Lan d'·
11.1
•'IOW her '
An' all e s a health to d
e next ole missus
L the gals d t
B ook away! La t"ant to kiss us ·
'
c~~if hYou W~nt ~~ ~wa~! Look 'away! Dixie Land!
e ear d.
ve way s
Look . 1S song torn
orrow,
away! L 00k
orrow;
away! L 00
Dar's bu
·
k away! DixiP. T.and!
Mak ckwheat ak
es You f
c es and I
D Look awa;lt oLr a little fatt njin batter,
en hae it . ook aw
er;
'fo o· · , doWn a ,
ay! Look
d'
L !Xie s land I' n scratch
away! Dixie Lan ·
ook aw 1 rn bound Your grabble
ay. Look awayltoLtrabble;
'
. Ook
away! Dixie Land!

CHORUS

I
t.

CARRY ME BACK TO OLD VIRGINNY,
THERE'S WHERE THE COTTON AND THE CORN
AND'TATERS GROW,
THERE'S WHERE THE BIRDS WARBLE SWEET IN
THE SPRINGTIME,
THERE'S WHERE THE OLD DARKEY'S HEART
AM LONG TO GO.

.l

-

-

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-

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J

THE BONNIE BLUE FLAG 5
HARRY McCARTHY

We are a band of brothers
.And native to the soil
Fighting _for the prope~y
ghamed by honest toil.
Anwdewen
o
. h
'
Th
ur ng ts were threatened
"H e hcry rose near and far _
'
. Bl
urra for the B
Th t b
onme ue Flaa
a ears the single star!"
b
CHORUS .
Hurrah! Hurrah!
For Southern rights hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag
That bears the single star.
As long as the D .
Was f . hfu mon
Like f . aitd 1 to her trust
'
nen s and lik
Both kind
e brothers
But now whwerNe we and 1·ust·
'
en orth
'
Attempts ou .
ern treachery
We hoist h· h r nghts to mar
ig the B
'
That bears
the . onnie Blue Flag
single star. - Chorus.

1

1

. First gallant South Carolina
Nobly made the stand,
Then came Alabama,
Who took her by the hand;
Next quickly Mississippi,
.
Georgia and Florida
the
Bonme
Blue Flag,
All raised on hicrh
b
That bears the single star. - Chorus.
And here's to old Virginia The Old Dominion State With the young Confederacy
At length has linked her fate,
Impelled by her example,
Now other states prepare
To hoist on high the Bonnie Blue Flag
That bears the single star. - Chorus.
Then here's to our Confed'racy,
Strong are we and b~·ave,
Like patriots of old we 11 fight
Our heritage to save.
And rather than submit to shame,
To die we would prefer;
So cheer for the Bonnie Blue Flag
That bears the single star. - Chorus.
Then cheer, boys, cheer;
Raise the joyous shout,
For Arkansas and North Carolina
Now have both gone out;
And let another rousing cheer
For Tennessee be given,
The single star of the Bonnie Blue Flag
Has grown to be eleven. - Chorus.

'
I.!

r
I

GOOBER PEAS

THE MAGNOLIA CEMETERY ODE
by Henry Timrod

Sitting by the roadside on a summer day
Chatting
. time
. away;
L
. . with mY messmates, passing
ymg '" the shado w underneath the trees
Goodness how de11
· c1
· ous , eating goober peas !

Sleep sweetly in your humble graves,
Sleep, martyrs of a fallen cause;
Though, yet no marble column craves
The pi I grim here to pause.

Chorus:
Peas ·1 Peas'· peas., peas! Eating goober peas,
Goodness how d 1· ·
'
e 1c1ous, eating goober peas

In seeds of laurel in the earth
The blossom of your fame is blown,
And somewhere, waiting for its bi rth.
The shaft is in the stone!

When a horsema
T
n passes the so ldiers have rul e,
o cry out at the"1r loud es t , "M"1ster here' s your muIe' '
But another pl
.
'
.
easure enchantmger than these.
Is wearing out yo G .
ur rt nders, eati ng goober peas!

Meanwhile, behalf the tardy years
Which keep in trust your storied tombs,
Behold! your sisters bring thei r tears,
And these memorial blooms.

Just before the b ttl
hears a ro w
He says, " The ya e the General
.
'
"
He turns
anks are coming, 1 hear thei r ri fles now
7
around in wo d
The Geor . . . . n er and what do you th ink he sees·
g1a M1lttia, eating goober peas!

Small tributes! but your shades will smile
More proudly on these wreaths today,
Than when some cannon-moulded pi le
Shall overlook this bay.

I think my song has la
The subject's. t
sted almost long enough ,
I wish this wa:n eresting, but rhymes are mi ghty rough,
We'd kiss our w~as over when , free fro mrags and fleas,
IVes and sweethearts , and gobb le goober peas!

Stoop angels, hither from the skies!
There is no holier spot of ground
Than where defeated valor lies,
By mourning beauty crowned!

d
I~

I

r

FACTS ON THE FINCASTLE RIFLES
For_med in 1859 at Fincastle, Virginia
E~hsted in Confederate Army - April 23, 1861
Fmc~s_tle Rifles were designated Co. "D" 11th Va. Rgt.
~articipated in Pickett's Charge, July 3, 1863
urrendered at Appomattox with ten men left out of lOO ·

Headquarters Arm!· of N. Va.
April ro, 1865
Gener:1l Ordcrs1
~0. I)

f

After four ~·cars of arduous sen·icc marhd h~r unsurpassed courage
and fortitude. the :\rm!· of Northern Virginia has been compelled to
yield to m·cnd1clmin~ numbers and resources.
I need not tell rhe hr:l\"e sun·in1rs of so m:m:v hard fought h:1ttlcs,
who h:l\"c remained steadfast to rhe List. that I h:l\"e consented to this
result from no distrust of them. Rut fcclinq that valor and devotion
could accomplish nothing that could com~pensate for the loss that
must have attended the continuance of the contest, I determined to
avoid the useless s:1crificc of those whose past services have endeared
them to their countrymen.
By the terms of the agreement, officers and men can return to their
homes and remain until exch:111ged. You will take with you the
satisfaction that proceeds from the consciousness of duty faithfully
performed, and I earnestl y pray that a merciful God will extend to
you His blessing :111d protection.
With an uncea sing :1dmiration of your constancy and devotion to
your Country, and a gr:1teful rememhr:mce of your kind and generous
consideration for myself, I bid you all :in affectionate farewell.

R. E. LEE
General.

"The old c
A d
onfederate V
d
B n listens for th
eteran; we know him as he s tan s
~ hears the crash e ~hunder of the far off battle lands.
or he t r arnped th~ f~~sket~y; the smoke rolls like a sea,
and he cli ds with Stonewall,
" The old C
rnbed the heights with Lee.
And the onfederate Vet
war cloud, like eran, his life is in the past,
Be h ear s the b
a rnantle,
.
For he t r
ugle Callin
round his rugged form is cast.
arnped th efields
g o'er
.
. th e f arandmysticsea,
and he clirnb;';th Stonewall,
the heights with Lee.

,.

". .. . ·1

Yes, America.
There was another
White House.
·.1

\

J

"

The Museum and
White House of the Confederacy

F

or four crucial years, from 1861 to 1865, it was North
against South, family against family, in the Civil ~ar­
the most tragic war ever fought on American soil. President
Jefferson Davis presided over the government of the Confederate States of America in the capital city of Richmond, Virginia. One hundred miles to the north, in Washington, D .C. ,
Abraham Lincoln served as commander-in-chief of the
Union forces.
Visit the Museum and White House of the Confederacy in
historic Court End in downtown Richmond which houses
the world 's largest Confederate collection. Explore this exciting period in American history and experience the stately .
neoclassical house which served as the home of Davis and his
family during the Confederate years. Its handsome garden
portico, large airy rooms and carrara marble mantels evoke
the era, events and personalities that shaped American
history.

Museum Collections

The White House of the Confederacy

The Museum collections building houses the comprehensive
exhibition, "the Confederate Years," and changing exhibitions which draw from the Museum's impressive collection
and trace the political, military and social activity _that
marked the era. On display are significant belongings of leading Confederate figures including the sword General Robert
E. Lee wore at the surrender at Appomattox and equipment
used by such promment
·
C 0111rederates
as "Stonewall"
'
. Jack-

Built in 1818 for Dr. John Brockenbrough, a prominent Richmond physician and banker, and altered in the 1850s with
the addition of a third floor, the design of the house has ~n
attributed to America's first native born professional architect, Robert Mills, designer of the Washington Monument.

son, J.E.B. Stuart, Josep h E. Johnston and A.P. Hill.
Much of the collection consists of objects used _b_y the commo n so Id1ers
· of the Confederacy an d t heir
· fam1hes.
. The
. coilection is marked by objects with documented h1stones,
in I d.
· ·
·vate wounded at
. c_u Ing a jacket worn by a Lou1s1ana pn . .
Shiloh h
. 1 0 f C ptain Raphael Semmes
· t e telescope and p1sto
a
. s carried on the
of the Raider Alabama and tattered battle flag_
bloody fields of Gettysburg and Missionary Ridge.

,rr,erson and Varina Davis
Je11
...
·r children, the First
an d th e1
d
"
. if the Confe eracy.
Fam1 1Y 0

In 1861 , when Richmond became the capital of the Confederacy, the city rented the house to the Confederate govern~ent
for the use of the Davis fam ily. Today, the White House is
· restoration
. to Its
. wartime appearance as the offiun d ergomg
cial and family residence. A permanent exhibition, "Jefferson
Davis and the Lost Cause," on the ground floor level of the
White House examines the life of Davis and the popular .
· t he late n1nemovemen t t o commemorate the Confederacy Ill
tee nth century.

i_.j

Programs/Tours

·,

The Museum provides an extensive program of lectures, films
and special events in conjunction with an active membership
program. Opportunities are available for volunteers, interns
and other special groups.
Programs specifically designed for students and teachers are
also available, including special tours. Reservations must be
made in advance a nd may be made by calling the Museum.
The Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library contains a diverse collection of books, manuscripts, documents and Confederate
imprints. The library as well as the collections research facilities are available to individuals interested in conducting
research by pre-scheduled appointment.

\
Lee's headquarters in "The
Confederate Years" displays a d
;racts use
number of angina I arty•
by the commander of the Ar7Y
of Northern Virginia during tie
war.
. ·nia
A model e>f the C.S.S. Virgi
crajied hy John T Capps.
a member of the cre11<

Yes, ADlerica.
There was another
White House.
Entrance to the
Museum of the Confederacy

Jefferson Davis' colorful
embroidered slippers are part
ofa new permanent
exhibition, Victory in Defeat:
Jefferson Davis and the Lost
Cause, on the groundfloor
level of the White House.
These and other priceless
objects that once belonged to
the Davises tell the dramatic
story of the "First Family of
the Confederacy," and how the
Museum led the South in
memorializing them at the.
turn ofthe century.
Plumed hat, gloves, saddle
and sword used by J. E.B.
Stuart during the war.

The Museum and
White House of the Confederacy