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Issue 27, summer, 2015

Featured In This Issue

RECONSTRUCTION Page 2

The 10 year period after the War was

as hard in many ways on Southern

civilians and returning veterans as the

War itself.

7th TEXAS FLAG RETURNS Page 7

An authentic battle flag of the 7th

Texas

Regiment was brought from Virginia to

Texas in honor of one of the men who

carried it.

TEXAS CONFEDERATES Page 8

Colonel Gustav Hoffmann

UNION PRISONS Page 11

A comprehensive look at the prisons of

the War. Part 1 of a 2 part series.

NORTHERN “REBELS” Page 16

General Samuel Gibbs French

ZEBULON VANCE CRITIQUES WILLIAM T. SHERMAN Page 17

Prolific Southern writer Zebulon Vance

reviews Sherman’s march to the sea.

I WAS THERE Page 18

A poem about the Champion’s

Hill/Baker’s Creek Battle.

CHAPTER OUTDOOR MEETING AND CEREMONY Page 20

Pictures and Recap of the Chapter 264

April Meeting

Texas Society Convention April 24-25 Ft. Worth Page 22

COMMANDER’S REPORT Page 24

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Reconstruction

The War was over, and all across the land

mothers and fathers buried their sons, wept,

and tried to forgive the enemy now that all

were once again pledging allegiance to the

same flag. Most people seemed to understand

that the country had to be made whole again.

Its wounds needed to be bandaged. . And, as

the author Mark Twain recalled, some

passions were hard to put away. He wrote:

"In the South, every man you meet was in the

war, and every lady you meet saw the war.

The war is the great chief topic of

conversation. The interest in it is vivid and

constant; the interest in other topics is

fleeting. In the South, the war is what A.D. is

elsewhere: they date from it."

White southerners were angry, confused,

hurt, and miserable. Their lovely, elegant,

aristocratic South was in ruins. Their sons

were dead. Everything they had fought for

seemed gone. "Gone with the wind," said one

Southern writer in a famous book. A

generation of white Southern men was dead.

Those who came home brought wounds with

them. In 1866, the year after war's end,

Mississippi spent one-fifth of its revenues on

artificial arms and legs for returning

veterans. Sidney Andrews, a visitor to

Charleston, South Carolina, wrote this about

the city: "A city of ruins, desolation, and

vacant houses, of rotting wharves, deserted

warehouses, and grass-grown streets. That is

Charleston. The beauty and pride of the city

are dead." Most of the South's cities were in

the same shape. And so was the countryside.

Here are the words of a Virginian after the

war: "We had no cattle, hogs, sheep, or

horses, or anything else. The barns were all

burned, chimneys standing without houses

and houses standing without roofs, or doors,

or windows."

From Harper’s Weekly 1866

During and immediately after the War, many

northerners headed to the southern states,

driven by hopes of economic gain. These

“carpetbaggers”–whom many in the South

viewed as opportunists looking to exploit and

profit from the region’s misfortunes–

supported the Republican Party, and would

play a central role in shaping new southern

governments during Reconstruction. In

addition to carpetbaggers and freed slaves,

the majority of Republican support in the

South came from white southerners who for

various reasons saw more of an advantage in

backing the policies of Reconstruction than in

opposing them. Critics referred derisively to

these southerners as “scalawags.”

In the two years following the assassination of

President Abraham Lincoln and the end of

the War in April 1865, Lincoln’s successor

Andrew Johnson angered many northerners

and Republican members of Congress with

his conciliatory policies towards the defeated

South. Freed slaves had no role in politics,

and the new southern legislatures even passed

“black codes” restricting their freedom and

forcing them into repressive labor situations,

a development they strongly resisted. In the

congressional elections of 1866, northern

voters rejected Johnson’s view of

Reconstruction and handed a major victory

to the so-called Radical Republicans, who

now took control of Reconstruction.

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Harper’s Weekly Editorial Cartoon Criticizing the

use of “Literacy Tests” for Freedmen as a

qualification to vote Jan. 18, 1879

Cartoon shows man "Mr. Solid South"

writing on wall, "Eddikashun qualifukashun.

The Black man orter be eddikated afore he

kin vote with us Wites, signed Mr. Solid

South." A Freedman looks on.

Congress’ passage of the Reconstruction Acts

of 1867 marked the beginning of the Radical

Reconstruction period, which would last for

the next decade. That legislation divided the

South into five military districts and outlined

how new state governments based on

universal (male) suffrage–for both whites and

blacks–were to be organized. The new state

legislatures formed in 1867-69 reflected the

revolutionary changes brought about by the

War and emancipation: For the first time,

blacks and whites stood together in political

life. In general, the southern state

governments formed during this period of

Reconstruction represented a coalition of

freed slaves, recently arrived northern whites

(“carpetbaggers”) and southern white

Republicans (“scalawags”).

“Carpetbaggers”

In general, the term “carpetbagger” refers to

a traveler who arrives in a new region with

only a satchel (or carpetbag) of possessions,

and who attempts to profit from or gain

control over his new surroundings, often

against the will or consent of the original

inhabitants. After 1865, a number of

northerners moved to the South to purchase

land, lease plantations or partner with down-

and-out planters in the hopes of making

money from cotton. At first they were

welcomed, as southerners saw the need for

northern capital and investment to get the

devastated region back on its feet. They later

became an object of much scorn, as many

southerners saw them as low-class and

opportunistic newcomers seeking to get rich

on their misfortune.

Carpetbagger Cartoon

“Scalawags”

White southern Republicans, known as

“scalawags,” made up the biggest group of

delegates to the Radical Reconstruction-era

legislatures. Some scalawags were established

planters (mostly in the Deep South) who

thought that whites should recognize blacks’

civil and political rights while still retaining

control of political and economic life. Many

were former Whigs (conservatives) who saw

the Republicans as the successors to their old

party. The majority of the scalawags were

non-slaveholding small farmers as well as

merchants, artisans and other professionals

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who had remained loyal to the Union during

the War. Many lived in the northern states of

the region, and a number had either served in

the Union Army or been imprisoned for

Union sympathies. Though they differed in

their views on race—many had strong anti-

black attitudes—these men wanted to keep

the hated “rebels” from regaining power in

the postwar South; they also sought to

develop the region’s economy and ensure the

survival of its debt-ridden small farms.

The term scalawag was originally used as far

back as the 1840s to describe a farm animal

of little value; it later came to refer to a

worthless person.

For opponents of Reconstruction, scalawags

were even lower on the scale of humanity

than carpetbaggers, as they were viewed as

traitors to the South. Scalawags had diverse

backgrounds and motives, but all of them

shared the belief that they could achieve

greater advancement in a Republican South

than they could by opposing Reconstruction.

Taken together, scalawags made up roughly

20 percent of the white electorate and wielded

a considerable influence. Many also had

political experience from before the war,

either as members of Congress or as judges

or local officials.

Scalawag Cartoon

There is no question that former supporters

of the Confederacy were disfranchised

following the War.

The numerous GTT signs (Gone to Texas)

offered some proof that 15% of white voters

in the South were disqualified from voting.

On the Federal level the Wade-Davis Bill was

introduced. The Wade-Davis Bill of 1864 was

a bill proposed for the Reconstruction of the

South written by two Radical Republicans,

Senator Benjamin Wade of Ohio and

Representative Henry Winter Davis of

Maryland. In contrast to President Abraham

Lincoln's more lenient Ten Percent Plan, the

bill made re-admittance to the Union for

former Confederate states contingent on a

majority in each Southern state to take the

Ironclad oath to the effect they had never in

the past supported the Confederacy. The bill

passed both houses of Congress on July 2,

1864, but was pocket vetoed by Lincoln and

never took effect. The Radical Republicans

were outraged that Lincoln did not sign the

bill.

Then there was the Reconstruction Act of

1867, which imposed a similar-but-narrower

ban upon former state officeholders who had

aided the Confederacy. Finally, an earlier

version of the Fourteenth Amendment’s third

section barred “all persons who voluntarily

adhered to the late insurrection, giving it aid

and comfort,” from voting in congressional

and presidential elections before 1870; but

that proposal died in the Senate. This

constituted the primary Federal actions.

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“Colored Rule” Harper’s Weekly 1874

However, several states also disfranchised

various categories of ex-Confederates, during

and after the War. Probably the earliest such

provision was an 1862 Missouri ordinance,

which required any potential voter to swear

that he had “not, since the 17th day of

December, A. D. 1861, willfully taken up

arms, or levied war against the United States,

or against the provisional government of the

State of Missouri . . . .” The 1865 state

constitution broadened this ban to encompass

several other categories, including: those who

had “given aid, comfort, countenance, or

support” to the Confederacy, or its guerrillas;

those who “adhered to,” “disloyally held

communication with,” or left Missouri and

“gone within the lines of,” the Confederacy;

those who served the Confederacy in any

capacity, or “advised or aided” anyone in

doing so; and those who had avoided militia

service by expressing southern sympathies, or

disloyalty or disaffection to the United States.

The next states to disfranchise ex-

Confederates were Maryland, Virginia,

Arkansas, and Tennessee. Maryland’s 1864

constitution imposed a ban similar in scope to

that in Missouri’s constitution. The ban in

Virginia’s 1864 constitution was far

narrower: it only barred voting by former

Confederate officeholders and legislators.

As for Arkansas, an 1864 statute required

potential voters to swear that they “had not

voluntarily borne arms against the United

States or this state, nor aided, directly or

indirectly, the so-called confederate

authorities since the 18th day of April, 1864 . .

. .” An 1866 state supreme court decision,

however, struck down this provision, as being

unconstitutional under the state constitution

of 1864. The 1868 state constitution revived

ex-Confederate disfranchisement, but only

for those disfranchised by the Reconstruction

Act, those barred from office by the

Fourteenth Amendment, and those who

“violated the rules of civilized warfare”

during the Civil War.

Insert From the Daily Arkansas Gazette 1875

Wording across the top reads:

The Freedman’s Bureau

An Agency to keep the Negro in idleness at

the Expense of the white man

Twice vetoed by the President and made a

law by Congress Support Congress and you

support the Negro Sustain the President and

you protect the white man

In Tennessee, an 1864 proclamation by Union

military governor Andrew Johnson required

voters in that year’s presidential election to

swear that they were “active friend[s] of the

government of the United States” who

sincerely supported a Union victory. In an

1865 referendum on a state constitutional

amendment banning slavery and voiding

various secession-related measures, a similar

test oath was required of all voters except

“unconditional Union men . . . .” The same

limitations applied to the gubernatorial and

legislative elections conducted later that year

under the amended constitution. An 1865

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statute limited the franchise to those who

voted (or qualified to vote) in any of these

three elections, along with those known or

proven to be have been loyal to the United

States during the war. That act disfranchised

all other persons for five years, except for

certain categories of persons deemed to have

sided with the Confederacy, who were

disfranchised for fifteen years.

Voter Registration

Other states imposed disfranchisements after

the war. West Virginia denied state

citizenship and the franchise to anyone who

“gave voluntary aid or assistance to the

rebellion against the United States,” unless

the person in question had been honorably

discharged from the Union

military. Alabama’s 1867 constitution denied

the vote to those disfranchised by the federal

Reconstruction Act; those barred from public

office by the Fourteenth Amendment; and

those who “violated the rules of civilized

warfare” during the war. With the exception

of supporters of the Reconstruction Acts who

actively aided in their execution, Louisiana’s

1868 constitution disfranchised former

Confederate civil and military officers,

former “enemies of the United States[, former

guerrilla leaders, those who preached

sermons or published newspaper articles “in

advocacy of treason,” and anyone “voted for

and signed” any state’s secession ordinance.

The trend of ex-Confederate

disfranchisement was neither universal nor

long-lasting, however. Georgia, Florida,

North and South Carolina, and Texas

disfranchised few or no Confederates.

In addition, proposed disfranchisement

provisions in the 1868 constitution of

Mississippi, and the 1870 constitution of

Virginia, failed of ratification. Moreover, in

the states that did disfranchise, none of the

bans survived Reconstruction. By 1873,

Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Virginia, and

West Virginia had repealed their

disfranchisements via constitutional

amendment. By 1875, Alabama, Maryland,

and Tennessee had done likewise, by adopting

new constitutions with broader

enfranchisement provisions.

The South gradually struggled back to

stability and the beginnings of prosperity but

it would take several more decades to

overcome the Reconstruction Era and reach

what might be called normalcy.

TRIVIA

1. This Confederate was the last man

wounded at Shiloh, yet his horse was

untouched.

2. Name the general who was so

quarrelsome that he quarreled with

himself.

3. The Confederate forces so covered the

slopes overlooking Fredericksburg

that it was said this animal couldn’t

live on those fields.

4. Why did some Federal troops refuse

to fight at First Manassas?

5. What general so rarely drew his

sword that when he finally had need

to rally his men the sword was rusted

in place?

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Chapter Members Participate in

7th

Texas Flag Ceremony

On March 28th

a special ceremony was held in

Waco regarding an actual battle flag from the

7th

Texas Regiment. Josh Phillips, who

collects such items, came down from his home

in Virginia to show the flag to interested

Texans and to honor Ira Sadler, one of the

Confederates who carried it in battle. Two of

our Chapter members, Leland Hamner and

Ewell Loudermilk, who are members of the

7th

Texas Reenacting group, attended the

Waco ceremony.

This headstone marks the grave of the man

whose blood is on the upper left hand corner

of the flag. He was wounded in the left hand

at Atlanta while carrying the flag and had to

have his left thumb amputated. That is where

the blood stains come from. He and the flag

fell over the fortifications into the Federal

lines at Franklin. He was shot in the hip there

and finished out the war in a prison camp. A

Yankee private from the 24th Wisconsin

recovered the flag at Franklin but his

Captain took it from him. The 24th

Wisconsin was in Opdykes Brigade plugging

the gap in the Federal lines that the 7th Texas

had made. This is the only time that the 24th

Wisconsin and the 7th Texas ever faced each

other so that has to be how the flag ended up

in the possession of the descendants of that

Wisconsin Captain.

The flag is sewn on what appears to be a bed

sheet (for preservation purposes). It is one of

only two known flags that were made in this

pattern (the other was carried by the 50th

Tennessee). It has 15 stars representing the 11

states that seceded (Virginia, N. Carolina, S.

Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama,

Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas

and Texas), the two border states that voted

for secession but weren't allowed to

(Kentucky and Missouri) and the two states

in which Lincoln had their Governors

arrested before they could vote for secession

(Maryland and Delaware). The stars were

sewn on one side and then the blue backing

cut out on the other so that when the sun

struck the banner the white stars stood out

more prominently. The Battle Honors were

applied in 3 different ways. The first were

letters hand stitched on, the second were

strips of cloth sewn on with the Battle Honors

painted on the strips (by someone who didn't

know how to spell Raymond) and the third

were hand painted directly onto the flag by a

sign painter. The crossed cannons are hand

painted on and indicate that the 7th Texas

captured artillery. They captured a Federal

cannon at Ft. Donelson before being forced to

retreat and surrender there. And they

captured an entire battery at Chickamauga.

On the Reverse side the flag just reads "7th

Texas" in hand sewn letters (you can see the

stitching for them on the side that shows).

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The man to the right in the pictures of the

flag in the plaid shirt is the current owner of

the flag (Josh Phillips). He bought the flag in

an estate auction from a family in Wisconsin.

Apparently he looks for such items as a

hobby. He is trying to find a home for the

flag in Texas and is leaning toward the

Confederate Museum in Fort Worth.

Firing a Salute

Leland and Ewell are the first two men

on the left in the firing line

Texas Confederates

Colonel Gustav Hoffmann

Confederate Patriot and Soldier

In the tumultuous times of the mid-1800s, one

of the men from Comal County who stood

out, for his dedication to his community,

bravery, and ability was Gustav V.

Hoffmann. He was born on November 10,

1817, in Hohm, bei Marien Werder, in the

area of Stuhm, Prussia. He served in the

Prussian Cavalry as an officer and later

graduated from Koenigsberg University.

In 1844, he immigrated to Texas as one of the

first settlers in New Braunfels, Republic of

Texas. He was a farmer and he was active in

his church, the Reverend Ervendberg’s

German Protestant Church as member # 166.

His home was on the corner of Mill and

Academy Streets. In 1847 he was elected the

first Mayor of New Braunfels.

As the war broke out, Hoffmann organized

the first company of soldiers from this area,

and trained them on the banks of the San

Marcos River. His military training and

bearing were much needed at that time and

after an inspection by Confederate Brig.

General Earl Van Dorn and interim Texas

Governor Edward Clark, Hoffmann’s

company was commended for “their excellent

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discipline” as noted in the Zeitung on July 12,

1861.

He later became Colonel of the 7th Texas

Cavalry of the 1st Cavalry Brigade in

General Tom Green’s Division. He and his

men fought bravely at the battles of Valverde

and Glorieta Pass during Sibley’s disastrous

1862 New Mexico campaign. They later

fought at Galveston and in Red River

Campaign in Louisiana during the Federals’

attempt to capture Shreveport.

After the war, Hoffmann returned to New

Braunfels and in 1872, he was elected a

Representative to the thirteenth state

legislature. He later moved to San Antonio

and died on March 10, 1889, and he is buried

at the Comal Cemetery in New Braunfels.

Declaration of Independence

Many historians agree that much of the

current power of the Federal Government

over State Governments stems from the

WBTS. It is interesting to note that in the U.

S. Declaration of Independence, whenever the

coalition of states is referred to, the word

“united” is not capitalized. This perhaps

reveals the thinking of our ancestors

regarding State versus Federal rights and

power. Here is an example from the

Declaration of Independence.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the

united States of America, in General

Congress, Assembled, appealing to the

Supreme Judge of the world for the

rectitude of our intentions, do, in the

Name, and by Authority of the good People

of these Colonies, solemnly publish and

declare, That these united Colonies are,

and of Right ought to be Free and

Independent States; that they are Absolved

from all Allegiance to the British Crown,

and that all political connection between

them and the State of Great Britain, is and

ought to be totally dissolved; and that as

Free and Independent States, they have full

Power to levy War, conclude Peace,

contract Alliances, establish Commerce,

and to do all other Acts and Things which

Independent States may of right do. And

for the support of this Declaration, with a

firm reliance on the protection of divine

Providence, we mutually pledge to each

other our Lives, our Fortunes and our

sacred Honor.

Fort Hood has placed a boot in front

of the III Corps building depicting

a life lost for the war in

Afghanistan and Iraq.

Each boot has a photo of the

soldier, airman, sailor or marine

killed, along with their date of

birth, date of death, rank, and the

campaign in which they were

killed. This is a Tradition they plan

on doing every year and it's an

awesome sight to see in person. It

really hits home when you can put

a face to the name. It also puts new

meaning to the term "Boots On

The Ground".

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MATCHING

Match the number to the correct letter.

1. What future President of the United States

risked hazing in military school by refusing to

sing “Marching through Georgia" because he

felt it was an insulting song?

2. When the Federal XX Corps was moved

from the eastern theater of war to the

western, what disparaging remark did the

western soldiers make towards these troops?

3. What uniform item usually worn by

generals did William Sherman not wear,

much to the amazement of his troops?

4. Where did the Confederates and Federals

battle where their view of each other was

obscured by mist and fog?

5. How many battles were fought in each of

the following states/territories: Washington,

Illinois, Idaho, and New York?

6. Which state/territory had the most battles

or engagements fought within its borders?

7. Where was the only battle witnessed by a

First Lady?

8. What was an "infernal machine"?

9. What unusual event caused the death of

Confederate artillery officer James Dearing

while on the retreat towards Appomattox?

10. What weapon, widely used before the

Civil War, became obsolete during the war?

11. What was a "Quaker" gun?

12. What weapon did Federal General

Ambrose Burnside develop?

13. What problem did excessive rain cause to

muskets and cannons?

14. What would cause the sounds of battle to

be heard many miles away but not necessarily

close by?

15. What happened to the body of Federal

General Phi Kearny after he was killed at

Chantilly, Virginia?

16. What regiment is accused of firing the

rounds that struck Stonewall Jackson?

17. General Robert E. Lee was beloved by his

men; many called him "Marse Robert."

What less inspiring nickname did Lee endure

earlier in the war?

18. What did Confederate cavalry General

Wade Hampton capture in late 1864 that

brought cheers from the Southern soldiers?

19. Robert E. Lee was a beloved, yet reserved

leader. To whom was Lee compared?

20. Where did the largest cavalry battle of the

war take place?

Matching Letters

A. Fort Stevens, Washington, D.C.

B. Over 2,500 heads of beef—the Army of

Northern Virginia was slowly starving.

C. Too much moisture made the cartridges

unable to discharge.

D. Virginia had over five hundred.

E. "Paper collar and white glove soldiers."

F. James Earl (Jimmy) Carter Jr.

G. A log mounted on a set of wagon wheels in

an attempt to fool the enemy into thinking

more cannons were faced against them

H. 8th North Carolina Infantry

I. The bayonet

J. A repeating carbine that used metal

cartridges

K. Old Granny, Granny Lee, and The King of

Spades

L. Hidden explosives—mines, torpedoes, and

such

M. One

N. A pistol duel with Federal Lt. Colonel

Theodore Read

0. Brandy Station, Virginia

P. Boots

Q. Acoustical shadows—sound waves

bouncing off geographic features or muffled

by local atmospheric conditions R. George

Washington

R. George Washington

S. Lookout Mountain, outside Chattanooga

T. It was returned to Federal lines under flag

of truce by order of Robert E. Lee

Answers

1.F 6.D 11.G 16.H

2.E 7.A 12.J 17.K

3.P 8.L 13.C 18.B

4.S 9.N 14.Q 19.R

5.M 10.I 15.T 20.O

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WBTS Prisons

At the outbreak of the War, the Federal

government avoided any action, such as

prisoner exchanges, that might appear as an

official recognition of the Confederate

government in Richmond, including the

formal transfer of military captives. In the

North, public opinion on prisoner exchanges

changed after the First Battle of Bull Run,

when the Confederates captured about one

thousand Union soldiers.

Petitions from prisoners in Southern captivity

and articles in Northern newspapers

increased pressure on the Lincoln

administration. On December 11, 1861, the

US Congress passed a joint resolution calling

on President Lincoln to "inaugurate

systematic measures for the exchange of

prisoners in the present rebellion." In two

meetings on February 23 and March 1, 1862,

Union Major Gen. John E. Wool and

Confederate Brig. Gen. Howell Cobb met to

reach an agreement on prisoner exchanges.

They discussed many of the provisions later

adopted in the Dix-Hill agreement. However,

differences over which side would cover

expenses for prisoner transportation stymied

the negotiations.

Negotiations resumed in July, 1862, when the

Union appointed Maj. Gen. John A. Dix and

the Confederacy appointed Maj. Gen. D. H.

Hill. The agreement established a scale of

equivalents to manage the exchange of

military officers and enlisted personnel. For

example, a naval captain or a colonel in the

army would exchange for fifteen privates or

common seamen, while personnel of equal

ranks would transfer man for man. Each

government would appoint an agent to handle

the exchange of prisoners.

The agreement allowed the exchange of non-

combatants, such as citizens accused of

disloyalty, and civilian employees of the

military, and also allowed the exchange or

parole of captives between the commanders

of two opposing forces. Authorities were to

parole any prisoners not formally exchanged

within ten days following their capture. The

terms of the cartel prohibited paroled

prisoners from returning to the military in

any capacity including "the performance of

field, garrison, police, or guard, or

constabulary duty."

The exchange system was disrupted in 1863

because the Confederacy refused to treat

black prisoners the same as whites. They said

they were probably ex-slaves and belonged to

their masters, not to the Union Army. The

South made this decision although they

needed the exchanges much more than the

North did because of the severe manpower

shortage in the Confederacy. In 1864 Ulysses

Grant, noting the "prisoner gap" (Union

camps held far more prisoners than

Confederate camps), decided that the

growing prisoner gap gave him a decided

military advantage. He therefore opposed any

wholesale exchanges until the end was in

sight. This controversial move by Grant is

thought by many historians to have

dramatically increased the death toll in the

overcrowded Confederate prisons.

The Prison Camps operated by both the

Union and the Confederacy were forced to

handle the 409,000 soldiers captured during

the war. The Record and Pension Office in

1901 counted 211,000 Northerners who were

captured. In 1861-63 most were immediately

paroled; after the parole exchange system

broke down in 1863, about 195,000 went to

prison camps. By contrast 215,000

Confederates were imprisoned. Over 30,000

Union and 26,000 Confederate prisoners died

in captivity. Just over 12% of the captives in

Northern prisons died, compared to 15.5%

for Southern prisons.

The overall mortality rates in prisons on both

sides were high due to various reasons. Many

Southern prisons were located in regions with

high disease rates, and were routinely short of

medicine, doctors, food and ice. Northerners

often believed their men were being

deliberately weakened and killed in

Confederate prisons, and required that

conditions in Northern prisons be equally

harsh, even though shortages were not a

problem in the North.

The 56,000 soldiers who died in prisons

during the war accounted for almost 10% of

all War fatalities.

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During a period of 14 months in Camp

Sumter, located near Andersonville, Georgia,

13,000 (28%) of the 45,000 Union soldiers

confined there died. At Camp Douglas in

Chicago, Illinois, 10% of its Confederate

prisoners died during one cold winter month;

and Elmira Prison in New York State, with a

death rate of 25%, very nearly equaled that

of Andersonville. The prisons listed below are

some of the more well-known Union prisons.

Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio, Operated

May 1861 to 1865. The capacity of 4,000 was

at times stretched to more than 7,000. It was

eventually expanded to a capacity of 7,000

but late in the war it held up to 10,000 men.

Camp Douglas Chicago, Established in

January 1863 as a permanent POW camp. It

became notorious for its poor conditions,

vicious guards and death rate of between

17% and 23% percent. Prisoners called it “80

acres of Hell.”

Elmira Prison, Elmira, NY, Became a

prisoner of war camp in 1864 with a capacity

of 12,000. Some 3,000 prisoners died from

various causes.

Fort Slocum New York City, Used from July

1863 to October 1863 as a temporary hospital

for Confederate soldiers.

Fort Warren, Boston, Mass. Fort Warren was

built from 1833 to 1861 and was completed

shortly after the beginning of the War. The

island fort served as a prison for captured

Confederate army and navy personnel,

elected civil officials from the state of

Maryland, as well as Northern political

prisoners.

Johnson's Island, Sandusky, Ohio. During

the 40 months of its existence, approximately

10,000 men were processed into the stockade

on Johnson’s Island. Most were Confederate

officers. Twenty-six were either generals or

officers who became generals during or after

their imprisonment.

Point Lookout, Saint Mary's County, MD.

Deemed the largest and worst Northern POW

camp. Point Lookout was constructed of

fourteen foot high wooden walls and these

walls surrounded an area of about 40

acres. A walkway covered the top of the walls

where Negro guards walked day and

night. Prisoners reported many instances

when the guards were brutal in their

treatment of prisoners. Approximately 50,000

Confederate enlisted men were contained

within the walls of Point Lookout Prison

Camp during its operation 1863-1865. Prison

capacity was 10,000 but at any given time,

there would be between 12,000 and 20,000

soldiers incarcerated there. There is

controversy about the number of prisoner

deaths at the camp but estimates run as high

as 14,000.

Ohio Penitentiary, Columbus, Ohio. An

older facility was pressed into service as a

Confederate prison. It is perhaps best known

for housing several well-known inmates,

including Southern General John Hunt

Morgan, who famously escaped the prison.

Rock Island Prison, Rock Island, IL. Twelve

acres of this swampy island located in the

Mississippi River between Davenport, IA and

Rock Island / Moline Illinois were designated

as a spot to build the prison. It was built in

mid-1863, and not yet completed in December

1863 when the first prisoners were

incarcerated. 468 Confederate prisoners

captured in battles at Chattanooga,

Tennessee were the first to arrive, although

over 5000 total would swell the population of

Rock Island Prison in that month alone.

There were over 12,000 total prisoners

imprisoned at Rock Island during the War

and recorded deaths numbered almost 2000.

Fort Delaware, Delaware City, Del. Used as a

prison for Confederate prisoners of war,

political prisoners, federal convicts, and

privateer officers.

13

Most of the Confederates captured at

Gettysburg were imprisoned here. By August

1863, there were more than 11,000 prisoners

on the island; by war’s end, it had held

almost 33,000 men. The conditions were

decent, but about 2,500 prisoners died.

Gratiot Street Prison, St. Louis, MO.

Located in downtown St. Louis, it housed

Confederate prisoners-of-war, Confederate

sympathizers, guerrillas, spies, and Federal

soldiers accused of crimes. The prison

building was previously a medical school

named McDowell's College, which was

confiscated by the Union Army and converted

to a prison in December 1861. Its official

capacity was 1,200 but at times it had 2,000

prisoners.

Fort Pulaski, Savannah, GA, In 1862 the

Fort, guarding the Savannah harbor, was

captured by the Union and all the

Confederate troops at Fort Pulaski were sent

as prisoners to forts in New York Harbor.

Within a year the Federal garrison was

reduced to a small holding force but in late

October, 1864, Fort Pulaski again became

actively involved in the war when about 550

prisoners of war– all Confederate officers, in

rank from lieutenants to lieutenant colonels–

were brought to the Fort from a stockade on

Morris Island, S.C. In mid-December, each

prisoner's daily rations were limited to one-

quarter pound of bread, 10 ounces of

cornmeal, and one half pint of pickles; for 43

unusually cold winter days, prisoners

subsisted on that meager diet–or died. There

were no blankets and no warming fires,

neither coal nor wood to heat the casemates.

Of the 550 officers, about 460 lived to be

exchanged. The Confederate prisoners at

Fort Pulaski are memorialized in Southern

history as The Immortal Six Hundred.

Union Prison Photos

Camp Chase Ohio

Camp Douglas Chicago

Camp Douglas Chicago

14

Elmira NY

Fort Slocum NYC

Fort Warren Boston

Johnson’s Island Ohio

Point Lookout Maryland

Ohio Penitentiary

Rock Island Illinois

Fort Delaware

15

Gratiot Street St. Louis

Fort Pukaski Georgia

Relics Dug at Various Prison Camps

Grocer token, brass ring, Pocket knife

Robert E. Lee on Prayer

“Knowing that intercessory prayer is our

mightiest weapon and the supreme call for all

Christians today, I pleadingly urge our

people everywhere to pray. Believing that

prayer is the greatest contribution that our

people can make in this critical hour, I

humbly urge that we take time to pray-to

really pray.”

“Let prayer be our passion.

Let prayer be our practice.”

Robert E. Lee

16

NORTHERN CONFEDERATES

General Samuel Gibbs French, CSA

Samuel G. French was born on November 22,

1818 in Mullica Hills, New Jersey, in the

County of Gloucester. He was one of the

Northerners who fought for the South and

rose to a general officer position. He had an

acerbic wit and an undying love for the

South, his adopted homeland, and these traits

combined to make him one of the more

quoted men of his time and even today.

French talked about his childhood in New

Jersey glowingly, learning about the

American Revolution from its veterans, as

well as tales of Napoleon Bonaparte from a

French immigrant, the local shoemaker.

French kept a diary that he published in book

form late in life. “Two Wars: An

Autobiography of Gen. Samuel G. French.”

In it he expressed his opinion on a variety of

subjects. “New Jersey was a slave State when

I was born.” he recorded in his diary, “In

1820 slavery was abolished; but there were

two hundred and thirty-six slaves for life in

1850 in the State, because it did not

emancipate a slave then in being. It only set

free the unborn babes, showing the difference

between emancipation and abolition.”

He dedicated the book to his wife and

children, and to the Confederate soldiers

“who battled with the invading foe to protect

our homes and maintain the cause for which

Oliver Cromwell and George Washington

fought.” French was married twice: to Eliza

Matilda Roberts of Mississippi. They had two

children, Matilda French, and a boy who died

in childbirth with his mother. In January

1865 he married Mary F. Abercrombie of

Alabama. They had 3 children: Samuel Gibbs

French, Jr., Ada Mary French and Robert

Abercrombie French.

French was a graduate of West Point, Class

of 1843, which included future Union General

and President Ulysses S. Grant. Like several

of his classmates, French married a

Southerner. However, French does not cite

his marriage as his motivation for taking up

his sword for the South.

French gives the names of 26 Northerners

who held high rank in the Confederacy

(including himself), twelve of them having

been educated at West Point, and writes:

“They believed in the right of States to secede,

and, owing allegiance to the States where they

lived or wished to reside, they cast their lot

with the South.” Thus, French was a citizen

of Mississippi when it seceded from the Union

on January 9, 1861. The following month,

Governor John Jones Pettus appointed him

chief of ordnance and a lieutenant colonel in

the army of Mississippi. In October of the

same year, Jefferson Davis asked him if he

would accept an appointment as brigadier

general. He accepted and in August of the

following year, he became a major general.

Other French quotes include this one about

Lincoln. “Abraham Lincoln was not an

abolitionist from principle and there is very

much evidence that he was not in favor of

emancipation; his proclamation set free (on

paper) only the slaves in a part of the

Confederate States, leaving slavery untouched

in the United States. That is, the Yankees

retained slavery in Delaware, Maryland,

Kentucky and Missouri and part of Louisiana

and tried to abolish it where they could not,

and maintained it where they could have

abolished it….”

Gen. French died in Pensacola, Florida in

1910. He was buried in Florida but a

memorial to him was constructed in the

Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania. There is also a bust and

marker of French in the National Military

Park in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

General French

17

Zebulon Vance’s Comments

On William Tecumseh Sherman Zebulon Baird Vance (May 13, 1830 – April

14, 1894) was a Confederate military officer,

the 37th and 43rd Governor of North

Carolina, and U.S. Senator. A prodigious

writer, Vance became one of the most

influential Southern leaders during and after

the War. The following is his description of

Sherman’s activities during his “March to the

Sea” and afterwards.

“When the year 1865 dawned it was apparent

to every intelligent observer that the

Southern Confederacy was doomed. A

glimpse of the situation showed that Lee was

holding Richmond by a mere skirmish line, in

twenty miles of trenches, on both sides of the

James, against Grant with an army of

180,000 men. Wilmington and Charleston,

our only available seaports, were still in our

possession, but hastening to their fall.

Sherman's march to the sea had been

accomplished; Savannah had passed into his

possession, and it had been shown not only

that the Confederate military forces of the

Southwest were unable to stay him, but that

no hostility was to be expected from the

despairing people whose homes he ravaged.

With 75,000 victorious troops he was

preparing for his home-stretch toward

Richmond, driving before him the scattered

detachments, fragments of garrisons of cities

and towns, abandoned on his approach, and

other portions of the Confederate forces,

amounting to not more than 22,000 men of all

arms.

In addition to this almost hopeless condition

of things on the theatre of the main armies

the interior and rear were harassed and

overrun by strong bodies of the enemy's

cavalry, who burned and plundered in

defenseless sections to their hearts' content.

Nowhere was there a gleam of hope ; nowhere

had there come to us any inspiriting success.

Everything spoke of misfortune and failure.

The political situation of course sympathized

with the military.

The people were utterly without hope, and

what they did towards supporting the

struggle was perfunctory or from a strong

sense of good faith and honor. The chief

motive of the more intelligent was the

knowledge that energetic action could at least

help us to secure better terms and avert the

evils which a premature and cowardly giving

up would be sure to bring upon us. This was

emphatically the feeling in North Carolina as

we waited for the final movement of Sherman

towards North Carolina borders.

On the 1st day of February, 1865, that

movement began. With irresistible force his

columns began their march through the

southern regions of South Carolina towards

Columbia, and apparently Charlotte, North

Carolina, and so on into Virginia along the

track of Sherman's last great predecessor,

English Lord Cornwallis, in 1781. But

whether it was that he feared the winter mud

of the North Carolina hill country, or that he

did not care to trust himself to such

combinations of the Confederates as might

cross his path so far in the interior, he left

Lord Cornwallis' track near Winnsboro,

South Carolina, and turning to the right

made for Fayetteville, crossing the Catawba

and the Great Peedee. His army marched in

two great divisions, near a day's march apart,

thus covering and devastating a wide expanse

of country. With reference to this famous and

infamous march, I wish to say that I hope I

am too much of a man to complain of the

natural and inevitable hardships, or even

cruelties of war; but of the manner in which

this army treated the peaceful and

defenseless inhabitants in the reach of its

columns all civilization should complain.

There are always stragglers and desperadoes

following in the wake of an army who do

some damage to and inflict some outrages

upon helpless citizens in spite of all the efforts

of commanding officers to restrain and

punish; but when a general organizes a corps

of thieves and plunderers as a part of his

invading army, and licenses beforehand their

outrages, he and all who countenance, aid or

abet, invite the execration of mankind.

18

This peculiar arm of the military service, it is

charged and believed, was instituted by

General Sherman in his invasion of the

Southern States. Certain it is that the

operations of his "Bummer Corps" were as

regular and as unrebuked, if not as much

commended for efficiency, as any other

division of his army, and their atrocities are

often justified or excused by General

Sherman on the ground that ‘such is war.’

In his own official report of his operations in

Georgia he says: "We consumed the corn and

fodder in the region of country thirty miles on

either side of a line from Atlanta to

Savannah; also the sweet potatoes, hogs,

sheep and poultry, and carried off more than

ten thousand horses and mules. I estimate the

damage done to the State of Georgia at one

hundred million dollars, at least twenty

million of which inured to our benefit, and

the remainder was simply waste and

destruction!"

As proof that these things met the

approbation of the officers of that army,

hundreds of instances can be cited, where the

depredations were committed in full view of

the officers. Many can be shown where they

participated in the plunder; and nowhere has

any case come under my

observation or within my knowledge, in

which the perpetrators were even rebuked—

much less punished. ‘Such is war.’”

Zebulon Baird Vance

Champion Hill - Baker’s

Creek Relived

For almost half a century, Bertha

Lewis has felt the ghost of the soldiers

who fought on the land she calls home.

Home for Bertha is Champion Hill

where Blue met Gray on May 16, 1863,

in a pivotal battle that turned the tide

for the Union Army. Her poem “I Was

There: The Battle of Champion Hill”

was written for the Sesquicentennial of

the Battle of Champion Hill. Bertha's

desire was to honor those who fought

and died there.

Bertha Lewis

I Was There: The

Battle of Champion

Hill

When I was young, it was said to me,

"To everything there is a season, and a time to

every purpose under heaven.

A time to be born and a time to die."

Now, as I stand on the hallowed grounds of

Champion Hill, May 16th, 1863,

the year of our Lord, the same words still ring

out to me, as the Union and

Confederate soldiers go into battle. You see -

I WAS THERE

19

On May 16th before the break of dawn, I was

awakened by what seemed to be

a soldier's hand pressing down on my throat

and cheek. My soul rode within myself,

knowing that this day, I could not rest.

I turned my head and noticed tears were

flowing from the corner of one

soldier's eyes, like water gently running in a

spring brook. The tears concaved

on his parched lips and scorched tongue.

Suddenly, I sprang to my feet

and grabbed my rifle, sensing the tumultuous

day that lay ahead. You see ---

I WAS THERE

Just a short distance away, you could hear

thousands of crickets singing, which

sounded like an old battle song. Then, my

regiment was ordered into battle with

musket, fife and drum. Suddenly an unsettling

dark shadow passed over our

infantry, casting uncertainty amidst the ranks.

As a ray of sun peaked between two gray

clouds, cannons began to raise their

ugly voices. Shot, shell and shrapnel fell like

rain, stripping the leaves from the

trees and leaving a trail of smoke behind. You

see ---

I WAS THERE

The sound of a polished brass horn blew as the

drummer tapped on his worn out

drum. The commander barked, "Attention!!!

Forward March" as the soldiers

pressed onward, all fearing that this could be

their final day. You see ---

I WAS THERE

I heard a soldier cry out in the trench next to

mine. I could not just pass the

fellow by. He grabbed my sweaty shaking hand

and asked, "Soldier, soldier, will

you please pray with me?" As I lay down my

hat and gun, tears flowed from

both our eyes, knowing that death would soon

come.

With his head cradled in my arms, we prayed,

"Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be Thy name..." As we prayed, the

dying soldier closed his eyes until the

sound of battle was no more. Death had taken

him by the hand.

"...for Thine is The Kingdom and the Power

and the Glory – forever and ever." Amen.

Deep in the rain-soaked ravines as we pressed

upward toward the

HILL OF DEATH - Hell's voices called out as

the sights and sounds

of battle fell all around. Men, horses, cannon

and the debris

of both armies were scattered throughout. The

magnolia trees were in full

bloom, their beautiful blossoms contrasting

with the horrible scene of death.

Six thousand blue- and gray-coated men were

lying in the woods,

dead or wounded, when the last gun of

Champion Hill was fired. You see ---

I WAS THERE

Fort Chadbourne

Fort Concho

20

Annual Chapter 264 Meeting

Chapter 264 held an outdoor meeting on

April 18 in a pasture near Blanket Texas.

The meeting place was provided by Ken

and Theresa (Loudermilk) Nabers and we

owe our thanks to them. There were seven

members of our twelve member chapter

present along with several of their family

members.

In addition to the 7th

Texas reenactment

members in our chapter, invited guests

included other men from the 7th

Texas

and an Artillery piece and crew

representing the 1st Virginia Mounted

Artillery (Major John Pelham’s Unit.)

A brief formal chapter meeting was held

with an invocation, pledges to the flags,

reading of the MOS&B pledge, etc. The

only business action item was the naming

of Bruce Bell to fill the empty Lt.

Commander position. One of the duties of

the Lt. Commander is recruitment of new

members and Bruce certainly got off to a

good start since his two sons and a cousin

were among the family members who

came with him; three potential new

members!

Guest infantry reenactors included

Captain Harold Johnston (Canyon Lake),

Jeff Johnston, (Cleburne), Charles

Westbrook (San Angelo) and Cris Bloyd

(Comanche).

The two Artillery men who joined us were

Gaylan Harrison and James (Bubba)

Parrish, both from Coahoma. Compatriot

Harrison owns the cannon which is a ½

scale replica of a 6 pounder.

Several infantry drills were performed

with Captain Johnston describing each

maneuver and discussing the replica 1858

British Enfield (.58 caliber) weapon that

each man carried, followed by a “Show

and Tell” and Q and A session.

After those demonstrations the cannon

was fired, first by the crew, and then

interested spectators were allowed to

participate in the loading and firing.

For lunch, a meal of barbeque brisket

and sausage with all the trimmings was

served by Theresa Nabers with help from

chapter wives.

To conclude the day, the infantry

reenactors went to a nearby small rural

cemetery where three Confederate

Veterans were known to be buried. New

Battle Flags were placed on the graves

and the men fired a three volley salute to

those veterans.

Below are pictures from the day.

The morning started off foggy and

the Bonnie Blue was flown near the entrance

gate to lead attendees to the meeting site.

21

Reenactors Muster

Manual of Arms

Visiting

Swapping stories

Firing Cemetery Salute

Cannon Deployed

22

Texas Society Convention

The 2015 Texas Society of the MOS&B

convention was held in Fort Worth on Friday

and Saturday, April 24-25. The host hotel was

Homewood Suites located in the southwest

part of the city and their service and

amenities were outstanding.

There was a Commander’s Reception on

Friday night hosted by Society Commander

Larry Wilhoite and his wife, Pam. It was an

excellent opportunity to visit with old friends

and make new ones. The food and drink were

plentiful and it was a relaxed and enjoyable

time.

The opening ceremony took place at 9:00 AM

Saturday with all members and guests in

attendance. The Colors were displayed and

the pledges and salute to the U. S., Texas and

Confederate Flags were presented. Guests

were then excused and the business session

began at 9:30, lasting until 11:45.

Items discussed included the recent bill

introduced in the Texas Congress to do away

with Confederate Heroes Day, placing of flags

in cemeteries, activities of the various

chapters, recruitment and retention of

members, and an open general discussion on

various topics of interest which individual

chapters wanted to share.

This was an election year so the final business

of the morning was the election of a new

Society Commander and Lt. Commander.

The Nominating Committee had met on

Friday afternoon and interviewed all

candidates. Three candidates were vying for

Commander; Jack Dyess, current Clarion

Call Editor, Larry Martin, current

Genealogist-General and Johnnie Holley, a

newcomer to the MOS&B. Only one

Candidate applied for Lt. Commander; our

chapter Adjutant, Ewell Loudermilk.

In the business meeting, the Nominating

Committee recommended Compatriot Dyess

for Commander and Ewell for Lt.

Commander. Larry Martin was nominated

from the floor for Commander so a paper

ballot vote was required. After the ballots

were cast Jack Dyess was elected Commander

in what became a unanimous decision and

Ewell was elected Lt. Commander.

A brief Bio on our new Society Commander:

Jack Dyess is a retired army officer who

served in Vietnam. He commanded the 66th

Engineer Company, the only mapping

company in Nam with personnel scattered

from Delta region to the DMZ. He was also

Adjutant of the 60th

Engineer Battalion

(Jungle Eaters) land clearing operations in

the Iron Triangle, Parrot’s beak and

Cambodia.

Some of his decorations include the Bronze

Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Army

Commendation Medal with two bronze stars

and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with

Palm leaf. He is a Mustang who retired with

the rank of Major.

Upon conclusion of the business session, all

members and guests attended an Awards

Luncheon. As part of the luncheon there was

a raffle of Confederate items and Outgoing

Commander Wilhoite presented several

awards including the MOS&B Meritorious

Military Service Award to Commander

Dyess. Members of Chapter 264 received

several awards including leather bound

MOS&B notebooks and busts of Robert E.

Lee.

The Convention concluded with the reading

of the MOS&B Benediction and all attendees

were then invited to drive the short distance

to the Museum of the Confederacy for a

special guided tour.

On the next page are some scenes from the

Convention.

23

Commander Wilhoite visits with Guests

during a quiet moment

Outgoing Commander Wilhoite Swears in

Commander Dyess and Lt. Commander Loudermilk

Chapter 264 Representatives

From left, Theresa (Loudermilk) Nabers, Ewell, Gary

(Nuxie), Nuxie’s wife, Teresa, Gary M.

Not shown, Gary M.’s wife Dorothy

In Memoriam

Hugh Dale Fowlkes January 30, 1934 - March 16, 2015

Dale served as MOS&B Texas Society

Commander from 2003 to 2005. He was a

long-time member of the Colonel Richard B.

Hubbard Chapter in Tyler Texas. Most of all,

Dale was a good friend and he is truly missed

by those of us who knew and worked with

him.

As a side note, when the MOS&B

commissioned the “Captain” sculpture Dale

was asked to pose as the model for it and he is

very recognizable.

24

Chapter Commander’s Report

Gentlemen,

I would like to approach an old topic from a

new angle. There is nothing more important

to our Order than recruitment. Although the

MOS&B does some wonderful things with

our dues money, it’s not all about the dues.

Although the Order is the only Confederate

organization that was formed by men who

served the Confederacy, it’s not all about

saving the organization. It is about passing

along the true history of the war to future

generations. The MOS&B, thanks to an

active membership, is working to spread the

truth and preserve our history. We owe our

ancestors that much.

You men are in a unique position to help

preserve this history. You have already

shown an interest in the war, its causes and

its results by joining the organization. It

follows that you probably have much more

knowledge about this part of our history than

the average man on the street. You should

share that knowledge with family and friends

to plant the seed of curiosity in the next

generation. In a world where people get their

information in sound bites and “tweets”, it’s

sometimes difficult to share real information.

It is not just your knowledge of history that

makes you important to the Order. Did you

know that any of your blood relatives have

the fast track to joining the Order by using

your membership as their starting point?

They simply prove their relationship to you

and they are qualified. Our Chapter Lt.

Commander, Bruce Bell, can provide more

information about this if you have family

members who are potential MOS&B

members.

As a parent and grandparent, I know that

kids in their 20’s are busy getting their lives

started and most 30 somethings are raising

families. Various activities like little league

sports are more important at that age than

Confederate history.

I agree with those priorities. I would suggest

to those younger potential members that they

can join but don’t have to be active in the

Order until such time as they feel they do

have the time.

It’s up to us to share with them what we

know. Tell them what we do and most

importantly why we do it.

God Bless,

Gary L. (Nux) Loudermilk

Commander Chapter 264

Trivia Answers

1. Nathan Bedford Forrest

2. Braxton Bragg. Bragg was posted once

as both company commander and

company quartermaster. As

commander he requested certain

supplies and as quartermaster he

refused the request. He finally had to

refer the matter to the post commander

for resolution!

3. A chicken

4. Their 90 day enlistments expired that

morning.

5. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson

25

BANNAL AB BRAITHREAN (Band of Brothers)

Is a newsletter published of

and for the

Major John Loudermilk Chapter #264 of the Military Order of the

Stars and Bars It is published electronically

and issued seasonally. Comments, suggestions or questions may be sent to the Editor, Gary M. Loudermilk at gmldhl@harrisbb.com

Two Time Winner of the Captain

John Morton Award for Best

Chapter Newsletter

Military Order of the Stars

and Bars Benediction

Leader: I asked God for strength, that I might achieve, Members: I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey. Leader: I asked for health, that I might do greater things, Members: I was given infirmity that I might do better things. Leader: I asked for riches, that I might be happy, Members: I was given poverty, that I might be wise. Leader: I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men, Members: I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God. Leader: I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life, Members: I was given life, that I might enjoy all things. Leader: I got nothing that I asked for – but everything I had hoped for. Members: Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered. ALL: I am, among all men, most richly blessed. Prayer of an Unknown Confederate Soldier Found on his body in the “Devil’s Den” at Gettysburg

DEO VINDICE