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THE GRIFFIN MESSENGER
APRIL 2015
VOLUME 3
ISSUE 4
The Monthly Newsletter of the
Colonel William H. Griffin SCV Camp #2235
HALTOM CITY, TEXAS
Charge to the Sons of Confederate
Veterans
“To
you,
Sons
of
Confederate
Veterans,
we
will
commit
the
vindication of the Cause for which we
fought. To your strength will be given
the
defense of the Confederate
soldier’s
good
name,
the
guardianship of his history, the
emulation
of
his
virtues,
the
perpetuation of those principles
which he loved and which you love
also, and those ideals which made
him glorious and which you also
cherish.” -- Lt. Gen. Stephen Dill Lee,
Commander General, United Confederate
Veterans, New Orleans, 25 April 1906
IN THIS ISSUE:
Pg. 1: Meeting Announcement
Pg. 2: Commander’s Report
Pg. 4: April Meeting
Pg. 4: Patterson Editorial
Pg. 6: Edgerton Editorial
Pg. 7: Upcoming Events
Pg. 11: What We Believe
OFFICERS & STAFF
Commander: Jack Dyess
Lt. Commander: Charles Harrison
Adjutant: Larry Kelley
Chaplain: Bill Agerton
Webmaster: David Soriano
Recorder: Sheila Randolph
Quartermaster: Elizabeth Kelley
Our Next Meeting:
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Diamond Oaks Country Club
Dinner and Social begins at 6:00
Meeting begins at 7:00
Casual dress is appropriate.
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"
COMMANDER’S REPORT
Commander Jack Dyess
For those of you who called or emailed expressing your concern
and best wishes during my recent illness, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Again, I apologize for having to cancel our
Colonel Griffin Birthday on March 21st. On the Tuesday prior to
the party, I became very ill. When I visited the doctor on Thursday I was told I had pneumonia in both lungs and possibly something else and to go to bed for the next 24 to 36 hours. I was also
informed that I might be contagious for the next few days. It was
too late to find a new venue and I felt it would be irresponsible
for me to have guests in my home when there was any possibility
of them becoming ill. It has now been 14 days since the symptoms first appeared and I am still not completely recovered. For
the first time in several years, I was unable to attend one of the
SCV annual highlights – the Camp Ford Ceremony in Tyler last
Saturday.
I started feeling a little better Sunday. However, I was also suffering from “cabin fever” and
made the mistake of working in the yard awhile yesterday. Today I am paying for being overly
energetic. Once more, thank you for your calls, emails and cards.
I am not the only one in our camp that is under the weather. Auxiliary member Dorthy Casten
is seriously ill and in the hospital. In an effort to maintain her privacy, since this newsletter
goes out to many individuals throughout the SCV, we will refrain from going into further
details. However, you may contact Diane or me for additional information. Suffice it to say,
our prayers go out to Dorthy and Ken.
There are several events coming up in the near future that I hope will spark your interest
[please see the upcoming events section in this newsletter]. As you know, this year marks the
end of the War Between the States Sesquicentennial. I want to call special attention to the
National SCV Sesquicentennial Event in Shreveport on May 30th, the Texas Division Reunion in
Temple on June 5 – 7 and the National SCV Reunion in Richmond, VA July 15-19. If you have
never been to one of these events, you have no idea what you are missing. Almost everyone
I know who has attended them in the past make plans every year (usually a year in advance)
to attend the next one. They are without a doubt the most enjoyable experiences you can
have in our organization. Diane and I plan to attend each of these and hope you will join us.
Also, remember the Confederate Memorial Ceremony at the Texas Civil War Museum on April
11th. This a UDC event to which we are all invited. The Texas Division Color Guard will present
the colors. This will be a great opportunity for us, as a camp, to show our support for the UDC
and to visit the museum. As one of the teaching docents at the museum, I will be happy to
take you on a guided tour if you like.
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April 2015 Newsletter of The Col. William H, Griffin Camp #2235
At our next meeting, we will be introducing a new wrinkle. Up until this
point, we have relied entirely upon our annual dues to support our camp
activities. The result has been that we really have not been able to
finance many of the activities we discuss.
Starting this month, we will pass a “Cool Camp Treasure” box around at each meeting as a
reminder of our needs. Feel free to put into it as much or as little (including nothing) as you
like. It is simply a visual reminder that we need funds to pursue our objectives.
As indicated in another place in the newsletter, Kirt Barnett will be our speaker at the April
meeting. He will present a Power Point presentation on the “Forty Eighters.” That is correct
– forty eighters not forty niners.
Pam and Larry Wilhoite will present an outstanding program on Confederate flags at our May
meeting. Not only do they include a power point presentation but they have researched, and
hand sewed, many of the more unusual flags – some as large as a king size bed sheet.
Regretfully, there is an additional item that must be brought to your attention. Failure to do
so would amount to shirking my responsibility to protect our camp. One of the local camps is
actively engaged in raiding the membership of other camps. It appears they are finding every
opportunity to “bad mouth” other camp officers and making promises to individuals if they
will transfer to their camp. Some of the promises reported to me are totally illegitimate.
Several of us in the Griffin Camp have suspected this for some time. Only within the last few
days has it been confirmed by individuals outside our camp. Some of the other camps in the
area are finding themselves targets of this raiding also and their officers are upset. If someone
approaches you along these lines, the decision is yours. However, I would certainly appreciate
it if you would call me, or one of the camp officers, so we can discuss the matter.
As I write this, our heritage is under attack. From Confederate Heroes Day to the freedom to
express our heritage on license plates is cause for everyone’s concern. Please see the
editorials from Jerry Patterson and H.K. Edgerton. If you choose to purchase a license plate
– or not – this case is about freedom of expression and your choice to choose. At our meeting
we will also address the possibility of losing Confederate Heroes Day. I have names and
addresses available, along with sample letters, so you may address your representatives in
Austin. The students at the University of Texas in Austin are also attempting to remove the
statue of Jefferson Davis from the campus. They say things come in three’s – I just listed
three heritage violations in Texas of which we need to be aware.
See you on the 7th.
Jack G .Dyess,
Commander
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April 2015 Newsletter of The Col. William H, Griffin Camp #2235
PREVIEW OF OUR APRIL MEETING
Kirt Barnett will be bringing us a program on a subject few of us were aware of – or understand.
The European 48ers and the 1860 Election of Lincoln.
Kirt Barnett is a fifth generation Texan and a veteran of the United States Army and former
police officer. He graduated from Tarleton State University and is a member of Phi Alpha
Theta National Historical Honor Society. He has over 14 years of experience teaching history
at both secondary and graduate levels. Having lived and traveled all over the world, he has
seen many of the places he enjoys studying.
He currently owns and operates Valor Shirts – a company focused on preserving history and
making it a part of people’s everyday lives. He is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Robert E. Lee Camp #239, where he serves as Lt. Commander. He frequently speaks
and performs living history presentations for many events across North Texas. He is invited
annually to speak at the Sam Davis Youth Camp in Clifton, Texas.
Kirt is always furthering his education through his memberships with the Civil War Round Table of Fort Worth, the Society of Independent Southern Historians, and the Grady McWhiney
History Education Foundation.
His love of history began when he was four years old sitting on his great-grandfather's knee
listening to stories of life in Parker and Tarrant Counties in the 1800s. That same love and
respect for the past and its importance continues to this day.
HIGH COURT SHOULD ALLOW "OFFENSIVE" CONFEDERATE FLAG ON TEXAS LICENSE PLATE
Jerry Patterson
I love history-all of it.
I'm proud of Texas Confederate heritage and I'm proud that Texas is
where the Juneteenth holiday (19 June 1865 was the date Texas slaves
were actually freed) originated.
Jerry Patterson
As a member of the Texas Senate, I was the sponsor of legislation establishing the Juneteenth Commission for the purpose of placing a monument on the Texas capitol grounds.
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April 2015 Newsletter of The Col. William H, Griffin Camp #2235
On Monday [3/23/2015] the Supreme Court of the United States will hear arguments on
whether the State of Texas should issue specialty license plates bearing a Confederate Battle
flag. The liberty of all Americans is in the balance. In 2010, as Commissioner of the Texas
General Land Office, I sponsored before the Texas Division of Motor Vehicles two specialty
plates. One was to honor Buffalo Soldiers and one was for the Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV). I have also sponsored plates for the Texas Daughters of the American
Revolution. I only had one denied, and that was the SCV plate, which was denied by the
Texas DMV Board after a raucous anti-Confederate "hatefest" hearing. The Buffalo Soldier
plate was approved.
It is ironic that approval was granted for the Buffalo soldiers service in a genocidal war against
an entire race of people, the American Plains Indians, resulting in their enslavement on reservations. Why is the Buffalo soldier's legacy less controversial than what the politically correct crowd think about Confederate symbolism? One of the reasons that descendants of Native
Americans don't raise much objection is that there just aren't very many of them. In other
words, our genocidal war was extremely effective! There is no doubt that the Buffalo Soldiers
served honorably, and are deserving of honor and recognition. The problem arises when we
view their actions (or the actions of Confederate soldiers) through the "enlightened" or "politically correct" (pick one) lens of 21st century America!
Therein lies one of the two salient issues in this debate. Is it right to do a retrospective review
using todays standards of all historical characters that have been heretofore revered and honored, and if so, how many would fall woefully short? Today, Lincoln the white supremacist
(read the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858 and the amendment Lincoln supported in
1861 to enshrine slavery forever into the US Constitution) is everywhere praised, while Lee
the Confederate (who wrote his wife in 1856: "slavery is a moral and political evil") is reviled
as a "traitor" in many quarters. A Lincoln specialty plate would sail through approval, while
Lee's would be "disapproved" as "offensive." Finally if someone claims they will be "offended,"
is that sufficient reason to restrict free speech? Offended? Bills have been filed in the Texas
Legislature to allow those who have a concealed handgun license to carry openly and one of
the major objections comes from those who are offended by the mere sight of a firearm. Is
there a constitutional right to go through life unoffended? In my view we have a constitutional
right TO be offended because without that freedom the 1st amendment guarantee of free
expression is gutted. What does "offend" me is that if the State of Texas gets it way a little
more freedom will die that cannot be restored to we the people. A little more freedom,
whether you love or hate the Confederate flag will be lost to us ALL!
Jerry Patterson in the immediate past Texas General Land Office Commissioner, a former
Texas State Senator, member of SCV, Marine Vietnam vet, retired LtCol USMCR.
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April 2015 Newsletter of The Col. William H, Griffin Camp #2235
LIBERTY AT STAKE OVER SUPREME COURT CONFEDERATE FLAG CASE
H.K. Edgerton
March 23 will be an important and historic day at the U.S. Supreme
Court. Lawyers for the state of Texas will argue that Americans deserve less freedom, less freedom of speech and the Texas Division
Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) will argue that Americans deserve more. Simplistic? Yes. But on target.
Jack Dyess and H.K.
Edgeton
The fight is over the insistence by the state of Texas that the SCV’s
proposed specialty license plate cannot contain the SCV’s logo,
which since the organization’s founding in 1896 has included the
iconic Confederate battle flag. The Department of Motor Vehicle Board which oversees the
specialty license plate approval process held a public hearing in 2011 on the Confederate flag
plate and after what can only be termed an orchestrated hate-a-nanny against all Confederate
symbolism, the board voted unanimously to disapprove the SCV plate because of the “offensiveness” of the SCV’s Confederate flag logo. Rightly believing the DMV board’s denial constituted a violation of the constitutional right of free speech, the Texas Division Sons of Confederate Veterans sued in an Austin, Texas federal court to rescind the DMV board’s ban.
The federal court ruled that the SCV plate, if issued, would constitute “government sponsored
speech” and therefore if denied would not violate the SCV’s First Amendment rights. The SCV
legal team countered that by bowing to the orchestrated outcry, the state DMV board was
picking and choosing what speech was acceptable or unacceptable and therefore discriminated against the SCV, violating their free speech rights. The SCV appealed the court’s decision to the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans. In July 2014, in a 2-1 decision,
the appeals court ruled in favor of the SCV, ordering the state of Texas to give them their
plate. But then Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, running for governor and going
against the settled law of at least three federal circuits, appealed the 5th Circuit decision
to the U.S. Supreme Court — which accepted the case for consideration.
And now the final showdown. Former Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who originally sponsored the Texas Division SCV’s specialty plate application, nicely summed up
the important legal questions before the court: “Both parties rely on their interpretation
of legal precedent to make their case. Based on this legal precedent, the Supreme Court
must decide two specific issues to determine whether the Texas DMVB’s denial of the
SCV’s application violated the First Amendment. First, the court must decide whether the
designs on specialty license plates constitute the private driver’s speech or the government or State’s speech. The Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment restricts the
government’s regulation of private speech, but it does not regulate government speech.
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April 2015 Newsletter of The Col. William H, Griffin Camp #2235
If the Court decides that it is government speech, the case is decided against the SCV. If
the Court decides the speech is private speech, then the Court must decide whether the
denial of SCV’s application amounts to an unlawful rejection of the SCV’s viewpoint on the
Confederate battle flag.”
If the court should reverse the 5th Circuit’s decision all Confederate-themed SCV license
plates currently available in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Maryland could end up on the chopping
block of state-sponsored political correctness as well as any other logos of other organizations considered “offensive” by self-appointed thought police.
Ominously, besides the state of Texas, 12 other states: three of whom have Confederate
flag specialty plates, including North Carolina, have filed friend of the court briefs seeking
to reverse the 5th Circuit’s constitutionally correct decision. Hearteningly, the Texas and
North Carolina ACLUs, the Rutherford Institute and other pro-Bill of Rights groups have
filed briefs in support of the Texas Division SCV.
Whether you love or hate the Confederate battle flag, should the SCV lose, a little more
freedom, a little more liberty, dies for us all. Thank you, Texas Division of the Sons of
Confederate, for standing up for the free speech rights of all Americans.
H.K. Edgerton, a lifelong civil rights advocate and former Asheville NAACP president, is a
nationally known Confederate heritage advocate.
(http://www.citizen-times.com/story/opinion/contributors/2015/03/20/liberty-stake-supreme-courtconfederate-flag-case/25096649/)
UPCOMING EVENTS
Thursday, Friday & Saturday, April 9,10,11: 2:00 PM, 60 Minute Documentary – Appomattox, TexasCivil War Museum
Saturday, April 11: Our Camp will assist the Julia Jackson Chapter of the UDC in a
Confederate History Month ceremony at the UDC Monument at the Texas Civil War Museum.
We will provide a color guard and musket squad. This will be a great opportunity to honor our
ancestors and visit the museum.
Tuesday, April 14: 6:30 PM The Fort Worth Civil War Round Table will meet at the Museum
Speaker: Noah Andre Trudeau on Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage – Book Signing
Friday & Saturday, April 18-19: Re-enactment at the Confederate Reunion Grounds in Mexia,
Texas
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April 2015 Newsletter of The Col. William H, Griffin Camp #2235
Friday, April 24-25: Texas MOS&B Convention in Fort Worth
Saturday, April 25: Cowboy Days Frontier Village, Denison
Friday, April 30-May 3: Jefferson Civil War Days, Jefferson Texas
Saturday, May 2: Bonham Heritage Days 9AM – 10 PM, Bonham Texas
Tuesday, May 5: Camp Meeting, Pam & Larry Wilhoite, ‘Confederate Flags of Texas’.
Saturday, May 8-9: 1865 Sesquicentennial Confederate Symposium, Chatfield, Texas
Saturday, May 9-10: Forts Muster, Fort Worth Stockyards
Saturday, May 16-17: 7th Annual Battle of Temple Junction Renactment
Thursday, May 21: Special Lecture at the Texas Civil War Museum featuring Greg Biggs
Saturday, May 23: Redication of the Nathan Bedford Forrest Monument at Selma, Alabama
Saturday, May 30: Confederate Heritage Rally 2015, 1:00 PM in Shreveport, Louisiana
Tuesday, June 2: Camp Meeting
Friday, June 5-7: SCV Division Reunion, Temple
Tuesday, July 7: Camp Meeting
July 9-11: MOS&B Convention in Alexandria, Virginia
July 15 – 19: Although it is still four months away, another very special event for which you
need to start making plans is next year’s SCV National Reunion, July 15 – 19, 2015 in Richmond,
VA. I know it is a long distance from here. However, I guarantee it will be worth the trip. If
you think there is the slightest chance that you might attend, you should make reservations
NOW at the Kroger Conference Center Double Tree Hyatt Hotel, 804-379-3800. You can
always cancel if you decide not to go but you cannot make a reservation at the last
moment. Ask for the “SCV Reunion Special Rate” of $109.00 per night. Availability of rooms
at this rate will not last long.
October 30, 2015: Candlelight and Roses Grand Ball. For additional information contact
[email protected].
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April 2015 Newsletter of The Col. William H, Griffin Camp #2235
United Daughters of the Confederacy ®
Julia Jackson 141
In conjunction with District VII
Requests the honor of your presence as we honor our Confederate Heroes
During Confederate History Month
10:00 AM
Saturday, April 11
Texas Civil War Museum
760 Jim Wright Freeway
Fort Worth, Texas 76108
For more information contact Diane Dyess ([email protected]) or Sheila Randolph ([email protected])
.com
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April 2015 Newsletter of The Col. William H, Griffin Camp #2235
Candlelight and Roses Grand Ball
A recreation of the Grand Ball
October 30, 2015
https://candlesandrosesball.com
To be held at:
Chandlers Rose Gardens.
7032 CR 971 Celina Texas 75009.
Just North of McKinney Texas 972-420-8892
[email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/CandlelightRosesBall
This will be 1860's period Fancy Dress or any period after 5:00 formal/semi-formal wear. There will be 1860"s Period Music by Sweet
Song String Band with dance caller, Wine tasting, Pre Ball Book reading by author Karen Knaus of The Thorny Truth and Their Civil
War. , book reading by the late Barbara Lords editor and daughter Martha Constant of Bury Thy Brother.
For more information visit website and Facebook sites.
Limited tickets and tickets will not be sold at the door.
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/candlelight-and-roses-grand-ball-tickets-13400626635?ref=ebtnebtckt
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April 2015 Newsletter of The Col. William H, Griffin Camp #2235
WHAT WE BELIEVE
We believe that General Robert E. Lee was both the greatest general of all time but also one
of the greatest men of all time. We believe the admonition given by him to his soldiers in
1865 to “Abandon your animosities and make your sons Americans" should be followed.
We believe the words found in General Nathan Bedford Forrest's farewell address to his men
on May 9, 1865, “Civil war, such as you have just passed through, naturally engenders
feelings of animosity, hatred and revenge. It is our duty to divest ourselves of all such
feelings, and, so far as it is in our power to do so, to cultivate feelings toward those with
whom we have so long contested, and heretofore so widely but honestly differed” apply
to us also. Again, in an address to the Independent Order of Pole Bearers Association on July
5, 1875, “We have but one flag, one country; let us stand together” also applies to us.
We believe that SCV members should follow BOTH Charges given by General Steven Dill Lee.
He gave the second Charge, the one we recite at every Camp meeting, to the SCV in 1906. In
1896, he gave his first Charge to all, including us, who would be writing and teaching southern
history. Trusting into their hands [Southern Historians] the vindication of the South and
of the Confederate soldier, we commend to them a model and a motto. The model is The
Confederate Soldier. The motto is, Let him live in History, as he was in War, and as he
is in Peace … He had fought with honor; he surrendered with honor, and he has abided
the issue with honor. He returned to the Union as an equal, and he has remained in the
Union as a friend ... the Confederate soldier honors the flag which cannot wave without
testifying to this great work of the South, while it proclaims alike the glory of the
American Union. He learned to love that flag when he was a boy. He loved it even when
he fought it. Every impulse of his generous nature prompts him to love Dixie and the
Star Spangled Banner … The Confederate soldier is a patriot of the highest type. He was
a soldier because he was a patriot. He is a peaceful citizen, because he is a patriot. He
has forgiven the war with its attendant injustice of invasion and reconstruction. He has
risen above the humiliation of surrender. From the hero of war he has grown to be the
hero of peace. In this character he deserves to be painted by history.
Several thousand Confederate Veterans attended the 1896 Reunion in Richmond. The minutes
state that applause almost continually interrupted General Lee while he gave his report. The
delegates to the Reunion unanimously adopted the report.
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April 2015 Newsletter of The Col. William H, Griffin Camp #2235
If several thousand soldiers, who fought for the CSA, unanimously supported the U. S. flag and
set an example of being good U. S citizens only 31 years after the War ended, Camp #2235
will do so 149 years after the War.
We believe the 50-star flag of the United States of America is the symbol of the Country of
which we are citizens and which we love and respect.
We shall not, under any circumstance, tolerate racism of any type by word or deed.
We pledge to assist and support any and all other heritage organizations, male or female,
whose beliefs, goals and objectives are similar to ours so long as such assistance and support
is in accordance with our Constitution, the Charge given by General Steven Dill Lee, and our
Camp’s basic beliefs.
We believe the admonition in the Charge given by General Steven Dill Lee to emulate the
virtues of the Confederate soldier as exemplified by General R. E. Lee and other great leaders
includes conduct becoming a gentleman or lady at all times and failure to do so is totally
unacceptable.
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