THE GILMOR BLADE Those who allow the surrender of their history, also surrender their future! Official Newsletter of THE COL. H.W.GILMOR CAMP, No. 1388, SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS Many chances to be involved this month! April , 201 3

Meet with us! “The Charge” Come to the next Camp meeting: "To you, Sons of Confederate Wednesday, April 10 Veterans, we submit the 7:30 PM vindication of the Cause for which County Historical Society we fought; to your strength will be 9811 Van Buren Lane given the defense of the Cockeysville, MD All are welcome! Confederate soldier's good name, the guardianship of his history, the March with us! emulation of his virtues, the Friends of perpetuation of those principles he 152 nd Anniversary “First Blood” Parade & Ceremony loved and which made him Saturday, April 20 glorious and which you also Form up: 10:00 AM Broadway Pier cherish. Remember, it is your duty Thames St., Fells Point to see that the true history of the Ceremony 11:00 at President Street Station South is presented to future See flyer, p.3 generations."

Minutes: March 13, 201 3 Camp meeting Inside this issue: The meeting was opened at point presentation on the Minutes as summarized. 7:30 p.m. by Commander importance of railroads PASSED Jefferson Davis 2 Michael K. Williams. during the War Between library dedicated Commander Williams the States entitled the “The OLD BUSINESS: President St “First 3 opened the meeting with War Came by Train.” Commander Williams Blood” March an invocation and a special reported that only one prayer for the recovery The Camp had the great Bottony Cross Scottish blockade 4 Compatriots John Ross and honor to swear in two new belt buckle is left. The runner Wm Watson Steve Smith. Commander members, father and son Maryland Division SCV Mike Williams led us in Jeffrey T. Wilson and J. may have a few more A WBTS memorial 4 the Pledge of Allegiance to Tivis Wilson, Jr. buckles. Commander tartan the U.S. flag and the Salute Williams reported on the to the Confederate Flag. BREAK need to stabilize the “The Final Dig” 5 Soldiers/ Jackson Monu- Commander Williams in- Compatriot Dan Pyle sum- ment at Confederate Hill, Loudon Park: a little 5 troduced our guest speaker, marized the Minutes of the Loudon Park. The pos- history… author and historian, Dan meeting of February 13, sibility of a retaining wall PARD! 6 Toomey. Dan gave an 2013. was discussed and the need excellent talk and power MOTION: To accept the See “Minutes,” p.2

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April, 2013

Minutes Continued from p. 1

to work with the engineers and 1. A field trip to Glenn Ellen the June 28, 2013 Guided tour of experts with the Maryland Military home of Col. located Westminster.

Monument Commission as well as near the Loch Raven Reservoir, June 29, 2013 Confederate Day, with Loudon Park. 2. A field trip following the route Union Mills Md. Dance and of Col. Harry Gilmor’s ride. refreshments. NEW BUSINESS: June 30, 2013 Union Day, Union There will be a work day 9:00 a.m. Announcements: Mills, Md. Concert Federal City Saturday March 23, 2013 to dig April 13, 2013 Maryland Division, Brass Band holes for 42 Adopt a Confederate SCV meeting The meeting was adjourned with a markers at Confederate Hill, April 20, 2013 President Street prayer at 9:50 p.m. Loudon Park. Station Parade and Ceremony. March 23, 2013 WBTS program at Respectfully submitted, Two upcoming events were Carroll County Community College G. Elliott Cummings discussed: Adjutant

Sons of Confederate Veterans wants to set record straight

during that war because it was one this building is complete and the By Danielle Thomas of the defining moments in museum is in side and all the http://www.wlox.com/story American history,"said Givens literature, the history books, it will /21661247/wants -to-set- be able to help to tell the rest of the the-record-straight History buffs headed to Beauvoir to story. To set records straight. To let Copyright 2013 WLOX. All mark the dedication of the new everybody know more about the rights reserved. Jefferson Davis P residential library. struggles of our people." The last home of Jefferson Davis is being hailed for its significance in "The public needs to understand Photograph courtesy of WLOX: teaching the history of the South. that his building represents a lot The National Sons of Confederate more than just Jefferson Davis," Veterans coupled a celebration of said Beauvoir Director Bertram the completion of Beauvoir's Hayes-Davis. "This is a historic presidential library with the com- educational opportunity for us to memoration the 150th anniversary share the Southern heritage and all of the Civil War. the stories to go along with not only Jefferson Davis but the Southern Re-enactors at Beauvoir, the last part of this country." Maryland Line CSA Camp #1741 home of Jefferson Davis, taught Is proud to Host the children about what life was like A museum is planned for the inside Sons of Confederate Veterans during the Civil War by showing the library. Officials with the Maryland Division Convention them many of the artifacts used National Sons of Confederate Saturday, April 13 9:00 AM during that time. Veterans said they look forward to Knights of Pythias exhibits which will preserve the 10 Pythian Drive Michael Givens is the Commander- history and heritage they hold dear. Edgewater, MD 21037 In-Chief of the Sons of Confederate For registration information Veterans. "It's going to be a beacon. A depository of literature about the contact: "It's very important that people people, about their struggle," said Tom Dale recognize the struggles of the Givens. “We’re just so happy that 1-301-262-8992 Southerners and the Northerners we're able to dedicate it today. Once $40 pp

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APRIL 20

152 ND ANNIVERSARY First Blood April 19, 1861 10:00am Form-up at the Recreation Pier, Thames St., Fells Pt. 10:30am Parade start 11:00am Ceremony at President St. Station Special guest speaker: David C. Keehn, author of “Knights of The Golden Circle”

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Scottish -born blockade runner: William Watson April, 2013

From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Rob _Roy

The SS Rob Roy was a Confederate Image of the Rob Roy is from blockade runner which, command- the 1993-1996 Atlas Editions ed by Captain William Watson, ran Civil War collectible card set. to and from Bermuda, the Bahamas These cards were released in and Cuba from 1862 to 1864. subscription form only and are fairly hard to find today. This Watson, who had emigrated from one was found at Pop Culture Great Britain several years before, Paradise, an eBay online store. had originally enlisted in the Confederate Army as a sergeant From Dead Confederates enlisted in the Confederate Army before being wounded at the Second http://deadconfederates.com/tag/ for a one-year term with his Battle of Corinth, and discharged william-watson/ company, the Pelican Rifles… due to his injuries. Hiring out a William Watson (b.1826) was a schooner, commissioned as the Rob Scotsman, a Clydesider, who Upon discovering he had lost all Roy , Williams would bring in des- emigrated to the West Indies in his property with the Union perately needed supplies into block- 1845 and worked there as an occupation of Baton Rouge, he aded southern ports, specifically engineer and sometimes-ship- went back to revisit his regiment Galveston, Texas before selling the captain. After 1850 he emigrated in the field and got caught up in ship after financial disagreements again to Louisiana, where he the Battle of Corinth…After the with business associates. worked as an engineer ... Confederates fell back, he was picked up on the field by Federal Williams would later write about his Watson was opposed to the medical personnel, treated at a wartime naval career in his autobio- secession of the Southern states, field hospital, and soon paroled graphy The Civil War Adventures of but as a member of the local through the efforts of a fellow a Blockade Runner in 1892. militia unit in Baton Rouge, he Scot on General R osecrans’ staff.

“Decoding” the Memorial tartan

From States based on previous renditions Gold—the honored dead http://www.scotweb.co.uk/tartandesi circa February 2011.” White—national color gn/details/37590 Red—national color The inspiration is, “My sense of The WBTS continues to inspire The tartan gives the designer a history and two movies: ‘Gods and tartan designers! chance to use color to represent Generals’ and ‘Gettysburg.’ ideas, feelings, and his torical events. One such tartan is the American Each color is significant: Civil War Memorial tartan. Sapphire—represents the Federal cause and troops and one of the The designer describes this tartan as, national colors “A tartan to memorialize the great Santas Grey—represents the national wound that we call The Confederate cause and troops Civil War or The War Between the Sangria—the blood spilled

April is Scottish -American Heritage Month!

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April, 2013 The Final Dig: Adopt a Confederate project achieves its go al

For many years, the dedicated ladies tions, friends of friends, people who process of installation for the last of the United Daughters of the had no interest in the WBTS but time. Saturday, March 23, turned Confederacy tended and maintained were touched by the project. out to be crisp, cool and windy. It the graves on Confederate Hill in Slowly, Confederate Hill began to also turned out to be perfect work- Loudon Park Cemetery. change. In front of the eroding ing weather! Over the course of just markers, clear granite markers with over 3 1/2 hours about 45 holes Like thousands of other Daughters the most updated information were dug, the dirt hauled away and across the nation, they continued to available began to appear. some 'lost' headstones were found - honor the memory and sacrifice of a great unexpected bonus. If you their ancestors. Walking along the rows of missed this opportunity to actually Confederate Hill today, it is difficult put into action S.D. Lee's Charge to Many of these men were buried to remember how the Hill looked us as Sons, you'll have another originally with nothing more than a ten years ago. chance after the new Adopt-A- wooden memorial. Many markers Confederate stones arrive. When were replaced with marble head- 2013 will be remembered as the they come the Camp will be back stones. Years later, acid rain and year of “The Final Dig,” as Camp on "The Hill" to install them. Watch the ravages of time had reduced volunteers assembled to start the for the "Blade" announcement and a most of the markers to a barely special email to all. readable, or totally unreadable, state. Pictured are the majority of the A little over ten years ago, the workers. (from L to R) Dan Pyle, Gilmor Camp decided to support Hobert Halsey, Jim Plummer, Dennis the ladies of the UDC in preserving Mateo, Bruce Null, Mike Merling, Jeff the graves of the men on Confed- Wilson, and Matt Wagster, erate Hill. There were close to 600 Superintendent at Loudon Park. Not graves. Many were eroded, miss- shown are Jason Danker, Steve Adamski and Mike Williams . ing, or broken. Records on the burials were inconsistent. A little history: Loudon Park Cemet ery It seemed like an insurmountable task, but the group persevered. A The cemetery was incorporated in Jerome Napoleon Bonapa rte Georgia company provided new 1853 on the site of the “Loudon” Son of Jerome Bonaparte, nephew granite markers at an affordable estate, previously owned by James of Emperor Napoleon I price. The Loudon Park Cemetery Carey, a local merchant and H. L. Mencken management and staff allowed the politician. Journalist, critic, author, and group to install the new markers. essayist. Research clarified and verified the Some of the notable persons burial records, correcting many interred at Loudon Park include: The cemetery contains many errors and providing priceless beautiful and unusual monuments. background information on the men Seamstress who made the flag that The Weiskittel Mausoleum is of Confederate Hill. A website and inspired to write formed of cast iron made to look brochures promoted the project. the National Anthem. like masonry, and was listed on the John T. Ford National Register of Historic Places And “adopters” came forward— Operator of Ford’s Theater in 1976. The tallest monument is hundreds of them. Re-enactment Ottmar Mergenthaler the Wiessner Monument, more than groups, UDC and SCV organiza- Inventor of the Linotype three stories high.

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April, 2013 PARD! Robert “Frenchy” Prosser provided this article by Darius Baird. Camp members who are, or who know, WBTS re-enactors will appreciate this attempt to explain the important relationship between comrades in arms. In this over-sophisticated world, tion, pain, humor, despair, terror, books that had no hope of being in- that we inhabit, thoughts of the sickness, rations, responsibilities, terestingly written. I wonder, too, if nature of love invariably brings on duties, grousing, fear, joy… anyone has ever bothered to study knowing titters... We are in the era COMRADE—someone who the post-war intermarriages between of images. We are given an image quietly, steadfastly thinks in the families of veterans. Or how the of what we are, ideally, supposed to same way and along the same li nes. infrastructure of the GAR and UCV look like (macho-man), then set Now because he happens to wear managed to maintain such awesome loose to play out our bit parts. the same uniform, but because he political power, for so many years, holds the same venerations, political in a predominantly rural, immobile What a pity we have allowed viewpoint, thinks through problems society. ourselves to become ensnared in to the same style of solution and imagery, which has sucked the expresses himself in the same There’s a lesson in here, some- meaning and emotion out of the manner… where, I suppose… What’s wrong terminology inherent in a beautiful INTIMATE—with the ability and with showing emotion, shedding and expressive language. We are forthrightn ess to openly speak about tears, joy, and worrying? left with the semblance of words, things that would be socially …Emotional display in the Nine- like the skin of an onion; without unacceptable; loves, hates, guilts, teenth century was open and very flavor, devoid of timbre, implic- worries, hopes, aspirations, dreams, real. Stifle it under the neo-sophist- ation and shading. futures, pasts, kindness, loathing. icated mask of present-day macho imagery and you lose. You’ll never Take the term PARD, for example. The timbre of PARD…is the know the peaks or the depressions The way we bandy it about today, emotional content that binds a of Civil War soldiers, you’ll remain the word has the equivalent mean- squad, a mess, a company, or a Twentieth century people dressed ing of BUDDY or its even less regiment together. It is the reason up funny. Worse, you’ll never personalized use as a substitute for that men will die for a flag, a know a pard, never single out some- the military MAC, a catch-all only symbol, and it is the reason why a one else who can share all those slightly more polite than HEY, frightened man will not run away. intangible things with you and who YOU. will gravitate to you. You’ll remain …The hand-shake, the pat on the aloof, sophisticated, personally Needless to say, in the Nineteenth back, the wave, the salute are all secure, mature, unemotional. And century, the one we attempt to signals of the intimacy that says, you’ll never e xperience any of the portray —and the one I, personally silently, “We are closer than just things pards share. In that, you’ll prefer to live in—words were soldiers.” It is the bond that comes be quite modern too. And twice as weighted with emotional overtones. of the mutual sharing of experi- unfortunate. Won’t they, pard? The Civil War period was a time ences, bad and good… when emotions were expressed and even the simplest term connoted far That’s what pard meant… more than a simple definition. Looking at it objectively, that kind A hundred or so years ago, PARD of relationship and its development meant something much more than explains a lot of things that the de-humanized HEY YOU. Let happened in the post-Civil War me conjure up some real imagery period. I wonder how many wives Members of the modern -day 4 th for you. A pard was: of the 1880s and 1890s failed to North Carolina, CSA re -enactment COMPANION—someone to share understand why their husbands unit pause for a photograph. the good and bad times, the bugs, would spend hard-earned money to cold, heat, danger, sweat, frustra- travel to reunions or subscribe to Picture courtesy of Tina Horvath.

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April, 2013

The Blade offers space within its pages for business advertising by SCV members and non-members. For $5.00 per issue, an individual can purchase a business card-size space on the Blade’s Ad Page. Remember: the Blade is sent to locations all across the country, though by far most readers live right here in Maryland. Wherever the Blade goes, your message can go with it! Interested? Please contact Bruce Null, 2600 Masseth Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21219 410-388-0894. Send a copy of the ad you wish to place in the Blade, a short letter of explanation, and a check payable to the Col. H. W. Gilmor Camp #1388, SCV amounting to $5.00 for each issue in which you want the ad to appear. That’s only $50 for a whole year (we do not publish in July and August) of ads!

TTTHETHE GGGILMORGILMOR BLADE Bruce and Nancy Null 2600 Masseth Avenue Baltimore, MD 21219

The Gilmor Blade is the monthly publication of the Col. Harry W. Gilmor Camp #1388, Sons of Confederate Veterans. Subscriptions are available for non-members for $6.00 per year. Any individual interested in a subscription should send a check payable to Col. H.W. Gilmor Camp #1388, SCV to Nancy Null, Editor, at the address above.

SAVE THE DATE: April Camp meeting 4/10/13