THE GILMOR BLADE Those Who Allow the Surrender of Their History, Also Surrender Their Future! Official Newsletter of the COL
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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 Commander’s Corner: March , 201 4 NOW WHAT ??? WHERE DO WE of the national corporation STEI and GO FROM HERE?? was the #2 player in the cemetery With last month's meeting being business. Many months ago CEI, the cancelled by bad weather, we are #1 player bought #2 and with it “The Charge” hopeful that our March meeting will Loudon Park was sold. There's even "To you, Sons of come off as planned. The Gilmor more intrigue, but I can't go into it Camp will be meeting at our usual all in this space. Confederate Veterans, we time and place [7:30 PM, Baltimore submit the vindication of County Historical Society] for our You need to be at the meeting! You the Cause for which we March camp meeting. As I men- need to have a voice in our decis- fought; to your strength tioned in this space last month, the ions! Come out and help us go in the topics to be covered make this an right direction. will be given the defense important meeting. You should be of the Confederate aware that there is the potential of And if that is not enough and on a soldier's good name, the some changes to somethin g we have more upbeat note, I hope to present taken for granted to some degree another SCV War Service medal. guardianship of his and that is the support of Loudon Our March meeting will include the history, the emulation of Park for our efforts on behalf of all presentation to Compatriot Tom his virtues, the of the Confederate Veterans there. Cox. We will be discussing the latest perpetuation of those updates after my discussions with See you Wednesday, March 12th, principles he loved and the current Director of Operations 7:30 PM at the Baltimore County which made him glorious for STEI in Maryland. For some Historical Society. and which you also background, Loudon Park was a part -- Mike Williams cherish. Remember, it is “Emerald Guards” for the South : Irishmen in Gray your duty to see that the Just Google the words “emerald Manassas to this place one of its true history of the South guards civil war” and you will companies (Company E) arrived in is presented to future discover that many Confederate camp near here without any officer, generations." groups adopted this name in honor in consequence of its first lieutenant of their ancestral homeland. (T.C. Fitzgerald) having absented himself without leave. In conse- The 33 rd Virginia Volunteer Infan- quence of Colonel Cummings Inside this issue: try Regiment, part of the Stonewall having reported to me that he could Brigade, contained Company E, not undertake another march with known as the Emerald Guard. This the company, as it was composed of Cobb and his 2 company included men primarily unmanageable Irishmen…" Legion from Shenandoah County. (Source: Wikipedia) Confederate 3 Jackson, in his official report, The 8 th Alabama Co. I, also known humor, Pt. II provided the following account of as the Emerald Guard, was formed th the rowdy Irishmen. "...While the in Mobile, AL and composed 10 VA Heavy 5 Thirty-third Regiment Virginia mostly of Irish immigrants as well. Artillery ancestors Volunteers was en route from See “Emerald Guards, “p . 4 1 An Irish Confederate & his Legion: Th omas R.R. Cobb March, 2014 The information in this article was The artillery battery was known as drawn from a variety of sources in the Troup Artillery, and was Wikipedia, the online encyclope- eventually assigned to the Artil- dia. lery Battery of Longstreet’s Corps. The Georgia Legion is first known Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb to many of us as Ashley Wilkes’ (April 10, 1823 – December 13, WBTS posting in Gone With the 1862) was an American lawyer, Historic T.R.R. Cobb House Wind —“Cobb’s Legion.” In the author, politician, and Confederate fell through. Then, it was transported movie, Gods and Generals , it is officer. back to Athens where it was identified as “Brigadier General reassembled and underwent an Thomas R.R. Cobb’s Irish Regi- During the Civil War Cobb served extensive restoration. The house is ment, Georgia, CSA.” in the Confederate Congress, now an operational museum. The where for a time he was chairman house also has gardens planted with Thomas R. R. Cobb formed the of the Committee on Military historical plants. The house is owned Legion and served as its Colonel Affairs. He was also on the com- by the Watson-Brown Foundation. until his promotion to brigadier mittee that was responsible for the general in the fall of 1862. drafting of the Confederate The Role of the Legion at The Battle constitution. of Crampton’s Gap In April 1862, the infantry battal- From a uthor and historian Timothy ion of the Legion totaled 660 Cobb also served on the first Reese: electives, lost 43 percent of the Georgia code commission of 1858 The great tragedy of Crampton’s Gap 292 engaged at Crampton’s Gap, and drafted what became the is that Cobb’s brigade was in the act and had four killed, 39 wounded, private and penal law portions of of taking position above and behind and two missing at Sharpsburg. It the Georgia Code of 1861, which Col. Thomas Munford’s line of battle sustained 36 casualties at Freder- was the first successfully enacted just as it gave way. Holding the ex - icksburg, reported 14 killed and 73 attempt at a comprehensive codi- treme right, the Cobb Legion Infantry wounded at Chancellorsville, and fication of the common law any- was quickly surrounded and nearly of the 303 at Gettysburg, 17 per- where in the United States. annihilated by the New Jersey Bri- cent were disabled. Many were gade. Within twenty minutes the captured at Sayler’s Creek and The T. R. R. Cobb House, built in Legion suffered 72 percent casualties, only four officers and 56 men 1842, is an historic octagon house many taken as prisoners of war. surrendered on April 9. 1865. where Thomas Cobb and his wife Marion lived. On June 30, 1975, In this horrible predicament the it was added to the National Reg- Legion likely would have followed ister of Historic Places. Munford’s men in panicked retreat up the mountain. But its lieutenant colo- Originally located at 194 Prince nel, Jefferson M. Lamar, held them to Avenue in Athens, Ga, it is now a their impossible work until he had house museum across Prince been twice shot, once mortally. By Avenue from its original location. holding on to the last possible moment In1985 this house was almost lost Lamar bought time for Howell Cobb to the advancement of Athens and to assemble a last-ditch stand in the A picture of Thomas Cobb during was transported 60 miles to Stone gap, further forestalling Union pene- the War. Mountain Park, Stone Mountain, tration into Pleasant Valley where it The cavalry battalion was event- Georgia, where it was partially would compromise Gen. Robert E. ually designated as the 9 th Georgia reassembled about 1990. Stone Lee’s tenuous hold on South Mountain Cavalry, but continued to be Mountain Park had hoped to and with it the Confederate expedition known as “Cobb’s Legion.” restore the house, but the project into Maryland. 2 March, 2014 Humor from our Confederate Ancestors: Part II This is the “rest of the story” begun Texans entreated the Tarheels who colonel was firm: "You are not in the February issue. "stuck" during the War to a dif- Jesus Christ; that is not an ass; you By Vicki Heilig ferent action when the War ended. are not on your way to Jerusalem; Historian General, U.D.C. A North Carolina unit passed and the sooner you restore that homebound Lone Star boys and horse to its owner, the better it will RIVALRY AND REPARTEE asked if the Texans had any bacon. be for you." Rivalry between the two sides The answer was negative, but they could sometimes turn to compass- mused that if they could find Sometimes the religious teaching sion and an opportunity for frat- some, the Tarheels could "grease did not hit its mark. Wilson's ernization. When a Federal soldier up and slide back in to the Union." Zouaves, a Louisiana company, in the Petersburg trenches dressed a heard a visiting chaplain who was ramrod in his hat and shirt and THE WIT OF CLERICS unaware that their unit understood lifted it above the trench, the The clergy assigned to the army very little English. After the ser- Confederates across the way yelled: were often a source of humor. On mon, Captain Wilson addressed "It won't do, Yank, your neck is too July 16, 1862, James Warnell of the company: skinny! Place your head under the the 5th Georgia Cavalry recorded Boys, I want you to remember hat and we'll accommodate you!" in his diary: what the minister has told you. It Preaching at 4 o’clock by the Rev. is all for your good. Take his General D. H. Hill of North Caro- Mr. Paine. Sermon not very con- advice and follow it, for there is lina was guilty of fostering a rivalry soling to the friends of those who no knowing but what in less than between the infantry and the cav- has fell on our battle field. After six months every one of you will be alry.