Sons of Confederate Veterans
Army of
Northern Virginia
Maryland Division Camp #1398
Colonel William Norris
See Inside
Annual River
Crossing Huge
Success
2
Guest Speakers: 3
D.S. Freeman,
Gregg Clemmer
Adjutant
Activities
4
Happy Birthday
Montgomery
County!
4
Mechanized
5
Cavalry Honors
Students
Norris Camp
Road Cleanup
6
Calendar off
6
Upcoming Events
Sons of Confederate Veterans
September 2011
Arlington House
Tim Penrod of the National Park Service
gave a compelling presentation on the history
of Robert E. Lee and
the Arlington House.
Robert E. Lee once
wrote to a cousin that
at Arlington House “my
affections and attachments are more strongly placed than at any
other place in the
world.” Today this
house overlooking the
Potomac River and
Washington, D.C., is
preserved as a memorial to General Lee, a
man who gained respect
of Americans in both
the North and South.
Arlington House is
uniquely associated with
the families of Washington, Custis and Lee for it
was built by George
Washington Park Custis. After his father died,
young Custis was raised
by his grandmother and
her second husband,
George Washington, at
Mount Vernon. Custis, a
farsighted agricultural
pioneer, painter, play-
wright and orator,
was interested in perpetuating the memory
and principles of
George Washington.
His house, begun in
1802, but not completed until 1817, became
a “treasury” of Washington heirlooms.
Arlington House,
named after the Custis
family's homestead of
Virginia's Eastern
Shore, was built on a
445-hectare (1,100acre) estate that Custis' father, John Parke
Custis, purchased in
1778. The house was
designed by George
Hadfield, a young
English architect who
was for a time in
charge of the construction of the Capitol. The north and
south wings were
completed between
1802 and 1804. The
large center section
and the portico, presenting an imposing
front 43 meters (140
feet) long, were finished 13 years later.
Robert E. Lee described the house,
Continued on page 7
Arlington House
Page
Page2 2
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Annual River Crossing Huge Success
Our annual River Crossing was under way around
11:30 a.m., Saturday, Aug.
20, with élan. Our troops
set up and persevered despite last minute catering
glitches. We still featured a
complete BBQ lunch.
Commander Steve Gill set
the pace for the day. Norris
Camp member Greg Clemmer brought in his Smithsonian tour group and
treated them to a presentation on the history of Conrads/Whites Ford.
A special thanks to Freddie and Katy for their continued support of our camp,
as they filled in as needed
in several key roles for the
event. Thanks to Dave K
Sr. and Jr. for providing the
shelter to keep us in the
shade.
Steve Fernandez jumped
right in and helped serve
the food, assisting our hungry river crossers. Dave
Redden did some extra
credit shopping and assisted in a variety of tasks
throughout the day. Dan
Belvin assisted with our
flag collection as he does
every year.
A big thank you to Frank
Brown and his son, Chris,
Dave Redden
for videotaping the event,
bringing a friend and potential member—John
Howerton—and for his never failing support.
We were honored to have
the Maryland Line & Camiliar Camp set up their
mobile camp stores and for
making a variety of items
available for sale.
To view the video go to
youtube.com and type in
Historical Maryland: Potomac River Crossing.
Participants in the annual River
Crossing begin their march across
the river.
Participants mobilize for their
march toward the river.
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Page 3
Guest Speakers
D. S. Freeman
Born in 1886, the son of a Confederate veteran, Douglas Southall Freeman remains one of the greatest historians of the Civil War. His monumental biographies, including “Lee's Lieutenants” and the Pulitzer
Prize-winning “R. E. Lee,” continue to be popular and valuable reference books for anyone studying that period. Freeman's prodigious intellectual energies were not limited to Civil War history. He received a second, posthumous Pulitzer Prize for his six-volume study of George
Washington.
By employing a strict personal schedule—often rising at 2:30 a.m.—
Freeman managed to produce such momentous historical works while
also editing a daily newspaper and making twice-daily radio news
broadcasts.
Though a proud and loyal Virginian, Freeman and his influence
spread far beyond his native city of Richmond. During Freeman's tenure
as editor of the Richmond New Leader from 1915 to 1949, world leaders,
like Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower, sought his advice.
Throughout World War I, President Woodrow Wilson read Freeman's
daily reports about the conflict in Europe.
The evening we will be graced with a recording of a talk Dr. Freeman
gave in spring 1953. America would lose him a month later.
Freeman
Gregg Clemmer
Gregg Clemmer is a native of the Shenandoah Valley and a graduate of
Virginia Tech. He holds a Master’s in Military History from Norwich
University.
He is past Historian-in-Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and
served for 15 years as Chairman of the Confederate Medal of Honor
Committee. Gregg is a former president of the Montgomery County
(Md.) Civil War Roundtable, and is an active member in several other
hereditary and patriotic organizations including the Aztec Club of 1847
and the Society of the Cincinnati. He numbers 14 Confederates in his
ancestry including members of Armistead’s and the Stonewall
brigades.
Gregg is the author of four books including the acclaimed “Valor in
Gray: The Recipients of the Confederate Medal of Honor.” His biography,
“Old Alleghany: The Life and Wars of General Ed Johnson,” won the
2005 Douglas Southall Freeman History Award as the book of highest
merit published in Southern history for that year.
Clemmer
Page 4
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Adjutant Activities
DUES:
Dues notices went out by mail for our Internet members and the notices for our mail subscribers is going out with this newsletter. A great
big THANK YOU for those that have already responded with their
checks. I look forward to hearing from the rest of you soon.
THIRD RIVER CROSSING PLANNING MEETING:
The meeting was attended by the following compatriots: Ray Parker,
Dave Redden, Frank Brown, Steve Fernandez, Bob Brewer, Gregg
Clemmer and Harold Ford. Commander Steve Gill was unable to attend as he was traveling.
The final touches were put on the program. We met at 9:30 and ordered
60 rations. The BBQ people supplied napkins, forks, plates, etc. The
music people had to cancel. Gregg Clemmer led the history presentation.
Aug. 2 Camp Meeting
The meeting was called to order by Commander Steve Gill after the
Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag and the salute to the Confederate Flag and the reading of the SCV Charge.
There were six members and guests attending including compatriots
H. Bruce Funk, Don Beck, 1st Lt. Commander Bob Brewer, Camp Commander Steve Gill and Adjutant/Treasurer Harold Ford. Our special
guest was Kate Brewer.
Happy Birthday Montgomery County!
Join us on Sunday, Sept. 18, for our annual Happy Birthday Montgomery County event. The county is 235 years old this year, and the
Historical Society is celebrating with children's activities, musical performances, lectures, museum tours, crafts, living history presentations
and, of course, Birthday cake!
This is our annual display at the Montgomery County Historical Society event. Our camp has spent years earning a good reputation in our
community and it is every member’s duty to continue this fellowship.
It is an opportunity to interact with our community in a positive manner. For details contact Steve Gill at ????.
The event is from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., admission is free and there’s free
parking.
The Happy Birthday Montgomery County event will be held at 111
W. Montgomery Ave., Rockville, MD 20850.
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Mechanized Cavalry ANV Honors
High School Senior Scholars
On Aug. 20, 2011, the Mechanized Cavalry 2134 awarded the second
annual Gerard “Cooter” Strosnider Scholarship Award to a deserving
high school senior. The North Carolina monument at Gettysburg, Pa.,
was the site of the ceremony.
This year’s winner is Stephen Altorfer from Calvert High School. He
will be attending Brigham Young University this fall.
ANV Commander Frank Earnest and other officers of the ANV awarded the 2011 Scholarship to Norris Camp compatriot and Maryland Division member Matt Heimbach.
The scholarship includes monetary renumeration, a certificate and an
ANV medal. Compatriot Heimbach submitted a composition on a topic of
Southern import.
Congratulations to these outstanding scholars.
Marker Request
Gentlemen:
I received a call from a Texas SCV member. He would like to have the
grave of his Confederate ancestor properly marked, preferably with a
Virginia marker. It is unclear what if any marker currently exists. The
compatriot's name is David A. Riley—[email protected].
The basic facts are these: Ancestor—Marinus Willet Sheckell (I couldn't
find him in Goldbourgh). Unit—7th Virginia Cavalry and 2nd Maryland
Cavalry (Gilmor). Cemetery—Oak Hill, in or near Georgetown. Compatriot Riley called the cemetery and was told they needed a descendant’s
permission. He is a descendent.
Please contact him if you can be of assistance. Thank you for your help.
Regards,
Elliott
We need to discuss this at the next meeting.
Oak Hill Cemetery 3001
R Street, Washington, DC 20007-2923
(202) 337-2835
oakhillcemeterydc.org
Page 5
Page 6
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Norris Camp Road Cleanup
Harold Ford
(left) and Steve
Fernandez participated in the
Road Cleanup
on Aug. 13. They
collected eight
bags of trash
and cleaned the
access road to
the parking lot
that was used
for the River
Crossing.
Calendar of Upcoming Events
Sept. 5
Labor Day Parade, Gaithersburg, Md., Division Color Guard
A public parade. Directions: Take 95 to 495 to 270 North.
Take Exit 11 (124 North) pass 355 to a right at the 4th light
on Midcounty Highway. Make a right at the first light on
Goshen Rd. Make a left on Girard Ave. Follow Girard to the
end and make a left on Diamond Ave. Make your first left
for our formation at number 63 yellow. Park at the bottom
of the hill.
Sept. 10 Howard County Monument Ceremony, 10:30 a.m./11 a.m.
An annual ceremony to honor Howard County’s Confederate
soldiers. It is sponsored by Major General Isaac Ridgeway
Trimble Camp #1836. Formation is at 10:30 a.m. for the 11
a.m. ceremony. A firing party is needed for this event.
Page
Sons 7of Confederate Veterans
Arlington
Continued from page 1
situated on a hill high above
the Potomac as one “anyone
might see with half an eye.”
In 1804 Custis had married Mary Lee Fitzhugh.
Their only child to survive
infancy was Mary Anna
Randolph Custis, born in
1808. Young Robert E. Lee,
whose mother was a cousin
of Mrs. Custis, frequently
visited Arlington. Two
years after graduating from
West Point, Lieutenant Lee
married Mary Custis at Arlington on June 30, 1831.
For 30 years Arlington
House was home to the
Lees. They spent much of
their married life traveling
between U.S. Army duty
stations and Arlington,
where six of their seven children were born. They shared
this home with Mary's parents, the Custises.
When George Washington
Park Custis died in 1857, he
left the Arlington estate to
Mrs. Lee for her lifetime
and afterwards to the Lees'
eldest son, George Washington Custis Lee. The estate
needed much repair and reorganization, and Lee, as
executor, took a leave of absence from the Army until
1860 to begin the necessary
agricultural and financial
improvements.
Lee was distressed when
news reached him that Virginia had adopted an Ordinance of Secession on April
Page 7
17, 1861. He had supported
preservation of the Union
that his father and uncles
had helped create and opposed slavery, but he remained loyal to his native
state. He was at home at Arlington on April 20, 1861,
when he made his decision to
resign his commission in the
U.S. Army. Two days later
Lee left Arlington for Richmond to accept command of
Virginia's military forces
with the General Assembly's
approval; he never returned
to Arlington. About a month
later, with Union occupation
imminent, Mrs. Lee also left
Arlington, managing to send
some of the family valuables
off to safety.
After Arlington became
headquarters for the officers
who were superintending the
nearby defenses of Washington, many of the remaining
family possessions were
moved to the Patent Office
for safekeeping. Some items,
however, including a few of
the Mount Vernon heirlooms,
had already been looted and
scattered.
A wartime law required
that property owners in areas occupied by Federal troops
appear in person to pay their
taxes. Unable to comply with
this rule, Mrs. Lee saw her
estate confiscated in 1864.
An 81-hectare (200-acre) section was set aside as a military cemetery, the beginning
of today's Arlington National
Cemetery.
In 1892 G.W.C. Lee's suit
against the Federal Govern-
Robert E. Lee and his
wife, Mary Anna, made
Arlington House their
home for 30 years until
the American Civil War.
ment for the return of his
property was successful. By
then, hundreds of graves
covered the hills of Arlington and he accepted the
Government's offer of
$150,000 for the property.
For some years the superintendent of the cemetery
and the staff used the mansion as offices and living
quarters. Beginning in 1925,
the War Department began
restoring the house, and in
1933 it was transferred to
the National Park Service.
In 1955 the mansion was
designated as a memorial to
Robert E. Lee. Over the
years some of the original
furnishings have been obtained. The hope is to restore
the house to its pre-Civil
War appearance and to recreate the home that Lee and
his family loved so much.
Sons of
Confederate Veterans
Army of
Northern Virginia
Maryland Division
Camp #1398
Page 8
The newsletter of the Colonel William Norris Camp #1398 is published 12 times a year by the camp as a service to its membership
and to the public.
Officers
Heritage
Violations
Notify the Camp
Heritage Officer compatriot Jim Stargel
([email protected])
of any heritage
violations.
Harold E. Ford
Adjutant/Treasurer
Colonel William Norris
Camp #1398
Steve Gill, Commander
17651 Horizon Place
Derwood, MD 20855
Phone: 703-629-9316
E-mail: [email protected]
Robert Brewer, 1st Lt. Commander
205 E. Deer Park Drive
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
Phone: 301-977-0087
E-mail: [email protected]
Major David King Jr., 2nd Lt. Commander
5611 Oak Place
Bethesda, MD 20817
Phone: 301-530-7634
E-mail: [email protected]
Dan Buckingham, 3rd Lt. Commander
11521 Front Field Lane
Potomac, MD 20854
Phone: 301-983-9002
E-mail: [email protected]
Harold Ford, Adjutant/Treasurer
13603 Jacobs Road
Mt. Airy, MD 21771
Phone: 301-831-5510
E-mail: [email protected]
Thomas Keefer, Chaplain
12558 Cross Bridge Way
Germantown, MD 20874
Phone: 301-980-9826
E-mail: [email protected]
Mitch Mroczka, Recruiting Officer
7333 Brenish Drive
Gaithersburg, MD 20879
Phone: 301-997-2944
E-mail: [email protected]
Jim Stargel, Heritage Office/Quartermaster
E-mail: jim,[email protected]
Col. William Norris Camp #1398
13603 Jacobs Road
Mount Airy, MD 21771
SCV CHARGE
“To you, Sons of Confederate Veterans, we submit the vindication 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 he loved and which made him glorious and
which you also cherish. Remember it is your duty to see that the
true history of the South is presented to future generations.”
Lt. General Stephen D. Lee
Call Toll Free:
1-800-MY-DIXIE
(696-4943)