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NEWSLETTER - JUNE, 2008
Planning for the Annual Congress has elements of planning for a wedding. Plan, plan, plan some more and then the date and excitement is suddenly there and then it is over and becomes part of history. If it wasn’t for the pictures, and the bills, one could wonder if it really happened or was it just a thrilling blur ? What did he say ? What did we see ? Where was that ? It was all wonderful but the details blend together. Some of our members have been working on documenting the Danville, Kentucky Congress in 2007.
2007 Congress in Danville, Kentucky Video
Kay Borden, of Marietta, Georgia, has developed a video of the 2007 Congress held in Danville, Kentucky. She collected video and still photography from Janie and Larry Crowe, Sumner, GA ; Jim Hopkins, Easley, SC ; Kay Griggs Bishop, West Monroe, LA; and her own photography.
This effort was made to not only record what we did, but to also have a recruiting tool to show others what we do and how we do it. A tremendous amount of editing, addition of music, graphics explaining what , where and when, and organization has to be meshed to form the completed product. The product is a slick, professional, entertaining video that is fun to watch. It will become more valuable as the years go by.
The video is not totally done, but there is enough to see what the final product will look like. Kay has completed : Registration ( 1 Minute) ; Battlefield (24 min) ; Private James Coogler, 56th Georgia Letters (12 minutes) ; “No Host” Dinner (23 minutes) ; Sunday Memorial (14 minutes).
The activities of Saturday during the bus tour is in production. Kay chose to do the other portions first, because of the time she had, and then work on the demanding editing required on the Saturday trip at a later time. The Saturday part will be inserted later. In the meantime, this is a must see. For those of you who were in attendance, it will bring back memories and you will see yourself on camera. For those of you that were unable to attend or did not know about us, this will show what we do.
I am not a qualified film critic at all, but I can tell you this is a must see video that is well worth the time. Dial it up and enjoy ! The address to go to on the Internet is :
www.sarrettsofgeorgia.com/GBSHHA/Aug30Reg.html
Chris Kolakowski
Earlier in the year I had extended an invitation to our guide last year, Chris Kolakowski, to attend the Congress in Marietta. I sent him a draft Agenda and an outline of future Congress locations. He was traveling but when he got back he replied on May 23. In part he wrote :
Thanks very much for the standing invitation, but I am already committed for this year on those dates. I like the schedule you have upcoming, however, and would like to do some of those Congresses if my schedule permits.
Say hello to all the Barton-Stovall descendants from me. Have a great Memorial Day and I’ll talk to you soon. Best, CLK
He was a big part of the Danville Congress and a young, professional historian who has other contacts in the Civil War field of study. I feel we were very fortunate to have had his insights last year and we want to maintain those contacts and associations.
Marietta Congress Preparations
40th Georgia Historian Kay Borden has taken the lead to mesh with our guest speaker and guide Bob Price. They have talked several times on the phone and have met personally to discuss and iron out details associated with the tour stops and route of travel ,on Saturday in particular.
It turns out that Bob would like to be with us on Friday, as well. He and Kay will scout out the details concerning stops , travel times, and lunch details on that day too.
Fran Wagner, Don Bulloch and Bob Price have been sending reports concerning the status of Oakland Cemetery, which will be on our Sunday schedule. The historic cemetery was hard hit by a tornado in the past year. Many trees were blown down, limbs were ripped off and other damage sustained. All of the cemetery will not be open to the public until the roads can be reopened and debris cleared. Jack Bolen provided additional information on the cemetery which was discussed in the May, 2008 Newsletter. Thank you all.
The proper reservation forms have been completed, deposit sent and adjustments made for this portion of the Congress. We will be able to visit the main parts of the CSA portion of the cemetery.
Local scouting reports are very valuable. We need it to know where to park, what procedure to follow, what route is best to take, where the restrooms are located and a host of other details. The scouting allows us to use our time most efficiently and to get the most out of our limited time on the ground. When our members come from Washington, Florida, Maryland, Colorado, Montana and points in between, we want them to get the most for their money that we can possibly provide. I assure you that much work is going to that goal.
Captain G.N. Lester Descendants
41st Georgia Historian H. David Richardson, of Hayworth, OK, has been able to locate two descendants of Captain G.N. Lester, Co. B, 41stGeorgiaVolunteer Infantry.
Captain Lester was the Company Commander of Co. B, 41st Georgia. He enlisted many men of that company on March 4, 1862 and led them in battle.
Mr.George N. Lester III, Westwood, MA, and his sister, Kitsy Lester Mostellar have been located and contacted. From these descendants, we have learned that Captain Lester died in 1892 and is buried in City Cemetery, Marietta, GA. The family has additional information on this officer and his service.
I have told George Lester III that my family has information on his ancestor that will be shared. The information is in the recorded oral history of my great grandfather who served under Captain Lester and referred to him as “ my captain” in at least two stories handed down in the family. Harris Griggs and Charles Griggs share the same great grandfather. Kay Griggs Bishop and William Griggs, of West Monroe, LA, are the descendants of Green Griggs, who served under Captain Lester, along with his brother Benjamin Griggs in Co.. B, 41st Georgia.
Also, David Richardson’s ancestor served under Captain Lester. When I say “served” that means marched together, suffered together, were shot at together, ate the same dust and slopped through the same mud together and were scared together. That is a powerful connection.
I am just so excited that this connection has been established with the Lester family and look forward to the sharing of other information.
Advance Registration
Advance Registration forms are beginning to be received. If you have not done so, please fill out the form and send in your registration money. I need to pay a $!,000 deposit before July 1 to the hotel for the meeting rooms and banquet. The money has to be in the bank before I can pay the deposit. See the May Newsletter for the form and more in depth discussion.
Please make your lodging reservations with the Marietta Conference Center and Resort. We have to pay for the blocked rooms if they are rented or not. In order to get reduced rates and a specific price on the rooms we need, an estimate has to be made to the hotel back in September, 2007. They base their price on the number of estimated rooms that we will fill. Please see the May, 2008 Newsletter for more details. It is archived on the Website. Go to the Website address and you will find it listed on the upper right corner of the home page.
My estimate was 20 parties for 3 nights each,for a total of 60 room nights. The unknown factor is how many of our local members will commute each day , rather than stay at the hotel in an effort to save money. I can sure understand the need to conserve dollars , as many of us are retired. However, please consider at least staying at the hotel on Saturday night.
You will need a place to clean up and change clothes before the Saturday banquet and then the banquet is not over until at least 10:00 P.M. With an 8:00 A.M. start to beat the traffic, heat and check out time the next morning, it makes sense to stay at the hotel at least for Saturday night to be in position for Sunday morning activities.
We need every room that can be filled, to be filled. Call hotel directly at 888-685-2500. Tell the hotel you are with the General Barton and Stovall Heritage Association.
Jonathan Perryman Picnic Location Sunday Evening
The picnic hosted by Jonathan Perryman, 40th Georgia, will be held at his farm. His farm does have an address and it can be used to get directions from Mapquest or other travel location services on the Internet.
His address is : 99 Seab Green Road, Cedartown, GA
The start location will be : 500 Powder Springs Street, Marietta, GA
I am told that the driving time is approximately 1 hour and the distance is about 45 miles from the Conference Center and Resort.
2008 Commemorative Patch
The 2008 Commemorative Patch has been received from the manufacturer. Proceeds beyond my “break even “ amount will be donated to the Association as a fundraiser. Each patch will be sold for $10.00. Please plan to add one to your collection. No Association funds are spent on this fund raising effort -- just my personal funds.
This is the fifth Commemorative Patch in the series which began in Vicksburg in 2004. There are limited patches still remaining from past years. Once they are gone, there will be no more of that type. If you are interested in past editions please let me know which year you want.
Research Articles
41st Georgia Historian David Richardson has found some articles that are applicable to our regiments. He found them in back issues of The Georgia Historical Quarterly. Copies have been sent to Archivist Chip Barron. David points out that librariesor educational institutions in Georgia will probably have access to these articles. They are :
Eastwood, Bruce S., Confederate Medical Problems in the Atlanta Campaign, Volume XLVII, September 1963, Number 3.
McMurry, Richard M. Confederate Morale in the Atlanta Campaign of 1864, Volume LIV, Summer 1970, Number 2.
Mc Neill, William J. , A Survey of Confederate Soldier Morale During Sherman’s Campaign Through Georgia and the Carolinas, Volume LV, Spring 1972, Number 1.
Weitz, Mark , Desertion in Upcountry North Georgia Units ( I don’t have the exact issue on this one, but it could be found if you really want it.)
Thank you David for your efforts on these articles.
Buried CSA Treasure
This story comes from 40th Georgia Historian Kay Borden. You can read all the details on the gold by going to http://hnn.us/articles/49088.html Mystery of Lost Confederate Gold by Wesley Millett and Gerald White.
The direct tie to our regiments is that we know some of our soldiers were paid $1 in Mexican silver following the surrender on April 26, 1865 in North Carolina. The following is the silver part of the buried treasure.
The CSA government officials were fleeing Yankees and got to Danville, VA. At that point they decided to bury the 39 kegs of Mexican silver dollars that weighed 9,000 pounds. These kegs held 160,000 silver coins. They believed to be buried in a cemetery that is now owned by the City of Danville. The City of Danville doesn’t want any graves disturbed. The coins were buried in the cemetery because there were other burials going on there, and once buried the graves would look like any other grave. It was probably not unusual to see wagons in the cemetery at night making more burials.
The coins are now thought to be worth $16 Million USA dollars. So, that is the story and that is the situation. If you like solving problems and negotiating, you might like to try this one.
The gold seems to have gotten away with the former CSA Navy Paymaster James Semple. Between his girlfriend and him on the run, the gold he is thought to have taken was spent, but maybe not all of it. See the above address for the rest of that story.
The next Newsletter should be out about July 15, 2008.
Mike Griggs
President
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