The following article came from page B1 of the Herald Leader of 23 April 2005. It is presented here for educational purposes under the fair use provision of the copyright law. SEE CAMP MISSION AND OBJECTIVES BELOW THE ARTICLE


Confederates group cut from dedication

WAS TO GIVE PLAQUE,
HONORARY MEMBERSHIP
TO GOVERNOR


By Roger Alford
ASSOCIATED PRESS

WHITESBURG — A Confederate organization that had been scheduled to present a plaque to Gov. Ernie Fletcher at a ceremony dedicating a newly upgraded stretch of rural highway in Eastern Kentucky yesterday was stricken from the program.

Members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, dressed in full rebel uniforms, were allowed only to fire a cannon to begin the ceremony, which included nearly an hour of speeches by politicians and bureaucrats.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet spokesman Michael Coins said the decision to strikes Whitesburg unit of the Confederate group from the program the day before the ceremony was based on time constraints, not worries about political fallout.

"We had to condense the program," Goins said. "It was nothing against them. It was a scheduling thing."

David Chaltas, commander of the Whitesburg unit, said he wants to believe the action wasn't a snub against the Sons of Confederate Veterans organization. The group searches out the graves of Confederate soldiers and erects tombstones. The unit was asked to participate in the dedication because of its volunteer work picking up roadside litter in the state's Adopt-A-Highway program.

"I don't consider it a slap in the face," Chaltas said. "If I thought so, I would address it."

Chaltas said he welcomed the invitation to take part in the dedication of a 9-mile stretch of U.S. 119 across Pine Mountain, which was the site of battles between Confederate and Union troops who fought for control of nearby Pound Gap during the Civil War.

The Transportation Cabinet completed a $50 million renovation of the dangerous stretch of highway last year, straightening some of the hairpin curves and creating parking areas so that motorists can stop and enjoy the view from one of Kentucky's tallest mountains.

Chaltas said he received an e-mail Thursday informing him that the ceremony was being shortened, and the plaque presentation was being eliminated. The plaque also would have made Fletcher an honorary member of the group.

"We'll have to make an appointment to see him in Frankfort and go im there," Chaltas said.

Fletcher said after the dedication ceremony that he was unaware of situation. He said he sees no problem accepting a plaque from a confederate or a Union organization.

"It probably just didn't fit in a highway dedication ceremony," he said

Most members of the Confederate group listened to the speech" from a spot some 30 yards from speaking platform and apart from the rest of the audience.

Danny Taylor, a retired public school teacher and lieutenant commander of the Whitesburg group, said he doesn't believe politicians should try to distance themselves from the Sons of Confederate Veterans, even if they still hold the rebel flag dear.

"Anybody who says that is racism, they're wrong," Taylor said, "It's about heritage. It has nothing to do with racism."

End of Article

The Colonel Ben E. Caudill Camp #1629 honors its ancestors by emulating and perpetuating the honorable values and principals that characterized the brave and true men who fought for the Confederacy. The Camp promotes goodwill throughout Eastern Kentucky by locating gravesites and setting stones, conducting memorial services, participating in battle reenactments, and researching, recording, and guarding the historical truths of the Eastern Kentucky Confederate while educating citizens concerning the Confederacy, its soldiers, and their Cause.

The camp’s stated objectives are to

The camp’s mission and objectives are guided by the original purpose of the Sons of Confederate Veterans as stated by it’s first Commander,

"To you, Sons of Confederate Veterans, we submit 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 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."

General Stephen Dill Lee
Commander General, United Confederate Veterans
New Orleans, Louisiana - 1906


Mark Carroll, Quartermaster, Col Ben Caudill Camp, May 5, 2005.
Great Grand Nephew of John Jesse Amburgey,and Great Grandson of Russell Cornett, both of Co B, 10th Mounted Rifles (later 13th Cav) CSA