http://www.bencaudill.com
Box 1102
Whitesburg, KY 41858
An empty chair now and forevermore shall sit at our table in remembrance of those that have gone before.
Brown, Cecil--Cantrell, Harold--Hamilton, James--Smith, Jake--Webb, Henry Miles--Wright, Michael
We welcome our guests and give a Rebel Yell to the newest members of the proud decedents of the men who rode with the 13th Kentucky Cavalry!
Michael Blackburn-McKinney, Texas
Steve A. Willis-Duffield, VA
Charles Rokie Frazier-reup!
Kenneth Ray Amburgey-Indiana-Associate Member Reup
It is with a heavy heart that I acknowledge the loss of compatriot Jake Smith. My Kepi and Me pays tribute to our friend. Our brothers David A and David W lost their mother/grandmother this month. Our prayers are with both families and others as they walk through the valley of the shadow known as death. But we are assured of salvation on the other shore. Also our brother Greg Caudill is gravely ill. Hospice has been visiting him. If anyone can, please go by and pay your respects. Let us remember Richard Smith and his mother in our prayers.
This month has been busy, as we have finished the cannon project, started setting the stones at the WBTS Hospital Cemetery. We are currently seeking funding for a monument to be placed at the hospital cemetery site. We have seen another panel of names erected on the mountain and are working towards getting electricity for security and to shine on our flags. We have been involved in Living Histories and reenactments to foster the good name of our ancestors and camp. We have opened a savings account earmarked for the scholarship fund and have developed guidelines to follow. We now have a mailbox at Whitesburg to consolidate our correspondences to one central location.
The Address is listed below the camp logo. The Adopt A Highway was a grand success and we made the five-mile trek with less to pick up that ever before. We only had 40 bags of garbage and 13 tires! Our efforts are paying off! We have permission to install the power pole on site and hopefully will have it operational in a couple of weeks. Compatriot Willis Strong reported that the cannon is almost complete! We await anxiously for its christening.
"Until we meet again, let us remember our obligations to our forefathers, who gave us the undeniable birth right of our Southern Heritage and the vision, desire, and courage to see it perpetuated." SCV Closing Statement. With Principles to Maintain, I remain your obedient servant,
The Old General Laus Deo
We are now well into the month of April and have just celebrated a wonderful and warm Easter. The Ben Caudill Camp is also on the move again as we begin to seriously take on our projects with a new zest. On April 6, 2006 the men of the Caudill gathered on the mountain at Pound Gap and picked up garbage from the Gap to the bridge at the foot of the hill. This little endeavor has earned the sum of $500 for our coffers. A savings account has now been opened and our scholarship monies have been deposited in this account where it can earn interest. Our sales total are in the approximately $700 range. This project has gone far in building up the funds we need for our scholarship fund. All camp members are to be congratulated for their efforts. Finally on Sunday April 23, 2006 the Battle of Leatherwood Reenactment Committee will be having its monthly meeting at the old Stuart Robinson School. The committee has asked me to request that the assistance of the Caudill Camp. Specifically they need uniformed soldiers. The meeting is being used as a photo op to publicize the Leatherwood event, which will be held both in Perry Co. (Battle) and Letcher Co. (Grand Ball). Any help would be appreciated.
Deo Vindice, Lt. Commander John P. Back
As of the first week of April, the Camp had 91 members and still is the largest camp in Kentucky. This is an increase of five members since last month's meeting. This number of members gives us nine votes in the National Meeting. I would like to remind everyone that the Kentucky Division Reunion is to be held the weekend of May 5th through 7th with a small re-enactment to be held on May 6th. This re-enactment will be held on the Middle Creek Battlefield outside of Prestonsburg. All camp members are invited to participate in this event.
The grass at the graves of the Unknown Soldiers buried at Westwood Cemetery has started growing & looks very good. So far, six tombstones for know soldiers have been approved & ordered for the cemetery. Plans for a monument to be placed there are continuing & money is being raised. Enterprise Mining has indicated that they will donate approximately $500 toward the cost. If anyone knows of any other company that might be interested in helping with the cost, please let me know or make a request yourself. I would love to see the monument placed there this summer. The monument at Pound Gap continues to grow. The fifth panel of 48 names of our ancestors was installed recently as well as a beautiful sign in book that camp member Raymond Isaac built. I have been by it several times recently & each time it has had visitors. It appears that the monument is getting to be a very popular place to visit. The litter clean up by the camp at the monument & Hwy. 23 on April 6th went very good. Several camp members braved the windy & cool weather to pick up dozens of bags of garbage. The monument was featured in the April edition of Kentucky Living & credited the Caudill Camp with its construction. In the photograph, several confederate flags could clearly be seen flying.
Sandy Wright, wife of camp member Danny Wright, digitally restored the wartime picture of Colonel Benjamin Caudill. She did a wonderful job and is to be congratulated. I have purchased a beautiful wooden frame to hang a copy of the picture in the Letcher County Military Museum. Benjamin Franklin Caudill, the grandson of the colonel who donated the picture, plans to visit the museum in May of this year. Tim Blair recently donated several World War I and World War II artifacts to the museum as well. If any other camp members have any military pieces that they would like to see displayed are urged to follow Tim's lead. Several re-enactments are coming up soon. At the end of April, there is a re-enactment at Cumberland Gap, which is considered to be an entertaining event. Also in May, the re-enactment hosted by the Commonwealth Battery at Louisa in Lawrence County will be held. The Battle of Jonesville hosted by the 37th Virginia and Jerry Parsons will be held on the first weekend of June. I plan on attending the Louisa and Jonesville re-enactments and invite anyone to go with me. I probably will not get to attend the Cumberland Gap event this year.
Adjutant Brown
What a beautiful spring God has blessed us with! Everything is beginning to burst from its prism once again. The flowers, grass, and trees are all signs of God giving us a fresh start each spring. You know God gives us that same thing in our lives. The Bible tells us that if we believe in Him and give our life to Him, we will become a new person. My son Chris has been talking to me a long time about the Lord. He loves going to Church and knows quite a bit about the Bible. When I talked to him he always stated that he was not ready. My wife and I cam in from work Wednesday, and as I was getting something out of the back of the car Chris came to me and started crying. I asked him what was wrong and he said that something happened today at the center. I asked what and he became emotional; stating that he had asked God to forgive him of his sins and then God came into his heart. He said it was one of the happiest times of his life. General Robert E Lee was like a father to his men. He cared for them and loved them. But his most fervent prayer was for them to know the Lord and he always prayed for their salvation. Someone said that before you can be a great leader your men have to love you and Lee's men did. Please keep all the sick we know of in your prayers. Chaplain Tabby Back Pray for Dixie
The Old General
Noble, George Washington
Private; Company G
13th Kentucky Cavalry
July 17, 1844-February 18, 1930
George Washington Noble was born on July 17, 1844. His parents were William Noble Senior and Letty Miller Noble. He was named after President George Washington, a hero to the southern cause, as he led the first revolution for independence. His grandfather probably retold tales to his son of the American fight for freedom against a foreign power creating that independent spirit that was handed down from father to son. He was brother to Captain Alexander Noble (died on November 6, 1864 while imprisoned at Camp Chase-grave #419) and Private Simpson Noble (KIA at Mt. Sterling in 1864 while riding with General John Hunt Morgan-buried on Reid St., Mt. Sterling, KY) that had served in the 5th Kentucky Infantry, Company I. He married Rena Noble.
At the onset of the War Between the States, he enlisted on the side of the South, as he must have felt that this was another fight for personal and state rights. Colonel Ben E. Caudill selected him as the 13th Kentucky Cavalry recruiting officer, which speaks highly of his oratory skills and public relations ability. On June 6, 1863 he was captured in Perry County and 10 days later he was taken to Lexington Prison. He was then transferred to Camp Chase Prison on June 20, 1863 where he was taken to Johnson's Island Prison. After a period of time he was moved yet again. This time he was taken to the infamous Point Lookout Prison in Maryland. In his book entitled, Behold He Cometh in the Clouds he described prison living conditions. "We had to stay in condemned tents without fire and on half rations, and stand in the water, some nights to our knees. When we slept, we had the darkies to guarding us and they began to shoot the prisoners, and we began to take the oath with the intention of coming back to our Command and fight for the cause that we had fought for until we died, if it should be that we had to die." He was released from prison, having spent almost a year at 4 different locations. He had met another 13th man while at Point Lookout. Private Wiley Miller had been taken prisoner on June 6, 1863 at Lost Creek in Perry County. He was the son of Andy Miller and Patty (Napier) Miller. They may have been distant kin. Wiley had enlisted on September 23, 1862 in Breathitt County, Kentucky. He had run the gauntlet of several different prisons and ended up at Point Lookout. On April 12, 1864 they walked all the way home from Baltimore. When they arrived back in Kentucky George purchased a horse. Both returned back to the service of the cause. Wiley was in Gladesville when he heard the news of Lee's surrender.
After the war, George turned to the field of ministry and served the people of the area. He was listed as a resident of Ned in Breathitt County in 1914. He died a tragic death while at his daughter's house located at Chavies, Kentucky. He was sleeping by the fireplace when his blankets caught fire burning him to death. He was 85 years of age. He is buried in the Red Hill Cemetery on route 28, Chavies, Kentucky. The Ben Caudill Camp has set a marker and offered a memorial service to honor this man that helped preserve our heritage by writing a book entitled, Behold He Cometh in the Clouds. The title must have been inspired by the following verses from the Scriptures:
Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen
Jeremiah 4:13Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! For we are spoiled.
This month we are continuing the series of honoring yet another group of 'soldiers' that were relentless in their quest for freedom. We offer our salutations to the Ladies of the South that gave not only of their families, homes and children but also were willing to risk their lives for what they believed. This month we salute Rose Greenhow. Rose was born in the state of Maryland (Port Tabbaco-Montgomery County) and was raised in the area of Washington. She lived with her aunt in a boarding house and soon learned how to communicate well with others with renowned diplomacy. She became known as 'Wild Rose' and was quite popular in the Washington circuit. Considered to be quite lovely she was sought after by many suitors. She married Dr. Robert Greenhow and they had four daughters. Since Dr. Greenhow was rich and prominent, Rose became even better known and hosted several influential guests at her parties and social events. One of her favorite visitors was the famous John C. Calhoun.
In 1850 they moved to Mexico for a period of time and then moved to San Francisco. Dr. Greenhow was injured and Rose returned to Washington, regaining her status as a good socialite. But Rose was a secessionist who believed in state's rights. At the onset of the War Between the States she became a spy and offered important information regarding the movements of the troops and other pertinent data needed by the fledging south. He information regarding troop movement was instrumental in turning the tide at 1st Manassas in July of 1861. President Jefferson Davis gave her the credit for winning the battle. Mr. Pinkerton of detective fame became suspicious of her actions and arrested her in August. She was imprisoned in the old capital Prison along with her daughter. But the undaunted spirit of Rose was not dampened. Somehow she continued passing coded messages to her fellow southerners and hiding them in her hair and other available locations. Due to her being a women and support from so many friends, Rose was released from prison in May of 1862 but exiled to the south. Upon her arrival she was greeted as a heroine of the south and was afforded status worthy of her sacrifices. She was selected to go to England and France where she published her book entitled, 'My Imprisonment and the First Year of Abolition Rule at Washington. Its purpose was to gain support from foreign powers. She and the book were very well received and Rose even had an audience with Napoleon III.
Upon her return in 1864 a union ship chased the blockade-runner onto a sandbar at the mouth of Cape Fear River near Wilmington, North Carolina. The Condor was at the mercy of the union ship. Rose persuaded the captain to let her and two companions to be placed on a lifeboat. But she had on her person over $2,000 in gold. The choppy sea capsized her boat and she was drowned. Her remains were returned to Wilmington, North Carolina where she was given full military honors as a true heroine of the south. She was buried at the Oakdale Cemetery, having her coffin draped with a Confederate flag. Her marker is a marble cross that bears the epitaph "Mrs. Rose O'N. Greenhow, a bearer of dispatchs [sic] to the Confederate Government."
Resources:
My Imprisonment and the First Year of Abolition Rule At Washington; Greenhow, Rose, London; Richard Bentley; 1863
Historical Times Encyclopedia of the Civil War; edited by Patricia Faust
Questions
1. What object was probably the most stolen from civilians (usually farmers)?
2. What form of gambling was most common amongst cavalry soldiers?
3. What form of gambling was most common amongst infantry soldiers?
4. What loathsome pest was often used in gambling races?
5. What fruit did soldiers use to hollow out to conceal liquor?
6. Which branch of the Confederate services was most prone to pilfering from civilians?
7. What two vices were the most particularly offensive to religious men amongst the troops?
8. What type of fluid was substituted for ink by the soldiers?
9. What type of fabric was used for groundsheets to place a soldier's blanket on?
10. What was the rank of the non commissioned officer that dominated the average soldier's life?
“Sayings of the South”
In that terrible war, from all the people of the Southland came the cost. The fairest and the noblest of the Sunny, South's manhood were laid in graves of the battle field, or maimed and invalid returned to wrecked homes, living memorials of the hard fight and heroic sacrifice. From matron and maid, from old man and child, the mighty cost in tears was gathered. There was work for all, and distress for all, and it was borne. Oh, the cost of this factor in a nation's history! Oh the cost in our own! Do you see that simple headstone? It marks the spot where was laid the body of one in the flush and gallantry of manhood, stained with blood and in the dress of the soldier. And far away, where the flowers bloom long interludes between winter's chills, fair women were bathed in tears and mourned. Somebody's watching and waiting for him, Yearning to hold him again to her heart, and their he lies with his blue eyes dim, and the smiling, child like lips apart. Somebody's darling slumbers there. 1893 Confederate Veteran Magazine by Rev. W Dudley Powers of Henderson, Ky.
"In the spirit of Fraternity it was time for the North to share in the care of the graves of former Confederate soldiers." President William McKinley, 1898, former Union Soldier, Atlanta, Georgia
Answers:
1. Fence rails for fires (for cooking and heat)
2. Horse racing
3. Cards
4. Body lice (gray backs!)
5. Watermelon
6. Cavalry
7. Cursing and Sabbath breaking
8. Pokeberries
9. Oil cloth (if the soldier was lucky to have one)
10. Company's First Sergeant
Stone Total: 788 with 168 dedications!
Colonel Ben Caudill Camp #1629
Box 1102
Whitesburg, Kentucky 41826
The Confederate Treasury Financial Report April 20, 2006 Gentlemen, I have the honor of submitting the following financial report for your review, input and approval. Camp Fund Statement Balance from 3/16/06 to 4/20/06 Deposits 3/24/06=$818.00 4/04/06=$115.00 $933.00 Balance 3/16/06 $1,767.41 Total $2,700.41 Withdrawal 3/16/06 Ck #1009 Willis Strong-cannon supplies $107.00 Withdrawal 3/17/06 Ck #1010 Flowers-Q. Childers $40.00 Withdrawal 3/17/06 Ck #1011 Mannequin $160.00 Withdrawal 3/17/06 Ck#1012 dues-4 members $100.00 Withdrawal 3/17/06 Ck#1013 Ky. dues-4 members $40.00 Withdrawal 3/21/06 Ck#1014 SCV dues-Matt C. $25.00 Withdrawal 3/21/06 Ck#1015 Ky Dues-Matt C. $10.00 Withdrawal 3/24/06 Ck#1016 Opened Ben Caudill Scholarship Savings $1000.00 Withdrawal 3/24/06 Ck#1017 Ky Division- Michael Blackburn $10.00 Withdrawal 3/24/06 Ck#1018 SCV dues-M. Blackburn $25.00 Withdrawal 4/04/06 Ck#1019 Ky Divison-Rokie Frazier $10.00 Withdrawal 4/04/06 Ck#1020 SCV dues-Rokie Frazier $25.00 Withdrawal 4/05/06 Ck#1021 Appal. Mon. Co. (panel #6) $200.00 Withdrawal 4/18/06 CK#1022 Ky Div.-Mike Cox/Dave Carmony $20.00 Withdrawal 4/18/06 Ck#1023 SCV-Mike Cox/Dave Carmony $50.00 General Fund Balance *$878.41 Scholarship Fund $1000.00 Scholarship Fund-$1000.00 has been set aside into a savings account. Fifteen checks were written totaling $822.00 (CK#1016-$1000.00 deposited in scholarship fund). Based on the current records that we have in our possession, (we do not have the April bank statements) we have $878.41 in our general fund and $1000.00 in the savings for scholarships.
March16, 2006
Members Present
John P. Back, Matthew Gooch, Leathen Whitaker, Wayne Watts, Chris Ison, Raymond Issacs, Willis Strong, Quenton Childers, Tabby Back, Garland Kiser, Richard Smith, Glenn Brown, Danny Taylor, Faron Sparkman, Manton Cornett, Tim Blair, Okie Blair, Big Tree Adams, Carlos Brock, & David Chaltas
Open Floor: Treasury report presented. All can be found in the newsletter. Commander explained the purchase order procedures used in the county and referred camp to March newsletter. Presentation via CD by H.K. Edgerton along with a 30 second commercial clip sponsoring the SCV. Richard Smith, Chair of the By law Committee offered the first reading of the amended bylaws. Approved by acclamation. The names of those from our camp that have passed on will be etched upon the battle flag and be placed over the empty chair at any of our official functions. Pound Gap Adopt-A-Highway set for April 6, 2006 at 4:30. Meet at the monument. May State Reunion discussed along with fees. Richard Smith placed a motion on the floor to contact the city and see if we could get a professional to cut down the large pine in the cemetery. John P. Back seconded and motion passed. Faron Sparkman offered a stone setting update. To date 782 have been set, 540 for Caudill's men and have located 768 of their gravesites. Dedication for July 1, in Floyd County discussed (meet at 11:00 at church on route 194 Cow Creek/Dewey Lake area). Dedication for SGT Stevens (Captain Atlas Hall) mentioned and is posted on our website. John P. Back adjourned via prayer.
Following the guidelines of the 'Sunshine Laws' we submit the monthly synopsis of the topics discussed at the Executive Meeting.
Line Items Discussed
Veterans Museum discussed/toured
Agenda for 4/20 developed
Personnel discussed in Executive Session
March 16, 2006
Agenda
6-7- Tour of the Letcher County Central High School
Prayer-Chaplain Tabby Back
Call Business meeting to order-Sgt. At Arms
Welcome-Recognition of new SCV & Associate Members from Newsletter & Audience
Pledges-Commander Chaltas
Scripture Reading-Chaplain Tabby Back
Ancestral Roll Call-All members
Reading/Approval of Minutes-Secretary Taylor
Commander's Comments
Lt. Commander's Corner-John P. Back
Adjutant Report-Brown
New Business
2nd Reading of Bylaws-Richard Smith
Gazebo pictures-Richard Brown
Quilt drawing! And post!
Dedications for April a must
* Confederate Kin-Need stories by camp members for next month. We currently have 68 pages.
* Stone Reports-785 set to date
* Events Committee-plan next year's events-schedule
* Pictures for Gazebo-Richard Brown
* Renaming newsletter Contest-Southern Sentry/Southern Nations/Caudill's Men/Southern Times
* Pole light-contingent upon obtaining a permit via State Dept. of Transportation
* License Plates
* Trivia-Richard Brown
* PRESENTATION: Richard Brown: Battle of Pound Gap
* Auction/drawing
* Adjourn by Prayer
* Fiscal Court Report