August 2004 Issue
http://www.bencaudill.com



An empty chair now and forevermore shall sit at our table in remembrance of those that have gone before.

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!

Since our last time together I am happy to report that our ongoing daily research into the history of our Eastern Kentucky Confederates continues to yield new finds. The research often leads to stone setting and we have set 12 Confederate headstones since last month's meeting. As I've outlined in our staff journal found on our camp website we've been busy setting stones for the 13th Kentucky, 5th Kentucky, 10th Kentucky among other regiments. I wish to commend Danny Taylor and David "Butch" Chaltas for setting our camp's first stone in Georgia recently for Danny's ancestor Hiram G. Mallicoat. In addition to the unquestioned loyalty of Tim Harp in setting stones this month I want to thank Harold McKinney, Joe Skeens and Mickey Goble for their recent assistance. Our new total is 672! Our research over the past month has focused on soldiers Robert Wicker, Jesse Amburgey, Henry Marshall, William Cantrell, John Cawood, Joseph L. Coburn, Abram Music, James Auxier, Samuel Auxier, Allison Roberts, Allen J. Roberts and Reuben Meade. By far the most significant thing I've experienced since our last meeting has been two trips to visit the sites of two Union prisons where our local boys were imprisoned (Camp Douglas in Chicago, Illinois and Johnson's Island off the coast of Sandusky, Ohio). On July 21st I visited the Oak Wood Cemetery, the site of a mass grave where some 6,000 Confederate soldiers were buried after suffering unspeakable torture and horrible disease. This includes 19 of Colonel Ben's men -the single largest site of 13th Kentucky graves. It was a deeply moving experience for me. Having just driven that considerable distance straight from my home in Hazard, Kentucky to East 67th Street in downtown to Chicago where these men were buried, you gain a really sad feeling for just how far from home these mountain boys were from home and family. It's doubtful that any of their immediate family ever had a chance to visit the place I did and some never even received word of what became of their loved ones. On August 14th I visited the site of Johnson's Island Prison and the Confederate cemetery on the island in Lake Erie that contains the graves of two 13th soldiers - Isom W. Collier of Letcher County and Daniel D. Cockerham of Wolfe County. Collier is marked but Cockerham is not which obviously brings up a possible future project for us. We're currently working with officials at Rock Island Cemetery in Illinois to have the grave of Pvt. Richard Sparkman of the 13th Kentucky Cavalry marked with a military headstone and I feel we should do our best to see that Pvt. Cockerham is marked at Johnson's Island. Commander Sparkman

I wish to reflect upon our achievements for the month and remind everyone of the golden opportunities ahead of this camp. This month we have been involved with the Hungry Mother Festival in Marion, Virginia and the Tomato Festival in Rutledge, Tennessee. We have sent representation to the national reunion held in Dalton, Georgia and set the 1st stone in Georgia by the Caudill Camp in conjunction with our brothers from the Arthur Camp. We have participated in the Nibroc Parade, attended the Highland Festival and went to Cedar Bend for the Jubal Early Celebration in Knoxville, Tennessee. We have held a dedication at the Griffie Cemetery and were proud of the turn out of men in gray. The people of the community of Campbell’s Branch were so grateful. We have worked on the wording for the monument and have submitted the pictures that we have adopted for the stone. We have been very active in stone setting as indicated by Commander Sparkman’s report and have visited the hallowed ground where our ancestors rest when they died while in prison. We are considering reenacting under the glorious name of the 5th Kentucky Infantry, Company F with our brothers from the Arthur Camp of the newly formed 5th Kentucky, Company B. Please see Adjutant Brown, or any of the boys that reenacted under the 6th Kentucky for details. Also Colonel Ronnie Robbins is attempting to organize a 13th Kentucky Cavalry to join the 10th Kentucky. According to Colonel Robbins, the 10th is currently the largest cavalry unit in the United States and it would be grand if some of our men with horses decided to join. Please put on your calendar the following dates:
August 21-Jenkins Day Parade has asked us to represent our ancestors and march in the grand parade. Who will carry the banner for the boys? This is a maximum effort event. See Kenny Cantrill, Roger Hall, Tree Adams or camp officers for details.
August 21-22-Battle of Saltville-If any of you are interested in attending, see Richard Brown, Steve Richardson or camp officers for details. Remember that our ancestors fought on the very soil in which we will reenact. To date Richard, Wendell, Dale, Danny, Mike, Steve, Tim, Okie, Wayne, along with the old general have indicated they are planning on participating.
August 27-29-Battle of Richmond-Come and celebrate the greatest Confederate Victory in the western theatre if not the South!
September 10-12-Battle of Barboursville-Home of the 1st battle in the state and is a maximum effort event. Please see the old general if you are wishing to attend.
September 19, 2004-Battle of Whitesburg needs YOU! If you are interested in participating, sign the list or see Adjutant Brown or Commander Taylor.
October 24-‘Ghost Roast’ at Fish Pond Lake starting at 7:00 by the shed near the dam. Come join the fun and bring a ghost tale to choke down a hotdog with. Men, as always it is an honor to serve with you and I shall remain your obedient servant until the time in which I shall shed this old coat and dawn a new one designed specifically for me by the Great Designer. I have the honor of being, The Old General

My Kepi & Me is a series honoring camp members and their ancestors. The purpose is to share their ancestor’s history as well as the current son occupying the seat of honor. This month let us offer a salute and tip our Kepi to our own Tim Harp. With just a quick glance at Caudill Camp member Tim Harp it's obvious he's one big, powerful young man. But beyond what first meets the eye is a guy who backs up his strength with desire and dependability...desire to work as hard as anyone to see that our local Confederate heroes have a properly marked grave no matter where they're located and dependability in making himself available for back-breaking stone setting work every single week of the year. Tim was born in Hazard, Kentucky in 1971. He grew up on Upper Second Creek and attended M.C. Napier High School. At age 17 he joined the National Guard and served for 8 years. He was almost called up during Desert Storm and received extensive military training in desert warfare. Tim has worked in a wide variety of occupations that include Helig-Meyers Furniture, Kroger, Skyes Enterprises, and more recently the Hazard Shell Mart. He is a direct descendant of Private Andrew Combs of Company I of the 5th Kentucky Infantry and has Confederate relatives that include all of the 61 members of the Combs family that served in the 13th Kentucky. His wife Mary Beth works at the Inez Deposit Bank in Hazard and she is a direct descendant of the 13th's James Peter Combs. Tim and Mary Beth and son Brandon will be moving to the Lothair section of Hazard later this month. Tim's hobbies include medieval reenacting, movies, computer games, and Blacksmithing. When asked to bring his blacksmithing skills to the first Battle of Leatherwood reenactment in October of 2002 Tim was introduced to the Sons of Confederate Veterans. He immediately joined the Colonel Ben Caudill and within a few days was asked by Commander Sparkman to help set a marker for Pvt. John Walker Amburgey. This was a very difficult stone setting mission straight up the side of a steep mountain in Knott County. Because of the difficulty, Commander Sparkman was afraid this may have been Tim's first and last offer of help with stone setting. Instead he was shocked to learn that Tim would make himself available to set stones every week over the next two years no matter how tough the terrain. Tim and Faron have spent hundreds of hours traveling thousands of miles to set stones. In just 20 months with the Caudill Camp Tim Harp has set stones in 29 counties and four states for an amazing total of 140 granite headstones. In one month alone (June of 2003) Tim set 17 Confederate markers. He's been on some of the camp's toughest, steepest stone setting assignments including this year with Riley Webb in Magoffin County, William Arrowood in Johnson County, William Baker, William Stidham and James Little in Breathitt County, George W. Allen in Floyd County and Jeremiah Roberts in Lee County. Even during the hardest times Tim never complained. He has truly honored our Eastern Kentucky Confederate soldiers by providing his time, his muscle, and his heart like few others have ever done, not just in this camp but also in any camp in the nation. We are honored to have this man as a brother. Ladies and gentleman let us tip our kepis and give up a hardy rebel yell for our brother Tim Harp!

The camps membership is still holding at 90 members. Don't forget about the membership drive and the free t-shirt for each new member signed up. The dedication at the Griffith Cemetery at Linefork went great with 12 camp members participating for a large, grateful crowd. The Lions Club is wanting some of our camp members to wear their uniforms and be on the float they are building for the Mountain Heritage parade on September 25, their theme is the Battle of Whitesburg. They would also like to have a couple of ladies in hoop skirts as well. If they don't have enough room on the float for everybody, they would like for the remainder to march alongside the float. The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come drama crew will be marching with this float as well. John Cleveland with the Letcher County Fiscal Court called and said that if the chapter would pick up litter along Hwy 23 from Pound Gap for five miles, they would give the chapter $500. Barry Johnson had a good idea about our camp starting our own dedication unit and re-enactment group and possibly call it the 5th Kentucky. We could then be tied with the 5th Ky. (previously members of the 6th Ky.) that is out of Corbin. The Battle of Saltville will be re-enacted this weekend at Saltville. The Mountain Heritage Festival Committee wants the camp to conduct the re-enactment of Whitesburg again this year on September 19. We need to let them know this week if we are interested in doing it so that they can start advertising it. They will also give us $500 to buy powder with. Adjutant Brown

As the smoke cleared and the wounds of battle suffered at Appomattox were bound up, the battered Confederate soldier began his long journey home; a home that would forever be changed by the late war. Many a Confederate soldier though was comforted by his Christian faith. Knowing that his Lord and Savior had not left him in his hour of need. Proverbs 3:11 told him, "Despise not the chastening of the Lord, neither be weary of his correction." Proverbs 3:12 told him, " For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighted." These Proverbs gave our ancestors the faith they needed to continue through the rigors of reconstruction. Knowing that their Lord and Savior still loved them, they toiled with their hands and minds to build the South into the economic powerhouse that it is today. As we embark into the 21st Century let us keep in mind Proverbs 2:20, "That they may walk in the way of good men and keep the paths of the righteous." Deo Vindice (Chaplain Back/Chaltas)

Sayings of the Month

"I tried all in my power to avert this war. I saw it coming, for twelve years I worked night and day to prevent it, but I could not. The North was mad and blind; it would not let us govern ourselves, and so the war came, and now it must go on till the last man of this generation falls in his tracks, and his children seize the musket and fight our battle, unless you acknowledge our right to self government. We are not fighting for slavery. We are fighting for Independence, and that, or extermination"......... President Jefferson Davis

"Surrender means that the history of this heroic struggle will be written by the enemy; that our youth will be trained by Northern school teachers; will learn from Northern school books their version of the War; will be impressed by all the influences of history and education to regard our gallant dead as traitors, and our maimed veterans as fit subjects for derision."...........General Pat Cleburne, CSA

"A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday does not know what it is today” R.E. LEE

“I asked God for strength, that I might achieve: I was made weak that I might obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things: I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy: I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men: I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life: I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I received nothing that I asked for, but all I had hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am among all men most richly blessed.”
Unknown Confederate Soldier

A Warrior’s Going Home
David Chaltas
4/01/04

In the heat of the battle
As smoke circles the ground.
I hear the cannons rattle
As I see Richmond’s town.

Rebecca’s image haunts me
As minnies fall and spray.
The shots and shells still taunt me
As I hear Becca pray.

On knees bent in submission
Down by the River James.
She begs a sad petition
That death will be retained.

I gaze into her blue eyes:
Another messmate falls.
I shut out his helpless cries
And listen to her calls.

I see her coming to me
With her wide open arms.
A sharpened pain runs through me!
I scream with death’s alarm!

With all this death around me
I miss the life we had.
I feel her love surround me
Making death not so bad.

I hear my Becca calling;
A voice that I hear yet.
I fell my body falling
Upon the bayonet.

Somehow my Becky finds me
And holds me with her tears.
With her smile she reminds me:
All sadness disappears.

I drift into tomorrow
But I am not alone.
Yesterday’s time was borrowed:
A warrior’s going home.

July 15 2004
Members Present
Dan Taylor, Robert Young, Okie Blair, Big Tree Adams, Tim Blair, Rick King, Wayne Whitaker, Tabby Back, Dave Chaltas, Faron Sparkman, Richard Smith, Danny Wright, Dale Wright, Richard Brown, Steve Richardson, Larry Combs, Barry Johnson,
Opening Prayer-Chaplain
Meeting called to order-Commander Sparkman
Pledges/ led by Commander
Pledge to the South-Chaltas
Scripture Reading-Chaplain Back
Recognition of Guests
Motion by Richard Brown to Accept Minutes as read & 2nd by Danny Wright Newsletter reviewed

New Business
The discussion of the following business items was approved: Wayne Whitaker asked that an honor Guard assist the dedication at the Griffie Cemetery located at Campbell’s Branch School on August 1st. Wayne brought up the idea of getting water bottled with our label as a fundraiser. Brought to the floor by the Old General and seconded by Richard Smith. Motion approved. Southeastern Brigade Commander Don Poynter and past Kentucky State Commander Bill Lyons addressed the members regarding the attendance of the 2004 reunion held in Dalton, Georgia. Dave Chaltas and Danny Taylor were approved as the delegates. Larry Combs from New York was introduced and given an award for all the research that he has accomplished. The adopt a highway program was discussed along with the historical marker to be placed at Hazel Green. A motion was made to add the names of the known dead (KIA) somewhere on or near the Civil War Monument. Approved by acclamation. Adjourned via prayer