Mission
The Colonel Ben E. Caudill Camp #1629 honors its ancestors by emulating and perpetuating the honorable values and principles 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.
Vision
The Colonel Ben E. Caudill Camp provides a valuable service to the community and to its members through its activities to honor Confederate ancestors. It maintains a strong membership with a core of committed members who dedicate their time, talents, and resources to meet our mission. The Camp members provide leadership in their communities and serve as role models to their sons and daughters by encouraging them to carry forward the Cause of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans.
Goals
- Set Stones on Confederate Graves
- Locate CSA Veteran Grave Sites
- Participate In Area Events/Reenactments/Parades/Dedications
- Make Presentations to Community Organizations/Schools/Churches
- Gather and disseminate historical information via articles/publications/newsletters
- Assist in the educational needs of our children via a scholarship given annually
Commander’s Welcome
Rich Smith
Welcome! My name is Richard Marion Smith and I currently serve as Caudill Camp Commander. My wife of twenty-six years, the former Libby Day, and I reside in Letcher County in an old log house my dad constructed on Rockhouse Creek, near Blackey, upon his return from WWII. I am a member of the Jeremiah Missionary Baptist Church and a retired high school art teacher. Part of my time is spent researching family and local Confederate history. I also have special interests in Kentucky’s Revolutionary War veterans, long hunters, and Cherokee history. Another portion of my time, and virtually all of my money, is spent on activities such as painting, blacksmiths, shooting, hand-loading, caring for my dogs, horse, and an old tomcat.
It is my hope that any skill I possess will enable me to better serve as Commander and will be enhanced by the immense pride I take in my direct lineage to six Confederate veterans, collateral kinship with dozens of additional Confederates, and the pride I take in the Caudill Camp. I am proud to be a charter member of this camp, owe an immense debt of gratitude to the Sons of Confederate Veterans for the increased awareness of my ancestors that I have been able to gain through them. So, I would like to encourage anyone who is a descendant of a Confederate soldier to join our camp; or, find another camp with whose members you feel comfortable, and “jine up”.
If asked to name goals I’d like to see the camp achieve during my time as Commander, my response would be:
- to see the conditions that I think of as “love of the camp” and “unity among members” nurture each other
- to witness a continuation of the energy and research that has advanced the “stones set” total beyond the twelve hundred mark
- to have the camp continue to enjoy the wonderful community relations that have been fostered by the cooperative attitudes of our re-en-actors and cannon crews in meeting the living history needs in the communities we serve
- to have the camp continue to enjoy the wonderful family relations that have been fostered by thoughtful interactions with the descendants of Confederate veterans by our researchers, stone setters, and stone dedication participants
- to realize that every member has become an effective recruiter, and 6) to have our three former commanders continue to share their experience and wisdom as reliable sources of guidance in all our endeavors.
Manton Ray Cornett
Greetings; in the name of our ancestors, and welcome to our Website. Recently re-elected as First Lieutenant Commander of the Ben Caudill Camp, I am Manton Ray Cornett. My ancestors include some of the oldest names in eastern Kentucky: William Jesse Cornett the Revolutionary, Alexander Crockett Richie, Nicholas “Danger Nick” Combs, Stephen Miller Sr., Abraham Childers the Revolutionary, and Reverend Richard Smith. My late wife, Lorena Patrick was a descendant of James Patrick the Revolutionary and of his grandson, James Patrick, the Confederate soldier. My wife and I have two adult children; our son, Daryl Carter, is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Hazard, KY. Our daughter, Manetta Lynn, is an experienced veterinarian, who is currently a stay-at-home Mom to her two preschoolers.
Several years ago, members of the Ben Caudill Camp inspired me to learn more about my ancestry. My initial curiosity soon grew into something much larger. At that time, I knew nothing of my connection to the Confederate struggle during the War of Northern Aggression, and I assumed that what I had been taught in school was the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. In less than ten years, I’ve found that my ancestry includes more than 200 Confederate veterans, mostly from Perry, Letcher, Breathitt and Knott Counties in Kentucky, and a few from Virginia and Tennessee. And, thankfully this adventure will last a lifetime!
My great-great grandfather, Private William Buchanan “Buck” Engle, CSA, was the man whose service allowed me to enter the Ben Caudill Camp. Since becoming a camp member, I have discovered that another great-great grandfather, First Corporal John J. Godsey, served with “Buck” in Colonel Caudill’s Army. Both these men had brothers, and a host of other relatives, who served the Confederate cause.
Since my entry into the Ben Caudill Camp, I’ve been active in most of the Camp’s activities; including research, headstone acquisition and setting, dedications and re-enacting. It has been my pleasure to serve as Lieutenant of the Caudill Battery, to contribute to “Confederate Kin II” and to edit and compile “13th Kentucky Cavalry: ‘Caudill’s Army’”. Finally, from 2007 through 2013, the Camp honored me by allowing me to serve them as their First Lieutenant Commander.
As First Lieutenant Commander, it is my responsibility to perform the duties of the Commander in his absence or at his request. Further, I serve as program chairman, securing guest speakers and presentations for camp functions. While doing my best to satisfy these duties, I also hope to assist any person who may wish to discover their family ties to the men who rode with Ben Caudill. I have a considerable amount of genealogical information on several of the pioneer families of eastern Kentucky, and it would be my pleasure to share it with you.
Adjutant Richard G. Brown
My name is Richard G. Brown and I am the Adjutant for the Colonel Benjamin Caudill Camp No. 1629 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. I am also an officer of the 5th Kentucky Infantry re-enacting group. Some of my responsibilities as adjutant are to maintain records and correspondences affecting the camp, stay up to date on rules and regulations relating to our camp, issue membership cards and certificates to members, be a liaison between members and National Headquarters, help with the paper work of new members and keep members informed of upcoming events.
I am very interested in seeing our camp continue to grow and would be glad to help anyone that is interested in joining our organization. I have a lot of genealogy on families in Letcher County and will be glad to share with anyone. Remember, we do this to honor our ancestors that fought and died for a cause that they believed in. Please help us to insure that future generations do not forget the tribulations that our forefathers went through for so many years ago.