I am very sorry I missed our last meeting, I was ill. I want to say welcome to our newest members whom I've not as of yet had the privilege of meeting. The South needs all her sons to rally to her defense lest she be no more! In the south we are told that we should get over the fact we lost the war. For the most part we have but we will not forget! Nor should any people forget their heritage. The South suffered miserably during the war and then suffered arguably worse afterwards during reconstruction. And today there are those who would still have us suffer. The N.A.A.C.P. has recently redoubled it's efforts to destroy our heritage. They have vowed openly to destroy all vestiges of the Confederacy. The State of Illinois is currently holding prisoner the original unit flag of the Madison Lt. Artillery from Madison parish La.

If you would like to send an e-mail to express our displeasure with their refusal to return it the address is [email protected]. Also in Caddo parish a fight is going on over a monument on the Caddo parish courthouse grounds. Efforts are being made to have it removed! A portion of these grounds were donated to the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1906 to have and hold forever! This attack was started by a Ken Epperson, a Caddo Commissioner. At Epperson's request the Parish Attorneys office is looking into old title grants trying to find a way to get it removed. There are fights like these going on all over the country. The commission meets again Aug. 5th.

I fear we will not be as determined to protect our heritage as our foes are to destroy it! And what a loss that would be. 13 of our 1st 15 presidents were Southerners. It was in the Southern colonies that the tide of our Revolutionary war turned in our favor! We need to only look at the Constitution in it's original form and compare it to the one that exists today to know that our ancestors were wiser than we are! Our ancestors would be ashamed of the lack of pride in the land of apathy that the South has become. We must use every opportunity to show our feelings about the South.

Your obedient Servant
Terrance Lee
Commander

New Orleans Judge C. Hunter King ruled Friday, July 19, that operators of the Confederate Museum do not own the building at 929 Camp that has housed their collection of War for Southern Independence memorabilia for the past 111 years, and were the mortal remains of President Jefferson Davis laid in state following his death. It is also where aged Confederate veterans met for decades to discuss famous battles such as First and Second Manassas, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and many more.

UNO Foundation, the money raising arm of the state university, is determined to evict Memorial Hall Museum Inc., which runs the Confederate Museum and owns its collection, from the building to make way for the new Ogden Museum of Southern Art.

However, Confederate Museum's attorney said he would appeal King's ruling to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeal, and museum officials vowed they would never leave voluntarily. Elizabeth Williams, president of the UNO Foundation, reportedly said the university would not try to evict the museum and its thousands of artifacts immediately.

She told the New Orleans Times-Picayune, "We want to talk with (the museum operators) before we make any final decision, we want to do this cooperatively if we can. We know they have a really important collection, and we don't want to jeopardize it in any way. Ultimately, what we need to do is talk."

UNO Foundation is building the Ogden Museum in two buildings -- one historic, the other new -- on either side of the Confederate Museum.

It claims it sought permission from the Confederate Museum a few years ago to create a connection between the two Ogden buildings through the Confederate Museum's basement, but the talks broke down.

UNO reportedly seized an opportunity to end the stalemate when, its attorneys said, it learned that the Confederate Museum's Romanesque revival style building by architect Thomas Sully, did not belong to Memorial Hall Museum Inc.

Although the property allegedly belonged for a while to Tulane University, the UNO Foundation claims it bought the site in December 2000 from the Howard Memorial Library Association, original owner of the old library building next to the Confederate Museum.

The Ogden Museum is to house the "art" collection of wealthy New Orleans developer Roger Ogden. It is building a "modern" style building in a neighborhood filed with historic structures.

The court drama Friday barely touched on the larger issue of whether a museum devoted to honoring the memory of those who fought for Southern Independence will be allowed to exist in this era of totalitarian political correctness run amok.

In court, Eades Hogue, attorney for the Confederate Museum, argued that Frank Howard, the New Orleans businessman and philanthropist who built the museum, made clear in an 1891 speech that he intended the Louisiana Historical Association to have permanent control of the site, in effect making it the legal owner.

Hogue contends the association gained ownership of the site by 1961 under the legal doctrine of "acquisitive prescription," a rule providing that someone who continuously occupies and maintains a building gains legal title to it 30 years after he gives notice of his intention to take possession from the original owner.

Hogue noted the Historical Association gave such notice to the Library Association during a 1931 dispute between the two groups, and that the Historical Association has always paid for maintenance and repair of the building.

James Garner, representing the UNO Foundation, scoffed at Hogue's arguments as "history gone wild," saying that what Frank Howard might have intended in 1891 or what the Historical Association might have said in 1931 was irrelevant.

Garner alleges that from the beginning, the Library Association had a clear title to the property and all the Historical Association had was a right to use it. He also alleges many officials of the Historical Association and its successor group, Memorial Hall Museum, supposedly recognized that fact in writing over the years, most recently in a letter from the group's president in 1996. "They have no title," he claims of Hogue's clients. "The foundation is the only party with a clear recorded title."

King said both sides had "done an extraordinary job" of making their case, but he sided with UNO on every count. Whatever Howard might have intended in 1891, King stated, he never explicitly said he was making the Historical Association the owner of the building. "To jump into the mind of Mr. Howard in 1891 is a very difficult thing to do," King claimed. "Unfortunately, people cannot rule from the grave. Things change."

King also ruled that the Historical Association did not acquire the building through acquisitive prescription, and said that even if it did, the group's president renounced the claim in his 1996 letter. Granting UNO's motion for summary judgment, he said the Confederate Museum operators "will have to find a new home for their collection."

Ogden and UNO officials said in the past they might agree to turn the old museum into a "Civil War" wing of the Ogden and display a small part of its collection, but that most of its thousands of flags, portraits, uniforms, rifles, swords, letters and other objects would have to go.

The University of New Orleans, a state institution that is supposed to educate youth, it using every legal resource at its disposal to takeover the historic Memorial Hall building for use of its "art" museum. It is building a modern structure next door, that is completely out of character with the architecture of the neighborhood.

The construction has reportedly damaged the 111-year-old Memorial Hall building, which is reportedly the subject of a separate law suit.

The Confederate Museum is the oldest museum in the state of Louisiana. President Jefferson Davis' remains laid in state there following his death, Confederate veterans met there for decades, it has a priceless collection of Confederate military memorabilia, including over 100 original Confederate flags, all preserved for posterity -- unless the University of New Orleans gets its way to evict the museum.

Where are Gov. Mike Foster, Lt. Gov. Kathleen Blanco, Secretary of State Fox McKeithen and all of the State Legislators, the elected leaders of Louisiana? Do they approve of this HERITAGE ATROCITY? If not, why aren't they doing anything to stop this travesty of justice and crime against our state's heritage? We must demand answers!

And where is the New Orleans preservation community? They can sue to stop Wal Mart from building in a historic New Orleans neighborhood, but can do nothing about a modern style building being built next to Memorial Hall? What kind of priorities are these?

Yes, a HERITAGE ATROCITY is being committed in New Orleans!

Please support the Memorial Hall Foundation in its struggle for survival. It can be found on the internet at http//:www.confederatemuseum.com.

Michael Jones--Camp Editor

LEESVILLE -- Descendants of Confederate veterans are unhappy that their ancestors won't be listed on the walls of a veterans memorial on Third Street.

Jodie Dowden, commander of the Anacoco Rangers and member of the national Sons of Confederate Veterans, said Tuesday that the Vernon Parish Veterans Memorial Park Committee refuses to include Confederate names on the walls that make up the memorial plaza on Third Street.

"We have been to the committee about this and have been told no, that our ancestors cannot go on the walls," he said. "They want to keep this quiet, and it's not right." Last month when Dowden and others went to the committee, they were told that no decision had been made and that a legal opinion was being awaited.

Dowden talked to a lawyer, then SCV members submitted four names to the committee of three Confederate soldiers and a Union soldier from Nebraska who was killed and buried in Vernon Parish.

"They accepted the name of the Union soldier and rejected the three Confederate soldiers and returned my check," he said. "After that, we knew for sure that we had problems." Dowden turned to Charles E. McMichael, the SCV's chief of staff in Shreveport, for help. On July 18, McMichael sent a registered letter to Paul Greer, the committee chairman. He said Greer and the committee were violating federal law by refusing to include Confederate veterans.

McMichael stated in his letter that federal law recognizes Confederate veterans and they have "equal footing" with any other "American veteran per the law." He also noted that federal law allows benefits for Confederate veterans, including burials and headstones. McMichael also noted that the memorial project has received land donated by the Vernon Parish Police Jury.

He said the SCV is prepared to take legal action to ensure that Confederate veterans are not treated as "second class." Greer dismissed McMichael's letter. "He had a bunch of stuff in there, and I didn't read it," he said. "They can buy all the bricks they want, but they cannot put names on the wall."

Dowden said it costs $35 per name, and he knows of at least 40 names that would go on the wall if the committee would change its stance.

Greer said the committee voted not to allow Confederate veterans. He admitted the vote may have been made in ignorance of the law.

"We will meet with the mayor and the Police Jury to talk about this," he said. "This issue just came up a couple of months ago." Dowden said he thought the issue was settled at a recent meeting with Vernon Parish Police Jurors Sam Fulton Jr. and John Hamilton and Leesville Mayor Jim Shapkoff Jr. However, Greer refused to accept the names of the Confederate veterans last weekend.

Shapkoff, Hamilton, Greer and committee member Willie D. Cook met Tuesday to discuss the issue. After the meeting, Shapkoff said a solution had been reached that he felt would be satisfactory to all and would give the SCV access to the memorial.

"We hope that this puts an end to this issue," Shapkoff said. "This is a touchy subject, and we hope our solution will make everyone involved happy."

Dowden said it's unlikely that any solution short of full access to the memorial for Confederate veterans will be accepted by the SCV.

At the meeting, the children voted to name the chapter Calcasieu Tigers. They also elected the following officers: Kimberly Flower, president; Lauren Thorn, first vice president; Kristina LeBleau, second vice president; Ryan LeBleau, third vice president; Tristin Thorn, recording secretary; Ryan LeBleau, treasurer; Angela Dalton, historian; Spencer Thorn, chaplain; Spencer Thorn, custodian; Kristina LeBleau, editor.

The group's next meeting will be July 27 at 1:00 p.m. For more information contact Marilyn Thorn at 337-625-8473.

Nationally, Children of the Confederacy was formed on Oct. 14, 1897. Any child, birth to age 18, with Confederate ancestry, can become a member.

In 1931 a Children of the Confederacy chapter was chartered in the State of Louisiana and was one of the first seven chapters in the United States. It became inactive in the 1950's.

Calcasieu Chapter 1519, United Daughters of the Confederacy, recently voted to sponsor a Children of the Confederacy Chapter.

Some of the things they accomplish are dedicating memorials, establishing and funding educational scholarships, marking graves of Confederate Soldiers, and collecting historical Confederate records.

Apparently the location had overwhelming attractions for the producers, starting with the fact that the average monthly salary, expressed locally as $3.3 million lei, translates into around $100 US. This is considered extremely low even by Eastern European standards.

Further, the filmmakers do not have to worry about physically covering or digitally editing out modern items such as power lines. The area doesn't have any to speak of. Local officials told the Associated Press that they are delighted with the arrangement. Mayor Gheorghe Voicu calls it "a hand from heaven for the locals"

The cast has been finalized with Nicole Kidman in the role of Ada, the sheltered young woman who must learn to cope with wartime chaos after her father's death, and Jude Law playing Inman, the Confederate soldier who deserts after being wounded and struggles to get home to Cold Mountain.

Anthony Minghella, who directed the Oscar-winning "The English Patient," found the fields and virgin forests of southern Romania a perfect setting for the $80 million "Cold Mountain." Later scenes will be shot in the mountainous region of Transylvania, in northern Romania.

The production is already producing benefits for the Romanian village of 1300 people. Film producers have laid gravel on the road, the first time it's been repaired in 60 years. Mayor Voicu has been busy this summer fixing up the kindergarten and village school with income earned from the film.

Cash is also making its way into the pockets of local citizens. Romanian extras are paid about $10 a day, less than a tenth what their Hollywood counterparts would make. Additional payments are made to farmers for the use of their fields for battle and other scenes.

"I love my animals, so I bought them food with the money," said Stelian Raducu, 71, who received about $900 compensation for three cows. More than 100 cattle farmers have been compensated about $300 a head for the inconvenience.

Local crops are primarily corn and sunflowers, but farmers have been hurt by three years of drought. Businesses are few and industry nonexistent, and the town is known in Romania mainly for clay pots and rush mats.

The film industry will bring Romania tens of million of dollars this year, according to Vlad Paunescu, managing director of Castel Films, the Romanian producers for "Cold Mountain." After communism ended in 1989, the country was the site of some low-budget Western horror movies.

Romanian film critic Alex Leo Serban said movies shot in Romania in the past two years -- such as "Callas Forever," directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring Jeremy Irons, and Costa Gavras' "Amen" -- led producers to select it for "Cold Mountain." Local reporters have sneaked onto sets at night and staked out Kidman's hotel and Transylvania residence in mostly vain attempts to get a glimpse of her.

Potigrafu is located about 25 miles north of the capital, Bucharest. Officials in North Carolina had made serious overtures in at attempt to have the movie shot "on location" in the state. The film is being made by Miramax-MGM.

Courtesy of:
Civil War Interactive: The Daily Newspaper of the Civil War www.civilwarinteractive.com

(Washington, D.C.) - The Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT), the nation's largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization, is accepting nominations for its annual America's Most Endangered Battlefields Report. The report identifies the ten most threatened Civil War sites in the United States and what can be done to save these precious links to our nation's past.

"The most effective preservation tool in our arsenal is public awareness," notes CWPT President James Lighthizer. "The Most Endangered Battlefields Report is a rallying cry to the nation that our hallowed battlefields are in imminent danger."

The Most Endangered Battlefields Report is part of CWPT's ongoing effort to preserve and protect America's remaining Civil War battlefields. Nearly 20 percent of our Civil War battlefields have already succumbed to the backhoe and bulldozer. Once lost, these historic treasures can never be replaced.

The 2003 Most Endangered Battlefields Report is scheduled to be released this coming February at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Any Civil War battlefield is eligible to be nominated. The ten sites to be highlighted in the study will be selected based on geographic location, military significance, and the immediacy of current threats.

"The task of monitoring the 10,000-plus battlefields where the Civil War was fought is enormous," Lighthizer remarked. "We simply cannot do it without the input and support of committed preservationists."

Among the ten sites identified in this year's report were Chancellorsville, Va.; Franklin, Tenn.; and Gettysburg, Pa. The report also mentioned fifteen "at risk" battlefields that did not make the final ten. "Thanks in part to the publicity generated by the report, we expect that several sites will be able to claim preservation victories before the end of the year," Lighthizer predicted.

To nominate a battlefield, individuals and groups are encouraged to fill out the online nomination form at www.civilwar.org. Applications should include photographs of the site and a detailed description of recent threats. Nominations must be postmarked no later than October 31, 2002.

CWPT is a 40,000-member 501(c)(3) nonprofit battlefield preservation organization. Its mission is to preserve our nation's endangered Civil War battlefields and to promote appreciation of these hallowed grounds.

Aug. 3 & 31, Fort Pike State Historic Site, New Orleans - Rifleman, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. An 1860s-era costumed soldier will demonstrate the loading and firing of a Mississippi Rifle. The demonstration will include weapon safety and how bullets were made during the 19th century. Call 1-888-662-5703 toll free or 504-662-5703 locally.

Aug. 4, Port Hudson State Historic Site, Zachary - The Battle of Baton Rouge Reenactment, 1 - 3 p.m. There would have been no Confederate occupation of Port Hudson, nor Federal siege of Port Hudson had there not been a Battle of Baton Rouge. To commemorate this important event, Port Hudson SHS will host a living history demonstration of the Battle of Baton Rouge. Call 1-888-677-3400 toll free or 225-654-3775 locally.

Aug. 10, Mansfield State Historic Site, Mansfield - Teacher Appreciation Day, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Teachers and educators are invited to the site to be recognized for the contributions made in their communities. Call 1-888-677-6267 toll free or 318-872-1474 locally.

Aug. 10, Port Hudson State Historic Site, Zachary - Civil War Artifact Identifications, 10 a.m - 4 p.m. Owners of Civil War artifacts are invited to have their items identified. These items do not have to be related to the Port Hudson battlefield; excavated and non-excavated artifacts are welcome. Call 1-888-677-3400 toll free or 225-654-3775 locally.

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