ADMIRAL RAPHAEL SEMMES CAMP #11
SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS
MOBILE, ALABAMA
REENACTORS REPORTS FOR 2013
March 2013
On February 22nd several Semmes Camp members participated in the Reenactment for the Defense of Quitman and the Texas Hospitals. Claude and Michelle Turberville, Dustin Marshall, and I had a fine time and represented Camp 11 quite well. First order of business was the posting of our flags and banner. As result of a sale by a sutler at Quitman we now have a 28 flag display. Matilda was her usual outstanding self! We prepped the night fire rounds with some commercial Roman candle powder. The crowd gave us a rousing applause on Saturday night with that improved night fire display. Claude was intrepid as usual. We have come to expect nothing less from Claude. He built a tin clad and assaulted the Union forces from aboard the CSS Michelle. The greatest challenge that Dustin and I faced was trying to keep a fire going. Evidently the fire spirits did not bless our fire pit.
On March 2nd I joined up with members of the 5th Mississippi Brigade for a living history program at Beauvoir. On this particular weekend there were several hundred Boy Scouts on site for a camporee. We had a camp set up; fired Matilda and Miss Elizabeth [Daryl Ladner’s mountain howitzer]; Wallace Mason had his artillery display; James Gibson and Troy Savoie did an infantry presentation. We also had several groups of paying tourists stop by for a lesson on the Southern Heritage.
Our camp, in conjunction with several Mississippi camps, is organizing a monthly living history program during the summer months at Beauvoir. Our plans are to set up on the third Saturday of each month from May to September. Our area is blessed with some folks who love doing living histories. We plan to put this blessing to work this summer.
On March 3rd Mr. Jessie Taylor and I ventured off to Greene County, Mississippi, for two Confederate grave dedication ceremonies. We certainly did enjoy that fellowship.
Then on March 16th several camp members participated in the National Heritage Rally at Beauvoir. Compatriots Joe Ringhoffer, Joe DuPree, Charlie Christmas, Jessie Taylor, Stephen Ellison, Dustin Marshall, David Eubanks, and I were there for the festivities. Once again we had the camp banner and flag display set up. Dustin and I had a living history display for the attendees. Matilda, under the direction of Compatriot Ellison, was fired during the volley salute. And we were proud of Compatriot DuPree’s presentation on behalf of our camp. It is now official: the camp’s original copy of “The Official Records of the War of Rebellion” is now a part of the collection at the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library. We must thank Compatriot Hudson McDonald for his generous donation of these books.
April 2013
On Saturday, April 20th, Matilda and I joined some other reenactors for a living history program at the Daphne City Museum. The museum is in an old Methodist church with a cemetery on the grounds. Several Confederates are buried here. As a matter of fact Compatriot Kirk Barrett recently placed a Southern Cross of Honor on his ancestor’s grave in this cemetery. The program was well received and we hope to expand on it next year by including a memorial service as part of the day’s events.
May 2013
Just before our last meeting Dustin Marshall and I ventured off to Selma for the annual reenactment. Please do not get the tar and feathers out as we played on the chicken stealing Yankee side. We had a good time and did get to visit with a number of fellow SCV members.
We often hear the horror stories about the Heritage fight that is being continuously waged in Selma. It is sad that they have a hand full of trouble makers in Selma. I say this because one of the members of the Friends of Forrest informed me that they had received some donations for the Forrest Monument from members of the black community.
On the same weekend as the Selma event Mr. Jessie Taylor and Stephen Ellison attended the Mississippi Division Confederate Memorial Service at Beauvoir. Our friends at Beauvoir were appreciative of their attendance.
Speaking of Beauvoir, on May 18th Matilda and I made a trip to Beauvoir for the first installment of Third Saturday Beauvoir Living History. This is something that we will be doing every third Saturday through October. The event was well received by the Beauvoir staff as well as the tourists who were visiting Beauvoir.
The Surrender Oak Festival in Citronelle was held on May 4th. This year’s event was the best one so far. This has been an ongoing effort for the past six years. It was good to see that our effort in Citronelle is starting to pay off. Dustin Marshall, Mr. Jessie, Claude and Michelle Turberville[with the twin grand babies] and myself participated in the event. Dustin and our buddy, Larry Higginbotham[Augusta Greys Camp], even caught a few fish in the lake at Camp Pushmataha. We are certainly looking forward to the event next year as well.
August 2013
Our camp’s involvement with The Friends of Fall Muster is reaping great rewards. As a way to promote Beauvoir’s Fall Muster in October we have been going to Beauvoir once a month to do a living history presentation for the guests of Beauvoir. Needless to say Matilda, the camp’s Coehorn mortar, has had to tag along. She gets quite testy if she does not get her way when it comes to going somewhere to show off the Heritage.
On Saturday, August 17th, we did such a program. Due to the threat of bad weather we scaled back our presentation. One of our compatriots from the Picayune, Mississippi, camp brought his mountain howitzer. As a result we had a fine display of artillery with the howitzer and the mortar. We also had an infantry display and another SCV compatriot gave a presentation about side arms.
On this particular day we had a tour group from England, Australia, and New Zealand. These folks were a hoot. I was amazed at how much they enjoyed holding our muskets and pistols. Of course this was no surprise given the restrictive gun laws in these countries.
The ladies in the gift shop at Beauvoir informed me that they get calls regularly from people wanting to know when the living historians will be on site. This information made me quite proud of the success of our effort in such a short time. With that bit of information we are planning to be at Beauvoir once a month with a living history presentation. We had first considered doing it through Fall Muster [October] but with so much interest in our effort we have decided to try to keep it going.
September 2013
We had an absolute wonderful time at Beauvoir yesterday. Our Third Saturday at Beauvoir fell a week late this month due to the Chickamauga event last week, but that's okay. As the comedian says, we "gotter done".
Our living history effort continues to improve. Yesterday Compatriot Charlie Thompson brought his cavalry gear over for display. He had planned to bring his horse but unfortunately she showed out while he was loading her so that part of the plan cancelled. But none the less Charlie did a good job.
Bo Ladner, a cousin to our buddy Daryl Ladner, came over with an interesting display. He had a telegraph set up and in the course of his presentation he explained the use of the telegraph during the WBTS. It was a wonderful addition to our program and we thank him for it.
And last but not least yours truly brought the Semmes Camp mortar, Matilda, over for the program. She spoke quite eloquently yesterday.
5th Brigade Commander, Don Green, and Live Oak Rifles Camp Commander, Leroy Waller, stopped by for a visit with us yesterday. It was good to see them.
One of our last visitors for the day was a family with two young boys. They had driven down for the day from Jasper County. I complimented the parents for making the effort to teach these youngsters about our heritage. Lord knows we need more mammas and daddies like that. One of the youngsters fired my musket and oh what a thrill it was for him.
Several of our visitors were local people who did not know about Fall Muster. They do now and indicated they would be back for the event. With that being said I urge all of you to get on the horn and get the word out about Fall Muster. The staff at Beauvoir will be putting out posters about the event next week. I realize many of you do not have access to the posters but you do have access to the internet and telephones. So find a way to help us promote Fall Muster.
I must also heap some praise upon our wood splitting crew yesterday. Wallace Mason, Larry Higginbotham, Daryl Ladner, and Alan Spence finished that part of our Fall Muster project. We all offer a hearty thank you to these fellows.
November 2013
This month has been a bit busy. On November 8th I went to Washington, Mississippi, and participated in the reenactment of Wirt Adams Natchez Raid. This event was a sesquicentennial event. The event was also a memorial to a dear SCV member of the Mississippi Division who had recently passed away. The event was small but the venue was great. It took place at Historic Jefferson College. If you ever find yourself in the Natchez area it is worth a visit. It was at Jefferson College where some of the scenes of “The Horse Soldiers” were filmed. A young Jefferson Davis also attended the school. You can bet it felt good to walk on the same ground upon which Jefferson Davis and John Wayne had walked on.
On Saturday, November 16th, compatriots Stephen Ellison, Claude Turberville, and myself went to Georgiana for a Confederate Memorial Service. This service was hosted by the Evergreen Camp and more than 100 people were in attendance.
On February 22nd several Semmes Camp members participated in the Reenactment for the Defense of Quitman and the Texas Hospitals. Claude and Michelle Turberville, Dustin Marshall, and I had a fine time and represented Camp 11 quite well. First order of business was the posting of our flags and banner. As result of a sale by a sutler at Quitman we now have a 28 flag display. Matilda was her usual outstanding self! We prepped the night fire rounds with some commercial Roman candle powder. The crowd gave us a rousing applause on Saturday night with that improved night fire display. Claude was intrepid as usual. We have come to expect nothing less from Claude. He built a tin clad and assaulted the Union forces from aboard the CSS Michelle. The greatest challenge that Dustin and I faced was trying to keep a fire going. Evidently the fire spirits did not bless our fire pit.
On March 2nd I joined up with members of the 5th Mississippi Brigade for a living history program at Beauvoir. On this particular weekend there were several hundred Boy Scouts on site for a camporee. We had a camp set up; fired Matilda and Miss Elizabeth [Daryl Ladner’s mountain howitzer]; Wallace Mason had his artillery display; James Gibson and Troy Savoie did an infantry presentation. We also had several groups of paying tourists stop by for a lesson on the Southern Heritage.
Our camp, in conjunction with several Mississippi camps, is organizing a monthly living history program during the summer months at Beauvoir. Our plans are to set up on the third Saturday of each month from May to September. Our area is blessed with some folks who love doing living histories. We plan to put this blessing to work this summer.
On March 3rd Mr. Jessie Taylor and I ventured off to Greene County, Mississippi, for two Confederate grave dedication ceremonies. We certainly did enjoy that fellowship.
Then on March 16th several camp members participated in the National Heritage Rally at Beauvoir. Compatriots Joe Ringhoffer, Joe DuPree, Charlie Christmas, Jessie Taylor, Stephen Ellison, Dustin Marshall, David Eubanks, and I were there for the festivities. Once again we had the camp banner and flag display set up. Dustin and I had a living history display for the attendees. Matilda, under the direction of Compatriot Ellison, was fired during the volley salute. And we were proud of Compatriot DuPree’s presentation on behalf of our camp. It is now official: the camp’s original copy of “The Official Records of the War of Rebellion” is now a part of the collection at the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library. We must thank Compatriot Hudson McDonald for his generous donation of these books.
April 2013
On Saturday, April 20th, Matilda and I joined some other reenactors for a living history program at the Daphne City Museum. The museum is in an old Methodist church with a cemetery on the grounds. Several Confederates are buried here. As a matter of fact Compatriot Kirk Barrett recently placed a Southern Cross of Honor on his ancestor’s grave in this cemetery. The program was well received and we hope to expand on it next year by including a memorial service as part of the day’s events.
May 2013
Just before our last meeting Dustin Marshall and I ventured off to Selma for the annual reenactment. Please do not get the tar and feathers out as we played on the chicken stealing Yankee side. We had a good time and did get to visit with a number of fellow SCV members.
We often hear the horror stories about the Heritage fight that is being continuously waged in Selma. It is sad that they have a hand full of trouble makers in Selma. I say this because one of the members of the Friends of Forrest informed me that they had received some donations for the Forrest Monument from members of the black community.
On the same weekend as the Selma event Mr. Jessie Taylor and Stephen Ellison attended the Mississippi Division Confederate Memorial Service at Beauvoir. Our friends at Beauvoir were appreciative of their attendance.
Speaking of Beauvoir, on May 18th Matilda and I made a trip to Beauvoir for the first installment of Third Saturday Beauvoir Living History. This is something that we will be doing every third Saturday through October. The event was well received by the Beauvoir staff as well as the tourists who were visiting Beauvoir.
The Surrender Oak Festival in Citronelle was held on May 4th. This year’s event was the best one so far. This has been an ongoing effort for the past six years. It was good to see that our effort in Citronelle is starting to pay off. Dustin Marshall, Mr. Jessie, Claude and Michelle Turberville[with the twin grand babies] and myself participated in the event. Dustin and our buddy, Larry Higginbotham[Augusta Greys Camp], even caught a few fish in the lake at Camp Pushmataha. We are certainly looking forward to the event next year as well.
August 2013
Our camp’s involvement with The Friends of Fall Muster is reaping great rewards. As a way to promote Beauvoir’s Fall Muster in October we have been going to Beauvoir once a month to do a living history presentation for the guests of Beauvoir. Needless to say Matilda, the camp’s Coehorn mortar, has had to tag along. She gets quite testy if she does not get her way when it comes to going somewhere to show off the Heritage.
On Saturday, August 17th, we did such a program. Due to the threat of bad weather we scaled back our presentation. One of our compatriots from the Picayune, Mississippi, camp brought his mountain howitzer. As a result we had a fine display of artillery with the howitzer and the mortar. We also had an infantry display and another SCV compatriot gave a presentation about side arms.
On this particular day we had a tour group from England, Australia, and New Zealand. These folks were a hoot. I was amazed at how much they enjoyed holding our muskets and pistols. Of course this was no surprise given the restrictive gun laws in these countries.
The ladies in the gift shop at Beauvoir informed me that they get calls regularly from people wanting to know when the living historians will be on site. This information made me quite proud of the success of our effort in such a short time. With that bit of information we are planning to be at Beauvoir once a month with a living history presentation. We had first considered doing it through Fall Muster [October] but with so much interest in our effort we have decided to try to keep it going.
September 2013
We had an absolute wonderful time at Beauvoir yesterday. Our Third Saturday at Beauvoir fell a week late this month due to the Chickamauga event last week, but that's okay. As the comedian says, we "gotter done".
Our living history effort continues to improve. Yesterday Compatriot Charlie Thompson brought his cavalry gear over for display. He had planned to bring his horse but unfortunately she showed out while he was loading her so that part of the plan cancelled. But none the less Charlie did a good job.
Bo Ladner, a cousin to our buddy Daryl Ladner, came over with an interesting display. He had a telegraph set up and in the course of his presentation he explained the use of the telegraph during the WBTS. It was a wonderful addition to our program and we thank him for it.
And last but not least yours truly brought the Semmes Camp mortar, Matilda, over for the program. She spoke quite eloquently yesterday.
5th Brigade Commander, Don Green, and Live Oak Rifles Camp Commander, Leroy Waller, stopped by for a visit with us yesterday. It was good to see them.
One of our last visitors for the day was a family with two young boys. They had driven down for the day from Jasper County. I complimented the parents for making the effort to teach these youngsters about our heritage. Lord knows we need more mammas and daddies like that. One of the youngsters fired my musket and oh what a thrill it was for him.
Several of our visitors were local people who did not know about Fall Muster. They do now and indicated they would be back for the event. With that being said I urge all of you to get on the horn and get the word out about Fall Muster. The staff at Beauvoir will be putting out posters about the event next week. I realize many of you do not have access to the posters but you do have access to the internet and telephones. So find a way to help us promote Fall Muster.
I must also heap some praise upon our wood splitting crew yesterday. Wallace Mason, Larry Higginbotham, Daryl Ladner, and Alan Spence finished that part of our Fall Muster project. We all offer a hearty thank you to these fellows.
November 2013
This month has been a bit busy. On November 8th I went to Washington, Mississippi, and participated in the reenactment of Wirt Adams Natchez Raid. This event was a sesquicentennial event. The event was also a memorial to a dear SCV member of the Mississippi Division who had recently passed away. The event was small but the venue was great. It took place at Historic Jefferson College. If you ever find yourself in the Natchez area it is worth a visit. It was at Jefferson College where some of the scenes of “The Horse Soldiers” were filmed. A young Jefferson Davis also attended the school. You can bet it felt good to walk on the same ground upon which Jefferson Davis and John Wayne had walked on.
On Saturday, November 16th, compatriots Stephen Ellison, Claude Turberville, and myself went to Georgiana for a Confederate Memorial Service. This service was hosted by the Evergreen Camp and more than 100 people were in attendance.