 Fort Worth, Texas
Welcome to the homepage of the Gen. Robert E. Lee Camp
#239 in Fort Worth,Texas. Originally chartered in 1901, the Lee
camp is the heir of R.E. Lee Camp #158 United Confederate
Veterans and was once the largest SCV camp in the nation with
over 1,200 members. Today, the Lee camp strives to honor
and protect the true history of the Confederate fighting men. We
are an active camp that works within the Fort Worth community
and other surrounding areas preserving Southern history and
heritage. Some of our activities include placing Headstones and
Monuments to those forgotten Confederate soldiers,
presentations of Civil War Living History events at junior high
and high schools. Please contact us for Civil War Living History
demonstrations.
We meet on the third Monday of each month from
630-8pm in the Ol' South Pancake house at 1509 S. University
Dr. Please come and join us at our next meeting. Come early and
eat supper at the Ol South Pancake House prior or during our
meeting. We meet in the back room. For more information
contact relee239@aol.com
Please visit our NEW additional R. E. Lee Camp page on Facebook and Myspace for more
camp news, photos, articles and events. Please click on the
website shown below. Thanks and have a fine Dixie Day.
The following news articles regarding our Southern Heritage
have been published in local newspapers.
LOOKING BACK AT THE CONFEDERACY WITH MODERN EYES
By JERRY PATTERSON
Special to the Star-Telegram
Any attempt to judge our history by today's standards -- out of
the context in which it occurred -- is at best problematic and at
worst dishonest.
For example, consider the following quotations:
"So far from engaging in a war to perpetuate slavery, I am
rejoiced that slavery is abolished."
"[T]here is a physical difference between the white and black
races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living
together on terms of social and political equality."
By today's standards, the person who made the first statement,
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, would be considered
enlightened. The person who made the second, President
Abraham Lincoln, would be considered a white supremacist.
Many believe that the War Between the States was solely about
slavery and that the Confederacy is synonymous with racism.
That conclusion is faulty because the premise is inaccurate.
If slavery had been the sole or even the predominant issue in
sparking the Civil War, this statement by Lincoln is puzzling: "My
paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union and it is
not either to save or destroy slavery. If I could save the Union
without freeing any slaves I would do it."
If preserving slavery was the South's sole motive for waging war,
why did Lee free his slaves before the war began? In 1856, he
said slavery was "a moral and political evil in any country."
Why was Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation effective in 1863
rather than when the war started in 1861? And why did it free
only the slaves in the Confederacy and not in Northern or border
states?
If slavery was the only reason for the Civil War, how do you
explain Texas Gov. Sam Houston's support for the Union and for
the institution of slavery? In light of the fact that 90 percent of
Confederate soldiers owned no slaves, is it logical to assume
they would have put their own lives at risk so that slave-owning
aristocrats could continue their privileged status?
There are few simple and concise answers to these questions.
One answer, however, is that most Southerners' allegiance was
to their sovereign states first and the Union second. They
believed that states freely joined the Union without coercion and
were free to leave.
You could say they really believed in the 10th Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution -- the "powers not delegated" clause. They
believed that the federal government should be responsible for
the common defense, a postal service and little else. They
viewed the Union Army as an invader, not an emancipator.
I am not attempting to trivialize slavery. It is a dark chapter in
our history, North and South alike.
However, I am a proud Southerner and a proud descendent of
Confederate soldiers. I honor their service because, to me, it
represents the sacrifice of life and livelihood that Southerners
made for a cause more important to them than their personal
security and self-interest.
I'm aware of the genocidal war conducted by my country against
the American Indian, but I'm still a proud American. And I'm also
aware of the atrocities that occurred at My Lai, but I am proud of
my service as a Marine in Vietnam.
If the Confederate flag represented slavery, the U.S. flag must
represent slavery even more so.
Slavery existed for four years under the Stars and Bars and for
almost 100 years under the Stars and Stripes.
If the few hundred members of racist groups such as the Ku
Klux Klan want to adopt the Confederate flag as their symbol,
over the objections of millions of Southerners, should we believe
it has been corrupted for all time?
Given that the KKK has adopted the cross for its burnings,
should churches across the country remove this symbol of
Christian faith from all places of worship?
Should we diminish the service of the Buffalo Soldiers (black U.S.
cavalry troopers of the late 1800s) because they were an integral
part of a war that subjugated and enslaved the Plains Indians?
No. We should not surrender the Confederate flag or the cross
to the racists, and we should not tear down the monuments.
Retroactive cleansing of history is doomed to failure because it
is, at heart, a lie. We should memorialize and commemorate all
of our soldiers who served honorably -- those who wore blue or
gray or served as Buffalo Soldiers -- whether or not we in
today's enlightened world completely support their actions.
The next article regards our CONFEDERATE BATTLE FLAG
The Beloved Embattled Confederate Banner - The Battle
Flag
The following fact sheet is prepared by the Education Committee
of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) for distribution to
educational personnel, librarians, civic groups, press officials
and others interested in promoting an understanding of
Confederate History and Heritage. The fact sheet may be freely
copied and distributed without permission or notice; if
republished in part or whole, please credit the SCV.
The most prominent regional flag of the South is the Battle Flag
of the Confederate States of America. The Battle Flag was used
on the field of honor to aid with the communication of the
troops. Their movement during battle was often directed by
where the flag bearer carried the flag. Communication was a
key element of the Constitutional Cause for the Confederate
soldier. Just as in those days, communication today is a key
element to our cause of education of the truth. Unfortunately,
the Flag itself has repeatedly come under attack because of its
misuse by some people, and lack of education of its history on
the part of others. The flag cannot defend itself when being
misused by certain individuals. An educated public is its best
defense.
DEFENDING WITH HONOR
First hand personal accounts of the period constantly reflect the
courage, valor, honor, sacrifice and duty of the Southern people
during the nineteenth century in their service during the War for
Southern Independence. In May 1864, a young farmer nineteen
years old, Thomas J. Dingler, of Spalding County, Georgia was
serving as a color bearer for the 44th Regiment of Georgia
Volunteers during the Battle of Spotsylvania. The Union attack
was directed at his front. Pvt. Dingler waved his flag on the
firing line in defiance to the invaders. Heavily outnumbered, the
unarmed color bearer became a target to be taken because he
held onto his beloved banner, his battle flag. Surrounded by the
enemy, he still refused to surrender his flag. One of the enemy
gave him the bayonet, but the young Dingler gathered the flag
in close to his side. The enemy wanted to capture the trophy of
the flag, so more men pushed their bayonets into his body.
Undefended, he finally fell, but he held on to the edge of his
blood stained flag as it was ripped from his hands. After the
battle his Comrades found their blood stained color bearer with
17 bayonet wounds thrust into his young body. In his hands
were only left the red shreds of his beloved battle flag. He was
buried with these shreds. Private Dingler persevered to the end,
devoted to his flag.
I AM NOT THE "STARS AND BARS"
I am the most popular Battle Flag of the Confederate States of
America. My thirteen, white five-pointed stars represent the
States of the Confederacy. I am a four foot square, with a red
field covered by a dark blue St. Andrew’s Cross, edged with a
narrow strip of white. You may call me the “Southern Cross.”
My borders are yellow to reflect Kentucky’s neutrality. My
design was approved by the War Department in September of
1861, being distributed to the regiments of the Army of
Northern Virginia in October. The Battle Flag was designed to be
used on the field of battle. My design, above, was never a
national flag of the Confederacy. I have been referred to in error
by some people as the “Stars and Bars”. I have no way of
correcting them, so its up to you. The “Stars and Bars” was the
First National Flag of the Confederacy, designed to favor the
“Stars and Stripes” flag of the Union. The Southern people were
proud of their old country during the early years of the war, and
many felt the South could claim the “Stars and Stripes” too. The
designs were similar thereby causing confusion on the
battlefield.
Confederate Perspective
The Battle Flag of the Confederate States of America was carried
throughout the war by the men and boys of the South. These
soldiers represented the last thin Gray Line of Southern
defenders during the War for Southern Independence. The
survivors knew what would happen to their side of the story after
the last shots were fired. Eloquently expressed, the last survivor
of General “Stonewall” Jackson’s staff speaks his concern for
what the future generations would be exposed to.
“All that was, or is now, desired is that error and injustice be
excluded from the text books of the schools and from the
literature brought into our homes; that the truth be told,
without exaggeration and without omission’ truth for its own
sake and for the sake of honest history, and that the
generations to come after us not be left to bear the burden of
shame and dishonor unrighteously laid upon the name of their
noble sires.” Rev. James P. Smith, Staff of General Thomas J.
“Stonewall” Jackson, C.S.A.
Words of Wisdom
“Duty is the sublimest word in our language. Do your duty in
all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do
less.” General Robert E. Lee, C.S.A.
A Proud Heritage
General Lee viewed duty as sublime, but what is our duty today,
as Americans? As you go, take advantages of opportunities to
discuss the Battle Flag and the truth of Confederate Heritage.
Present the symbols of Confederate Heritage in the proper
manner representing the people of the South and their sacrifices
to the Confederate Cause. Educate yourselves and your families
to the historical truths of the War period, and when you see the
Battle Flag, pause to reflect on the honored heritage it means for
all Americans.
Learn More?
For further readings on the Flags of the Confederate States of
America: Confederate Veteran magazine (Sept.-Oct. 1988, Jan.-
Feb. 1989, July-Aug. 1993), Southern Partisan magazine (Vol.
XVI, Fourth Quarter, 1996), and Embattled Banner: A Reasonable
Defense of the Confederate Battle Flag by Don Hinkle.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans is a historical, patriotic, and
non-political organization composed of male descendants of
Confederate soldiers and sailors dedicated to insuring that a
true history of the 1861-1865 period is preserved and
presented to the public. The SCV continues to educate the
public of the memory and reputation of the Confederate soldier
as well as the motives for his suffering and sacrifice. 1-800-
380-1896 or http://www.scv.org. or P.O. Box 59, Columbia,
Tenn. 38402-0059
SUGGESTED LINKS
 The Sons of Confederate Veterans is a genealogical-historical organization dedicated to preserving the history and honoring the memory of our Confederate ancestors. The SCV is the direct heir of the United Confederate Veterans, and the oldest hereditary organization for male descendants of Confederate soldiers. Organized at Richmond, Virginia, in 1896, the SCV continues to serve as a historical, patriotic, and non-political organization dedicated to insuring that a true history of the 1861-65 period is preserved.
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