Who knew that Confederate General and Texas Ranger Lawrence Sullivan Ross was born in Iowa? The Iowa Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans plans to commemorate this fact by placing a large monument near his birthplace in Bentonsport, Iowa. They have secured a prominent location in a Bentonsport park with the support of both the local county conservation board and Town Board. The monument will be a large (6-7’ tall and 5’ wide) granite boulder with an attractive bronze plaque honoring the Confederate hero.

The Iowa Division has secured a boulder, free of cost, however it will need to be hauled to the site and offloaded with a piece of heavy equipment. The plaque also needs to be made and securely installed in the boulder. The cost for the entire project is estimated to be $2,500 to $3,000 based on their past experience. The Iowa Division successfully placed three similar boulders with plaques in Bloomfield, Iowa to commemorate the furthest northern raid by a Confederate force about two years ago. That monument dedication was well received by the public. A similar dedication is planned for the Ross monument on Saturday, September 22, 2007!

You may be asking, "What does this mean to me?" Well, the project needs your support, both financially and physically! This is an excellent opportunity for us to support the Charge in a positive manner. They would like to have as many Texans on hand – in uniform or not - as possible. The Texas Division Executive Council voted at its last meeting to support this cause, but this still leaves this project terribly under funded. They have agreed to give us a right of refusal over the text of the plaque, so we can be certain that this will honor him in an honest, yet uncompromising fashion.

You can help! Contributions towards this project can be sent to Texas Division Adjutant Cody Marshall, who has agreed to serve as the Texas liaison to this project. Please send donations made payable to "Texas Division SCV" and mark "Iowa Monument" on the memo line. (One check will be presented to the Iowa Division.) You may reach Adjutant Marshall at:

Cody Marshall
Texas Division Adjutant, SCV
P.O. Box 2618
Abilene, TX 79604
(325) 529-6280