Tennessee: SCV Honors Black Confederate Veteran and Union Officer
ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. — Lt. Robert J. Tipton Camp #2083, Sons of Confederate Veterans, of Elizabethton will be holding a memorial ceremony this Saturday, June 7, for a black Confederate pensioner, Robert “Bob” Stover and a Union Army officer, Daniel Stover.
Mr. H.K. Edgerton from Asheville, North Carolina, was the keynote speaker. Photo courtesy of Lt. Robert J. Tipton Camp #2083, Sons of Confederate Veterans, of Elizabethton.
Drake Cemetery, on the outskirts of Elizabethton, holds the graves of two men from different walks of life who wound up on opposing sides of the Civil War. One was a slave, who accompanied his master, Samuel Murray Stover into Virginia to serve as a Teamster in the C.S.A. His name was Robert “Bob” Stover. Returning from Virginia, Samuel M. and Robert were captured by the Union army at Fall Branch, TN in March of 1865 and returned to Elizabethton. Robert received a Confederate pension from the State of Tennessee after the war.
A brother of Samuel Murray Stover, Daniel Stover, who was a son-in-law of President Andrew Johnson, joined the Union army and became commanding officer of the 4th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, U.S.A. The military service of both Robert Stover and Colonel Stover will be saluted by Honor Guards of the 4th Tennessee Infantry, U.S.A. and Company F 59th Tennessee Mounted Infantry, C.S.A.
Mr. H.K. Edgerton from Asheville, North Carolina, is expected to be the keynote speaker. A former president of the Asheville chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), he is now President of Southern Heritage 411, a corporation founded by him, which according to the website, is to inform the public about Confederate heritage from the perspective of the hundreds of thousands of black people who love and support the South, its customs and its people.
Edgerton has been a leading figure in educational efforts to tell the story of the relationships between black and white residents of the South during the Civil War and can often be seen throughout the South in his Confederate uniform, carrying the Confederate Battle Flag, meeting people and answering questions about Confederate heritage. He has walked thousands of miles while carrying that flag, bringing his message to people of all races and appeared on CNN to answer questions about comments made by the Governor of Virginia concerning Confederate History Month. He is also Chairman of the Board of Advisors Emeritus of the Southern Legal Resource Center of Black Mountain, NC.
The event is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. Parking will be in a large field off Hwy 19E, across from Mills Greenhouse. The cemetery, from this location, can be easily accessed without any special assistance needed for handicapped. For GPS, use Mills Greenhouse and Landscape, 2755 Hwy 19E, Elizabethton, TN. For additional information, contact Scott Bowers at 423-773-6374 or Bill Hicks at 423-542-6782.
–Timesnews.net
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LOUISIANA: Vets Want Civil War Monument Moved
SHREVEPORT, La. — Dell Rapids military veterans want a century-old monument damaged in a storm last year moved to the Veterans Memorial Park when it’s repaired.
The Dell Rapids Veterans Memorial Park will be the new home to the Old Soldiers Monument that’s sat near the corner of Seventh Street and Orleans Avenue since its dedication more than a century ago. / Joe Sneve / Dell Rapids Tribune
The Old Soldiers Monument, a 105-year-old Civil War memorial at Seventh Street and Orleans Avenue, sustained damage when a tree branch fell on it during a storm in October 2013.
The copper and bronze Color Bearer that sat atop the granite and marble base snapped, and has since been under repair.
Some local veterans see the mishap an opportunity to relocate the statue and its base to the Veterans park east of Rocky Run Car Wash.
Tom Reecy, a veteran of the Vietnam War and a member of the George F. Scott American Legion, gained approval from the City of Dell Rapids to pursue plans to move the statue and the monument.
“It must be visible and it must be accessible,” said Tom Reecy, an Army veteran who saw combat in the Vietnam War.
The recent sale of the former elementary school, where the statue has sat since its erection, caused some uncertainty about the future of the monument if it were kept in the same location, he said.
Barring any unforeseen floodway restrictions at the park – Rocky Run borders the park to the north – work will be completed this summer.
The Grand Army of the Republic, a group of Civil War veterans, and it’s auxiliary raised the $550 needed for the monument in 1908. Those folks had intended to place the memorial in the cemetery.
But as its erection approached, plans were altered because the cemetery was thought to be too far out of town.
–Shreveporttimes.com
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GEORGIA: Self-Guided Civil War Cemetery Tours
COVINGTON, Ga. — The City of Covington Cemetery is one of 10 other cemeteries located within the Covington, Georgia city limits. The cemetery is located off Church Street in Covington, Georgia. While thinking about the history of a cemetery may be considered morbid, its important to talk about the Covington City cemetery because it has one of the richest histories a cemetery can have.
The cemetery consists of five different sections. The first section is also the largest section. It is called the City section and is located in the center of the cemetery. You can contrast many of the graves in this section to see how styles changed in each century. Many of the 19th century graves obelisks and are Egyptian revival architecture. You can contrast these with those buried in the 20th century, which look like more modern headstones. If you like to compare different forms of architecture, this section is one of the places to visit!
The next part is the Confederate section of the cemetery. It is located in the Northeast part. Some of the graves in this section are unmarked graves. This is because some of the people buried in this part were unknown soldiers. Many of them died in one of the several Confederate hospitals located in Covington, Georgia. If you enjoy Civil War history, this section would be a good spot for a Civil War tour.
The third part of the cemetery is historically the African American section. It is commonly referred to as the “Old Cemetery.” It is located in the Eastern Central section of the cemetery. This section has a lack of headstones. Instead, trees, plants or other landmarks were used to mark burials.
The fourth section is the “New Section.” This is also called the “Memorial Garden” and is located in the West central area. You may notice, if this is one of the places you visit, that many children are buried throughout the cemetery. If you have taken many Civil War Tours, you may remember that parents in the past often lost their children shortly after childbirth due to the maladies of the time.
The final section is the Old Methodist section located in the North West part of the cemetery. This section has the most recorded history. There are over one hundred and thirty four graves marked in this section. Sadly, there are many more unmarked graves. Most of the marked graves in this section are the graves of the pioneer families in Covington, Georgia. These families are Brown, Reynolds, Pace, Usher, and Hendricks. Buried along with the pioneering families are many early Methodist ministers. One of these ministers is Andrew Hammil. He was the superintendent of the Madison and Covington, Georgia churches until he died in 1836.
The combined total burials in all sections is over 3700. These burials include many people who influenced the history of the town of Covington, Georgia. If you would like to learn more about the Civil War history of the cemetery, consider planning a visit and going on a self-guided Civil War tour. When researching places to visit, you will want to learn more about the abundant history of the cemetery.
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TENNESSEE: Group Trying to Preserve Civil War Home
CUMBERLAND CITY, TN — A group is on the hunt for who can step up and save a historic pre-Civil War home. The Brunson-Hollister House outside Cumberland City is currently owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority, but TVA officials said they don’t have it in their budget
to maintain a historic site.
This 1830 home once hosted Ulysses S. Grant.
“We’re citizens that are concerned about saving history, and this particularhouse has a lot of history,” said Houston County archivist Melissa Barker.
A two-story home believed to have been built in 1830, stories passed down by the families who lived there claim the home even played host to Ulysses S. Grant once.
“There’s a family cemetery on the property, and there’s also an African-American cemetery which is not marked,” said Barker. “We’d like to locate that and put up markers for that too.”
Concern sparked in the community this year when TVA completed a cost estimate for the demolition of the house. TVA officials told Channel 4 the study was just evaluating all options and there are no plans to tear down the structure.
“We hope they keep with their intentions,” said Barker. “What we’d like to see is it be saved, not be destroyed or torn down.”
Barker is part of the newly formed Friends of the Brunson-Hollister Homestead which is searching for someone to buy and save the property. If need be, the group may take over the property themselves.
TVA officials said they want to sell the property. It’s just a matter of finding someone with the funds for the upkeep of a historic site.
“We are interested in making sure the house is saved, and it is used for historical purposes,” said Barker. “It is on the National Registry of Historical Places.”
The Friends of the Brunson-Hollister Homestead will meet at the Houston County Library this Friday at 5:30 p.m. to discuss what they can offer TVA.
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