South Carolina: SCV Speaker Celebrates Lee’s Life
AIKEN, S.C.– Robert E. Lee was as close to nobility as America could produce, guest speaker Chris Sullivan told a group of about 40 Sons of Confederate Veterans members and family members on Saturday night.
Staff photo by Maayan Schechter Guest speaker Chris Sullivan, past commander-in-chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, spoke to a room of about 40 members at the Aiken County Historical Museum on Saturday and told the life story of Gen. Robert E. Lee titled, “April 19, 1861 – A Day in the Life of Robert E. Lee.”
During a celebration to honor the births of Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson at the Aiken County Historical Museum, Sullivan, past commander-in-chief of the Sons, told the story of Lee’s life titled, “April 19, 1861 – A Day in the Life of Robert E. Lee.”
“Why did Robert E. Lee make the decisions he did?” Sullivan said. “For us looking back at this time, it’s impossible for us to imagine a Confederacy without Lee, or Lee without the Confederacy.”
Born on Jan. 19, 1807 in Stratford, Va., Lee was born to Col. Harry and Ann Lee – also prominent figures during their time. Lee graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and elected to work for the Army’s Engineer Corps, Sullivan said.
“He was such a great military leader and a great chieftain,” Sullivan said. “But even more, he was a great academic.”
Sullivan spoke about Lee’s time during the U.S. war with Mexico and in the aftermath, becoming one of the top military men with Gen. Winfield Scott asking Lee to consider becoming a commander. Later, Lee was appointed by Secretary of War Jefferson Davis as lieutenant colonel of the newly-formed 2nd U.S. Calvary.
“When we think of all of his experiences, his travels and the different types of training he’s had and the fact that he’s seen the U.S. Army in all different shapes and forms, he understands what’s coming,” Sullivan said. “He understands better than anyone else on the planet at that time. He knows the capabilities and flaws of the South and of the North. He understands modern warfare.”
On April 19, 1861 Lee made the most important decision of his career and of his life, Sullivan said. The next morning, Lee resigned from the U.S. Army in a letter.
“The key, of course, in that phrase of the letter when he says, ‘I will never draw my sword again, but I will certainly never fight against Virginia,’” Sullivan said. “If we examine the bulk of Lee’s correspondence, we can see that night he agonized over the decision. It pained him. Just think, if you can, something you really wanted, worked for, hoped for and dreamed about. But something you could not have for honor’s sake. I think the key to understanding Lee and his decision is that while he was in agony that night, he was not making a decision. His decision was already made.”
-Maayan Schechter, Aiken Standard
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South Carolina: Battle of Pocotaligo to be Re-Enacted
BLUFFTON, S.C. — Confederate and Federal forces will clash once again when the Battle of Pocotaligo Civil War Reenactment returns to Frampton Plantation, Jan. 25-26.
Taking place on the actual 1862 battle site in Point South, this second annual living history event is hosted by the Sons of Confederate Veterans Colonel Charles Jones Colcock Camp #2100, the South Carolina Palmetto Battalion and the Lowcountry & Resort Islands Tourism Commission.
In addition to the afternoon battles, visitors are welcome to explore a Civil War encampment complete with Sutler Row and period demonstrations, as well as tour a life-size replica of the CSS H.L. Hunley, the first submarine in history to successfully sink an enemy warship.
Gates open at 9 a.m. with battle reenactments at 2 p.m. Daily tickets are $10 for adults; $5 for children; and free for ages 8 and under. Admission into the Frampton Plantation House/Visitor Center & Gift Shop and the Hunley Traveling Exhibit are free.
For additional information on the Battle of Pocotaligo, please visitwww.battleofpocotaligo.com. To learn more about Frampton Plantation and the Lowcountry & Resort Islands Tourism Commission, call 717-3090 or visitwww.southcarolinalowcountry.com.
History: On October 21, 1862, a Union Force of 4,200 men under the command of General John M. Brannan sailed up the Broad River from Hilton Head Island and Beaufort and then marched on the village of Pocotaligo. Warned by Confederate pickets of this attempt to destroy the Charleston to Savannah Railroad and hinder a major supply line, Colonel W.S. Walker of Georgia telegraphed General Beauregard in Charleston. “I am holding & intend to hold my position at Old Pocotaligo,” read his urgent telegram. “Hurry up the reinforcements for Gods sake.”
Thanks in large part to a series of earthwork trenches General Robert E. Lee had ordered dug throughout the Lowcountry, a Confederate force of fewer than 450 men, including eight Confederate artillery pieces, two cavalry companies, three companies of the 11th South Carolina Volunteers and the First South Carolina Sharpshooters, managed to stall the Federal advance. Today, a portion of these earthworks are still visible behind the Frampton Plantation House.
About Frampton Plantation House: Currently housing the SC Lowcountry & Resort Island Tourism Commission and Visitor Center, this property in Point South was a King’s Grant to the Frampton family in the 1700s and the site of John Frampton’s successful cotton plantation named “The Hill.” Destroyed by Sherman’s troops in 1865, John Frampton rebuilt a modest farmhouse in 1868. Hilton Head developer Charles Fraser bought the home in 1970 and used it as a point of sale center for the Sea Pines Resort until 1974.
Vacant and neglected over the next several years, “The Frampton House” was donated to the Lowcountry Tourism Commission in 1993. After extensive renovations, the Commission now has office space upstairs and the downstairs serves as the Lowcountry Visitor Center and Museum. To participate as a modern-day vendor at this year’s battle, contact Lynn Bristow at (843)717-3090 or e-mail lynn@southcarolinalowcountry.com. For information on participating as a Sutler, contact Billy Shealy, Sutlers Coordinator, at (803) 417-5650 or email billy@shealyconcessions.com.
About the Sons of Confederate Veterans Colonel Charles Jones Colcock Camp #2100: Based in Ridgeland, the Sons of Confederate Veterans is 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 ensuring that a true history of the 1861-1865 period is preserved. Membership is open to all male descendants of any veteran who served honorably in the Confederate armed forces. For more information about the Battle of Pocotaligo Civil War Reenactment, contact Mike Skinner, 1st Lt. Commander, Col. Charles Jones Colcock Camp #2100, at (843) 271-0568 or email colcock2100@hotmail.com. For information about School Day on Friday, January 24, contact Leon Smith at (843) 226-0998 or emailleonsmith1861@yahoo.com.
About the Palmetto Battalion: The Palmetto Battalion is a statewide, non-profit organization for South Carolina Civil War re-enactors. The battalion is made up of six infantry companies and one artillery company. The infantry tactics used are from Hardee’s Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics, 1862 version. The Palmetto Battalion holds company and Battalion elections once a year, and has adopted its own by-laws and safety regulations. For information on participating as a re-enactor, contact Bruce Blackmon, Colonel, Palmetto Battalion, at (910) 534-0344 or email bruce.blackmon01@gmail.com.www.PalmettoBattalion.org.
About the CSS H.L. Hunley Traveling Exhibit: During the American Civil War, Confederate inventor Horace Lawson Hunley converted a steam boiler into a submarine in Mobile, Alabama. After proving to be an effective new weapon that could be used to break the Union blockade, it was moved by rail to Charleston, South Carolina, in August of 1863.
Unfortunately, the submarine sank twice during trials, costing the lives of two crews, including the inventor himself. Raised and renamed the H.L. Hunley, it became the first successful combat submarine in world history after sinking the Federal steam sloop, USS Housatonic, at the entrance to Charleston Harbor on Feb. 17, 1864. Following the successful attack, the Hunley disappeared and her fate remained unknown for 131 years.
In 1995, the wreck of the Hunley was found four miles off Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. It is in memory of H.L. Hunley and all those who served their country that this traveling exhibit was created and available for all generations to see and know the true valor and courage of those who fought for their beliefs and freedom from tyranny. www.hlhunley.org.
-Bluffton Today
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