Download Sharpshooter February 2016 - Kirby

Kirby-Smith Camp #1209
S o n s o f C o n f e d e r a t e V e t e r a n s
w w w . s c v - k i r b y - s m i t h . o r g
E s t .
1 8 9 6
Sharpshooter
February 2016
152th anniversary of the Battle of Olustee or Ocean Pond
Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park, Florida
February 12-14, 2016
The Kirby-Smith
Camp Lee–Jackson
Birthday Celebration
was a phenomenal
success. The food
again this year was
simply first rate from
Maggiano’s Little Italy. David Chaltas’
performance of Robert E Lee from his
career in the US Army to his death as
president of Washington College was
certainly an honor to
view. After talking to
the membership during the event and the
feedback received
days later, this event
will go down as a win
and great way to
open 2016 Camp activities. The dinner
was a sold out affair,
which honored two of
our greatest Southern
Inside this issue:
Heroes. We have already started preparation for next year’s
Lee Jackson Celebration based on successes of the last two
dinners. We plan to
increase the venue
size and hope to have
twice as many attend.
to go all out in our
exhibits this year. If
you have never attended the reenactment or would like to
hang out in our
camp, we encourage
you to take the time
to come out. Be sure
to wear Confederate
themed attire.
Kirby-Smith is the
official camp representing the SCV at
Olustee and we plan
God Bless,
Commander
Calvin J. Hart
New Members
Joining Camp
C om m a n de r ’ s
C o r n er
1
Reaper Crew
2
Lee-Jackson
2
Olustee Hero
4
Olustee Information
5
Confederate
Calendar
 February 12-14, 2016
Battle of Olustee
Reenactment @
Olustee Battlefield
Historic State Park
 February 20, 2016 Old
City Cemetery work
day @ 8:30am
 March 7, 2016 Camp
Donald Sutpitin—Ancestor Elkanah Cannaday 21st Va. Cavalry
John Grimes — Ancestor John Grimes 54th Tenn. Infantry
#1209 Executive
Board meeting
6:30pm @ Uncle
Davey’s
Page 2
Sharpshooter—
Camp #1209 Newsletter
2 0 1 6 L e e J a c k s o n C e l e b r a t i o n Rev i ew
Kirby-Smith
reaper Crew Cold Work Day
Reaper Crew did an awesome
job on the clean-up Old City
Cemetery on one of the coldest
days of the year. Camp #1209 is
committed to its duties and responsibilities. Come out and
join us on the next work day,
February 20, 2016 at 8:30am .
Sharpshooter February
2016
Page 5
On January 31st, Yankee General Gillmore reported to General
Halleck that his plan was:...First to procure an outlet for cotton,
lumber, timber, &c.; second, to cut off one of the enemy's
sources of commissary supplies; third, to obtain recruits for my
colored regiments; fourth, to inaugurate measures for the speedy
restoration of Florida to her allegiance, in accordance with instructions which I had received from the
President by the hand of Maj. John Hay, assistant adjutant-general. With regard to all of this political
maneuvering, several facts are clear:
1. The idea for the Florida campaign was proposed in a letter from Lincoln to Gillmore, not by the general himself.
2. Lincoln's letter to Gillmore refers only to the restoration of the Union and requests that the attempt be
made quickly.
3. The President bypassed the U.S. Army's chain of command in proposing the campaign.
4. President Lincoln took the highly unusual step of sending one of his secretaries to accompany the
campaign, even commissioning him to the elevated rank of Major.
5. John Hay also communicated verbal instructions to General Gillmore, the nature of which are not
known. Clearly, though, this communication contained information that Lincoln did not want to commit
to paper.
6. These events took place at a time when President Lincoln was was not sure that he would be nominated by his own party for a second term.
Based on these facts, there really can be little doubt that the Olustee Campaign was more political than
military in nature and that it resulted from a plan by Abraham Lincoln to restore Florida to the Union in
time for him to count on the votes of her delegates to his party's convention.
The Battle of Olustee was the direct result of political maneuvering. In this case, more
than 3,000 men in the two armies would be killed or wounded in a failed effort to assure
President Abraham Lincoln a second term in office.
A.J. Mosley, Our Own Hero of the South
There are countless stories of children involved in the cause of South during the War
Between the States. Almost all of them involve normal children or teenage boys who
suddenly were placed in an unusual situation that led to unusual, and sometimes heroic, behavior. The stories most told in this region involve Confederate heroes and their
actions, and the South is blessed with a lot of interesting history in this regard. We
have our own story of a boy hero of the Confederacy right here in Florida and with the
approaching Olustee Battle Festival, the timing is right to remember this boy who quickly became a soldier at age 6. His story is much more pleasant, as he lived a long and
prosperous life following the war. He is A.J. Mosley and his story is recounted from the
pages of an official Civil War Pension application and a Florida Legislative Act document entered into the record on his behalf. Arthur J. Mosley was born in 1858 and died
in 1938 in Columbia County. He was married to Sarah J. Mosley and the couple had two
daughters, Maud Stuart Mosley and Mildred Mary Mosley. The entire family is buried in
City (Oaklawn) Cemetery. Here is A.J. Mosley's remarkable story, as recorded in the
pension application. To paraphrase, the June 12, 1939, pension document researched
and brought to public attention by Lake City historian Mary Jane Weaver, Mosley was
living with his parents on a farm in Hamilton County when Confederate officers stopped
at their home at meal-time on their way to the Battle of Olustee. The officers held a caucus in the Mosley's yard as there was an important message that had to get through to
General Colquit. They were afraid to send the message by man for fear it would be intercepted by a Union patrol. One of the soldiers who knew A.J. Mosley well suggested that
he be sent, as he knew the country and location through which he would have to travel,
having gone over this territory often on horseback. Reluctant at first, his parents had
four sons serving for the Confederacy, believed in the cause and agreed to send him as
a courier. The message was sewed into his jacket and he was placed on a horse and
told by his parents that he must fight for his four brothers serving for the Confederacy
by carrying the message as he was told. He encountered a Yankee scout and outran the
soldier to keep from being searched. The soldier abandoned the chase when he saw it
was a young boy. Mosley continued on his way, talking with Confederate soldiers to find
the location of General Colquit. When he found the general's headquarters, the officers
ripped open his jacket, read the message and passed it along to other officers and the
command was given to "forward march.” According to the account, Mosley was feeling
like a "grand general" when the officers picked him up and kissed him, tossing him
about as a little boy and embarrassing him. His actions that day gave the 6-year-old boy
credit for active service during the war, but he never applied for his soldier's pension.
After his death in 1938, his widow petitioned the Legislature for his pension. It's just another fascinating chapter in the history of the Battle of Olustee.
Executive Board meeting March 7
@ 6:30 at Uncle Davey Americana
Your Input is Welcomed and Needed
Kirby-Smith Camp #1209 Camp Meeting will be
The 152nd Anniversary
&
40th Annual Reenactment
Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park, Florida
February 12, 13 & 14, 2016
Saturday: Demonstration Battle - 3:30 P.M.
Sunday: Olustee Battle Reenactment - 1:30 P.M.
Activities daily from 8:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Camp Members are encourage to come to the reenactment and spend time at the Camp exhibit and Confederate Camp located in the main exhibit area. Look for the camp’s Confederate Observation balloon located at camp.
Casualties at
Olustee
The casualties at Olustee were staggering compared to the numbers that fought there. Each
side had about 5,000 men present. Union casualties were 203 killed, 1,152 wounded, and 506
missing, a total of 1,861. Confederate losses were 93 killed, 847 wounded, and
6 missing, a total of 946. This works out to about 34 percent for the Federals
and a little less than 19 percent for the Confederates. The 47th New York had
313 casualties and the 8th U.S.C.T. had 310. Among the Confederate units,
the 32nd Georgia lost 164 men and Bonaud's Battalion 107. For the North,
the casualty percentage was among the highest of the war, and Olustee
ranks as the second bloodiest for the Union when comparing the casualties
to the number on men engaged (265 casualties per 1,000 troops). Letters and
diaries from the men involved indicate that the battle was the equal of, if not
worse than, the savage fighting a number of the veteran regiments had experienced in the campaigns in Virginia or the Western theater.
KIRBY-SMITH CAMP #1209
SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS
4884 VICTORIA CHASE COURT
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. 32257
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
To:
If **** is listed at the end of your name on address label, your Membership is not current in the Sons of
Confederate Veterans
February 12– 14 2016
151th Anniversary of the battle of Olustee
“ T h i s w i l l b e t h e l a r g e s t r e e n a c t m e n t i n F l o r i d a t h i s ye a r ”
Camp #1209 is putting maximum effort in to
supporting the 152nd Anniversary of the Battle of
Olustee. Camp #1209 camp site will be located
near the front entrance of sutler row. Camp members will be there all weekend, and will be available
to assist any members looking to make purchases
of reenacting gear at sutler’s tents. If you would like
to camp out at Olustee we will make room for you
around the camp fire in our camp. Come out and
support the Largest Confederate Victory in Florida.