Download April

Vol. 5 No. 4
The Newsletter of Colonel Edward D. Baker Camp No. 6
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
www.suvoregon.org
April 2010
Winners of the 2009 Oregon Heritage Excellence Award
Oregon City Cemetery
Good Men Doing Good Work
The first clean-up work party at Mountain View Cemetery was sparsely attended but progress was made nonetheless. Only three of our members were able to attend
the event held last Saturday
but they managed to clean-up
the headstones of seven Civil
War veterans on what Doug
Sebranek termed “perfect
weather for cemetery work.”
Temperatures were in the low
60’s and not a cloud in the
sky. Joining Doug were Baker
Camp stalwarts Tony Pasillas
and Ben Worden. Doug estimates that there are another
20 or so military markers in
the old cemetery section that
need cleaning. We need at
least one more work party
but we need more helping
hands. If there is a better Saturday to meet, please let
Camp Commander Randy
Fletcher know your thoughts
on the subject.
There are 93 known Union
Civil War veterans buried in
Mountain View and one Confederate veteran. Pictured are
before and after photos of
the headstone of Pvt. Evan Weir who served in Company D of the 45th Missouri Infantry. The white stone
turns black due to a type of lichen that can be killed and
removed using cleaning techniques researched and perfected by the Baker Camp over the past five years. We
have cleaned over two hundred military markers in historic Oregon cemeteries.
Annual Report Due to National
Membership Renewals Lagging
By the end of this month we must file our annual membership report and pay our dues to National HQ. As of
press time, approximately 1/4th of our members have
not paid their dues. It would be a shame, after all we
have accomplished, for the Baker Camp to suffer a major loss of membership. Please get your dues in to treasurer Doug Sebranek at the address below. Much of your
money stays in Oregon and all of it is put to good use in
remembering and honoring the men and women who
stepped up and served America during our greatest crisis
and bloodiest war. We recognize that times are hard and
if you need to make payments, we will accommodate
you. Please give this matter your urgent attention. Better
yet, reenlist and recruit a new member for 2010!
Time to Reenlist Boys!
It’s the first of the year and that means
it is time to kick in for 2010. Dues are
$30 for the Sons of Union Veterans of
the Civil War and $3 for the Sons of
Veterans Reserve. Make your checks
payable to the Col. Baker Camp, SUVCW
and send them to:
Secretary-Treasurer Doug Sebranek
821 12th Street
Lafayette, OR 97127
Deadline for payment has been extend to
April 15th.
The Union Volunteer
Editor Randy Fletcher: [email protected]
PAGE 2
Eugene, Oregon USA
Pvt. Norman Pierce, 1842-1904, was just 18 when he
fought at 1st Bull Run with
Company A of the 1st Connecticut Infantry. After the
Civil War, Pierce joined the
Regular Army where he
served for nine years rising to
the rank of captain in the
14th US Infantry. Retiring to
the Northwest, Pierce was a
member of Portland GAR
Post 1 and served as Department Commander for Oregon. He is buried in the GAR Cemetery in Portland.
May 25th: Monday, Memorial Day.
June 5th: Saturday, Lebanon Strawberry Festival Parade
and Last Soldier Ceremony.
July 4th: Sunday, Root Beer Social at Civil War reenactment, Willamette Mission State Park.
July 24th or 25th: Dayton Old Timers Weekend. Living
history at Civil War era blockhouse.
August 14th: Saturday, 10:00 AM—2:00 PM. Work
party to set headstones in Independence.
OWN A PIECE OF HISTORY!
Are there events you would like to see the Baker
Camp participate in? Please send your suggestions
to Randy Fletcher [email protected]
Scale model of the new Civil War statue that stands guard in the
Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery in Portland, Oregon
The statue was commissioned by the
Colonel Edward D. Baker Camp of the
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil
War and created by noted Portland
artist Jason Pope. The new statue
replaces the original which was
purchased by Portland’s Civil War
veterans in 1901 and stolen in 1967.
This limited edition figurine, standing
nearly nine inches tall, is cast of hard
resin and comes with a certificate of
authenticity signed by the artist.
The figure depicts a Union infantry
soldier at parade rest. The details are
exquisite: He wears a great coat and
forage cap, trousers and brogans. On
his belt are a bayonet, cap pouch, and
cartridge box. He is armed with an
1861 model Springfield rifled musket.
Sales proceeds will support the
renovation of Civil War veteran’s graves in Oregon.
Send check or money order for $35 plus $5
shipping and handling ($40 total) to:
BAKER CAMP SUVCW
c/o 821 12th Street
Lafayette, OR 97127
2010 Event Schedule
November 13th: Saturday, 5th Annual Oregon Remembrance Day Ceremony commemorating the Gettysburg
Address. Time and location to be determined.
December: Baker Camp Banquet.
Thanks for the good wishes …
I am pleased to report that my son Andrew and I have made it to
our new home in Winchester, Virginia safe and sound. We drove
2800 miles in five days and except for being delayed by a Wyoming snow storm had an uneventful trip. We have already visited
some of the numerous Civil War sites in the area and there are too
many of them to mention here. Virginia is green and beautiful and
not dissimilar to Oregon. The rest of the family will join us this
summer and we are excited to live in and explore a great part of
America.
I have started my new job with FEMA and we are providing assistance to people whose homes were damaged in the recent East
Coast floods. I am not afraid to admit that I got a little choked up
when I was sworn in as a government official.
Many of you sent notes to us wishing us well on our journey and I
was deeply moved by your words. I am sincere that you are all welcome at my table any time you can visit this area.
Your in fraternity, charity, and loyalty
Randy Fletcher
Camp Commander
Just
7
left!
The Union Volunteer
PAGE 3
~Ancestor Profile~
1st Sergeant Charles H. White
Looking back
By Phil Signor
Charlie White answered the call for volunteers and
enlisted as a private in Company K of the 118th N.Y.
Infantry, the “Adirondack Regiment”. He mustered into service
on August 11, 1862 at Black
Brook, New York. Over the next
two years, he was promoted to
corporal, sergeant and then to
first sergeant of his company.
Much of the Adirondack Regiment’s early service was garrison
duty at various points around
Chesapeake Bay. The regiment’s 1st Sgt Charles White
deployment changed in the
1832-1864
spring of 1864 when General
Benjamin Butler was ordered to move against Richmond. In May the Army of the James, including the
118th New York, travelled up the James River by boat
and landed south of Richmond. Fighting a series of minor actions, the force moved to within five miles of
Richmond and then dug in. Over a period of ten days,
Butler failed to improve his position or to move against
the Confederate capital. Richmond was lightly guarded,
but Butler feared there was a large Confederate force
under the command of General Beauregard. Butler’s
inaction provided Beauregard precious time to obtain
troops and material to fend off the federal attack.
On Monday the 16th of May 1864, the Confederates
charged through the fog, engaged and broke the Union
line. The Adirondack Regiment was simultaneously engaged from the front, flank, and rear as the Rebels
rolled up the Union line. Sgt. White was wounded and
captured as his comrades broke and fled. Charles Henry
White died a prisoner of war in Richmond on June 1,
1864.
Throughout his service, Charles wrote home regularly
to his younger sister Sarah (later to become the wife of
my great grandfather James Signor). His letters – more
than one hundred - reveal a vibrant, energetic young
man with a sense of humor who loved his country and
his family. He didn’t care too much for “soldering” and
he looked forward to the war’s end but he wanted to
get the job done first. He was committed to preserving
the Union and ending slavery. His sacrifice will never
be forgotten.
An unidentified Union infantry regiment stands at
attention with fixed bayonets at morning parade
during the Civil War.
Above is an actual advertisement from a Civil War
era magazine. It is a vivid reminder of the sacrifice
made by our servicemen and women then and now.
Our wounded warriors deserve the finest care available.
The Union Volunteer
PAGE 4
April 1, 1865
Florida Governor Commits Suicide
Worn down by the stresses of his office, Florida Governor John Milton commits suicide at his plantation,
Sylvania. Milton was a capable governor who valiantly defended his
state and supplied provisions to the
Confederacy, but by the end of the
war much of Florida was occupied
by Union forces and the state's finances were depleted. Just before his
death, Milton addressed the Florida
legislature and said that Yankees
"have developed a character so odi- Gov. John Milton
ous that death would be preferable was an ardent seto reunion with them." Milton was cessionist.
57 when he put a pistol to his head. From This Day In
History at History.com
Baker Camp Provides Headstone
Restoration Info to Texas SUVCW
This is GAR Monument at Fairview Cemetery in Denison, Texas
is the only GAR Monument in North Texas. General J.J. Byrne
Camp of the SUVCW is restoring this
monument and will utilize restoration
techniques researched by the Baker
Camp. The Byrne Camp obtained estimates from commercial restoration companies that bid $100 to clean each of the
six Union headstones that are buried adjacent to the monument. They posted a request for funds on the SUVCW blog on
the website LinkedIn. Randy Fletcher saw
the posting and contacted Byrne Camp
Commander Hal Hughes with information
how the Baker Camp has safely cleaned
hundreds of marble VA headstones for Union Monument in
just a few dollars each. SUVCW brotherDenison, Texas
hood at work.
Original art and text by Baker Camp brother Dave Patience of Portland