Lincoln-Cushing Camp No.

2, Sons

of the

Union Veterans

of the

Civil War

The News Walker

Volume 16, Number 4

Winter Edition 2014

National Encampment Round-Up

Brother Tad Campbell elected new C-in-C

Brother Gene Mortorff is Senior Vice C-in-C
By Brother Lee Stone, PDC

The 133d National Encampment of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War took place at the Hilton Atlanta
Marietta, in Marietta GA, from 14 through 17 August 2014. The Auxiliary to the SUVCW and the Ladies of the Grand
Army of the Republic met at the same place and time.
After transaction of the usual business
at the meetings Friday and Saturday, the
Sons elected Tad Campbell, previously
Senior Vice Commander-in-Chief, to
the position of Commander-in-Chief,
SUVCW. The Brothers of the Order are
grateful to Past Commander-in-Chief,
Ken L Freshley, for his leadership during his year in office. Our own Eugene
Mortorff, previously Junior Vice Commander-in-Chief, was elected Senior
Vice C-in-C, and in the only contested
election of the Encampment, Brother
Don Martin of the Department of Ohio
defeated Brother Bob Petrovic of the
Department of Missouri for Junior
Vice C-in-C. Both candidates have impressive credentials serving the Order,
organizational and leadership ability.

National Officers are sworn in at the National Encampment

Brother Brad Quinlan, PCC, of the host Department, led fascinating and instructive
tours of the Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield on Sunday. It was part of General William
T. Shermans ultimately successful campaign to capture Atlanta in summer 1864. Some
attendees visited other sites important to the Atlanta campaign, and a few went as far as
the Andersonville National Historic Site, where tens of thousands of Union prisoners
were held in 1864 and early 1865. Nearly 13,000 Union prisoners died at Andersonville.
The former prison cemetery is now a National Cemetery.
(Continued on Page 9)

alendar

for

DATE EVENT

6 December

Lincoln-Cushing Camp Meeting

the

ear

TIME

11:30 am

2014
LOCATION

Dubliner Restaurant, Capitol Hill, DC

Pl e as e m ark t his d ate on your c a l en d ar

Inside This Issue

2 Commanders Message
3 September Meeting
Highlights
4 Camps Unite to Honor
General James McPherson
5 A SUVCW Brother
6 New Book Divided We Fall
9 Photos from the 133rd
National Encampment

T he News Walker

Page 2

Our Civil War Ancestors

by Commander Richard Griffin

Brothers, as many of you know, Ive been collecting data on the Civil War ancestors of members of Lincoln-Cushing
Camp. So far, twenty-nine of you have provided information on your ancestors. The project is by no means finished, but
some very interesting facts have emerged. First, most of our ancestors were members of infantry regiments, while a few
jined the cavalry, a few were more either field artillery or heavy artillery, while three were in the Navy. The vast majority
served as private soldiers.
FROM THE COMMANDER

Richard Griffin

39th Commander, Richard Griffin

Our ancestors served in the following infantry regiments

CT
IA
IL
IN
MA
ME
MO
NH
NY
PA
OH
WI
WV
REG
USCT

The cavalrymen served in the following regiments.

CO 2nd

KS 9th

IA 1st, 4th

KS 9th
KY 6th
MA 2nd
NY 26th
OH 8th
VA Loudoun Rangers

29th (Colored)
8th, 45th, 15th, 25th, 30th, 34th, 45th
30th, 50th, 65th
29th, 34th, 50th (also 52nd)
8th, 9th, 12th
6th, 19th
11th
8th
80th (AKA 20th NYSM), 111th, 112th, 179th
32nd, 107th, 151st, 140th, 207th
1st, 3rd, 44th, 122nd, 126th, 182nd
16th, 37th, 42nd
10th
12th
45th
The artillerists served in the following field artillery and
heavy artillery regiments and batteries.
MA
NY
OH

12th Heavy Artillery

6th NY Independent Battery (Horse Artillery)
18th Independent Battery

Three of our ancestors served in the U. S. Navy.

One transferred from the army, having convinced
his officers that he had been a seaman for five
years before the war. One of the three was a Captain, the highest rank reported (so far) of all of our
ancestors. He commanded the USS North Carolina, which served as a receiving ship for new recruits. The ranks of the other two Navy men were
2nd Gunner and Landsman. (Continued on Page 8)
C amp Website : w w w.l i ncol nc ush i ng .org

T he News Walker

Page 3

September meeting is highlighted by the induction of new

brother and a memorial service
for two departed brothers

Next camp meeting, 6 December, 11:30 am, Dubliner

Brother Steve Wallace is inducted by Commander Griffin

On 13 September we gathered at the Dubliner restaurant for our fall

camp meeting. The meeting was highlighted by the induction of new
brother Steve Wallace and a farewell to two brothers who passed away
during the summer.

Lincoln-Cushing Camp No. 2 said goodbye to Brothers Clyde Hayner, Sr. and Donald Ray Bean by performing the traditional SUVCW Memorial Service for departed brothers. Brother Hayner passed away on 3 July, 2014 at the age of 75. He
was a Life Member (#250) of SUVCW, a Past Camp Commander of Lincoln-Cushing Camp, serving in 1993, and remained
an L-C Camp member when he moved to his home state of Tennessee. He was also a Past Department Commander, Department of Maryland (now Department of the Chesapeake), in 1994. Long-time Brother Donald Ray Bean passed away
on 1 August following a massive stroke. Brother Bean joined the Lincoln-Cushing Camp in February of 1995 as a descendant of Nicholas Turner Jones who enlisted as a Private in Co. B, 3rd Tennessee Mounted Infantry.
New brother Steve Wallace was inducted into Lincoln-Cushing Camp at the meeting. Brother Wallaces 3d great grandfather, Andrew Reeder, was mustered in 23 Aug 1864 as a Private into Company C of the 207th Pennsylvania Infantry.
He was discharged 13 May 1865 at the conclusion of the war. Welcome to Brother Wallace!
The meeting also featured an outstanding presentation by Dr. Juanita Patience Moss. Dr. Moss spoke
about her research that led to the discovery of over
2.500 black soldiers that served in white regiments
during the Civil War. Dr. Moss, who has written two
books on these previously forgotten soldiers, signed
copies of her latest book following the meeting.
The next camp meeting will take place on Saturday,
6 December, 11:30 am at the Dubliner Restaurant in
Washington, DC. This is our election meeting where
2015 officers will be selected. Please make every
effort to attend. See the reservation form, with
lunch selections, on the last page of this newsletter.

The Dubliner Restaurant

Juanita Patience Moss addresses the camp

is located at 4 F Street, NW right off of North Capital Street and is

connected to the Phoenix Park Hotel which sits on the corner of North Capitol and F Street. The Dubliner is located
about one block from Union Station and the Union Station Metro stop. On a Saturday morning there should be plenty of on-street parking (meter). There is also a Senate parking lot across the street that is usually open on weekends
where parking is free. Although you should not need it, there is also a paid parking garage at Union Station.

C amp Website : w w w.l i ncol nc ush i ng .org

T he News Walker

Page 4

Lincoln-Cushing Camp joins James A. Garfield Camp

to honor General James McPherson
By Brother Tim McCoy, James A. Garfield Camp No.1

Brothers from James A. Garfield Camp 1, Lincoln-Cushing Camp 2 and DC (Mid-Atlantic) Commandery MOLLUS
teamed up on July 22 to honor Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson on the 150th anniversary of his battlefield death during
the Atlanta Campaign.
Joining in the ceremony, which was
held at McPhersons equestrian statue
in Washington, D.C., were Department Commander Robert D. Pollock
(also Commander, DC Commandery
MOLLUS), Camp Commanders W.
Faron Taylor and Richard Griffin, as
well as Kym Elder, manager of the National Park Service Civil War Defenses
of Washington program.
L-C Brother John Higgins, Jr; L-C Commander Richard Griffin; Department Commander Robert Pollock;
Garfield Commander W. Faron Taylor; Douglas Ullman, Civil War Trust; Kym Elder, National Park Service.

The Civil War Trusts Douglas Ullman, Jr., delivered keynote remarks and spoke
of the exceptionally high regard in which Gen. McPherson was held by both
Union and Confederate military leaders.
A memorial wreath, bearing the inscription Your Sacrifice is Not Forgotten,
was placed at the base of McPhersons statue. Musical selections appropriate for
the solemn occasion were performed by a bagpiper, and a bugler from the U.S.
Army Band Pershings Own played Taps after the wreath was placed. The ceremony was spearheaded by Garfield Camp Brother Tim McCoy and attended
by about 40 people.
Garfield Brother Tim McCoy places the wreath.

A journalists account can be viewed at http://shfwire.com/node/9279

C amp Website : w w w.l i ncol nc ush i ng .org

T he News Walker

Page 5

A SUVCW Brother: A Yesteryear Memory

By Brother Donald Bishop

One summer nearly a half century ago, in Fanwood, New Jersey, my friend
Brent Caldwell and I were outdoors, running across a neighbors yard.
We hadnt noticed that there was an old man in a rocking chair on the porch
of the house, and we were surprised when he called us over. He introduced
himself as Percy Durrell.
I see you boys are playing cowboys
and Indians, he said. I grew up out
West, and I spent a few years as a
captive by the Indians until the U.S.
Cavalry came and rescued us. Well,
he had our full attention, and we sat
down on the porch to hear his stories.
Captive boys, we learned, were kept in
the villages gathering fuel and helping
the women of the tribe.
His stories continued. After he was
rescued and returned to his family,
Buffalo Bill came to town. He talked
his way into meeting Annie Oakley,
and he pulled from his wallet a wellworn pass to the Wild West Show,
allowing free admission to Percy
Durrell and Gang. He laughed as he
told us that the two extra words, and
Gang, allowed him to bring all his
friends to the performances.

Betsy Ross flag and the Fort McHenry

flag. The Confederate banners, the
Pine Tree, Dont tread on me we
knew them. The Texas flag at the
Alamo? Wed seen the Disney film,
Davy Crockett, on the big screen.
Our new senior citizen friend was
pleased that two boys knew their
American history, but he reached
once more into the bundle of flags.
Heres one I dont think youll recognize, he said. He pulled out a flag
made of faded maroon upholstery
fabric. The edges were not hemmed.
Brent and I were stumped.

This was the time when Gail Davis was playing Annie Oakley in a
television series in glorious black
and white, but here Brent and I were
sitting with a man who knew the real
sharpshooter, whose signature was on
the pass!
We learned that Mr. Durrell had
rushed to the colors in the SpanishAmerican War. He excused himself
for a minute, and he returned to the
porch with a handful of American
flags.
Brent and I had paid attention in history class, and so we recognized the

He explained
that this was the flag used by the
patriots at the battle of Utah Springs
during the Revolution. I was a little
confused. Utah was too far west to
have been one of the thirteen original
colonies. Was Utah in the Revolution? He was talking about the Battle
of E-u-t-a-w Springs, we learned.
C amp Website : w w w.l i ncol nc ush i ng .org

He told us that during the fighting

in South Carolina, Colonel William
Washingtons dragoons had no flag.
A woman admirer cut some silk from
a chair backing (or, in another account, from a damask curtain), and
this became their standard at the
1781 battles of Cowpens and Eutaw
Springs. Percy had seen the original
flag, and when he found an old sofa
whose fabric matched the color of
the Eutaw Flags, he cut it out to show
young patriots like ourselves.
Yes, boys, he said. Not many
Americans recognize this flag. Ive
found that only graduates of The
Citadel, the Military College of South
Carolina, know it. Now you do, too.
When I returned home after listening to Mr. Durrell, my father was
angry that an old coot was telling tall
tales to gullible young people. Indian
captive? A pal of Annie Oakley? He
stormed out of the house to give the
old fellow a piece of his mind not to
be spinning stories to boys. A little
later, he returned to our house, chastened. He told my mother, he really
did do those things.
The wonders of the internet now
allow us to sketch out the lives of
forbears, relatives, and acquaintances.
Heres what I now know of the old
man on the porch with the flags. He
died a few years after Brent and I met
him.
Percy Brooks Durrell (1881-1958)
was born in Chicago. During the War
with Spain, he was a corporal in the
3rd Missouri Volunteer Infantry. The
regiment was deployed to Virginia
and Pennsylvania, but did not serve
overseas. (Continued on Page 7)

T he News Walker

Page 6

Brother Calvin Zon, PCC releases new book

Divided We Fall: The Confederacys Collapse
From Within
Camp Commander Richard N.
Griffin, author of Three Years a Soldier, writes, Zon demonstrates that
active and passive resistance to government authority was widespread,
even within the Confederate capital.
Resistance ranged the gamut from
disgruntled soldiers, dirt farmers
who were upset that wealthy slaveholders got special treatment, opponents to slavery, and loyal Unionists.
Some opponents organized guerrilla
bands that fought Confederate
forces, and some provided
crucial intelligence to Union
authorities. Divided We Fall
provides many insights
into the many faceted
resistance to Confederate
authority and the role it
played in its ultimate collapse. It would be a welcome addition to any Civil
War library.

Brother and past camp commander, Calvin Goddard Zon, has

released his second book--Divided
We Fall: The Confederacys Collapse
From Within. Much has been written about Northern opposition to
the war--the Copperheads, the New
York draft riot, the McClellan peace
candidacy. But Zon makes the case
that active opposition to the war
was greater in the South than in
the North and that Southern
dissent played a major
role in the Confederacys
defeat.
Writes Winston Groom,
author of Forrest
Gump, Shiloh 1862,
Vicksburg 1863, and
Shrouds of Glory:
From Atlanta to
Nashville, Calvin Zon
has made a substantial
contribution to Civil War history by relating the discontent and
outright resistance in some cases by Southerners who dissented with the Souths decision to secede
from the Union in 1861.

The 104-page book, with 20 illustrations, is available as an e-book and

in paperback from Amazon.com using
this link: http://tinyurl.com/pn46thz

2014 Officers and Appointments | Lincoln-Cushing Camp Camp No. 2

Commander: Richard Griffin
hoplite@earthlink.com

Patriotic Instructor: Donald Bishop

donbishop99@yahoo.com

Senior Vice Commander: Brin Lewis

blewis@thrivevents.com

Camp Chaplain: John E. Higgins, Jr.

higgins@cua.edu

Junior Vice Commander: David J. Stringfellow

david.j.stringfellow@gmail.com

Members of the Camp Council:

Secretary and Treasurer: Lee Stone, PDC

stoneld@aol.com

Calvin Zon, PCC

Fr. Charles Nalls, PCC
Charles Ben Hawley, PCC

C amp Website : w w w.l i ncol nc ush i ng .org

T he News Walker

Page 7

An SUVCW Brother: A Yesteryear Memory (Continued from Page 5)

After the war, he continued in the
National Guard in Ohio and Illinois,
and he was commissioned a Second
Lieutenant in the Ohio Guard in 1908.
He was rated Marksman.

I think of Percy Durrell when I think

of how memories from childhood can
stay with a man.
My neighborhood playmate and high
school classmate Brent went on to attend the Citadel. He and I were at different colleges, but we were both Air
Force ROTC cadets, and we served in
Vietnam he at Pleiku and I at Phu
Cat the same year.
After our conversation on the porch, I
always remembered the Battle of Eutaw Springs. I thought of Mr. Durrell
in high school when I first read the
poem by Philip Freneau (1752-1832),
To the Memory of the Brave Americans, portraying that battle.

He and his wife Fannie lived in many

places Michigan, Maryland, and
West Virginia among them. They
moved to New Jersey in 1928, and
in 1946 he retired from the Socony
Vacuum Company, one of the oil
companies that now comprise Exxon
Mobil. The signs at its filling stations
featured the red flying Pegasus.
In 1942, he had registered for Selective Service in the fourth, Old Mans,
registration, intended to survey the
industrial capacity and skills of men
born between 1877 and 1897. He
thus became a member of Uncle
Sams 1-2-3 Boys, Spanish war veterans who volunteered for the First and
Second World Wars too.
A Mason for 54 years, he also found
time to be a Boy Scout commissioner
in Virginia and Kentucky.
And he was also a member of the
Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil
War. Alas, theres no comprehensive
archive of past members. It seems
likely he may have been a Real Son.

At Eutaw Springs the valiant died:

Their limbs with dust are covered oer
Weep on, ye springs, your tearful tide;
How many heroes are no more!
Freneau structured the poem around
opposite motions. As the British retreated, they unleashed a volley of fire
on the advancing American cavalry,
the brave Americans. In Freneaus
telling:
They saw their injured countrys woe;
The flaming town, the wasted field;
Then rushd to meet the insulting foe;
They took the spear but left the shield.
Led by thy conquering genius, Greene,
The Britons they compelld to fly;
None distant viewd the fatal plain
None grieved, in such a cause to die.

American Embassy in Nigeria the

day after the airliner attacks in New
York. I recalled Freneau and Percy
Durrell and I thought of opposite
motions. While office workers at the
World Trade Center walked down
the stairs, firemen walked up to fight
the flames on the 92nd floor. And in
another opposite motion, the building
fell, taking those brave Americans to
their deaths. In my own comments to
the gathered American community, I
drew on Freneaus image.
From time to time I have attended
promotion ceremonies for members
of our armed forces. When it comes
time for the line of friends and colleagues to offer congratulations, I
hold out my hand and say
I once shook the hand of a veteran of
the Spanish-American War, so today
you are only two handshakes away
from that time. My grandfather had
shaken the hands of many Civil War
veterans, so now youre only three
handshakes from the Union Army.
Hold on to their spirit.
At his inaugural address in 1861,
President Lincoln spoke of how
mystic chords of memory,
stretching from every battlefield
and patriot grave to every living heart
and hearthstone all over this broad land,
will yet swell the chorus of the Union.

But, like the Parthian, famed of old,

Who, flying, still their arrows threw;
These routed Britons, full as bold,
Retreated, and retreating slew.

These grand sentiments touch the

heavens, but they pass from generation to generation in ways quite
humble like boys sitting on a porch
to hear from an old man, proud to be
a Son of a Union Veteran of the Civil
War, a member of our order.

Fast forward to September 12, 2001,

to the memorial service held by the

Hold on to our forebears spirit, and tell

their stories to the young.

C amp Website : w w w.l i ncol nc ush i ng .org

T he News Walker

Page 8

Our Civil War Ancestors (Continued from Page 2)

Casualties are summarized in the following table.

Wounded in Action
Mortally Wounded
Killed in Action
Prisoners of War
Died in Prison Camps

Shiloh (1), Port Hudson (1), Wildcat Mountains, KY (1), Fredericksburg (1)
Spotsylvania Courthouse (2), Mount Zion Church (1)
Corinth (1), Vicksburg (1), 3rd Winchester (1)
(returned to regiment) Sabine Cross Roads
Cahaba Camp AL (1), Andersonville GA (1)

As I mentioned at the beginning of this message, the project is not finished. If you havent submitted your ancestors information to me, please do so. Who knows what other stories may be discovered! Eventually, we plan to post a spreadsheet on
our website, with all the data that has been submitted. It is envisaged that the spreadsheet will allow readers to search and
sort the information contained therein.
Brothers, I have been honored to serve as your 39th Commander. Thank you for your support and participation in the life
of Lincoln-Cushing Camp.

Next Camp M eeting

OF THE LINCOLN-CUSHING CAMP NO. 2
Our next Lincoln-Cushing Camp meeting will be held at 11:30 am on 6 December,
at the Dubliner Restaurant on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC (4 F Street, NW, just off Mass. Ave and
North Capitol NW). All members of the Camp, Auxiliary, and their guests are welcome.
Attire: Business or SVR Uniform

Cost for the meal is $28 per person.

Checks should be made out to Lincoln-Cushing, Camp 2 and sent to
Secretary/Treasurer Lee Stone, PDC at the following address:

Lee Stone, PDC

536 Wordsworth Circle
Purcellville, VA 20132

Please mail your check in time to arrive by 28 November so that an

accurate count can be given to the establishment. If you cant get your
check in by 28 November, please call Brother Lee at 540-338-5831 or
571-217-0160 and let him know that you plan to attend and
bring your check with you. Please see the back page for the
reservation form and menu selections.

RSVP by 28 November.

Hope to see you there!

C amp Website : w w w.l i ncol nc ush i ng .org

T he News Walker

Page 9

Brothers Cambell and Mortorff elected (Continued from Page 1)

Though the Department of Georgia/
South Carolina is a relatively new department, the Brothers created a most
impressive Encampment, including an
actual campfire at the Campfire ceremony Friday evening, in defiance of
the Georgia heat. Those who did not

attend missed a great opportunity to

learn how the Order operates, and to
engage in camaraderie with Brothers
from across the USA.
Make plans now to attend next years
National Encampment, to be held

in Richmond, VA, here in our own

Department of the Chesapeake.
If all goes as expected, our own
Brother Gene Mortorff will be
requesting our votes to elect him
to be Commander-in-Chief.

133rd National
Encampment
Marietta, Georgia

C amp Website : w w w.l i ncol nc ush i ng .org

SONS OF UNION VETERANS

OF THE CIVIL WAR
Brin Lewis, Editor

3504 Wilson Street

City of Fairfax, VA 22030-2936
Return Service Requested

Lincoln-Cushing Camp No. 2

DEPARTMENT OF THE CHESAPEAKE

STATEMENT OF PUBLICATION: THI S NEWSLETTER IS THE OFFICIAL HOUSE ORGAN OF THE LINCOLN-CUSHING CAMP NO. 2 , DEPARTMENT OF THE CHESAPEAKE, SONS OF UNION VETERANS OF THE
CIVIL WAR. Published in the City of Washington, DC, United States of America. News Walker (c) 2014 to the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. All Rights Reserved. Brin Lewis, Editor. News Walker is distributed via Post and email to
SUVCW members and friends. SUVCW, its officers or members accept no responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or quality of any material forwarded to and published in the News Walker or any referrals or links to the content. There is no
intent to use any verifiable copyright protected material. We accept no responsibility for any loss or damage suffered by any person relying directly or indirectly on any information from the News Walker. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute,
publish, enter into a database, display, perform, modify, create derivative works, transmit, or in any way exploit any part of The News Walker, except for your own personal use.

December Quarterly Camp Meeting

Lincoln-Cushing Camp No. 2

Luncheon meeting to be held at
the Dubliner Restaurant

Date:

6 December, 2014

R E S E R VA T I O N F O R M
Yes, I, _______________________________will be attending the meeting
and am bringing _________________________________ as my guest, and
____________________________ as a potential candidate for membership.
Enclosed is my check for $____________ ($28.00/ per person).

RSVP: 28 November, 2014

My entree choice:

Chicken Pot Pie

Guinness Burger

Fish & Chips

Time:

Lunch: 12:30 pm

My guests choice:

Chicken Pot Pie

Guinness Burger

Fish & Chips

11:30 am (Social Hour)

Location: Dubliner Restaurant

4 F Street, NW

Capitol Hill, Washington, DC

Lunch Selections:
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Guinness Burger
- Fish and Chips

Attire: Business or SVR Uniform

Cost: $28 per person (Cash Bar)

No, I, _________________________________ regret that I will not be able

to attend, however, enclosed is a donation to our Camps charitable
works for $___________.
Please detach and mail to:

Mr. Lee D. Stone, PDC
536 Wordsworth Circle
Purcellville, VA 20132

RSVP
by
28
N o v.

You do not need to buy a dinner to participate in the meeting.