Battalion Drill off, company on
The Battalion Spring Drill has been cancelled and the Company Drill will be the weekend of April 4th-5th in California, MO at Mike White’s Place. .

New Messenger Editor
If you want anything put in the messenger, contact Joe Hafley at csa5mojh@hotmail.com or by calling 573-859-6948.

January Meeting Report
 (NOTE This is the wrong information note the date)
The annual January Meeting was held in California, Mo at the Masonic lodge on Jan 11, 2002 at 1 pm. The new elected board members are
President - Steve Fink.
Vice President - Mike White
Secretary/ Treasure - Larry Dietzel

Like to take the time to say a special thanks to those members of the 5th who showed up. Thanks to Mike Cauthen who came all the way down from Wisconsin for spring break bringing his father and sister along. I enjoyed very much speaking with Mr. Cauthen. Big thanks goes out to David Abernathy and Stacy Aoran for attending also and educating me about the Confederate cemetery at Higgensville. David said there are many members of the 5th and 3rd Mo INF CSA buried there. That's why I think this flag issue is so important. Dave also spent a huge amount of time in 2 days making a reproduction flag that represented the 5th's battle flag. David Boone also showed up from K.C. with his SCV chapter. Many Kudos goes out to the above members for there camaraderie and devotion to a noble cause! The rally went off without a hitch and the Col. Tribune estimated about 100 people attended the rally. It was conducted peacefully without any ant protestors. The TV. news and the papers reported it in a positive light. Petitions where signed to replace the flags and Gene Dresel said over 3000 signatures have been attain. I asked for a petition form from Gene and have over 42 signatures (1 full Page) from the people I work with at the post office in 2 days. I myself am far from getting signatures at this time. If you are interested in getting a petition I am sure Gene could send you one on line. I do not have a scanner yet or I would send you all one out. The overall friendship was staggering from everyone there, even the people you didn't know were super nice! Well got to go and thanks again for those who showed up and sacrificed a Saturday for the cause.

Submitted by: 2nd sgt.Clint Crane

Confederate Flag

My grandmother had in her possession a old photograph of her grandfather, his second wife and infant son, and her mother. They were sitting on their front porch posing for the traveling photographer. What they didn't know until it had already been taken was that there was another person in the group.

His name was William, but he was called 'Willy". He was a young boy about nine years in age. What was special about him was he was one of their servants, black servants. It seems he was a descendant of one of the family's former slaves who had stayed with them upon the close of the Civil War. In fact his grandmother had taken care of my great-grandmother's mother, to the end of her death of TB. Willy had simply stepped in where he could get his picture taken "with the rest of the family", as he still felt that was part of his home as well.

My grandmother held the photo in high regard, due to the fact the man seated with his children around him was a former Artillery Srqt. in the Northern Army of Virginia. However, few other than family saw it because she "didn't want anyone to think of her badly." That should of never happened. She was born into a family that had southern backgrounds as we are born into whatever families we happen to be born into. You can not change that fact, as you can not change history.

drudge it up. The photo I described made me do some thinking and some researching. To my knowledge I knew that there had been blacks in the Confederate Army. Something I discovered was how MANY there actually were. They were camp followers,cooks,musicians,slaves, and SOLDIERS.

One group in Louisiana even held a rally at the start of the war to raise a regiment in defense of the South. The most touching was that of the color bearer of Pickett's Charge. He was a free black who was fighting for the South and killed in that action. He was not surpassed however by one Henry Brown.

Henry Brown was a free 'colored" man who fought for the South Carolina Darlington Guards. Later in the war he was listed with two Virginia regiments. Upon his death in 1907 he was given a FULL MILITARY FUNERAL. by the SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS. It can be noted that a Confederate Battle Flag was draped over his coffin as part of this event. By removing the flag you have dishonored both BLACK AND WHITE Confederate soldiers. This hate the blacks feel then it part of their own past they can not change . There is then also no division....they can be ashamed or honor their past as I will mine. My Confederate ancestor were not all slave holders, but they fought for a common thing...their state/home of Virginia. Apparently, alongside them were more Confederates who were slightly darker in their skin color. People don't have to go on hating, they can simply admit 'it was history.'

Submitted by: Cherice Moulton Plowman

As we all know, Missouri’s US Senator Dick Gephardt, made the decision of lowering the confederate flags that flew over Fort Davidson State Historic site, and the Confederate Cemetery at Higginsville Missouri. In this act, Mr. Gephardt has taken away Missouri’s right to teach our children an unbiased history of our ancestors. How could he disregard the voices of Missouri’s Confederate descendants, even more, the entire state?

In 1864, my great-great grandfather Xavier “coonrod” Durbin joined the Union StateMilitia. He saw action from the trenches at Fort Davidson during General Sterling Price’s attack on the fort and lived to retreat towards Leasburg with General Ewing. Even though my family went to war against the Confederate flag doesn’t mean that I believe it’s not a part of our cherished history. How can we be proud of who we are today without giving the admiration, honor, and respect to our shared heritage of families who sacrificed so much for our future? The memories and traditions of our past are in threat of vanishing before our eyes while we stand idle watching our schools and our political leaders distort and abolish the truths of a forgotten history.

Sykestown, 01 Mar 1862
New Madrid, 02, 03, 05, & 06 Mar 1862
Point Pleasant, 07 Mar 1862
Bows Creek, 07 Mar 1862
Fox Creek, 07 Mar 1862
Big Creek, 09 Mar 1862
Mountain Grove Seminary, 09 Mar 1862
Mountain Grove, 09 Mar 1862
Lexington, Lafayette County, 10 Mar 1862
New Madrid, 11, 12, 13, & 14 Mar 1862
Near Lebanon, 12 Mar 1862
Marshall, 15 & 16 Mar 1862
Riddell's Point, 17 Mar 1862
Point Pleasant, 18 Mar 1862
Leesville, 19 Mar 1862
McKay's Farm, 21 Mar 1862
Little Santa Fe, 22 Mar 1862
Post Oak Creek, 22 Mar 1862
Independence, 22 Mar 1862
Sink Pole Woods, 23 Mar 1862
Carthage, 23 Mar 1862
Monagan Springs, 25 Mar 1862
Post Oak Creek, 26 Mar 1862
Gouge's Mill, 26 Mar1862

Humansville, 26 Mar 1862
Warrensburg, 26 Mar 1862
Warrensburg, 28 Mar 1862
Blackwater, near Warrensburg, 29 Mar 1862
Clinton, 30 Mar 1862
Pink Hill, 31 Mar 1862

http://home.usmo.com/~momollus/BATTLES.HTM

http://members.aol.com/histcw/civil.html

http://home.usmo.com/~momollus/BATTLES.HTM

http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/cwc/links/hist.htm

The Reenacting is upon us again and hopefully this year will be better than ever. It’s been a very long winter and I’m ready for reenacting. as you all know I’m at home on FMLA right now until further notice. I can’t drive or operate any dangerous machinery. I can’t wait until I’m able to drive again, I really miss that. Well anyways, I’ll keep everyone informed the best I can. Everyone take care and SEE YOU AT SPRING DRILL IN APRIL!!!