PVT Richard Taylor

Camp 53

SONS OF UNION VETERANS

OF THE CIVIL WAR

DEPARTMENT OF TENNESSEE

HUNTSVILLE ALABAMA

NEWSLETTER FOR August 2003

Editor: Steve Pearce spearce@knology.net

Camp website: http://pvtrichardtaylor.bizland.com/index.html

Bro Hintze opened the meeting at 7 PM on July 28. After the Pledge of Allegiance and Brother Cottrell's prayer the Camp was opened for business..

Camp business:

We just got 2 new members bringing the total for the camp to 21.

Brother Cottrell discussed the banquet for the Dept of Tennessee Encampment. Bro Cottrell believes that we can have dinner for about $15.00.

Brother Hogan reported that Brother Hackett contributed 54 grave registrations for the 4th Maine. Brother Hintze handed out copies of the 2003 Memorial Day Ceremony at Glenwood and Maple Hill.

National Encampment Report by Brother Hintze

I just returned from Fort Mitchell and the Allied Order of the Grand Army of the Republic. Brother Armstrong of Michigan is the new Commander in Chief and Brother Michaels of Wisconsin is the Senior Vice Commander. The new Junior Vice Commander is last years Patriotic Instructor, Brother Darby of Ohio. The last election was for Council of Administration. Brother Stephens of Iowa won a contested election that took four ballets.

The petitions from Mass for changes in the way the officers are selected was ruled out of order on a technicality. They were approved in June but stated things must be done in same fiscal year (I'm paraphrasing). We are in a new fiscal year so the petitions were thrown out. The ASUVCW and LGAR were upset because the Host committee supplied medals to SUVCW members but they had to pay for it. A motion was made to give them medals and reimburse those who bought one. The other thing of interest IMHO was the approval of a Legal Defense Fund (with voluntary contributions) to fight groups that our buying Civil War monuments. This came about because of a Pa case where the local American Legion sold two Civil War Cannon, which had been donated, by a now extinct SUVCW camp for $8000. The cannon were worth about $150000 and didn't belong to the legion anyway. We are going to try to go through our Washington representative to lobby for legislation.

The meeting was closed at about 7:30 PM.

Respectfully submitted in F, C, and L,

Steve Pearce-Commander & Geoffrey Hintz-Secretary/Treasurer