The Telegraph Key · 2019-02-12 · The Telegraph Key Major Thomas J. Key Camp #1920 Sons of Confederate Veterans 7325 Oakview Street Shawnee, Kansas 66216 reminder! Our next meeting

The Telegraph KeyMajor Thomas J. Key Camp #1920Sons of Confederate Veterans7325 Oakview StreetShawnee, Kansas 66216

reminder!

Our next meeting will be July 7 at 7 p.m.

Bring a friend or prospective member.

VOL. 17, NO. 5 JUNE 2016

The Telegraph Key- . . . . . / - . . - . . . -- . . - . . - . -- . . . . . / - .- . - . --

THE OFFICIAL DISPATCH FOR THE MAJOR THOMAS J. KEY CAMP #1920KANSAS DIVISION, SCV • JOHNSON COUNTY, KANSAS

Major Thomas J. KeyCamp Officers

CommanderJames D. Thornton

1st Lt. CommanderJohn Weir

2nd Lt. CommanderJames L. Speicher

AdjutantSteven Crawford

Communications OfficerSteven Crawford

Historian and ScrapbookDan Peterson

Web MasterJohn Weir

Newsletter EditorJohn Kirchmeyer, Jr.

Media CoordinatorLane Smith

Cadet Member CoordinatorLee Crutchfield

The Commander’s CornerThomas J. Key Camp Commander, Jim Thornton

www.MajorKey1920KSSCV.org

I am very conflicted right now. I don’t know whether to be very angry (yet again) or very sad (yet again) over the removal of our symbols and flags. This garbage known as “political correctness” and “racial sensitivity” has now crossed the lines into religion and churches – at, of all places, the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

I just learned from my daughter, and verified it on CNN, that leaders of the Washington National Cathedral have voted unanimously to remove Confederate Battle Flags from stained-glass windows memorializing Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. The symbols will be replaced with panes of plain glass, the National Cathedral said in a press release statement. While the panes depicting the First National, the Battle Flag, and the crossed-cannons of the Danville Artillery Flag will be removed

immediately, the church’s leaders will debate the question of how to treat the rest of the Confederate themed imagery on the windows, including the panes depicting Lee and Jackson. The Cathedral will begin the public dialogue on the remaining Confederate panes on Sunday, July 17 at 4 p.m. with a panel discussion on “What the White Church Must Do.”

The windows were installed in 1953 at the request of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and are two of many stained-glass bays on the cathedral’s main level. The two windows were put in place to honor “the lives and legacies of Confederate Generals Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee,” according to the Very Rev. Gary Hall, former dean of the National Cathedral. Hall said the cathedral had installed these windows at the request of the UDC to “foster reconciliation” between North and South. But they did more than simply seek to repair a divided nation according to Hall. The UDC and supporters of the Confederacy sought to “reframe the Civil War and present these two generals

Continued on Page 2

The Commander’s CornerContinued from page 1

Next Camp Meeting:July 7, 2016

Upcoming Events

SAVE THE DATE:July 13-17, 2016 • Richardson, TX

» SCV Annual National Reunion

For more information, including registration details, lodging, and event schedule, visit http://scv2016.org/registration.html.

Saturday, August 6, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. • Pleasanton, KS

» Mine Creek Battlefield

Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site 20485 K 52 Pleasanton, KS 66048

SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, August 15 • Shawnee, KS

» Major Thomas J. Key Camp Annual Family Picnic

Shawnee Mission Park, Shelter 2 7900 Renner Rd. Shawnee, KS 66219

The Major Thomas J. Key Camp Annual Family Picnic will be held at Shawnee Mission Park, Shelter 2. More information will be shared at upcoming meetings and on our Upcoming Events listings on the Key Camp website.

The Telegraph Key

The Telegraph Key is a newsletter published for the Major Thomas Key Camp #1920 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV). The SCV is a non-profit organization with a patriotic, historical, and genealogical orientation and is not affiliated with any other organization. Opinions in this newsletter reflect the views of the writers and are not necessarily a statement of the views of the SCV, the Kansas Division, the Kansas Brigades, nor any other camp. Comments and articles are solicited.

Email comments, article ideas, and suggestions to John Kirchmeyer at [email protected].

Key Camp Website Resources

Key Camp: www.MajorKey1920ksscv.orgSCV National: www.SCV.org

as saintly, exemplary Christians” when these two men were in fact ardent supporters of what Hall called an “unjust cause...the sin of slavery.”

Now, my friends, we have yet another front to form defensive lines along. I never would have thought religion would come into the battle, especially a major denomination such as the Episcopal Church. This is becoming almost too much to bear for those of us who are knowledgeable of the truthful history of the Confederacy and that time period. How do we confront all these detractors who are uneducated in the true history? They are coming at us from all sides, removing and erasing our existence without even the hint of a discussion

or dialogue on compromise. With religious organizations and major denominations now taking up arms against us, I am beginning to understand how Lee must have felt at Petersburg in 1865.

If you care to make your feelings known, here is the contact information for The National Cathedral:

Washington National Cathedral3101 Wisconsin Ave. NWWashington, DC 20016Telephone: (202) 537-6200Fax: (202) 364-6600Email:[email protected]

2 www.MajorKey1920KSSCV.org

JUNE 2016 DEO VINDICE JUNE 2016 DEO VINDICE

7www.MajorKey1920KSSCV.org

The Key Camp will meet on Thursday, July 7, at Zarda Bar B-Q on the southwest corner of 87th and Quivira in Lenexa, Kansas at 6 p.m. for dinner and conversation with the official meeting at 7 p.m.

Our featured speaker for the evening will be 2nd Lt. Commander Jim Speicher, who will give a presentation titled, “A Tale of Two Soldiers.”

Please join us for camaraderie, dinner, and education. As always, your wife or significant other is welcome.

Don’t forget to bring a prospective recruit!

Membership Renewal Dues Notice

Our annual membership dues are due and payable to SCV International Headquarters on August 1. Please remit to the camp adjutant your dues as indicated and outlined on your renewal form so we may forward the funds to International Headquarters in a timely fashion. If dues are not paid by February 1, members are considered delinquent. An additional fee of $5.00 will be required to be reinstated. Additionally, for those whose dues are not paid, the subscription to “The Confederate Veteran” magazine will be discontinued February 1.

Key Camp Work Day Spring Cleaning at the Mine Creek Battlefield Visitors Center

JUNE 2016 DEO VINDICE


Resolution of SupportBattle Flag of the ConfederacyThe below resolution by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War in support of the Confederate Battle Flag and other symbols of the Confederacy was originally issued in 2000. Last year, the SUVCW reaffirmed their support after debate over the battle flag and other symbols of the Confederacy came to a front.

This resolution is appropriate now, in light of the bill before Congress to ban all Confederate flags from National Cemeteries and Virginia Cemeteries.

The Key Camp wishes to thank Compatriot Lane Smith for reminding us of the support we have from our friends in the SUVCW.



On Saturday, May 21, six men from the Major Thomas J. Key Camp decided to do some spring house cleaning and a cleaning out of the garage. Only it wasn’t their own. Commander Jim Thornton, 1st Lt. Commander John Weir, and Compatriots Paul Allen, John Coney, Scott Lalumondier, and Jack Poynter travelled to the Mine Creek Battlefield Visitor Center for the annual Key Camp Spring Work Day to assist site director Tami Neal with a project of her choosing.

This spring, Tami had asked if we could completely empty out the visitor’s center storage garage and clean it out. The Key Camp crew set to work taking everything out of the garage and coordinated with Tami things she wanted to keep and things that should be discarded. Within the garage a fully functional shower stall was discovered. Compatriot Lalumondier explained to us that it was installed during original

construction for use by re-enactment units taking part in activities at the battlefield. Compatriot Weir took it upon himself to tackle the scouring and cleaning of the shower, which by the time he was finished looked ready to use. After the garage was totally emptied, it was swept out and washed down with a hose and nozzle provided by Compatriot Poynter.

While waiting for the garage floor to dry, the crew drove down to the Confederate Memorial Monument to tidy up and re-mulch the shrubbery beds. John Weir trimmed and re-shaped the shrubbery; Scott Lalumondier used his heavy-duty string trimmer to mow down the ground around the monument area and benches; John Coney and Jim Thornton trimmed back the trees from the area and removed several dead limbs from the surrounding trees; Paul Allen and Jack Poynter re-mulched the shrubbery beds. Each shrubbery

bed was also treated with insecticide as large ant hills and colonies had been observed in the beds previously.

The crew returned to the visitor center and replaced the supplies in the storage garage in a nice, orderly fashion, leaving plenty of room for Tami to pull her golf cart straight into the garage and right up to its battery charger. The work detail was rewarded with plenty of hot coffee and donuts for their efforts.

By the end of the day, Tami had posted a very nice “Thank You” and photo of the Key Camp men on the Mine Creek Facebook page, clearly indicating we were “The Sons of Confederate Veterans.”

Now, if I could only get around to cleaning out my own garage. Maybe a Key Camp Work Day to clean and organize Commander Thornton’s garage is in order?

Wanted:Male Descendants of Confederate Soldiers

The Key Camp is currently recruiting new members to honor and affectionately memorialize our Southern ancestors and their brave deeds. We are making progress, but we must always be thinking of recruiting.

Our camp actively recruits at events in which we participate. If you know of someone who may be interested in defending his ancestor’s good name and heritage, talk to him about the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

RESOLUTION OF SUPPORTDISPLAY OF BATTLE FLAGS OF THE CONFEDERACY

119TH NATIONAL ENCAMPMENT OF THESONS OF UNION VETERANS OF THE CIVIL WAR

LANSING, MICHIGAN AUGUST 19, 2000

A resolution in support of the display of the Confederate Battle Flag.

WHEREAS, we, the members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, condemn the use of the confederate battle flag, as well as the flag of the United States, by any and all hate groups; and

WHEREAS, we, the members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, support the flying of the Confederate battle flag as a historical piece of this nation’s history; and

WHEREAS, we, the members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, oppose the removal of any Confederate monuments or markers to those gallant soldiers in the former Confederate States, and strongly oppose the removal of ANY reminders of this nation’s bloodiest war on the grounds of it being “politically correct;” and

WHEREAS, we, as the descendants of Union soldiers and sailors who as members of the Grand Army of the Republic met in joint reunions with the Confederate veterans under both flags in those bonds of Fraternal Friendship, pledge our support and admiration for those gallant soldiers and of their respective flags;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we, the members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War in 119th Annual National Encampment, hereby adopt this resolution.

Dated in Lansing, Michigan, on this nineteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord Two thousand.

This resolution of support of our flags, symbols, and monuments which was issued by the Sons of Union Veterans of The Civil War on August 19, 2000 was reaffirmed in 2015 by SUVCW Commander-in-Chief Tad D. Campbell through SUVCW General Order #26.





Compatriot Visits Battle Site of Camp Namesake Chickamauga BattlefieldOn May 24, Compatriot John Bolton and his wife, Susan, visited the Chickamauga Battlefield where two of John’s ancestors fought on the field of battle. While walking through the woods at Chickamauga, they stumbled upon an artillery battery placement. It happened to be the artillery battery commanded by our camp namesake, Major Thomas J. Key, who at that time was a 1st Lieutenant.

The interpretive sign at the artillery battery placement site location reads as follows:

CALVERT’S ARKANSAS BATTERY2-6 PDRS, 2-12 PDR HOWITZERSPOLK’S BRIGADE, CLEBURNE’S

DIVISION, HILL’S CORPSSeptember 20, 18631st LIEUT. THOMAS J. KEY, COMMANDING2ND LIEUT. WILLIS M. HOPWOOD2ND LIEUT. JAMES G. MARSHALL

In the charge of the division on the morning of this day, the battery engaged the enemy and in the midst of the battle had one howitzer disabled when the battery was withdrawn securing the disabled piece. About 5 p.m., while the brigade was engaged in assaulting the enemy’s rail and log barricades under a close and destructive fire of musketry and artillery, and while the brigade was being cut down and

faltering, the battery was moved by hand into position on this ground, within 170 yards of the enemy’s line, and opened on it with double charges of canister, continuing the fire until the enemy withdrew. During the engagement on Sunday, the battery, with the brigade, captured 2 rifled pieces of artillery.

Casualties of the battle: 1 man mortally wounded, 5 slightly wounded, 3 horses killed.

By the way, Compatriot Bolton also found where his two ancestors fought on the field!

Left: Artillery battery placement where Major Thomas J. Key commanded at Chickamauga. Top Right: Entrance to the Chickamauga Battlefield, Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. Bottom Right: Interpretive sign at the artillery battery placement.

Large Camp Contingent Observes Confederate Memorial DayCeremonies Held at Missouri Confederate Historic Site in Higginsville The Sons of Confederate Veterans were well represented at the Confederate Memorial Day Remembrance held on Saturday, June 4, at the Missouri Confederate Historic Site in Higginsville, Missouri. The Major Thomas J. Key Camp #1920 had one of the largest groups there for the event. We had 13 (THIRTEEN!) compatriots travel to Higginsville for part or all of the day-long activities.

Those who attended were Commander Jim Thornton, 2nd Lt. Commander Jim Speicher, and Compatriots Paul Allen, John Coney, Mark Erwin, Gary Foster, Dennis Garstang, Merle Leech, Carl Linck (with his grandson, Parker), Bob Littlejohn, Greg Miller, Lane Smith,

and Hoss Tucker. Several of the men were dressed out in uniform for the day, including Lane portraying General Robert E. Lee.

The weather for the day could not have been more perfect. Jim Speicher provided a canopy for the camp and also a display of relics and mementos from United Confederate Veteran Reunions and SCV reunions of years past – many from more than 100 years ago. This brought quite a few visitors to our group. Spike also very graciously provided the men with a couple of Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets for lunch.

As the memorial ceremony got under way, the Key Camp men in uniform

took their place in the parade of flags and color guard, which was commanded by our own 2nd Lt. Commander, Colonel Speicher. Event organizer Jim Beckner along with Compatriot Smith as Robert E. Lee led the Confederate Veteran descendants in the parade through the cemetery. Following the wreath laying, individual remembrances and flower placement, Spike led the color guard in the retirement of the colors.

Confederate Memorial Day was a beautiful and solemn day with reverent participation by the Major Thomas J. Key Camp #1920. Thank you, gentlemen.





Compatriot Visits Battle Site of Camp Namesake Chickamauga BattlefieldOn May 24, Compatriot John Bolton and his wife, Susan, visited the Chickamauga Battlefield where two of John’s ancestors fought on the field of battle. While walking through the woods at Chickamauga, they stumbled upon an artillery battery placement. It happened to be the artillery battery commanded by our camp namesake, Major Thomas J. Key, who at that time was a 1st Lieutenant.

The interpretive sign at the artillery battery placement site location reads as follows:

CALVERT’S ARKANSAS BATTERY2-6 PDRS, 2-12 PDR HOWITZERSPOLK’S BRIGADE, CLEBURNE’S

DIVISION, HILL’S CORPSSeptember 20, 18631st LIEUT. THOMAS J. KEY, COMMANDING2ND LIEUT. WILLIS M. HOPWOOD2ND LIEUT. JAMES G. MARSHALL

In the charge of the division on the morning of this day, the battery engaged the enemy and in the midst of the battle had one howitzer disabled when the battery was withdrawn securing the disabled piece. About 5 p.m., while the brigade was engaged in assaulting the enemy’s rail and log barricades under a close and destructive fire of musketry and artillery, and while the brigade was being cut down and

faltering, the battery was moved by hand into position on this ground, within 170 yards of the enemy’s line, and opened on it with double charges of canister, continuing the fire until the enemy withdrew. During the engagement on Sunday, the battery, with the brigade, captured 2 rifled pieces of artillery.

Casualties of the battle: 1 man mortally wounded, 5 slightly wounded, 3 horses killed.

By the way, Compatriot Bolton also found where his two ancestors fought on the field!

Left: Artillery battery placement where Major Thomas J. Key commanded at Chickamauga. Top Right: Entrance to the Chickamauga Battlefield, Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. Bottom Right: Interpretive sign at the artillery battery placement.

Large Camp Contingent Observes Confederate Memorial DayCeremonies Held at Missouri Confederate Historic Site in Higginsville The Sons of Confederate Veterans were well represented at the Confederate Memorial Day Remembrance held on Saturday, June 4, at the Missouri Confederate Historic Site in Higginsville, Missouri. The Major Thomas J. Key Camp #1920 had one of the largest groups there for the event. We had 13 (THIRTEEN!) compatriots travel to Higginsville for part or all of the day-long activities.

Those who attended were Commander Jim Thornton, 2nd Lt. Commander Jim Speicher, and Compatriots Paul Allen, John Coney, Mark Erwin, Gary Foster, Dennis Garstang, Merle Leech, Carl Linck (with his grandson, Parker), Bob Littlejohn, Greg Miller, Lane Smith,

and Hoss Tucker. Several of the men were dressed out in uniform for the day, including Lane portraying General Robert E. Lee.

The weather for the day could not have been more perfect. Jim Speicher provided a canopy for the camp and also a display of relics and mementos from United Confederate Veteran Reunions and SCV reunions of years past – many from more than 100 years ago. This brought quite a few visitors to our group. Spike also very graciously provided the men with a couple of Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets for lunch.

As the memorial ceremony got under way, the Key Camp men in uniform

took their place in the parade of flags and color guard, which was commanded by our own 2nd Lt. Commander, Colonel Speicher. Event organizer Jim Beckner along with Compatriot Smith as Robert E. Lee led the Confederate Veteran descendants in the parade through the cemetery. Following the wreath laying, individual remembrances and flower placement, Spike led the color guard in the retirement of the colors.

Confederate Memorial Day was a beautiful and solemn day with reverent participation by the Major Thomas J. Key Camp #1920. Thank you, gentlemen.

Key Camp Work Day Spring Cleaning at the Mine Creek Battlefield Visitors Center



Resolution of SupportBattle Flag of the ConfederacyThe below resolution by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War in support of the Confederate Battle Flag and other symbols of the Confederacy was originally issued in 2000. Last year, the SUVCW reaffirmed their support after debate over the battle flag and other symbols of the Confederacy came to a front.

This resolution is appropriate now, in light of the bill before Congress to ban all Confederate flags from National Cemeteries and Virginia Cemeteries.

The Key Camp wishes to thank Compatriot Lane Smith for reminding us of the support we have from our friends in the SUVCW.



On Saturday, May 21, six men from the Major Thomas J. Key Camp decided to do some spring house cleaning and a cleaning out of the garage. Only it wasn’t their own. Commander Jim Thornton, 1st Lt. Commander John Weir, and Compatriots Paul Allen, John Coney, Scott Lalumondier, and Jack Poynter travelled to the Mine Creek Battlefield Visitor Center for the annual Key Camp Spring Work Day to assist site director Tami Neal with a project of her choosing.

This spring, Tami had asked if we could completely empty out the visitor’s center storage garage and clean it out. The Key Camp crew set to work taking everything out of the garage and coordinated with Tami things she wanted to keep and things that should be discarded. Within the garage a fully functional shower stall was discovered. Compatriot Lalumondier explained to us that it was installed during original

construction for use by re-enactment units taking part in activities at the battlefield. Compatriot Weir took it upon himself to tackle the scouring and cleaning of the shower, which by the time he was finished looked ready to use. After the garage was totally emptied, it was swept out and washed down with a hose and nozzle provided by Compatriot Poynter.

While waiting for the garage floor to dry, the crew drove down to the Confederate Memorial Monument to tidy up and re-mulch the shrubbery beds. John Weir trimmed and re-shaped the shrubbery; Scott Lalumondier used his heavy-duty string trimmer to mow down the ground around the monument area and benches; John Coney and Jim Thornton trimmed back the trees from the area and removed several dead limbs from the surrounding trees; Paul Allen and Jack Poynter re-mulched the shrubbery beds. Each shrubbery

bed was also treated with insecticide as large ant hills and colonies had been observed in the beds previously.

The crew returned to the visitor center and replaced the supplies in the storage garage in a nice, orderly fashion, leaving plenty of room for Tami to pull her golf cart straight into the garage and right up to its battery charger. The work detail was rewarded with plenty of hot coffee and donuts for their efforts.

By the end of the day, Tami had posted a very nice “Thank You” and photo of the Key Camp men on the Mine Creek Facebook page, clearly indicating we were “The Sons of Confederate Veterans.”

Now, if I could only get around to cleaning out my own garage. Maybe a Key Camp Work Day to clean and organize Commander Thornton’s garage is in order?

Wanted:Male Descendants of Confederate Soldiers

The Key Camp is currently recruiting new members to honor and affectionately memorialize our Southern ancestors and their brave deeds. We are making progress, but we must always be thinking of recruiting.

Our camp actively recruits at events in which we participate. If you know of someone who may be interested in defending his ancestor’s good name and heritage, talk to him about the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

RESOLUTION OF SUPPORTDISPLAY OF BATTLE FLAGS OF THE CONFEDERACY

119TH NATIONAL ENCAMPMENT OF THESONS OF UNION VETERANS OF THE CIVIL WAR

LANSING, MICHIGAN AUGUST 19, 2000

A resolution in support of the display of the Confederate Battle Flag.

WHEREAS, we, the members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, condemn the use of the confederate battle flag, as well as the flag of the United States, by any and all hate groups; and

WHEREAS, we, the members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, support the flying of the Confederate battle flag as a historical piece of this nation’s history; and

WHEREAS, we, the members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, oppose the removal of any Confederate monuments or markers to those gallant soldiers in the former Confederate States, and strongly oppose the removal of ANY reminders of this nation’s bloodiest war on the grounds of it being “politically correct;” and

WHEREAS, we, as the descendants of Union soldiers and sailors who as members of the Grand Army of the Republic met in joint reunions with the Confederate veterans under both flags in those bonds of Fraternal Friendship, pledge our support and admiration for those gallant soldiers and of their respective flags;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we, the members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War in 119th Annual National Encampment, hereby adopt this resolution.

Dated in Lansing, Michigan, on this nineteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord Two thousand.

This resolution of support of our flags, symbols, and monuments which was issued by the Sons of Union Veterans of The Civil War on August 19, 2000 was reaffirmed in 2015 by SUVCW Commander-in-Chief Tad D. Campbell through SUVCW General Order #26.

The Commander’s CornerContinued from page 1

Next Camp Meeting:July 7, 2016

Upcoming Events

SAVE THE DATE:July 13-17, 2016 • Richardson, TX

» SCV Annual National Reunion

For more information, including registration details, lodging, and event schedule, visit http://scv2016.org/registration.html.

Saturday, August 6, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. • Pleasanton, KS

» Mine Creek Battlefield

Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site 20485 K 52 Pleasanton, KS 66048

SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, August 15 • Shawnee, KS

» Major Thomas J. Key Camp Annual Family Picnic

Shawnee Mission Park, Shelter 2 7900 Renner Rd. Shawnee, KS 66219

The Major Thomas J. Key Camp Annual Family Picnic will be held at Shawnee Mission Park, Shelter 2. More information will be shared at upcoming meetings and on our Upcoming Events listings on the Key Camp website.

The Telegraph Key

The Telegraph Key is a newsletter published for the Major Thomas Key Camp #1920 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV). The SCV is a non-profit organization with a patriotic, historical, and genealogical orientation and is not affiliated with any other organization. Opinions in this newsletter reflect the views of the writers and are not necessarily a statement of the views of the SCV, the Kansas Division, the Kansas Brigades, nor any other camp. Comments and articles are solicited.

Email comments, article ideas, and suggestions to John Kirchmeyer at [email protected].

Key Camp Website Resources

Key Camp: www.MajorKey1920ksscv.orgSCV National: www.SCV.org

as saintly, exemplary Christians” when these two men were in fact ardent supporters of what Hall called an “unjust cause...the sin of slavery.”

Now, my friends, we have yet another front to form defensive lines along. I never would have thought religion would come into the battle, especially a major denomination such as the Episcopal Church. This is becoming almost too much to bear for those of us who are knowledgeable of the truthful history of the Confederacy and that time period. How do we confront all these detractors who are uneducated in the true history? They are coming at us from all sides, removing and erasing our existence without even the hint of a discussion

or dialogue on compromise. With religious organizations and major denominations now taking up arms against us, I am beginning to understand how Lee must have felt at Petersburg in 1865.

If you care to make your feelings known, here is the contact information for The National Cathedral:

Washington National Cathedral3101 Wisconsin Ave. NWWashington, DC 20016Telephone: (202) 537-6200Fax: (202) 364-6600Email:[email protected]


JUNE 2016 DEO VINDICE JUNE 2016 DEO VINDICE


The Key Camp will meet on Thursday, July 7, at Zarda Bar B-Q on the southwest corner of 87th and Quivira in Lenexa, Kansas at 6 p.m. for dinner and conversation with the official meeting at 7 p.m.

Our featured speaker for the evening will be 2nd Lt. Commander Jim Speicher, who will give a presentation titled, “A Tale of Two Soldiers.”

Please join us for camaraderie, dinner, and education. As always, your wife or significant other is welcome.

Don’t forget to bring a prospective recruit!

Membership Renewal Dues Notice

Our annual membership dues are due and payable to SCV International Headquarters on August 1. Please remit to the camp adjutant your dues as indicated and outlined on your renewal form so we may forward the funds to International Headquarters in a timely fashion. If dues are not paid by February 1, members are considered delinquent. An additional fee of $5.00 will be required to be reinstated. Additionally, for those whose dues are not paid, the subscription to “The Confederate Veteran” magazine will be discontinued February 1.

The Telegraph KeyMajor Thomas J. Key Camp #1920Sons of Confederate Veterans7325 Oakview StreetShawnee, Kansas 66216

reminder!

Our next meeting will be July 7 at 7 p.m.

Bring a friend or prospective member.

VOL. 17, NO. 5 JUNE 2016

The Telegraph Key- . . . . . / - . . - . . . -- . . - . . - . -- . . . . . / - .- . - . --

THE OFFICIAL DISPATCH FOR THE MAJOR THOMAS J. KEY CAMP #1920KANSAS DIVISION, SCV • JOHNSON COUNTY, KANSAS

Major Thomas J. KeyCamp Officers

CommanderJames D. Thornton

1st Lt. CommanderJohn Weir

2nd Lt. CommanderJames L. Speicher

AdjutantSteven Crawford

Communications OfficerSteven Crawford

Historian and ScrapbookDan Peterson

Web MasterJohn Weir

Newsletter EditorJohn Kirchmeyer, Jr.

Media CoordinatorLane Smith

Cadet Member CoordinatorLee Crutchfield

The Commander’s CornerThomas J. Key Camp Commander, Jim Thornton

www.MajorKey1920KSSCV.org

I am very conflicted right now. I don’t know whether to be very angry (yet again) or very sad (yet again) over the removal of our symbols and flags. This garbage known as “political correctness” and “racial sensitivity” has now crossed the lines into religion and churches – at, of all places, the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

I just learned from my daughter, and verified it on CNN, that leaders of the Washington National Cathedral have voted unanimously to remove Confederate Battle Flags from stained-glass windows memorializing Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. The symbols will be replaced with panes of plain glass, the National Cathedral said in a press release statement. While the panes depicting the First National, the Battle Flag, and the crossed-cannons of the Danville Artillery Flag will be removed

immediately, the church’s leaders will debate the question of how to treat the rest of the Confederate themed imagery on the windows, including the panes depicting Lee and Jackson. The Cathedral will begin the public dialogue on the remaining Confederate panes on Sunday, July 17 at 4 p.m. with a panel discussion on “What the White Church Must Do.”

The windows were installed in 1953 at the request of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and are two of many stained-glass bays on the cathedral’s main level. The two windows were put in place to honor “the lives and legacies of Confederate Generals Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee,” according to the Very Rev. Gary Hall, former dean of the National Cathedral. Hall said the cathedral had installed these windows at the request of the UDC to “foster reconciliation” between North and South. But they did more than simply seek to repair a divided nation according to Hall. The UDC and supporters of the Confederacy sought to “reframe the Civil War and present these two generals

Continued on Page 2

The Telegraph Key · 2019-02-12 · The Telegraph Key Major Thomas J. Key Camp #1920 Sons of Confederate Veterans 7325 Oakview Street Shawnee, Kansas 66216 reminder! Our next meeting

Documents