LINCOlN-CUSHING CAMP NO.

2, SONS OF THE UNION VETERANS OF THE CIvIl WAR

THE NEwS WAlKER

VOlUME 15, NUMBER 4 WINTER EDITION 2013

Brother Lee Stone, PDC Awarded the Meritorious Service Award with Gold Star at National Encampment
At the 2013 National Encampment held in August, CinC Perley Mellor awarded LincolnCushing Brother Lee Stone the Meritorious Service Award with Gold Star, the highest award given for lifetime service to the Order. Qualifications for the award state that it honors brothers who served the Order for an extended period of time in an outstanding and exemplary manner. Congratulations Brother Stone, no one is more deserving. At the Encampment, Brother Ken Freshley was elected the new CinC, Brother Tad Campbell, SVCinC, and Brother Eugene Martorff as new JVCinC. Congratulations to all. The Department of Chesapeake was also selected to host the 2015 National Encampment in Richmond, Virginia.

CinC Perley Mellor awards Lincoln - Cushing Brother Lee Stone the Meritorious Service Award with Gold Star

Volunteering and its Surprising Benefits

CharlesBenHawley
F R O m t H e C O mmande R

With busy lives, it can be hard to find time to volunteer. However, the benefits of volunteering are enormous to you, your family, and your community. The right match can help you find friends, reach out to the community, learn new skills, and even advance your career. Volunteering can also help protect your mental and physical health. Benefits of volunteering One of the better-known benefits of volunteering is the impact on the community. Unpaid volunteers are often the glue that holds a (Continued on Page 6) FOR THE

Inside This Issue

2 Three New Brothers Inducted in September 3 Tour of Loudoun County Brings History Alive 4 Second Annual Camp Picnic at Fort Ward Park 5 Brief History of Lincoln Cushing Camp No. 2 8 Winter Reading Civil War Book Reviews

38th Commander, Charles Ben Hawley

ALENDAR

EAR

2013
Gettysburg, PA Dubliner Restaurant

DATE

EVENT

TIME LOCATION

23 November Remembrance Day Parade & Ceremony Various 7 December Lincoln-Cushing Camp Meeting 1130-1430
Pl e as e m ark t h es e d ates on your c a l en d ar

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Three New Brothers Inducted at September Camp Meeting

Next Camp Meeting 7 December, Dubliner Restaurant
The first camp meeting held at the Dubliner Restaurant drew a full house and was highlighted by the induction of Brothers Thomas A. Bowers, William H. Huff, IV, and Brent G. Stewart. Department Commander Mark Day and Department Senior Vice Commander Rob Pollock, along with our guest speaker Susan Cumbey, joined the brothers of Lincoln-Cushing for a productive meeting New Brothers Brent G. Stewart, William H. Hu IV, Thomas A. Bowers addressing camp business. The meeting also included a thought provoking presentation on Civil War battlefield art by Ms. Cumbey. Camp Commander Ben Hawley made a special appeal to brothers to volunteer for one of three open camp positions. The open positions are Patriotic Instructor, Assistant Treasurer/Secretary, and Flag Bearer. Any brothers interested in one of these positions should contact Commander Hawley at 29thconn@comcast.net. Our next camp meeting will take place on 7 December, 11:30 am at the Dubliner Restaurant on Capitol Hill, 4 F Street, NW. This is our election meeting where our officers for 2014 will be selected. Please note our RSVP deadline of 30 November. See the back page of this newsletter for the reservation form.

Brothers take care of business at the September meeting at Dubliner Restaurant

New brothers take the oath as Brother Lee Stone, PDC and Department Commander Mark Day look on

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Lincoln-Cushing Camp Tour of Loudoun County Brings History Alive

On Saturday, October 19, Brother PDC Lee Stone led a small band of brothers on an exploration of the late June 1863 cavalry battles of Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville, Virginia. Brothers Bob Stine, John Crook, and Dick Griffin enjoyed Brother Lees in-depth analysis of the battles, the decisions of the commanders, and the geography that helped shape the outcome. The tour concluded with an enjoyable lunch at Hunters Head Tavern in Upperville. After the Battle of Brandy Station in early June, General R. E. Lee had his army on the move, and Major General Joe Hooker wanted to find out PDC Stone explains a ne point of the 1st Mass Cavalrys Brother Bob Stine views the 1st Mass Cavalrys monument at what the Army ght on the Snickersville Turnpike to Brother John Crook. the site of their ght on the Snickersville Pike. of Northern Virginia was up to. Accordingly, Hooker issued plain and clear orders to Brigadier General Pleasonton, the commander of the Army of the Potomacs cavBrothers Stine, Stone, and Crook on the Goose Creek Bridge, Brother Lee explains the action at the site of Bufords action alry, to punch where Greggs troopers tried to punch through Stuarts position. on Trappe Road through any Confederate screen he might encounter and mission and the location and movements of the discover where Lees army was and what it was Army of Northern Virginia remained a mystery to doing. On the Confederate side, Lee issued equally the upper echelons of the Federal army. clear orders to the commander of his cavalry, Major General J. E. B. Stuart to prevent the The tour was so successful that brothers agreed that Federals from doing so. we should make the staff ride an annual LincolnCushing Camp tradition. Please send any ideas for What ensued was the series of see-saw battles, future staff rides to Brother Dick Griffin at: named above, in which Stuarts cavalry traded space hoplite@earthlink.net. for time, as it battled the aggressive and persistent Federal cavalrys attacks. In the event, Stuarts In Fraternity, Charity, and Loyalty, grey-clad troopers successfully fulfilled their Dick Griffin, CSVC
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Brothers Enjoy Second Annual Camp Picnic at Fort Ward Park

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A Brief History of Lincoln-Cushing Camp No. 2

The Lincoln-Cushing Camp No.2 was chartered in Washington, DC on 22 February, 1961, resulting from the merger of the Abraham Lincoln Camp No. 2, founded 9 February, 1887 and the CDR. William B. Cushing Camp No. 30, founded 1 December, 1891.

President Abraham Lincoln

CDR. William B. Cushing

Lincoln-Cushings first camp commander of was Maj. General Ulysses S. Grant III, grandson of Union Army Commander and 38th President, U. S. Grant. U. S. Grant III was also Commander-in-Chief of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War for two terms (1953-55), as well as Commander-in-Chief of the MOLLUS (1957).
General Grant served as Commander-in-Chief of the Sons of Union Veterans for two terms (1953/54 and 1954/55) and on October 11, 1957 became the Commander-in-Chief of the MOLLUS. the grandson of the Union Army Commander and the nations 18th President, Ulysses S. Grant. President Ulysses S. Grant was an Original Companion of the New York Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS) (Insignia No. 2006). Maj. General Ulysses S. Grant III

As equally interesting is the camp association with another descendant of a Civil War hero. When Lincoln-Cushing was charted in 1961, the very first brother to sign the charter was Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith. Brother Beckwith, who passed away in 1985, was the son of Warren Beckwith and Jessie Harlan Lincoln (granddaughter of President Lincoln and daughter of Robert Todd Lincoln). Brother Beckwith was the last remaining descendant of Abraham Lincoln.
Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith

To All of Those Who Served THANK YOU!

Happy Veterans Day!

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Volunteering and its Surprising Benefits (Continued from Page 1)

community together. Volunteering allows you to connect to your community and make it a better place. However, volunteering is a two-way street, and it can benefit you and your family as much as the cause you choose to help. Dedicating your time as a volunteer helps you make new friends, expand your network, and boost your social skills. Volunteering helps you make new friends and contacts One of the best ways to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships is to commit to a shared activity together. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, especially if you are new to an area. Volunteering also strengthens your ties to the community and broadens your support network, exposing you to people with common interests, neighborhood resources, and fun and fulfilling activities. Volunteering increases your social and relationship skills While some people are naturally outgoing, others are shy and have a hard time meeting new people. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice and develop your social skills, since you are meeting regularly with a group of people with common interests. Once you have momentum, its easier to branch out and make more friends and contacts. Volunteering is good for your mind and body Volunteering provides many benefits to both mental and physical health. Volunteering increases self-confidence. Volunteering can provide a healthy boost to your self-confidence, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. You are doing something good for others and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment. Your role as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity. And the better you feel about yourself, the more likely you are to have a positive view of your life and future goals. Volunteering helps you stay physically healthy. Volunteering is good for your health at any age, but its especially beneficial in older adults. Studies have found that those who volunteer have a lower mortality rate than those who do not, even when considering factors like the health of the participants. Volunteering has also been shown to lessen symptoms of chronic pain or heart disease. The happiness effect Helping others kindles happiness, as many studies have demonstrated. When researchers at the London School of Economics examined the relationship between volunteering and measures of happiness in a large group of American adults, they found the more people volunteered, the happier they were, according to a study in Social Science and Medicine. Compared with people who never volunteered the odds of being very happy rose 7% among those who volunteer monthly and 12% for people who volunteer every two to four weeks. Among weekly volunteers, 16% felt very happya hike in happiness comparable to having an income of $75,000$100,000 versus $20,000, say the researchers. Giving time to religious organizations had the greatest impact. Volunteering can teach you valuable skills Volunteering can also help you build upon skills you already have and use them to benefit the greater community. For instance, if you hold a successful sales position, you raise awareness for your favorite cause as a volunteer advocate, while further developing and improving your public speaking, communication, and marketing skills. When it comes to volunteering, passion and positivity are the only requirements While learning new skills can be beneficial to many, its not a requirement for a fulfilling volunteer experience. Bear in mind that the most valuable skills you can bring to any volunteer effort are compassion, an open mind, a willingness to do whatever is needed, and a positive attitude.
(Continued on Page 7)

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Volunteering and its Surprising Benefits (Continued from Page 6)

Volunteering brings fun and fulfillment to your life Volunteering is a fun and easy way to explore your interests and passions. Doing volunteer work you find meaningful and interesting can be a relaxing, energizing escape from your day-to-day routine of work, school, or family commitments. Volunteering also provides you with renewed creativity, motivation, and vision that can carry over into your personal and professional life. Volunteering with the Lincoln-Cushing Camp Our camp has a variety of volunteer opportunities. The many opportunities can be a learning experience as well as a chance to enjoy camaraderie with colleagues with an interest in the Civil War. Right now Lincoln-Cushing Camp is in need of volunteers for the following camp positions: Patriotic Instructor, Assistant Secretary/Treasurer, and Color Bearer

This is a great way to get involved in your camp and enjoy all the benefits of giving your time to a worthy cause. Please contact me at 29thconn@comcast.net to find out more about these important positions.

NEXT CAMP M EETING

O f t H e L inc O ln - C us H ing C amp N O . 2 Our next Lincoln-Cushing Camp meeting will be held at 11:30 am on 7 December, at the Dubliner Restaurant, 4 F Street NW, Capitol Hill, Washington, DC.

This is our election meeting where camp officers will be selected for 2014.
All members of the Camp, Auxiliary, and their guests are encouraged to attend.

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 30 November so that an accurate count can be given to the establishment. If you cant get your check in by 30 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.

We

hope to see you there!

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Winter Reading
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Into the Civil War? Or Visiting Washington? Youll want this book Testament to Union: Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C.
Reviewed by: Don Bishop by Kathryn Allamong Jacob Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998

This fascinating and valuable book describes the 41 Civil War monuments in the District of Columbia, nearby Maryland, and northern Virginia -- the equestrian statues on Washingtons traffic circles, the Emancipation statue of Lincoln and a freed slave, Arlington Cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial, the Arsenal Monument to 21 women killed in 1864 while making cartridges for the Union Army, and many others. Its both a guidebook and a history. In each chapter, author Katherine Allamong Jacob covers the event or individual honored, the movement to erect a monument, the selection of a sculptor, design and construction, and the dedication ceremony. She introduces artists once widely known and honored -- Daniel Chester French, Felix de Weldon, Gutzon Borglum, Henry Merwin Shrady, and Vinnie Ream Hoxie among them -- to a new generation. Considered together, the 41 chapters add up to a long essay on historical memory. Statues were, and are, more than the sum of their metal and stone parts, wrote Jacob in the introduction. Public monuments yield cultural power. Each one carries a heavy load of invisible ideological baggage. Mundane as they may appear, ubiquitous as they may be, public monuments constitute serious cultural authority ... they impose a memory of an event or individual in the public landscape that orders our lives. These monuments confer a legitimacy upon the memory they embody.... And by imprinting one memory, they erase others. The Civil War was a defining event, breaking American history into a before and after. Every American needs to understand the wars origins in slavery, expressed in sectionalism, and the political, economic, legal, and social dimensions of how the Union and the founding ideals of the nation were challenged by secession. Studying these monuments provides a lens. Every American needs to understand the course of the war -- its events from Fort Sumter to Gettysburg to Appomattox. It was noble and vile, the last of the old wars

and the first of the new. It chewed up lives on a scale unprecedented in history. It bought out the best and worst in men. These monuments can help visitors know more of the conflict. And all Americans need to understand the wars legacy -- the changes it worked in American history. This means Americans need to consider how the war has been remembered and interpreted. It is in this last area that this volume is so valuable. When most of the monuments were unveiled, for instance, the history of slavery, secession, and Jim Crow had been muted in a lost cause narrative. Testament to Union helps reveal the treatment of the war by subsequent generations. In a book full of instructive stories, this readers favorite comes from Jacobs narrative of the dedication of the Nuns of the Battlefield monument, opposite St. Mathews Cathedral, in 1924, close to 60 years after the war ended. One of the first speakers noted the poignancy of the fact that so many years had elapsed before the sisters were honored that not one who had nursed the Civil War soldiers remained to hear the tributes, she wrote. From out of the crowd of hundreds of nuns seated in front of the platform arose a surviving nun of the battlefield, who walked stooped and with head bowed up to the platform to thunderous applause. After a hurried consultation, Archbishop Curley of Baltimore announced that the elderly nun was Sister Magdeline of the Sisters of Mercy. She received a long ovation. Oh, to have been there!

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Winter Reading
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Packed with memory, emotion, and meaning The Columbia Book of Civil War Poetry: From Whitman to Walcott
Richard Marius and Keith Frome, editors Columbia University Press, 1994
The scar of the Civil War seems mostly healed now, but memories of the pain linger, and shame, and inspire. We relive the war in films -- Gone With the Wind, say, or Glory. We still read novels of red badges and killer angels. Bradys photos still take us to the battlefields, though he arrived some hours after the worst carnage, usually. In the carte-de-visite photos of forebears and their brothers in the regiment, we look for -- ourselves. Paintings and dioramas capture the terror and bloodletting and nobility -- showing more of the latter than the former -- on the canvases. Though as the years pass we hear less often The Battle Cry of Freedom or Tenting Tonight or The Vacant Chair, the Battle Hymn still quickens our hearts. On Memorial Day and Dr. Kings Birthday, we remember the wars legacy. Yet still we want more, for in the clash of blue and gray, the burnished rows of steel, and the buckets of blood and limbs in the surgeons tents, we ponder war and peace and equality and justice, for us and for humanity. For some of that more, turn to this volume. From the time of the first battles, American poets wrote out their own images, their own stories, their own broken and divided hearts, their own horrors, in lines on the page. Here are the words of Melville and Whitman and Howe and Longfellow and Whittier, who saw the war
Reviewed by: Don Bishop

themselves. Here are Masters and Dunbar and Warren and Lindsay and Sandburg and Hughes, who knew the war from hearing the stories, reading the tales, and feeling the heartbeats of their countrymen. This rich anthology runs back and forth in time, crosses the broken terrain of emotions, reaches up Little Round Top and down into the crater, aches for the dreams of north and south (neither come true), and looks at the men at war and the monuments that honor them. Editors Richard Marius and Keith Frome chose well. Did you see the movie Glory? Test your literary grasp against the poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar, William Vaughn Moody, John Berryman, and Robert Lowell on the St. Gaudens monument on Boston Common. And contemplate what Will Henry Thompson meant, writing of Picketts charge at Gettysburg, by the word Glory. And if youve a mind to ponder Vietnam and Iraq and Afghanistan, read Canto VII of William Vaughn Moodys Ode in Time of Hesitation (1900), one of the poems inspired by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Do not fluent men of place and consequence still intone their dull commercial liturgies? And whose heart cannot jump when the words from Moodys pen leap into our century -We are our fathers sons: let those who lead us know.

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Winter Reading
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Unique and quite readable, This book does not belong in any of the usual categories of Civil War books Civil War Acoustic Shadows
by Charles D. Ross Reviewed by: Brother Lee Stone, PDC Shippensburg PA, White Mane Books: 2001
This book was written, not by a history professor, but by a physics professor (at Longwood University in Farmville, VA) who happens to have a great interest in Civil War history. Professor Ross has investigated the physics behind the phenomenon known as acoustic shadow: areas near a sound-producing event (such as a battle) where the sounds of that event, though very loud, cannot be heard by the human ear. In this book he uses that knowledge to explain some unusual events of the Civil War. The Battle of Gaines Mill, on 27 June 1862, was the first battle in which Robert E. Lee commanded the Confederate army that he would lead for the rest of the war. The book begins with a well-documented episode during that battle, of individuals actually watching combat as it occurred, but being unable to hear the sounds emanating from that combat. Professor Ross adds some fascinating detail about the 19th-century state of scientific investigation and explanation of such events. Chapter 2 of this book explains in terms at once scientific, and clear and simple enough for any non-physicist to understand, the physics of the human sense of hearing, and the causes of acoustic shadow. Professor Ross also addresses why such an event can sometimes be heard many miles away, though inaudible closer to the event. Chapter 3 describes why, lacking radios, Civil War leaders relied on the sounds of battle in certain situations to make decisions or initiate actions. This of course implies, as Professor Ross states, that acoustic shadow might affect the progress or outcome of a battle in which it occurred. Chapters 4-9 describe six battles in which acoustic shadow had or may have had an effect on the battle. In order of occurrence, they are: the Battles of Fort Donelson, Seven Pines, Iuka, Perryville, Chancellorsville, and Five Forks. In each chapter, Professor Ross indicates what role sound had in that battle, gives the evidence for acoustic shadow,

attempts to identify likely causes of acoustic shadow in that context, and explains its effect on the battle. This book does not belong in any of the usual categories of Civil War books. Its purpose is clearly not the recounting of particular battles in detail, nor the analysis of the actions of military leaders of either side. It is a uniqueand quite readablescientific explanation of a physical phenomenon that, without investigation, might appear to be no more than an overactive imagination at work, or an inventive attempt to escape blame for a bad outcome. Kudos to Professor Ross for successfully applying his specialized knowledge to the world outside the compartment of his professional expertise.

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Auxiliary of Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War:

Looking for New Members for the Lincoln-Cushing Camp

The Auxiliary of Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (ASUVCW) is an organization for women who are interested in becoming part of the SUVCW family. As with SUVCW, membership is open to descendants of those who served for the Union in the CW, but it also open to any woman who is the wife of a brother of SUVCW. The ASUVCW defines their purpose to assist the Sons of Union Veterans in keeping alive the memories of our ancestors and their sacrifices for the maintenance of the Union; to caring for helpless and disabled Veterans; to properly observe Memorial Day; to aid and assist worthy and needy members of our Auxiliary; to instill true patriotism and love of country; and to spread and sustain the doctrine of equal rights, universal liberty and justice to all. Our Auxiliary members, on national, state, and local levels participate in ceremonies and programs to commemorate events and honor leaders-and personalities of the Civil War period and events important to the history to the Grand Army of the Republic. We encourage interested women to review the ASUVCW website: http://www.asuvcw.org/index.html For wives of SUVCW brothers, the application is very short and easy to complete.

2013 Officers and Appointments | Lincoln-Cushing Camp Camp No. 2

Commander: Charles Ben Hawley 29thconn@comcast.net Senior Vice Commander: Richard Griffin hoplite@earthlink.com Junior Vice Commander: Brin Lewis blewis@thrivevents.com Secretary and Treasurer: Lee Stone, PDC stoneld@aol.com
Members of the Camp Council: Fr. Charles Nalls, PCC; Robert Pollock, PCC; Calvin Zon, PCC

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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) 2013 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

Dubliner Restaurant on Capitol Hill

R E S E R VA T I O N F OR 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). My entree choice: My guests choice: Shep. Pie Shep. Pie Salmon Salmon Burger Burger

Date: Time:

7 December, 2013 11:30 am (Social Hour)

Lunch: 12:30 pm

Location: The Dubliner Restaurant 4 F Street, NW Washington, DC

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

Lunch Selections: - Shepards Pie - Filet of Salmon Dingle Bay - Guinness Burger Attire: Business or SVR Uniform

RSVP by 3 Novem0 ber

Cost: $28 per person (Cash Bar)

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