[VAcourier] Adopt a Confederate Program

Fri Sep 5 16:02:22 EDT 2008

I recently received a request from the Col. Harry W. Gilmor Camp #1388 
in Maryland to pass on information about their Adopt a Confederate 
Program. In his e-mail below, Lt. Cmdr. Steve Smith of the Gilmor Camp 
referred to 2 soldiers who served in Florida units because he intended 
to send the e-mail to the commander of a camp in Florida. I explained 
that I would be glad to pass the information on but asked if he could 
send details on any unreadable stones for Virginia soldiers that are 
buried on Confederate Hill in Loudon Park Cemetery in Baltimore, MD. 
Listed below are the remaining Virginia soldiers with unreadable markers 
that still need to be adopted. I encourage camps and/or individuals to 
consider adopting a Confederate soldier to help the Gilmor Camp reach 
their goal of marking our Confederate Heroes.

BIVANS, George H. - 25th VA
CULBRETH, John - Breathed's Bty.
FEBREY, Lt. Moses A. - Breathed's Bty.
GARDNER, Thomas J. - 35th VA Cav., Co. D
GIBSON, Fayette - Breathed's Bty.
GRIDLIN, Lt. Jacob H. - 30th VA Inf., Co. A
JONES, George W. - 18th VA Cav., Co. H
JONES, Pvt. Charles T. - 3rd Rgt. Richmond Defenses
KEECH, Pvt. Chilton A. - 3rd VA Cav. & 21st VA Inf., Co. I & Co. B
LEELING, Pvt. John L. - Norfolk Light Artillery
MOORE, Pvt. William H. - 3rd VA Cav., Co. H
PREECE, Pvt. Edward V. - 12th VA Inf. & 1st MD Inf., Co. K & Co. C
STRAIN, Pvt. George - 18th Bttn.VA Hvy. Art., Co. C
TANERA, Pvt. Frank - 47th VA Inf., Co. H

Confederate soldiers from other states can be found on their Web site 
located at: http://www.mdscv.org/1388/adopt-a-confederate/ in case you 
would like to adopt one from your birthplace or where your ancestor 
served if it was other than Virginia. The Gilmor Camp would prefer to 
mark graves where the tombstones are unreadable first and then go on to 
mark tombstones that are barely readable but can still be made out. A 
complete listing of the veterans' names which have readable & unreadable 
tombstones can also be found on the Gilmor Web site (approx. 71 total 
from Virginia still need to be adopted).

Most of the original tombstones are still in place and will not be 
removed but an engraved 12x12 Georgia granite stone will be placed in 
front of the historic original tombstones so visitors will be able to 
read the veterans name. They cannot replace these older historic 
tombstones with the modern version supplied by the Department of 
Veterans Affairs due to the size of the smaller historic markers and the 
fact that many of them are still standing (they are simply illegible).

Thank you for sharing this list with all parties or individuals that may 
be interested in adopting a Confederate soldier.

John Sawyer, Commander
Virginia Division SCV

_________________________________________________________

Dear Commander Sawyer,

You may already be aware of the “Adopt a Confederate Program,” but it 
has been awhile since I last contacted the other Camps in the 
Confederation, so an update is in order.

Beginning with the initial planning in 2003, the Col. Harry W. Gilmor 
Camp #1388, SCV has been working tirelessly on the “Adopt a Confederate 
Program.” This is a project designed to see that all the Confederate 
veterans interred on “Confederate Hill,” Loudon Park Cemetery in 
Baltimore, Maryland have a readable marker far into the future.

When we started there were a total of 614 veterans interred on 
“Confederate Hill” eligible for adoption. More than half have no marker; 
or the existing marker is unreadable or nearly so.

As of this date, we have placed 289 new Georgia granite markers in the 
ground representing 300 veterans, with payment so far received for 
another 38 markers for next year’s Confederate Memorial Day ceremonies. 
There are 275 that still need to be “adopted,” thereby resulting in the 
installation of a new marker.

Of the veterans still in need of a new marker, two served in a Florida 
unit. They are Pvt. James A. Ross of Co. A and Pvt. John P. Ray, Co. E 
of the 8th Florida Infantry. Anything you can do to see that these 
Florida veteran will be remembered through this program would be greatly 
appreciated.

A tax deductible donation of $200.00 enables the Gilmor Camp to purchase 
a 12” x 12” Georgia granite marker by way of a special arrangement with 
Loudon Park Cemetery and their granite supplier. Each marker includes 
the name, unit and important dates for each veteran where that 
information is available. The granite supplier has volunteered to 
include a Confederate Cross of Honor on each marker.

Adopters are presented with a tax letter for the IRS, an invitation to 
the marker dedication in June, a photograph of the installed marker, an 
adoption certificate and a letter thanking them for their generous 
donation.

Please visit our project website at: 
http://www.mdscv.org/1388/adopt-a-confederate/. There you will find a 
complete list of the veterans interred on “Confederate Hill.” The roster 
can be printed in PDF format via a link near the top of the list. In 
addition, the website includes an archive of research found on these 
individuals, a photo gallery, information on participation and why we 
are conducting the project in the chosen manner.

There are veterans from 14 different States and dozens of units interred 
on “Confederate Hill.” Each has his own story to tell. Each should never 
be forgotten. Through this project, the Gilmor Camp is seeing to it that 
these Southern Patriots will be remembered by future generations.

However, despite the thousands of hours and dollars expended by the 
Gilmor Camp as a whole and by individual members and friends of the 
Camp, we cannot complete this task without your help. Please try to help 
in any way you can. Don’t hesitate to contact me or any other member of 
the Gilmor Camp with any questions or comments.

Sincerely,

Steve Smith
Lt. Commander
Col. Harry W. Gilmor Camp #1388
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Baltimore, Maryland