ALBANY,
Ga. — In observance of Confederate History and Heritage Month in the
state of Georgia, the Albany-based Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 141
will hold a memorial service at the Confederate Memorial Park on
Philema Road Saturday.
The occasion will include a mixture of
solemn tribute to the men and women who served and died during the
American Civil War and the performance of era-specific hymns and
Confederate songs by an ensemble that specializes in that type music.
“It
is entirely fitting, proper and appropriate that we should gather to
pay tribute to the Confederate veterans and to the civilian population
of the South who also contributed and sacrificed so much during the
years of 1861-1865 and in the Reconstruction years that followed,” SCV
Camp 141 Commander James King said.
“We should not only pay
tribute to great Southern leaders and heroes like Jefferson Davis,
Alexander Stephens, Robert E. Lee, Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson
and Nathan Bedford Forrest, but let us also remember the lesser-known
officers and enlisted men who formed the backbone of the army in gray.”
In
addition to the presentation of the order of secession by the
Confederate states and the laying of flowers to honor fallen
Southerners, Saturday’s program will also feature a speech by King and
musical tribute by the band A Joyful Noise.
“The three original
members of the band — Martin Mosteller, Ed Ashmann and myself — were all
teachers, and we were all members of the SCV,” group co-founder Mike
Hall said. “We all played different instruments and decided to get
together ... and we pretty much stank. But we started bringing others
into the band — and spending more time playing — and it’s turned into
something that people seem to enjoy.
“We did our first show
playing for an SCV event, and we’ve played several shows for the
organization since then, including the last three Confederate Memorial
services. It’s something we take pride in doing.”
Mosteller plays
bass for A Joyful Noise, Ashmann banjo and mandolin, and Hall plays
12-string guitar and provides vocals. Others in the band include lead
guitarist Jimmy Wills and vocalists Lu Hall, Mary Price, Faye West and
June Pierce. Mike Hall said A Joyful Noise would perform a number
of old gospel standards as well as “Dixie,” “Bonnie Blue Flag” and “When
Johnny Comes Marching Home” during Saturday’s event.
Also at the
ceremony, which starts at 9 a.m., members of the Dougherty County United
Daughters of the Confederacy Chapter 187 will present a Military
Service Award to John Alton Bryant for his service in both the Vietnam
and Persian Gulf conflicts.
“The UDC presents awards to veterans
whose ancestors served in the Civil War,” King said. “We felt the
inclusion of that ceremony would be fitting for this memorial service.”
A
Joyful Noise will kick off Saturday’s event with a musical tribute at 9
a.m. The memorial service that follows will include pledges and salutes
to the Confederate and Georgia flags, performance of “Dixie,” the
reading of various charges and proclamations by SCV camp leaders and a
speech by King. Following the reading of the order of secession of
states and the laying of flowers and wreaths, re-enactors of the 4th
Georgia Regiment will present a rifle and cannon salute.
King said
the public, including those who may not be SCV members or supporters,
are invited to attend the ceremony, which comes during the commemoration
of the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War.
“There
are those, I know, who say we should not be honoring Confederate
soldiers, but those people are usually uneducated about the war,” the
SCV commander said. “I think if they understood the history of the South
a little better, they’d understand our desire to honor our ancestors
who gave their lives for a cause they believed in.
“Imagine if
America had lost the Revolutionary War and we were all British subjects.
We would still recognize and honor the heroes who fought and died
seeking our country’s independence. That’s why we honor the
Confederacy.” Former Gov. Sonny Perdue signed Georgia General
Assembly Bill 27 into law declaring April Confederate History and
Heritage Month in the state.
|
