History of the Colonel Sherod Hunter Camp 1525,2005-2006

CAMP HISTORY

August 1, 2005 to July 31, 2006

CEREMONY FOR ARIZONA’S LAST UNION VETERAN, NOVEMBER 2005

GREENWOOD MEMORY LAWN CEMETERY, PHOENIX, ARIZONA

On November 19, 2005, Camp Picacho Peak, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, hosted it’s first-ever ceremony in honor our Arizona’s Last Union Veteran, Private Parker Louis Gordon, at Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery in Phoenix, Arizona. Private Gordon was a drummer in the Union Army during the war. The ceremony was well attended by members of the S.U.V.C.W., Arizona Civil War Council reenactors, and members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Representing Camp 1525 at the event were Commander Robert Perkins and Lt. Commander Dan Huskisson. Lt. Commander Huskisson, who also is a member of the S.U.V.C.W., played a part in the guard which rendered honours to Private Gordon during the cemetery. One unwelcome event arising from the ceremony is that Camp Commander Perkins, who has a bad knee (injured in an auto accident in the summer of 2004), slipped on the slick stone floor of the mausoleum and suffered a fall which resulted in painful injuries to his bad knee. He was not the only one to be injured during the event, either...one of the Arizona Civil War Council reenactors also fell as a result of slipping on the slick floor. But other than those mishaps, it was a great event, and it is a shame that more of our members could not attend. Hopefully it will be the first of many such events the S.U.V.C.W. will host in the future.

CEREMONY FOR ARIZONA'S LAST UNION VETERAN

The Honour Guard for Private Parker Louis Gordon, Arizona's last Union veteran.

Camp 1525 Lt. Commander Dan Huskisson is in the immediate foreground, in the Union Artillery Sergeant’s uniform.

JEFFERSON DAVIS MEMORIAL SERVICE, DECEMBER 2005

JEFFERSON DAVIS MONUMENT, APACHE JUNCTION, ARIZONA

On Saturday, December 3, 2005, the Colonel Sherod Hunter Camp 1525 hosted it’s twelfth annual ceremony in honour of Confederate President Jefferson Finis Davis at the Jefferson Davis Highway marker located east of Apache Junction, Arizona. Attending the event were Camp Commander Robert Perkins, Lt. Commander Dan Huskisson, and Camp Matron Tammy Perkins. Since so few attended the event...one of the lowest attendances we have ever had...a full ceremony was not held. Commander Perkins and Lt. Commander Huskisson rendered military honours to President Davis, however, so the central purpose of the event...remembering and honouring a great Southerner and great American...was fulfilled.

RENDERING HONOURS TO THE PRESIDENT

Camp 1525 Lt. Commander Dan Huskisson (left) and Camp Commander Robert Perkins (right) salute

the Jefferson Davis Monument as "Taps" is played in honour of President Davis on December 3, 2005.

LEE AND JACKSON DAY CELEBRATION, JANUARY 2006

BILL JOHNSON'S BIG APPLE RESTAURANT, PHOENIX, ARIZONA

On Saturday, January 21, 2006, the Colonel Sherod Hunter Camp 1525 hosted it’s eleventh annual birthday celebration in honour of two of the South’s greatest leaders, General Robert E. Lee and Lt. General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson. This celebration has (with the exception of 2005, when it had to be canceled) been conducted annually since 1994, and is the longest-running such celebration being held in Arizona. The 2006 celebration was well attended by members of Camp 1525, as well as the Captain Granville Henderson Oury Camp 1708 of Scottsdale, Arizona, the Thunderbird Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and Camp Picacho Peak, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. A delicious luncheon was served, during which the attendees socialized and enjoyed good company and good conversation. The highlight of the event was the ever-popular Lee and Jackson Confederate Trivia Contest. This year, prizes were presented to the top six contestants. Ron Fox, Adjutant of Camp 1708, was the top scorer with no less than 29 correct answers! Way to go, Ron! Second place went to Larry Hammack, Commander of Camp 1708; Third Place to Steve Johnson of Camp 1525; Fourth Place to Deanna Adams of the Thunderbird Chapter, U.D.C.; Fifth Place to Margaret Harville, also of Thunderbird Chapter; and Sixth Place to Kathy Quillen, also of Thunderbird Chapter. All in all it was a very successful event, and about the only thing that could have been wished for would have been to see the rest of the Arizona Division, S.C.V. represented at the official Arizona Division, S.C.V. event! But be that as it may, those who attended had a great time, and Camp 1525 is very pleased to have hosted this event.

TOP WINNERS IN THE TRIVIA CONTEST

Left, Larry Hammack, Commander of the Captain Granville Henderson Oury Camp 1708, who took second place; and at right, Ron Fox, Adjutant of Camp 1708, who took first place. Congratulations to all the winners in this year’s competition!

CIVIL WAR IN THE SOUTHWEST WEEKEND, MARCH 2006

PICACHO PEAK STATE PARK, PICACHO, ARIZONA

Over the weekend of March 11-12, 2006, the Colonel Sherod Hunter Camp had an information and recruitment booth at Civil War in the Southwest Weekend hosted by Picacho Peak State Park. The Camp’s booth was manned by Commander Robert Perkins and Camp Matron Tammy Perkins. Camp 1525 was just one of several Camps of the Arizona Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans attending the event...also attending was the Captain Hunter’s Arizona Rangers Camp 1202 (Tucson), the Captain Granville Henderson Oury Camp 1708 (Scottsdale), the Confederate Secret Service Camp 1710 (Sierra Vista, Arizona) and the Texas John Slaughter Camp 2074 (Tombstone, Arizona). The various S.C.V. groups were all set up in one common area, where most groups conducted raffles or sold other items to raise money for their various camp projects, as well as distributing recruitment information to the public. Camp 1525 had no raffle item, but sold various Confederate flag-themed items (baseball caps, lock-blade knives, bandannas, mousepads, and embroidered patches) to the public at the event.

Saturday, March 11, was marred by atrocious weather consisting of high winds and ice-cold driving rain. The huge wind gusts prevented the Camp 1525 crew from erecting their protective canopy, and made it very difficult to keep display items on the table. At about 11:00 a.m., when the rain began in earnest, Commander Perkins decided that the conditions were simply too poor to continue, and he and Mrs. Perkins packed up the Camp’s display items and left for their motel room in Casa Grande. Camp 1525 would not be the only group to leave that day...Camps 1708, 1710, and 2074 all withdrew from the event before the end of the day after high winds flipped over display tables and knocked down canopies and tents. Sunday, March 12, however, was a different story. Although it was still windy and cold on that day, the rain was gone and the sun was shining. Camp 1525 returned to the event (along with Camp 1202...the other three Camps which withdrew the previous day did not return), and this time was able to erect the Camp’s canopy and set up a proper display. However, since most of the reenactors had beat a hasty retreat before the weather of the previous day, only one battle, and that a small one, was fought on that day, which limited the crowds which attended the event. So the number of people visiting the Camp’s booth was quite small. But we did educate some people on the true history of the war, and Camp 1525 achieved sales of $26.00 during the event, despite all the handicaps. So the event wasn’t a total "washout", despite being "washed out" by the weather.

A BLUSTERY DAY

The SCV area on Saturday, March 11, 2006, shortly before howling winds and

torrential rain forced most of the SCV groups to abandon the event. Camp 1525's table

sits to the right of the picture...the wind was so bad, we were unable to erect our

canopy, so our display was exposed to the elements for the short time we were there.

A BETTER DAY

Commander Perkins with the Camp 1525 booth on Sunday, March 12, 2006.

FEDERAL MEMORIAL DAY, MAY 2006

PIONEERS' CEMETERY, PHOENIX, ARIZONA

On Monday, May 29, 2006, the Colonel Sherod Hunter Camp 1525 attended the annual Federal Memorial Day ceremony held by the Pioneers’ Cemetery Association at Pioneers' Cemetery in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. Attending the event on behalf of the Camp were Camp Commander Robert Perkins, Lt. Commander Dan Huskisson, and Camp Matron Tammy Perkins. Commander Perkins gave a short speech which was well received by the attendees at the event. Prior to the ceremony itself, Lt. Commander Huskisson cleaned the bronze Confederate Crosses of Honor which our Camp installed at the cemetery last year. After receiving attention from Dan, the markers looked great! At the Federal Memorial Day ceremony this year, it was discovered that the headstone for one of the Confederate veterans at the cemetery, Sergeant Green F. Evans of the 34th Texas Cavalry, was missing. Upon inquiring about this with the Pioneers’ Cemetery Association, it was confirmed that a headstone had existed, but had disappeared. They did not know exactly when it happened. The P.C.A. gave us permission to obtain a new headstone from the Veterans Administration and to install it (this was completed in February 2007).

COMMANDER PERKINS' SPEECH

Commander Robert Perkins gives a speech in honor of America's veterans.

His words were well received by those in attendance at the ceremony.

Camp Commander Robert Perkins (left) and Lt. Commander Dan Huskisson (right) in the Confederate section

of the Cemetery. Dan is standing behind the grave of Sergeant Green F. Evans, the soldier for whom our Camp

is going to order a new headstone from the Veterans Administration.

Camp Commander Robert Perkins poses with his wife, Camp 1525’s Matron Tammy Perkins, who did sterling duty

that day as our Camp photographer, taking most of the pictures snapped that day. The picture is taken in the

Confederate section of Pioneers’ Cemetery.

ARIZONA DIVISION CONVENTION, JUNE 2006

APACHE POINTE RANCH, SIERRA VISTA, ARIZONA

On Saturday, June 3, 2006, the annual Convention of the Arizona Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, was held at the

Apache Pointe Ranch Restaurant in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Present were delegations from the Captain Hunter’s Arizona

Rangers Camp 1202 (Tucson, Arizona); the Colonel Sherod Hunter Camp 1525 (Phoenix, Arizona); the Captain Granville

H. Oury Camp 1708 (Scottsdale, Arizona); the Confederate Secret Service Camp 1710 (Sierra Vista, Arizona); and the

Texas John H. Slaughter Camp 2074 (Tombstone, Arizona). Representing Camp 1525 at the event were Camp Commander

Robert Perkins, Camp Lt. Commander Dan Huskisson, and Camp Matron, Tammy Perkins. Commander Perkins and

Camp Matron Tammy Perkins received awards at the event. Also, the Camp made the first significant sales of

Confederate-themed merchandise at the event, taking in over $100.00.

CAMP MATRON RECOGNIZED

At the 2006 Arizona Division Convention, Camp 1525 Matron Tammy Perkins (center) won the

Rose O’Neal Greenhowe Heritage Award for her actions in defending Confederate Heritage when it

was attacked by KNIX Disc Jockeys Tim and Willie during the leadup to the Country Thunder Event

in April 2006. Also pictured are Arizona Division Adjutant Curt Tipton and Division Lt. Commander

John Mangum.

DISTINGUISHED MEMBER AWARD

The 2006 Sherod Hunter Award for the Arizona Division’s most Distinguished member went to

Camp 1525 Commander Robert Perkins. Pictured, left to right, are Curt Tipton, Commander Perkins,

and John Mangum.

ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING, JULY 2006

On Saturday, July 29, 2006, the Colonel Sherod Hunter Camp 1525 held it’s Annual Business Meeting at the home of

Camp Chaplain Steven Johnson. Attending the meeting was Camp Commander Robert Perkins, Lt. Commander Dan

Huskisson, Adjutant Jerry Harbin, Chaplain Steve Johnson, and Camp Matron Tammy Perkins. Before and after the

meeting, attendees were able to view Chaplain Johnson’s collection of War between the States relics, which was very

interesting and impressive, and we thank him for sharing it with us. Chaplain Johnson and his lovely wife, Lora, served

a delicious luncheon of home-made cheeseburgers with all the fixings, baked beans, potato salad (provided by Camp

Matron Tammy Perkins), potato chips, and a dessert of brownies and ice cream. Their culinary efforts were much

appreciated by the attendees, as was their graciousness in allowing us to use their home for the meeting.

The Camp's annual Awards ceremony was held. The 2005 ceremony marked the debut of the new rotating awards

trophies for the Robert E. Lee Award and the Stonewall Jackson Award, which joined the rotating plaque for the Jefferson

Davis Award which was introduced in 2006. The new trophies were well received by those attending. A picture of the top

three Camp awards appears below.

The awards were presented by our Camp Matron, Tammy Perkins, as the past practice by which the Camp Commander excluded himself from consideration for the Camp’s top awards has been abandoned, effective this year. The Commander had been urged to do this for some time by various Camp members, and since especially in the past year the Commander has often been the only Camp member in attendance at Camp events, it was decided to follow that advice. Since Tammy consented to perform this duty, when Commander Perkins won an award, he didn’t have to stand in front of the rest of those attending and say, "The winner is...ME," for which he was very thankful! The Camp extends it’s thanks to her for performing this service for us this year. The awards, and their recipients, are as follows...

JAMES LONGSTREET AWARD

Recognizing service in the office of Camp Lt. Commander, went to Dan Huskisson.

SAMUEL COOPER AWARD

Recognizing service in the office of Camp Adjutant, went to Jerry Harbin.

LEONIDAS POLK AWARD

Recognizing service in the office of Camp Chaplain, went to Steve Johnson.

STONEWALL JACKSON AWARD

Recognizing the member who has done the most over the past year to promote and further Camp projects, went to Dan Huskisson.

ROBERT E. LEE AWARD

Recognizing the member who had the best attendance at Camp meetings and events, went to Robert Perkins.

JEFFERSON DAVIS AWARD

Recognizing the Camp’s most distinguished member, also went to Robert Perkins.

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