Newsletter

Upcoming Events:

The Sgt. James W. Nicholson Camp #1478, Ruston, LA is proud to sponsor a Confederate Christmas Party and Dance. The event will take place on December 18th, 2004 from 6:00 PM till 10:00 PM at the Arcadia Depot Museum in Arcadia, LA. This building is a very old Train Depot that has been restored to its former glory. This will also be a pot luck event, so bring your favorite goodies and dishes. We are fortunate to have the music group "The 12th of April" to perform for our listening and dancing entertainment. There will also be a gift game played throughout the night, so if you want to play bring a wrapped gift (under $10) and door prizes will also be given away. If you need more information or directions call 318-255-1668 or e-mail jbtp@bayou.com

TWIN CITY MARDI GRAS PARADE
MONROE AND WEST MONROE, LOUISIANA Place: West Monroe, LA
Date: 29 January, 2005
Line up: 3:30PM - Parade kicks off at 6:00PM (last light)
Line up location: The Old Lowe's Building on Natchitoches Street (Old Natchitoches Rd)
Route: From corner of Natchitoches and North 7th in West Monroe to Louisville and Breard (Eastgate Shopping Center) in Monroe. For more information contact Northeast Brigade Commander Thomas Taylor at
318-323-4146 or tcrusader@juno.com

March 5 & 6, 2005 Second Annual SCV- Acadian Village Living history/ Re-enactment. Both military and civilian Re-enactors needed. This event is held in an authentic 19th century Acadian Village. The village opens at 10:00A.M. and closes for business at 5:00P.M. Saturday, March 5 will include open encampment, living village, demos, and a morning skirmish and afternoon battle. The evening will be a meal for re-enactors and period dancing. Sunday, March 6 will include religious services, morning skirmish, demos, living village , and afternoon battle. For more information contact Acadian Village at 1-800-962-9133 or contact me at 337-543-2020/692-0672, or e-mail at reb67@bellsouth.net

Pleasant Hill Reenactment -April 9&10 More details later/

December Meeting

We will be meeting Tuesday December the 28^th at 6:30 PM at Pizza Inn on Cooktown Road In Ruston. Plan to join us, and invite someone to come with you!!!!!!

Confederate Quote:

"What a glorious world God Almighty has given us. How thankless and ungrateful we are, and how we labor to mar His gifts." General Robert E. Lee, CSA

Southern Cooking:

Apple Snow Balls

Godey's Lady's Book 1863

Take a half a dozen fresh apples, cut them into quarters and carefully remove the cores from them: then put them together, having introduced into the cavity caused by the removal of the cores, two cloves and a thin slice of lemon-rind into each apple. Have at hand half a dozen damp cloths, upon each dispose of a liberal layer of clean, picked rice; place each apple in an upright position in the middle of the grain, and draw the sides of the cloths containing the rice over the same, tying them at the top only sufficiently tight to admit of its swelling whilst under the operation of boiling-three quarters of an hour will suffice. When released from the cloths they will resemble snow-balls. Open, add sugar, butter, and nutmeg to the fruit, and serve them up to table. The above will be found very wholesome and satisfactory food for children.

Christmas Cake

Godey's Lady's Book 1862

Sometimes recipes were in written as verses.

To two pounds of flour, well sifted, unite

Of loaf-sugar, ounces sixteen;

Two pounds of fresh butter, with eighteen fine eggs,

And four pounds of currants washed and clean;

Eight ounces of almonds well blanched and cut small,

The same weight of citron sliced;

Of orange and lemon-peal candied one pound,

And a gill of pale brandy uniced;

A large nutmeg grated:exact half an ounce

Of allspice, but only a quarter

Of mace, coriander, and ginger well ground,

Or pounded to dust in a mortar,

An important addition is cinnamon, which

Is better increased than diminished;

The fourth of an ounce is sufficient. Now this

May be baked for good hours till finished.

Makes about 24 lbs.

Christmas During the War:

As the war dragged on, deprivation replaced bounteous repasts and familiar faces were missing from the family dinner table. Soldiers used to "bringing in the tree" and caroling in church were instead scavenging for firewood and singing drinking songs around the campfire. And so the holiday celebration most associated with family and home was a contradiction. It was a joyful, sad, religious, boisterous, and subdued event. The following are some excerpts from letters sent between soldiers and their families and diaries.

Gilbert J. Barton, Company I of Charlotte, recorded some of the hardships of camp that day: "Dec 25th Christmas. Had hard Tack soaked in cold water and then fried in pork Greece [sic]. Fried in a canteen, split into[sic] by putting into the fire & melting the sodder[sic] off. We pick them up on the field left by other soldiers, also had coffee & pork. Ordered up at 5 this morning with guns ready, as it is reported that there are 400 Rebel Cavalry not far off prowling around. Foggy morning."

From the diary of Private Robert A. Moore, a Confederate soldier:Tuesday, Dec 24th, 1861, camp near Swan's..."This is Christmas Eve but seems but little like it to me" Wednesday, Dec. 25th, 1861, camp near Swan's... "This is Christmas & and very dull Christmas it has been to me. Had an egg-nog to-night but did not enjoy it much as we had no ladies to share it with us."

From the diary of Robert Watson of Key West, Florida.December 25, 1863 at Dalton, Georgia after action at Chickamauga "Christmas day and a very dull one but I find a tolerable good dinner. I had one drink of whiskey in the morning. There was some serenading last night but I took no part in it for I did not feel merry as my thoughts were of home..."

Jasper Cockerham wrote the following letter to his niece his niece:

Camp near Dinwiddie Court House
December 26, 1864Dear Martha,Your letter came to hand a few days since and I am now seated to answer. I have but little news times is very dull out here yesterday was the most quiet day we have had for some time. The soldiers all look sad and lonely. We have nothing spiritual or refreshing in camp. Have not see one case of intoxification during our Christmas holiday. All is calm on the lines in front of Petersburg and Richmond, except some little picket firing on Saturday night. I have a splendid cain and am living quite comfortable at present. Rations are rather scanty...Yours affectionatly, Jasper

James Holloway, writing from Dranesville, VA tells his family that same Christmas: "You have no idea how lonesome I feel this day. It's the first time in my life I'm away from loved ones at home."

On the home front, the homes were mostly decorated with different kinds of pines, holly, ivy and mistletoe. While there were many families who spent lonely Christmases during the war, they still had a Christmas Tree which was the centerpiece for the home. Most trees were small and sat on a table. The decorations were mostly home made, such as strings of dried fruit, popcorn, pine cones. Colored paper, silver foil, as well as spun glass were popular choices for making decorations. Santa brought gifts to the children. Those gifts were home made, such as carved toys, cakes or fruits. Christmas carols were sung both at home and in the camps. Can you imagine how homesick the soldiers would become singing these songs. Some of the most popular ones were "Silent Night," "Away in the Manger," "Oh Come All Ye Faithful," "Deck the Halls," and others.

____________________________________________________________

Chat With The Chaplain

What do you think of when you think of Christmas? No, not fruitcake, lay-away and candy canes. I mean the First Christmas, when Jesus was born. What comes to mind when you think of GOD as a baby in a feed trough? Let’s review the events.

A rural teenage girl gets pregnant out of wedlock. Besides that she says an angel talked to her. Her fiancé, feeling betrayed, quietly decides to call off the wedding. Legally, he could have had her stoned to death. And as he was wondering about HER sanity, an angel appears to him too. Now their families think they are both crazy!

Joseph dragged his pregnant wife over 60 miles to Bethlehem. Why? To escape the shame. A male head of household would have sufficed for the Roman census. They left town together to save their dignity. And if they were wealthy enough to own a donkey, Joseph would have ridden it, not Mary. So it seems that GOD arranged the most humiliating circumstances possible for HIS entrance. GOD, Humble? Can those two words possibly go together?

The GOD of the Old Testament, who created the world, divided seas, destroyed armies, … this GOD showed up as a baby who could not speak, eat solid food or control his own bowels. His own grand entrance may actually have had more animal witnesses than human ones. GOD is definitely humble. And HE is approachable, too. Everyone wants to hold a baby. If not hold it, then get close enough to tickle it or touch its soft skin. GOD wants us to know that HE is that approachable.

Underdog. Ouch! It almost hurts to say it. The one nobody bets on because he probably won’t win. The odds are always against him. That’s exactly what happened. Joseph and Mary fled their homeland to save Jesus’ life. Their infant baby was being hunted by King Herod. The wise guys let Herod know that another king was coming. Herod was as jealous as he was nervous. So, they ran to a strange land to hide out. Jesus became a refugee. From humble beginnings to underdog, and He hasn’t even cut his first tooth.

And courage. It took a lot of courage. Laying aside all that glory and becoming human. What’s so bad about being human? Well, nothing, if you’ve never been GOD. The One who created sound now has to learn to speak. The One who gave us hands and feet now has to learn to walk, to work. The Teacher, back in school. That takes courage.

Humble, Approachable, Underdog, Courageous. HE wants a relationship with us that much. And, if I may, those 4 words describe our Confederacy. Always humble; willing to spread the truth. Always approachable; gentlemen on and off the field. The underdog; let me warn you, this battle isn’t over so be careful whom you’re betting on. Courageous; cowards don’t enlist, brave men do…and our boys did.

I leave you with this thought. What might be birthed in the Nicholson Camp if we wholeheartedly trust Christ with our lives? Miracles do happen. Merry CHRISTmas.

Your Chaplain,Steven Estes

Santa's a Confederate:

In 1863 the Yankee blockade of the Southern coast had made it nearly impossible to buy anything in the stores. Scarcity of goods and the consequent high prices put both store-bought presents and raw materials for homemade gifts out of financial reach of most Southern consumers. Quite a few Mothers had to explain to their children that Santa even though he loved all Southern children he would not be able to run the formable blockade on Christmas to bring a gift for them. But somehow looking into their sad eyes made the Mothers go without and dig a little deeper for a small holiday offering from Santa as every one in the South knew SANTA'S A CONFEDERATE and would not forget the "Children of the Grand South"...

From the heart of Dixie, may all the blessings of the season be yours.

From the Editor:

The views expressed here are that of the writer, and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Sgt. James W. Nicholson Camp or the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Present day Christmas conjures memories of snow, lighted trees, cinnamon, gifts, parties, and music. If we lived during the War our ancestors fought in the 1860’s, what kinds of memories would we have? Would they be of family, food, warmth, and parties, or would they be of just trying to survive and stave off hunger? Would there be presents under the tree, or would we be happy just to be present with our loved ones? I urge you to take pause this holiday season, and reflect on the blessings of God we have, reflect also on the hardships our ancestors endured. Keep their memories alive, especially at this time of year. I wish all of you the best of holidays this year.

God Bless Y’all,

Tom Faber Newsletter editor faber@bayou.com