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 2nd SCV Butler Guard firing rifle volley.
Boy Scout Troop #282 had carefully marked each soldier’s grave with the battle flag under which they had proudly served.
Rev. Mark W. Evans, Chaplain, 16th Regiment, SCV gave the Invocation.
James Bouchillon commander of the 16th Regiment, Sons of Confederate Veterans, sponsor of the memorial service, extended a welcome to all present and read the charge that was given by Lt. Gen. Stephen Dill Lee at a convention of aging United Confederate Veterans held in New Orleans in 1906.
The charge passed on to the “sons” of future generations included the obligation to defend “the Confederate Soldier’s good name, the guardianship of his history, the emulation of his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles he loved and which made him glorious and which you also cherish. Remember, it is your duty to see that the true history of the South is presented to future generations.”
Mrs. Edward E. Van Schaick, Jr., Vice President General of the United Daughters of the Confederacy extended greetings. She was followed by the presidents of 4 local chapters of the UDC, Order of the Confederate Rose, Military Order of the Stars and Bars and Children of the Confederacy.
By special request, Terry Grissop sang General Robert E. Lee’s favorite Christian Hymn: How Firm A Foundation.
Christopher M. Sullivan, Commander-in-Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans was the guest speaker. He noted that the purpose of the service was to honor the men who met the challenge to defend their homes and their families and most importantly to defend their principles.
Sullivan reminded those present that in the present time “it is not always the popular thing to honor these men.”
In conversations with his counterpart representing the sons of Union Veterans, Sullivan said he learned that attacks on symbols and monuments that began and are continuing in the South has now spread to the North. The people in some northern communities have become so liberal and anti-military that they are demanding the destruction of monuments to Union troops.
Sullivan spent much of his time discussing the uniqueness of the Confederate flag. It was a tribute to the craftsmanship of women of the South. Most were hand made and none exactly the same, while the flag of the Union was uniformly manufactured.
Sullivan spoke of the love soldiers had for the battle flag. The sought after duty of flag bearer was the most dangerous on the battlefield. He was the prime target for enemy marksmen. When each flag barrier was felled by an enemy bullet or shell, the flag was quickly picked up and held high by another soldier who knew that he would become a prime target.
This love for the much maligned banner has been passed on to the current generation of sons, daughters and children of the South who continue to defend important symbols and factual history of ancestors who risked and gave all they had in defense of the people and land they loved.
The service concluded with laying of wreaths, Passing of the Canteen, punctuated by gun and cannon salutes by Butler Guards and Palmetto Light Artillery.
Following the Benediction by Rev. Mark Evans, the colors were retired by the 16th SCV Honor Guard.
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