Sons of Confederate Veterans keep past alive

THREE RIVERS AREA — After fighting in the War Between the States, William Billington and his son Frank were almost home in June 1865. Twelve miles below their farm near Sage, Arkansas, Jayhawkers rushed in to rob them. Frank, who had lost an arm in the war, died fighting off the attack. His father was wounded but escaped.

On a sunny Saturday in November 2007, Private Job S. Neill Camp #286 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans rededicated new grave markers for these two soldiers. Before a backdrop of six battle flags and Confederate flags, members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, all in authentic uniforms, spoke of the service, sacrifice and suffering not only the soldiers but their families endured. Then they shot off a musket volley and fired their cannon. More than 100 people gathered for this solemn ceremony.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans was founded in 1896 because the United Confederate Veterans had encouraged their sons to carry on their traditions. Members of 875 local Sons of Confederate Veterans Camps locate and rededicate veteran graves. They place markers and flags at battle sites and help other organizations with historic preservation efforts. But the Sons of Confederate Veterans’ primary purpose is the “defense of the Confederate soldier’s good name, the guardianship of his history ... and those ideals which made him glorious.” They work to ensure “a true history of the 1861-1865 period.”

The Sons of Confederate Veterans believes some groups are distorting the principles Confederate soldiers fought for. Harold Nix of Newark is Job Neill Camp commander.

“According to the Declaration of Independence, states have a right to throw off a government that doesn’t suit their needs,” Nix said.

But in recent years many have insisted the Civil War was only about slavery. The Sons of Confederate Veterans and others believe the War was about “states’ rights,” the belief that the United States was a voluntary union and any state could secede.

“The bottom line is, the South was invaded,” Nix said. “Less than five percent of Confederate soldiers owned slaves. They just wanted to protect their homes and families.”

He added, “You know some slaves fought for the Confederacy to save their homes. Their descendants can be and are members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.”

“We had two of our flags stolen last week,” he said.

These were not the controversial “Stars and Bars” but the Third National Flag of the Confederacy with the “Stars and Bars” in the upper left on a white background with a red strip down the right side.

“One flag was on a 30-foot flagpole on Highway 167 near Denmark (in White County),” Nix said. “They ripped it off the grommets. They had to have a ladder toget up there.”

This flagpole is at the first site the National Sons of Confederate Veterans ever bought. Another flag was taken from a pole at St. James, south of Mountain View. The Job Neill Camp intends to replace both flags.

Nine years ago, Nix attended a battle re-enactment at Jacksonport presented by the 7th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry. He began attending their meetings in Jonesboro, where he met men who also belonged to the Sons of Confederate Veterans Col. Robert G. Shaver Camp #1655. They encouraged Nix to start a Sons of Confederate Veterans chapter at Batesville. On May 15, 2002, Nix and several other members started the Franklin Desha Camp.

When they learned that in the early 1900s there had been a Private Job S. Neill Camp #286 Sons of Confederate Veterans at Batesville, they changed their camp name. In 1861, 19-year-old Neill ran away from home because he didn’t like working in his father’s tannery. Fleeing to Augusta, he became tutor for the children of a local planter, an occupation he much preferred. When the war came to Arkansas, he enlisted in the Infantry. He died at the battle of Wilson’s Creek near Springfield, Mo. He was the first soldier from Independence County to die in the Civil War.

To join the Sons of Confederate Veterans, a man must trace his genealogy to an ancestor or other blood relative who fought in the War. With so much information available on the Internet, the Job Neill Camp helps prospective members link to genealogy Web sites. The library at Paragould has copies of records for all Arkansas Confederate soldiers.

Nix found that his greatgreat-grandfather John M. Nix lived in Hot Spring County and enlisted at Arkadelphia. He recently learned his ancestor George Washington Walker from Prattsville was also a Confederate soldier. Walker lived close enough to hear the sounds of the battle at Jenkins Ferry.

The Job Neill Camp meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at Western Sizzlin’ in Batesville. Current officers are Camp Commander Harold Nix, 1st Lt. Commander John Malloy, Adjutant Mark Davis, Historian Brian Langston and Nix’s son Marc as Color Guard. At meetings they discuss Civil War history, genealogy and sometimes have guest speakers. Among their other activities is responsibility to clean litter from a mile of U.S. 167 near their flagpole in White County, marching in uniform with their muskets in local parades and speaking to local organizations.

Asked about local battles, Nix said he feels certain there was a skirmish near Newark.

“I dug 40 or 50 mini balls out of my back field. I found grapeshot and a hasp off a knapsack,” he said.

He mentioned skirmishes at Mount Olive and Sylamore Creek on the White River.

“There was a skirmish at Parakeet Bluff up the Black River from Jacksonport. Seven confederate soldiers were killed,” he added.

At the battle site a massgrave was found with a headstone reading “4 Texas Rangers, Sweet’s Regiment, Texas.” When the river rose too high, all seven graves were movedto Walnut Grove Cemetery in Newport. The Job Neill Camp plans to restore the Texas Rangers headstone. In March they will hold a rededication ceremony for the seven soldiers and dedicate a new footstone for another Confederate veteran buried there.

For more information about Private Job S. Neill Camp #286 Sons of Confederate Veterans, contact Nix at (870) 799-3972 or e-mail Xindh@aol.com. For more information about the national and state organizations, go to www.scv.org.

Three Rivers, Pages 134 on 10/18/2009

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