Camp Number: 246

Camp Name: 3rd Arkansas Infantry

Camp Location:El Dorado, AR (Union County)

Camp E-Mail: 3ark246@arkansasscv.org

Camp Website: N/A

Camp Commander: Mark Williams

Commander’s Phone: 870-863-9792

Commander’s E-mail: N/A

Camp Adjutant: Chris Smith

Adjutant’s Phone: 870-863-8266

Adjutant’s E-mail: sau96@yahoo.com

Note: If you are attempting to contact the camp commander or adjutant and are unable to or if any of the above information is incorrect, send the Division Webmaster an e-mail at info@arkansastoothpick.com.

Compatriots,

On behalf of the family of Selby Pace, Jr., I want to offer my sincere appreciation to the members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans who participated in the Confederate honor guard during the visitation period and graveside service for Compatriot Pace on September 16th and 17th, respectively.
As mentioned in a previous message, when Selby first learned of his illness a year ago he wrote down his final wishes, one of which was that the Sons of Confederate Veterans have a presence at his funeral. He had been a member of the 3rd Arkansas Inf. Regt. Camp #246 in El Dorado, AR for many years and was very proud of his Southern heritage and ancestry. I am proud to report that several of our SCV brothers made this final wish a reality. Selby’s family was deeply moved and uplifted by the efforts of our Confederate band of brothers.
The following camps were present and participated in the Confederate honor guard as well as folding of the Battle Flag and presentation to the family:

Capt. Thomas O. Benton Camp #1444 Monroe, LA
Maj. Thomas McGuire Camp #1714 West Monroe, LA
Sgt. James W. Nicholson Camp #1478 Ruston, LA
Alf Fuller Camp #1819 Junction City, AR
3rd Arkansas Inf. Regt. Camp #246 El Dorado, AR

Again, many thanks!

Chris Smith, Cmdr.
SCV Camp #246
El Dorado, AR

Members & Friends of Camp #246, Army of Trans-Mississippi Councilman Todd Owens will preside when our camp meets on Monday evening August 9 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the usual location inside the Miles House at 510 North Jackson Street in El Dorado. Special guest speaker will be Mr. Donnie Kennedy who will present a program from “Nullifying Tyranny”, his latest book, co-authored by Mr. Ronald Kennedy. Chris Smith, Cmdr

Members & Friends of Camp #246,

Please be at our next SCV meeting on Monday July 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Miles House located at 510 North Jackson. We will have SCV officers from our army and division present. Army of Trans-Mississippi Commander Todd Owens, Arkansas Division Commander Mark Kalkbrenner, and Arkansas Southern Brigade Commander Ron Kelly will be in attendance. This will will be our last monthly meeting before our SCV national reunion in Anderson, South Carolina. If you have any questions or comments about the upcoming reunion, please bring them to the meeting so that our officers can address them.

Also, the new executive director of the South Arkansas Historical Foundation, Mr. Patrick Hotard, is expected to be introduced at our meeting. Mr. Hotard has a background in Civil War history and, in fact, worked with Beauvoir, the last home of President Jefferson Davis in Biloxi. Please extend a warm welcome to Mr. Hotard when he is introduced.
I will be working Monday night so Commander Owens will be presiding at the meeting in my absence.

Chris Smith, Cmdr
SCV Camp #246
El Dorado, AR

MEETING & PROGRAM: Our next meeting will be Monday March 8 at 6:30 p.m. We will be at our usual location, the Miles House, located at 510 North Jackson. This month we memorialize the service and sacrifice of Arkansas’s Confederate General Patrick Cleburne and in keeping with this remembrance our program will be dedicated to this freedom-fighter from Ireland. Also, see Upcoming Events below for the information on the annual General Cleburne memorial service.

RECENT EVENTS: By this time, Mardi Gras parade season is over and some of our members were able to participate in one or more of these events. We hope to have a report at the next meeting. Also, several of you have probably received e-mail announcements from candidates who are seeking office within the SCV. Elections will be held at the 2010 SCV Reunion in Anderson, South Carolina in July. In the latest issue of the Confederate Veteran magazine you will find a reunion registration form. Please consider attending the reunion and register soon.

UPCOMING EVENTS: The 25th annual memorial service for the Irish-born Confederate General Patrick Cleburne will be held on March 13 in the Helena, Arkansas Confederate Cemetery. The memorial will begin at noon with key-note speaker Glen Dedmondt, author of The Flags of Civil War Arkansas, which Mr. Dedmondt dedicated to General Cleburne. Many spectators will meet at 10 a.m. at the McDonald’s in Helena prior to the memorial for breakfast. The public is invited to attend and all living historians are invited to participate. (Thanks to www.arkansastoothpick.com for the preceding announcement!) April is approaching and in memory of our ancestors we will celebrate Confederate History Month. Several government leaders in the area have already issued Confederate History Month Proclamations including the Union Parish Police Jury and the mayor of Minden. We appreciate all leaders who recognize and honor the sacrifice of our Confederate ancestors! By the way,don’t forget to register for the upcoming SCV Arkansas Division Reunion to be held April 30-May 1 at the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs. For registration information please visit www.arkansasscv.org

 CONFEDERATE HISTORY: Foreseeing the long-term effects of defeat, General Cleburne had this to say if the South was unable to maintain independence: “Surrender means that the history of this heroic struggle will be written by the enemy, that our youths will be trained by Northern school teachers; learn from Northern school books THEIR version of the War; and taught to regard our gallant dead as traitors and our maimed veterans as fit subjects of derision.” Chris Smith, Cmdr.SCV Camp #246El Dorado, Arkansas

Sons of Confederate Veterans
3rd Arkansas Infantry Regt. Camp #246
P.O. Box 10062
El Dorado, AR 71730
(870)310-2304

Meeting & Program:Our next monthly meeting will be Monday February 8 at 6:30 p.m. at the Miles House located at 510 North Jackson. We are looking forward to our guest speaker, Paul Taylor, as he will present a program entitled “Confederate Paper”. Mr. Taylor is a lifelong resident of Monroe-W. Monroe. He earned a BS and MBA from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Currently, he is the Pharmacy manager for Rite Aid in Bastrop and also a private consultant for nursing homes and rehabs. Mr. Taylor describes his interests as too many to relate, however, a few are reading(he has a large historical and theological library), working with his church, working out, cooking(especially Barbque), going to gun shows and “Civil War” shows, backpacking, collecting steamboat and Confederate memorabilia, metal detecting. Mr. Taylor tells me that his presentation will include items of interest relevant to Arkansas.
Recent Events: Our camp was represented at the recent Northeast Brigade Lee-Jackson Banquet held in West Monroe. Camp Adjutant Mark Williams and his wife Vickey as well as myself attended. We enjoyed great food and an outstanding presentation on General Lee by minister and author Steve Wilkins of Monroe. On Tuesday January 26 our camp was also represented at Sgt. James Nicholson Camp meeting in Ruston. SCV member Rickey Pittman, who is also a college instructor, author, singer, and songwriter, gave a presentation on his newest book entitled “Stonewall Jackson’s Black Sunday School”. Perhaps, many of you are aware that this is an election year within the SCV at the national level. Our national convention will be held in Anderson, S.C. in July. Candidate announcements have been posted for many races so it should be an exciting reunion with a large number of our SCV brothers in attendance. Have you made plans to attend? If not, there is still time so
please give consideration to representing your camp and division in Anderson. We can all find an excuse not to attend, and yes, the economy is in a downturn and some of our financial situations have never been worse. But, if you are in a position that will allow you to be there, then don’t put your heritage on the back-burner. Seize the opportunity and go to the convention this July.
Upcoming Events: It’s time for the Glorious Parade again! It’s also known as the Monroe-West Monroe Mardi Gras Parade but “Glorious Parade” provides a more accurate description. Those of you who attend from year to year know what I mean. For those of you who have yet to attend, then do yourself a favor and march with us in this year’s Mardi Gras Parade…..you won’t be disappointed! We would be hard-pressed to find a parade with such a large number of spectators that give us, not just a warm reception, but a WILD reception as well! In fact, at most points along the parade route it becomes impossible to hear the commands of our officers due to the overwhelming cheers and rebel yells of support from spectators. It is an electric experience! So, if you want to be electrified then be at the line-up for the Monroe-West Monroe Mardi Gras Parade. Meet us at the old Lowes buliding in West Monroe on Saturday February 6. Be there by 3 p.m. as the police will begin
closing roads after that and you will have to walk some distance to reach the line-up. If you need more information or directions call me at (870) 310-2304.
Confederate History: For more than 150 years, many knives have been called Bowie knives and the term has almost become a generic description for any large sheath knife. During the early days of the War for Southern Independence, Confederate soldiers carried large knives called D-Guard Bowie knives. Most of these knives resembled short swords and were often fashioned on the farm from old saw or scythe blades. The Bowie knife is often mistaken for the “Arkansas Toothpick”. The Toothpick is described as a heavy dagger with a linear 15-25 inch blade. Toothpicks are designed to be thrown as well as for thrusting and slashing. James Black of Old Washington, Arkansas is acknowledged as the inventor of the Arkansas Toothpick, however this claim has not been irrefutably established.

Chris Smith, Cmdr.
SCV Camp #246
El Dorado, Arkansas
sau96@yahoo.com

Sons of Confederate Veterans
3rd Arkansas Infantry Regt. Camp #246
P.O. Box 10062
El Dorado, AR 71730
(870)310-2304

Meeting & Program: Our next meeting will be Monday January 11 at 6:30 p.m. This will be the first camp meeting of 2010 and as always we will meet at the Miles House located at 510 North Jackson. Visiting with us will be Steve Ray of the Sons of the American Revolution. Stephen Kermit Ray is a native Mississippian who makes his home in West Monroe, Louisiana with his wife Leigh Ann Bailey Ray and their son Alexander Davidson Ray where they are members of the Cedar Crest Baptist Church. Some of Steve’s favorite pastimes are genealogy, history, and helping coach his son’s ball teams.

A graduate of the University of West Alabama (formerly Livingston University), Steve holds a B.S. degree in Biology. Steve has been employed with the Louisiana Office of Public Health in Monroe, Louisiana as a licensed Sanitarian for 15 years and currently holds the position of the Safe Drinking Water Program Coordinator for Region 8, which is comprised of 12 parishes in northeast Louisiana. A member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans since 1992, Steve has also served for the last 11 years as the elected Treasurer for the Major Thomas McGuire Camp #1714 of West Monroe. Steve has received the honor of a SCV Meritorious Service Medal in 2008 for his decade of service. Steve joined the Benjamin Tennille Chapter of the Louisiana State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution on September 1, 2008 at the age of 41 and since that time has been appointed the Region 3 Board Member and the Forming Chapter President of the James Huey Chapter of West Monroe. Steve will bring us up to speed on the formation of the James Huey Chapter and how our Confederate heritage and Revolutionary heritage are intertwined.

Recent Events: Many of you are aware that camp member Selby Pace has been diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. A recent radio advertisement on KIX 103.3 FM gave information for a benefit bank account that has been established for Selby. For those of you receiving this newsletter by regular mail, a card has been included with the account number. For our members receiving this by e-mail please note that the account is at Smackover State Bank, Account # 9055249 and is in the name of Selby Pace, Jr. Selby has been a member of Camp #246 since 2002 and gave us our first presence on the internet by creating the website for which he continues to serve as webmaster. Selby is the sole source of income for he and his wife, although he has begun to miss work due to side effects of the recently initiated chemotherapy treatments. Selby’s wife, Judy, is unable to work due to being a full-time caregiver to an elderly family member who lives with them. Please be generous and make a donation at any Smackover State Bank location. Our compatriot is in need.

This year will begin with the annual David O. Dodd memorial. Due to the unusually cold weather expected in downtown Little Rock on Saturday, January 9th, the annual march from the Macarthur Military Museum has been cancelled but the memorial is planned to start promptly at 11:00 a.m. at the Mt. Holly Cemetery on Broadway Street one block south of I-630. The keynote speaker this year will be the Commander of the Arkansas Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Mark Kalkbrenner. The annual Arkansas Division (SCV) Executive Meeting will be held following the David O. Dodd memorial at 12 p.m. at the Whole Hog Cafe located at 2516 Cantrell Blvd in Little Rock. A report of this meeting will be given at the meeting Monday night.

Also, please remember the family of Clarence Ritchey. Clarence died after being shot during a home invasion on December 23. Compatriot Ritchey was a new brother in the SCV having recently joined the Alf Fuller Camp #1819 in Junction City. Some of us had the pleasure to meet Clarence and his wife when they visited us at the November meeting.

Upcoming Events: It’s almost time…….for the 27th annual Krewe of Janus Mardi Gras Parade in Monroe/West Monroe. The parade will be Saturday February 6 with line-up time at 3:00 p.m. We had over 100 participants last year and would like to exceed that this year. Line-up will be at the same location as always, just down from the old Lowe’s building in West Monroe. If you need driving directions, e-mail me at sau96@yahoo.com

For our Ancestors,

Chris Smith, Cmdr.
SCV Camp #246
El Dorado, Arkansas

Compatriots, I have been asked by members of the Alf Fuller Camp #1819 in Junction City, Arkansas to pass along the sad news that one of their own has died in a tragic event on Christmas Eve. According to the El Dorado News-Times, Clarence Ritchey of Junction City, AR was found in the front yard of his son’s house by his wife, after being shot. According to the article, Compatriot Ritchey, who lived across the road from his son, heard dogs barking and went over to investigate. His son was not home at the time. Few details have been released and as of this e-mail no announcement of an arrest has been made. The sheriff’s department stated that several guns from the residence had been wrapped in bed coverings and were found in the yard near Compatriot Ritchey’s body. No funeral arrangements have been announced. An autopsy at the state medical examiner’s office in Little Rock is being conducted. In the meantime, please remember Compatriot Clarence Ritchey’s family in your prayers. He was one of our newest brothers in the SCV having received his membership certificate only six weeks ago. More details will be forthcoming as they become available.

Chris Smith
SCV Camp #246
El Dorado, AR

Members & Friends of Camp #246, MEETING & PROGRAM: Our next meeting will be on Monday December 14 at 6:30 p.m. Our guest speaker will be Ted Brode of the Maj. McGuire Camp in West Monroe, LA. Ted will present “Christmas in the Confederate White House” as President Jefferson and family would have experienced it. Please attend and support our speaker as we meet for the final time in 2009. Also, we need everyone present regarding a special request.

RECENT EVENTS: On November 28 Camp #246 was represented at the annual Homer Christmas Parade. Camp members recently participated in the 2009 Festival of Lights Parade in Natchitoches. This is one of the largest parades in the area with over 100,000 spectators in attendance. Our SCV unit was well-received as we forwarded the Colors in Louisiana’s oldest city. Immediately after the parade in Natchitoches several us headed north to arrive just in time to participate in the Farmerville Christmas Parade. Again, our group promoted our Confederate history and heritage to a receptive crowd. On Thursday December 10, members of Alf Fuller Camp #1819 in Junction City participated in the El Dorado Christmas Parade. Also, on Sunday December 5, groundbreaking was held in Biloxi for the new President Jeff Davis Library and Museum at Beauvoir. This will replace the library that was destroyed when Katrina ripped the coast in 2005. On hand to speak was Bertram Hayes-Davis, the great great grandson on President Davis. We hope to hear more from Beauvoir as work gets underway.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Everyone is invited to attend the Bernice Christmas Parade on Saturday December 12. The Lt. Elijah Ward Camp from Farmerville will be organizing the SCV marching unit. For those attending, please arrive at 2:00 p.m. and line-up at the town cemetery. The parade will roll at 3:00 p.m. We are still awaiting word on the arrangements for the annual South Arkansas Brigade Lee-Jackson Banquet. As soon as this information is available, it will be passed on to you. The Louisiana Division Northeast Brigade Lee-Jackson Banquet has been scheduled for January 16 at Bar-B-Que West located at 4900 Cypress (U.S. 80). The banquet will begin at 6:30 p.m. Steve Wilkins, author of “Call of Duty”, a biography of General Lee, will be the speaker. Cost to attend will be $10.00.

CONFEDERATE HISTORY: The Arkansas Confederate Home was opened in 1890 on sixty acres near Little Rock by the Ex-Confederate Association of Arkansas. This organization established the home to care for Confederate veterans and their widows in Arkansas who had no other place to live. In April of 1891, the organization persuaded the Arkansas Legislature to approve $10,000 annually for the upkeep of the facility, after which the property was deeded to the state.