CAMP PROJECTS

War Between the States Museum:  In 1988, Compatriot Frank McKain and others placed their private collection of WBTS artifacts on display for the public to see.  That was the beginning of the WBTS Museum and it’s long-running relationship with the Pee Dee Rifles.  Although a separate entity from the camp itself, our members have volunteered through the years to both help run and maintain the Museum.  Since moving into the McKain House in 1990, the Museum has served as the camp’s unofficial “HQ” and has been a vital component of our recruitment, education, and research endeavors.  Each March, the camp assists the Museum with its vending efforts at The Columns reenactment in Florence and it’s annual Open House in December.  Compatriot Carl Hill has faithfully keep the Museum open and running as executive director for ten years now.  We also provide financial support when needed.  CLICK HERE for more about the WBTS Museum, and CLICK HERE for more about the Columns from the 23rd SC Infantry website.

Graves Registration & Restoration Project:  In 2000, the camp elected to take up a Confederate graves project with the goal of restoring the Southern Crosses of Honor still remaining on Confederate graves in Florence County.  The idea was to refurbish, repair, re-install, and catalogue these Crosses.  Each Cross is stamped with its own unique number.  Biographical and service information was collected to create a camp database and forwarded to the graves registry the IHQ maintains.  From this, the project grew in several directions.  One, we began to compile information on veterans graves that did not have a Cross.  As funds were available, the camp began to purchase Crosses for these graves.  Second, we began to order VA markers for veterans with no gravestones or with stones that were in a state of disrepair.  Whenever able, the camp held memorial services to commemorate the placement of the markers.  We also journeyed into Darlington County cemeteries as well.  With all this activity, we ultimately decided to tackle one cemetery at a time by identifying all the veterans there, then restoring the existing Crosses while placing new ones (and VA markers as needed) before moving on. 

Our first effort was the biggest.  Mt. Hope Cemetery in Florence held 103 known Confederate veterans and another 64 unknowns under the Confederate Monument.  Five years later, we refurbished the existing 56 Crosses and installed 47 new ones.  We also discovered the identities of three unknowns under the Monument and placed VA markers and Crosses for them.  After the fieldwork was completed, we documented all the information for the camp and IHQ.  We then created a map of the cemetery, with all the graves marked for future reference.  We later completed the Galloway Cemetery in Lydia, El Bethel Cemetery in Kings Mountain, NC and the Ebenezer Baptist Cemetery in Florence.  The project has several cemeteries that are still being worked on, including Byrd Cemetery in Timmonsville, Hopewell Cemetery in Claussen, Grove Hill Cemetery in Darlington, and Bethlehem Methodist Cemetery in Byrdtown.  Several more cemeteries are on the list to be worked.

The project also encompassed work on individual veterans graves at member’s request.  We continue to work on this effort every year, as well as compiling a roster of ALL Confederate veterans buried in Florence County.  To date, we have restored or placed nearly 300 Crosses of Honor and catalogued nearly 500 veterans buried in the county.

Confederate Memorial Day:  Ever since the camp was chartered in 1983, the camp has religiously observed Confederate Memorial Day in May.  From humble services in the early years, our observance has grown into one of the best in the state (or so we believe!).  The Confederate Monument at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Florence is the traditional site.  We have had the honor to work closely with the ladies of the Ellison Capers Chapter of the UDC at each service.  Today, our services involve both infantry and artillery honor guards, bagpipers and buglers, period and hymnal singers, noted speakers, and a Roll of the Dead accompanied by a tolling bell.  Each year, a contingent from the camp attends the Division’s CMD services in Columbia.  Many members also visit and take part in other local observances.

Red Doe Plantation:  Obtaining ownership of Red Doe Plantation in May 2006, with its fantastic ties to the WBTS, is really one of the crowning achievements for our camp.  It is also our biggest challenge.  We have exciting plans for the property that will pay long dividends in terms of SC history and heritage.  Read more about it HERE.

The HUNLEY:  Our camp has been honored to assist in the conservation of the Confederate submarine H.L. HUNLEY in North Charleston through monetary donations over the years.  Camp members volunteered their time to stand guard over the crew’s remains on at least three occasions and many attended the funeral on April 17th, 2004.  Color Sgt. Sandy Kendall hand the honor of being a pallbearer for the remains of Cpl. J. F. Carlsen, while Com. Ken Howle served on his Honor Guard Escort.

Heritage Defense: The Pee Dee Rifles have always been on the forefront of handling heritage violations in the Pee Dee area.  When the effort was pushed through the state legislature to have the Confederate flag removed from atop the state Capital in 2000, compatriots launched a furious letter and telephone campaign at their elected officials.  Several took to the streets in Columbia to protest the action.  The year 2002 saw the camp initiate the erection of an SCV billboard on I-95 just outside Florence.  When the NAACP began its boycott of SC due to the flag issue, camp members counter-protested at local rest areas.  Members contacted their local representatives in 2003 to ask them to approve the issuance of SCV license plates.  We also stood firmly behind C-in-C Deane Sweeney in 2004 during the “unpleasantness” at IHQ erupted.  In May of 2004, we successfully assisted a Mayo High School student retain his right to wear Confederate symbols through letters and appearances to Darlington School District meetings.  The following month, we had to revisit the District to discuss a similar violation in Lamar High School.  In September of that same year, we took on Mayor Frank Willis of Florence when our requests to fly a Confederate flag at the City/County Complex for Memorial Day were ignored.  That November, several camp members responded in support of Past C-in-C Ron Wilson when he was publicly slandered in regards to his job on the Allendale School Board.  The camp won a major victory against the mayor and city government of Florence in Sept. 2005, after they attempted to deny us participation in the Pee Dee Patriotic Parade.  That same month, the camp offered a financial donation to support a heritage violation response at Latta High School in Dillon County.

In October, the Rifles handled two serious violations.  The first involved an attempt of some NAACP-backed citizens to press for the banning of the Confederate flag in Florence School District One.  The camp immediately began to contact politicians and school board officials, administrators, students, and parents to combat that action.  Members began to attend school board meetings and hearings to oversee the issue and make our voices heard.  We forced FSD One to take a serious look at its policy regarding freedom of expression.  When that avenue failed, those same “citizens” tried to establish a formal dress uniform for the district.  Again, the camp stepped up and helped the school board decide against a uniform.  After several months, they also had to admit that there were no issues in any school in the district concerning the Confederate flag.  The second violation came from City Councilman Ed Robinson’s vicious slander in open council concerning our camp’s participation on the Patriotic Parade.  A barrage of letters and calls to Robinson, the city council, and the local papers quickly put the matter to rest.  Robinson never apologized, but he realized the consequences of his words.

In May of 2006, one of the biggest violations to date came about when the SC Central Railroad had our SCV billboard removed.  The 4th Brigade had sponsored the project, and was aimed at the public coming to see the race in Darlington.  It also was a “thumb of the nose” to NASCAR who had been steadily moving away from its Southern roots and a critic of Confederate flags at their tracks.  The railroad had the billboard removed twice.  The Rifles went into action, writing letters and contacting the Darlington County Council members.  In the end, we had to concede that the railroad had a legal—albeit discriminatory—claim, but not before we were able to stir up a whole lot of attention.  The billboard was moved to I-95 two months later.  The SC Division also held two press conferences concerning the billboard in August.  The Pee Dee Rifles came out in force for the one at the Darlington Co. Courthouse.

The year 2007 has brought forth a renewed effort to have the Confederate flag removed from the Statehouse grounds….ignited by comments by USC Coach Steve Spurrier.  The NAACP, the STATE editors, liberal politicians, even some clergy are all taking shots in the news these days about why the flag should come down.  The Rifles have responded in kind--communicating with our elected representatives, writing rebuttals to editorials, setting the record straight where possible—about the importance of the flag and where it is.

The Friends of the Florence Stockade:  Our camp has supported the FFS since its inception. [Link FFS website here]  Members of this camp have served continuously for several years on their Board of Directors.  In 2002, we were one of the inaugural donators to a FFS marker commemorating the Stockade.  In May 2004 camp members assisted the FFS in removing hundreds of old tires illegally dumped on the property.  At times, members have assisted the FFS in securing the property from trespassers.  We also helped them stop an attempt by the Veterans Administration from expanding the Florence National Cemetery into an area known to be the site of the Confederate guards’ camp (2006).

Black Confederates:  This relatively forgotten aspect of the war is a subject that the camp has had the privilege to promote on a number of occasions.  In Nov. of 2001, we participated in the unveiling of a SC state historical marker dedicated to Henry “Dad” Brown of Darlington, who served as a musician for the 8th & 21st SC Vol. Infantries.  This was followed in Feb. of 2003 with Cross of Honor and flag-raising memorial service at Brown’s grave (joint project with the 37th TX and 8th SC Reenactors).  This is the only black veteran that we know of that has a Confederate flag flying over his grave.  Both of these services were well received and attended by the public and local politicians.  CLICK HERE for more about the marker dedication from the 37th Texas Cavalry website, and CLICK HERE for more about the flag raising.

In Feb. of 2007, we had the honor of assisting the W. E. James Camp of Darlington in honoring 14 black Confederates who collected pensions after the war.  We worked with the Darlington Memorial Cemetery Association (a committee from three local black churches that use the cemetery) in holding a Cross of Honor dedication for brothers Ferdinand C. and Samuel Keith.  Again, the event was well attended by the community.  Local politicians, SCV members, and reenactors from around the state came out for this very special occasion.  Although there were a couple of concerned citizens that were very vocal in opposition to this service, camp members took pen to paper and quickly corrected the “misconceptions” about the Crosses.

Sam Davis Youth Camp:  The Pee Dee Rifles have longed embraced the importance of educating our Southern youth in regards to their heritage.  The importance of presenting the true history of the South to the next generation is immeasurable and a primary goal not just for our camp, but the SCV as a whole.  When IHQ established the Sam Davis Youth Camps in 2002, the Rifles immediately sought to support it by whatever means we had.  Over the last five years, our camp has sent 6 fine youths to these camps.  We have also financially supported chaperones to attend as well.  In the years that we did not have candidates to send, we co-sponsored a youth with other local camps or have sent donations to the Sam Davis Camp itself.

Other projects supported by the Pee Dee Rifles:

Beauvior Restoration

SCDivSCV Flag Preservation Project

Southern Legal Resource Center

H. K. Edgerton’s March

Point Lookout POW Association

South Mountain Battlefield Preservation

Save Morris Island Coalition

Nathan Bedford Forrest Monument Restoration (Memphis, TN)

Museum of the Confederacy

Battle of Olustee Preservation Association

SC Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum