During the 150th Anniversary of the War Between the States, there are many preservation projects underway. One such project is the placement of a monument to Arkansas soldiers that were killed at the Battle of Franklin, TN in 1864. One of the many countless Arkansawyers that gave the ultimate sacrifice was Irish-born Arkansas Confederate General Patrick R. Cleburne. There is no monument to these brave men- even 150 years later! This is a shame and this will be corrected. The Arkansas Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, headed by the efforts of compatriot Everette Burr, is raising money to have a monument constructed and placed on the battlefield in Franklin, TN. These men gave their lives in a suicide charge commanded by General Hood- perhaps one of the greatest military blunders in American history. Please donate $1 or however much you can spare to make sure these men will never be forgotton! The whole project is estimated at $7,000. Over $1500 has been raised thus far.
The Arkansas Toothpick is the largest repository of Arkansas Civil War history and heritage. Observing the 150th Anniversary of the War Between the States is a task that the Toothpick does not take lightly, as we have posted original and exclusive articles on events in Arkansas on a weekly and chronological basis since 2010 (150 years after 1860). The purpose of the "150 Years Ago..." articles, written and researched by Ron Kelley and Don Roth, is to give a true reflection of the political, martial, and other aspects of Arkansas history leading up to and through the American Civil War.
The Arkansas Toothpick began over 25 years ago as a monthly hand-typed newsletter of the Spns of Confederate Veterans' Patrick R. Cleburne Camp #1433 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. As the technology became available, the Toothpick was made available for the first time on the World Wide Web. Since, it's online presence has been overwhelming in the number of visitors searching our archives for a multitude of various topics.
Boasting of over ONE MILLION visitors, the Arkansas Toothpick has serves as a Civil War hub for historians and the general public. Our FACEBOOK page has nearly 1,000 FB Friends and counting, complete with live updates of Arkansastoothpick.com.
We all meet the 3rd Tuesday of each month (except December) at the Watson Chapel Fire Station in Sulphur Springs (just west of Pine Bluff, Arkansas) at 7:00pm.
We are one of the ONLY historical preservation groups in the Trans-Mississippi that not only ALLOWS women and children, but rather ENCOURAGES their participation in meetings and events.
Below is a link to a map that will show where we meet at:
"I am with the South in death, in victory or defeat. I never owned a Negro and care nothing for them, but these people have been my friends and have stood up to me on all occasions.
In addition to this, I believe the North is about to wage a brutal and unholy war on a people who have done them no wrong, in violation of the constitution and the fundamental principles of the government. They no longer acknowledge that all government derives its validity from the consent of the governed."
"If this cause that is so dear to my heart is doomed to fail, then I pray heaven may let me fall with it, while my face is turned toward the enemy and my right arm battling for that which I know to be right."
"To you, Sons of Confederate Veterans, we will commit the vindication of the cause for which we fought. To your strength will be given the defense of the Confederate soldier's good name, the guardianship of his history, the emulation of his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles which he loved and which you love also, and those ideals which made him glorious and which you also cherish."
Lt. General Stephen Dill Lee, Commander General,
United Confederate Veterans,
New Orleans, Louisiana, April 25, 1906.
Next the statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self-deception.
~Mark Twain
