Sons of slaves, slave owners celebrate heritage in Fairburn

By CAROLYN CARY
ccary@TheCitizenNews.com

Commemorating the first Confederate national flag, which was first unfurled in Fairburn, the Lt. Gen. James Longstreet Camp 1289, Georgia Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, celebrated the event last week with day-long services.

A prayer breakfast at the First Christian Church of Fairburn kicked off the event, with the Rev. Dr. Charles Baker delivering the morning message. He is from Birmingham, Ala., and is past chaplain-in-chief and past commander of the Alabama Division Sons of Confederate Veterans. He spoke on Psalm 26: "As long as our enemies make money, our heritage will be beset upon," he paraphrased.

The Old Campbell County Courthouse was the scene at 11 a.m. when camp Commander Charles Beasley conducted a commemoration service. Fairburn Mayor Betty Hannah was among those welcoming the 100 visitors, along with representatives of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Order of Confederate Rose.

Speaker was Nelson Wyman Calvin Winbush, who is a real grandson. His grandfather, Pvt. Louis Napoleon Nelson, entered Company M, 7th Cavalry of Tennessee, along with his master's sons, Sidney Oldham and Gen. E. R. Oldham. He saw action with them at Shiloh, The Battle Above The Clouds (Lookout Mountain), Brices Crossroads and Vicksburg.

Nelson, who lived from 1847 to 1934, attended 39 annual Confederate reunions after the war.

Winbush was 5 years old when his grandfather died. They had lived in the same household and Winbush has the Confederate flag that draped his grandfather's coffin.

He said that even though his grandfather could not read, he had memorized the King James version of the Bible and when Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest needed a chaplain, Wilson served in that capacity.

Winbush related that it was President Harry S. Truman who first integrated the armed services and Winbush served in the Korean War at that time.

A parade of marchers was led from the courthouse to the old City Cemetery led by bagpiper Brent Taylor. A ceremony was conducted here honoring a Confederate monument dating back to 1930. The Longstreet Camp erected a fence around it and rededicated the site in 1999.

The Rev. Alister C. Anderson delivered the address. He is an immediate past chaplain-in-chief, Sons of Confederate Veterans, as well as a retired chaplain for the United States Navy and Army, serving in that capacity for 27 years. He also is the assistant pastor emeritus at Sts. Peter & Paul Orthodox Church in Bethesda, Md.

Closing volleys from an artillery unit were given those with hearing aides were advised to remove them.