Today the 2013 SCV convention begins with a registration, a meeting of the General Executive Committee and a reception. This year's reunion will be held in Vicksburg, the Gibraltar of the Confederacy. The fortifications guarding this city controlling the regional access to the Mississippi River withstood full assaults by the Union Army under Grant until a months long siege and artillery bombardment caused civilian casualties and starvation conditions such that the Confederate defenders were forced to surrender the city. This crippled the Confederacy and the ability to use the Mississippi for critical food and supplies distribution and transportation. The loss of Vicksburg coupled with the loss at Gettysburg were the turning points in the War for Southern Independence.
The SCV Reunion runs today through Saturday with most events at the Vicksburg Convention Center including the Opening Ceremony on Thursday morning. The annual Forrest Cavalry Breakfast will precede the opening and the first Business Session will commence following. Tours of the Vicksburg National Military Park will be conducted in the morning and afternoon on Thursday.
On Friday the Chaplain's Breakfast will kick things off at the Convention Center followed by the second Business Session. An Awards Luncheon and the MS Shiloh Monument Fish Fry will be offered for sustenance this day. An Historical Program at the Convention Center and a Memorial Service at Christ Episcopal Church will also be held that afternoon. The annual Oratory Contest and Social will close the Friday events that evening.
On Saturday the Army meetings will be held first thing in the morning followed by the third and final Business Meeting, again at the Convention Center. Saturday evening the Commander's Reception and the Debutante Presentation will be the finale events for this Reunion. Prattville Dragoons Stuart Waldo, Larry Spears and David Brantley will attend this year's SCV Reunion including various events starting today and are looking forward to another wonderful edition making new friends and memories. Check back here for reports and images from the Reunion in Vicksburg.
No comments:
Post a Comment