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Confederate Veteran Camp of New York


SCF-Collector
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I finally added a membership medal for the Confederate Veteran Camp of New York to my collection. I've always wanted one of these - but they are super-rare. I've seen I think a total of two of them since I started collecting. And I got lucky - acquiring an apparent variant of the medal that none of the dealers I showed it to have ever seen.

 

Here's the piece I just acquired:

 

post-1293-0-24096800-1438654713.jpg post-1293-0-21001900-1438654730.jpg

 

Here's the known standard version of the medal:

 

post-1293-0-43612800-1438654747.jpg post-1293-0-73173800-1438654765.jpg

 

The maker's marks are identical so there's no reason to believe my example isn't correct, it's just different in terms of the enameling/colors - and of course the top bar.

 

The Camp was formed in 1890. By 1893 they had approximately 300 members, hosting annual dinners and Memorial Day ceremonies at Mount Hope Cemetery where a number of Confederate Veterans were buried. Here's a summary of the Camp's purpose from their 1903 Constitution and Bylaws, which I found online.

 

post-1293-0-32611600-1438654788.jpg

 

There's a nice article on the Camp here: http://blog.nyhistory.org/johnny-reb-in-the-big-apple-the-confederate-veteran-camp-of-new-york/

 

I thought it was odd to have three United Confederate Camps in Washington, DC (two of which I have confirmed by finding memorabilia from them, the third is still unproven by me), but a Camp of Confederate Veterans in New York City? But, like their fellow Veterans in DC, they apparently got along well with their Yankee counterparts - having them as guests at their banquets - and even sending a delegation to Grant's Memorial Service.

 

When i get a chance I'll post pictures of the ribbon and program I have for the monument they erected and dedicated at Mt. Hope Cemetery to honor the Confederate Veterans buried their.

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I had two distant uncles who left the Niagara Falls region of New York to move to the Deep South, for reasons I've yet to find. Eventually they settled in Mississippi, but apparently fought for Louisiana units... one with the First Louisiana Special Battalion, better known as Wheat's Tigers, the other in a New Orleans munitions depot.

 

Both survived the war and had many children, but as far as I can tell they never returned North.

 

But the point is you had Confederates drawn from all parts of the country. As far as New York City, is was a center of commerce back then as it is today. There is a good chance that many of them left the war ravaged South to seek an opportunity elsewhere. I can especially see this being true seamen and factory workers.

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