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Page 4 - Wednesday, December 22, 2021
The Millen News
themillennews .com
Opinions, yours and ours
from the
Editor’s Desk
-Joe Brady
Millen News Editor
Those of us over the age
of 45 remember vividly
the “look” we got during
church, usually from the
choir loft. Y’all know
what I’m talking about.
We would sit on the front
pew with our friends
during church and then
always, somebody would
touch us or hit us with
their pencil and we would
have to retaliate. Our
mothers, from the choir
loft would look angrily in
our direction, mine would
follow it up with a rapid
finger pointing.
Did you know that was a form of sign language. How many of us
could read the rapidly waving finger? “Joey, you better sit up and
quite acting crazy! Or there’s a fly swatter with your name on it
once we get home.”
Recently, a group of us were talking after church about the finger
point mothers in the choir loft. It doesn’t matter what part of the
country you’re from, we all experienced the same thing. Pam told
of the time when her daughter was three.
Now Pam raised her two daughters in the Catholic church. Mass
was a service that was daily, not just on Sundays. Pam, being a
good Catholic wife and mother, maintained her seat in the choir
loft, in the soprano section. She had a bird’s eye view of her two
daughters sitting dutifully on the front row.
Now meet Kendra, one of Pam’s girls. Kendra decided this
particular day that she would rather be anywhere other than in
church. You know, we all have those days. Even as adults we have
those moments. Heck, just last week I was so tired in church that
everytime I closed my eyes to pray, I fell asleep. I’m sure my
church family thought I was asking for divine intervention in the
best possible way.
Anyway, Kendra thought she would play in church. Deciding to
push her boundaries a little, she blatently ignored Pam’s point
ing finger. In a way only three year olds can, Kendra rolled in the
pew, jumped up and down and kicked her neighbor with her patent
leather shoe. She never saw Pam coming until her mother had “the
grip” of death on her arm. We all remember that too!
Angrily Pam marched little Kendra down the isle as parishioners
stared straight ahead. Kendra’s face mirrored Pam’s as she angrily
avoided being drug down the isle. Walking as fast as her little legs
could carry her. Now we all know what to expect right? The door
opened and Pam and her young daughter stood squaring off on the
steps of the church.
Angrily Kendra wrenched her tiny arm free of Pam’s death grip,
“how dare you embarrass me in front of God and everybody!”
Pam wanted to laugh, but somehow she kept a straight face. And
Kendra, I’m told she still has a temper and she had gotten a lot of
spankings but not for cutting up in church. That’s all for now take
care! Merry Christmas everyone!
Baale Notes
-Tara Cooper, Jenkins County
School Superintendent
Say the words out loud or
to yourself, “Christmas is.”
Then, after you have said the
words, “Christmas is,” finish the
sentence. Maybe you said the
following, “Christmas is about
family.” Or Christmas is about
the birth of Jesus. Christmas
is about presents. Christmas is
Santa Claus. Christmas is joy.
Christmas is love. Christmas
is decorations. Christmas is
overrated. Christmas is almost
over! Christmas is the most
wonderful time of the year!
I am not sure how you finished
the sentence. However, what
I do know is that Christmas is
busy and often the busyness
can take us away from what
Christmas really is. While we
use phrases like, “Do not take
Christ out of Christmas,” too
often we do just that. Yet, we
do so unintentionally. We forget
what it is all about. So, in this
last article before Christmas.
Read the following words
slowly, and then answer the
question, “What is Christmas?”
Luke 2 records the following
words.
In those days a decree went
out from Caesar Augustus
that all the world should be
registered. This was the first
registration when Quirinius was
governor of Syria. And all went
to be registered, each to his own
town. And Joseph also went up
from Galilee, from the town
of Nazareth, to Judea, to the
city of David, which is called
Bethlehem, because he was of
the house and lineage of David,
to be registered with Mary, his
betrothed, who was with child.
And while they were there,
the time came for her to give
birth. And she gave birth to her
firstborn son and wrapped him
in swaddling cloths and laid him
in a manger, because there was
no place for them in the inn.
This baby that was bom was
named Jesus. This moment in
history when this baby was
bom, changed the whole world.
This moment in history was and
is and will always be one of the
greatest moments in history.
The only days that match the
birth of Jesus is the death and
resurrection of Jesus.
Christmas is about Jesus. There
is nothing else that Christmas is
about, just Jesus! In the middle
of all the craziness, it is about
Jesus. In the middle of the
busyness, Jesus. In the middle
of the gatherings, Jesus! So
stop, reread the birth narrative.
Give praise to God. Celebrate
this Christmas!
On Christmas Eve, find
a church that is having a
Christmas Eve service and
rejoice in the Savior and His
birth. Remember.. .Jesus! I pray
you have a Merry Christmas.
Christmas is my favorite time
of year. I imagine that I’m not
alone. It does have a bit to do
with holidays from work. We
spend that week before Christ
mas break sprinting for the
finish amid Santa visits and
days dressed in pajamas or elf
hats. Final exams and testing
are squeezed in between. Then
we collapse for a minute before
jumping to final preparations for
the big day. It can be exhaust
ing, so time off is welcome.
The saying “the days are long.
but the years are short” has
come to my mind a lot lately.
My boys are getting older and
aren’t clamoring for my atten
tion. So, yes, I get more quiet
moments now. But I miss the
hyper excitement and shaking
of boxes from when they were
little. I miss the, “how many
more days?”
I cherish, though, the conversa
tions about the real meaning of
Christmas. I will cherish this
new phase in their lives. And
I love teaching our boys about
living an example of giving.
They understand so much better
at this age and it’s a beautiful
thing.
I guess my message this week,
since our students are at home,
is to take this extra time with
them. Make good memories. Be
in the moment. And know that if
you get aggravated, one day you
will miss it - the busyness and
the hyper children.
We have had a loss in our
school community this week.
Our board chair’s granddaugh
ter and one of our teacher’s
daughter has gone to her
heavenly home. I know that this
family, right now in this time, is
thankful for the years they had
with her. But, there are never
enough years. They are strong
in their faith and celebrate in
the midst of grief. I feel certain
they would also encourage you
to treasure every moment with
your children. Rest in peace,
Jaimia.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
Happy birthday, Jesus. You are
ever faithful.
Dentlsl
Dr. Deborah Y. Makerson aid
Dr. Reginald L, Makerson
Unearthing Camp Lawton
Dr. Ryan McNutt, Ph.D, FSAScot, R.RA.
The Last Confederates
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Pursued, outmanned, and
outgunned, the 9th Alabama
continued a retreat, to the west,
pausing for an unknown period
at Lawton Station likely to
use the telegraph to attempt to
contact General Wheeler and
ascertain their situation, orders,
and potential new infomiation.
Lawton Station, along the road
from the Augusta-Waynesboro
highway, remains enigmatic and
ill defined from the historical
sources. Even in POW diaries,
Lawton warrants scants at
tention—it is an endpoint, the
marker of a finished journey,
the start of internment in a new
bullpen, and little remarked
upon. There is little indication
of what the building that housed
the station looked like, how
much Confederate presence and
infrastructure was built around
it, or even how large the station
was, or the yard and its site.
There are hints, scattered like
stones through a plowed field.
Lawton Station also included
the Post Office for the village
of Lawton or Lawtonville, as
many small stations along the
Central of Georgia Railway did.
Stations were focal points, cen
ters that drew people for travel,
and commerce, and communi
cation, and even small stations
like Lawton were sustained
and connected communities,
especially rural communities. In
this context, we can assume the
Lawton Station was likely quite
similar to the station at Per
kins, which is thankfully well
preserved through the efforts of
Donald Perkins and the Jen
kins County Historical Society.
Historic photos, and its present
preserved state, provide an anal
ogy for Lawton Station, indicat
ing it was like Perkins, probably
a double room structure, with
one side for rail customers and
the other for postal customers. It
likely would have had a covered
porch/platform slight raised to
meet the rail cars that pulled up.
Size wise, the main building
itself was probably unlikely to
have exceeded a 24’ by 12’ feet
footprint, and was probably one
story, with potentially an attic or
loft space but this is an assump
tion. It would have been offset
from the main rail line along a
siding, along which the platform
may have run a bit further to
allow the offloading of heavier
cargoes.
In terms of Confederate use,
we must turn once more to
archaeology. With LiDAR scans
revealing the likely footprint of
the boundaries of the station,
or at least a rectangular plot
boundary of some kind, ar
chaeological investigations un
covered substantial evidence of
Confederate occupation and de
velopment of the site, with clear
evidence of structures, both for
habitation and work. Pintles
for door hinges, and stone piers
for post indicate both enclosed
and unenclosed structures, and
the material culture shows care
for horses or mules with curry
combs and harness remnants,
and smithing with slag and met
alworking remnants. In addition
to structures, there is ephemeral
evidence for defenses, with
remnants of potential rifle pits
to the north of the site, con
necting with the faint footprint
of the rail siding. These seem
like to be sited here for two
reasons: first, a road ran along
the rail line north to Perkins
and onward to Waynesboro
which was a potential source of
Union raids, and furthermore,
north of the Lawton Station is
the only ground suited for cav
alry action. South of the station
the ground is broken by myriad
streams and low-lying grounds,
which likely would have
rendered the terrain a morass in
a wet and cold December. Con
sequently, the Union force try
ing to sweep the 9th Alabama
away—the last Confederates in
Jenkins County—would have
swept from the site of their first
encounter east and then north
east and south, sweeping along
the key terrain suited for cav
alry north of the Station. This
would have blocked the 9th
Alabama’s retreat to Waynes
boro, blocked them from their
mission of destroying essential
bridges, both road and rail, in
the path of Sherman’s Corps.
And pushed them eventu-
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