THE NAPLES CRIER - PAGE 1 - MAY 2012

THE NAPLES

Dear Compatriots:

The 9 March 2012 Naples Chapter

39th Birthday was a fun and memo-

rable event, as many of us knew we

would be going our separate ways

to join family and loves ones up

North. In some respects the 69 at-

tendees at the March meeting and

the 23 members and guests at the

April Luncheon give credence to

Lorie Hill’s poem “In like a lion

and out like a lamb.” Namely,

March roars in like a lion…. Then

the month rolls on and spring draws

near. March goes out like a lamb so

dear. And so it is:

Found memories will always be

there for the March dinner meeting;

yet, the business conducted at the

April luncheon and the pro-

grammed installation of new offic-

ers during May will have more and

more administrative importance as

we move forward to close out the

2011-2012 season and begin mak-

ing plans for the meetings that will

occur during 2012-2013.

The primary focus of the April 5th

luncheon was the slate presentation

of up-in-coming officers for the

next season. A list of these nomi-

nated officers and the names of the

chapter members who comprised

the nominating committee are on

page 12. I extended a special

thanks to the committee for their

work in finding quality members as

nominees to fill the ranks of the

next Naples Chapter leadership

team.

In addition to the slate presenta-

tion by Past President Roy Richard-

son, Jay Jewett was inducted as a

new member. Then he and Dr. Lar-

ry Fehrenbaker became our newest

members of the FLSSAR Veterans

Battalion. Jay received a certificate

of military service and the War Ser-

vice Medal for his participation in

the Vietnam War; Larry received a

certificate of military service and

the Military Service Medal for his

contributions during the Cold War.

Following this, the members and

guests reflected upon who our pat-

riotic ancestors were. A highlight

of this reflection culminated in

Compatriot Ken Staley giving a

reading about his ancestral roots.

This reflection is recorded on page

6 under the heading “Ancestor in

the Spotlight.” As the meeting

came to a close, Past President and

the 2012 Poster Contest Chairman

John McCullough announced the

winner of “The Battle of Guilford

Courthouse Poster Contest.” She is

Trinity Wiggins of Tommie Bar-

field Elementary School. A picture

of her winning poster is on page 2.

SINCE 1975 NAPLES CHAPTER N.S.S.A.R. NEWSLETTER MAY 2012

President Charles T. Sweeney’s MessagePresident Charles T. Sweeney’s MessagePresident Charles T. Sweeney’s Message

Nominating Committee Chairman,

Past President Roy Richardson.

THE NAPLES CRIER - PAGE 2 - MAY 2012

A REMINDER!A REMINDER!

The next luncheon meeting will be on Thursday,

May 3, 2012. The location remains The Country

Club of Naples, 185 Burning Tree Drive, Naples,

FL.

The winning posters from Collier County Elemen-

tary Schools were presented at the April 5th luncheon

meeting of the Naples Chapter NSSAR by John

McCullough, Past President and Poster Committee

Chairman. Compatriots attending the luncheon meet-

ing faced the challenge of selecting the best poster

that presented this year’s theme: The Battle of Guil-

ford Courthouse. Two posters had been selected by

the respective elementary schools for judging by the

Naples Chapter.

The winning poster was submitted by Trinity Wig-

gins from Tommie Barfield Elementary School,

Marco Island, who wins $40. Her poster will go on to

be judged by the Florida State Society at its Annual

Meeting at Kissimmee on May 5, 2012. The 1st place

poster at the Florida State meeting will be judged with

posters from other SAR State Societies at the Annual

Congress in July 2012 at Phoenix, Arizona.

Kiley Hartman from Calusa Park School, 5th grade,

Naples submitted the second place poster to win $30.

Congratulations to the winners and all participants.

Americanism Elementary School Poster ContestAmericanism Elementary School Poster ContestAmericanism Elementary School Poster Contest

Trinity Wiggins Tommie Barfield Elementary

School, Marco Island

Kiley Hartman from Calusa Park School

Back issues of The Naples Crier and more information at Back issues of The Naples Crier and more information at www.NaplesSAR.orgwww.NaplesSAR.org

Louise Hunter and Past President Don Cahill

participate in “Ancestor in the Spotlight”.

THE NAPLES CRIER - PAGE 3 - MAY 2012

Heraldry: The Wearing of Medals 1

Part II: Precedence of SAR Medals alongside

United States authorized Medals and Decorations

In Part I, which appeared on page 5 of the April

2012 issues of The Naples Crier, we discussed the

precedence of SAR Medals as a Stand-Alone Display

of Loyalty. Key in this respect was the wearing of the

War Service Medal or Military Service Medal when

other SAR medals were worn, to include the wearing

of the SAR Badge as a medal and the wearing of the

SAR Badge suspended from a neck ribbon. Other sig-

nificant points addressed in Part I were: (1) the rela-

tionship of SAR medals to one another and how to

overlap numerous medals to create a proper and or-

derly presentation. Table 1 at the end of this article

lists the precedence of SAR Medals. (2) When it

comes to a proper and orderly presentation of medals,

Part I suggested that we model ourselves after Gen-

eral Black Jack Pershing. He didn’t have to wear all

of his medals or decorations to create a desired effect,

nor do we.

When Blackjack Pershing landed in France during

the outbreak of World War I to take charge as Gen-

eral of the Armies, he only wore three ribbons or their

represented medals that were aligned according to

precedence. These ribbons or medals were the Indian

Campaign Medal, the Spanish Campaign Medal (with

Silver Citation Star), and the Philippine Campaign

Medal. Parenthetically, prior to 19 July 1932, the Sil-

ver Citation Star on a campaign medal denoted gal-

lantry in action. In 1932, the Silver Citation Star was

superseded by the Silver Star Medal—our county’s

third highest award exclusively for combat valor, and

ranks fifth in the precedence of military awards be-

hind the Medal of Honor.

On the left, General of the Armies Black Jack Per-

shing arrives in France wearing three ribbons repre-

sentative of the three campaign medals noted above

and the three medals on his chest in the black and

white picture.

We too might wish to only wear three SAR medals

to create a desired affect; or we might wish to mix

federal awards with earned SAR medals. In either

case, our decorations and medals must be aligned ac-

cording to precedence. In Part I of this series, we pre-

sented the precedence of the SAR Badge, the SAR

Military Service Medal and the SAR Meritorious Ser-

Heraldry (Continued on page 4)

1 Photo and article by Chuck Sweeney, Naples Chapter SAR Presi-dent. This and additional information concerning the code for wearing medals, decorations, badges, and insignia can be found on Google: NSSAR Code for Medals. Or go SAR Handbook @

http://www.sar.org/sites/default/files/docs/SAR-Handbook/sar_handbook_volume_3_rev_2012.pdf .

Indian Campaign Spanish Campaign Philippine Campaign

THE NAPLES CRIER - PAGE 4 - MAY 2012

vice Medal as shown below when we wish to ex-

press a stand-alone display.

When authorized to wear the SAR Neck Ribbon

with the SAR Badge suspended from it, and to wear

the SAR War Service Medal along with Federal

decorations and/or medals, we must follow the

guidelines presented in the lower section of Table 1.

For example, if a Vietnam and First Gulf War Vet-

eran wished to wear only his campaign medals for

those wars with his authorized Neck Ribbon and

SAR War Service Medal, the alignment of his med-

als on his chest would look like this:

On the other hand, if a “Cold War” Veteran re-

ceived a Meritorious Service Medal and a Navy

Commendation Medal while on active duty, and he

wished to wear these awards with his SAR Badge

suspended from a Neck Ribbon and his Military

Service Medal, the display on his chest would look

like this:

(Continued from page 3) Heraldry

As noted in Part I, in the months to come we’ll ex-

pand upon the focus of “The Wearing of Medals.”

But for now we wish to leave you with two thoughts:

(1) All Crier issues can be viewed at the Naples

Chapter Website: www.naplessar.org ; and (2)

The following pictures depict how a single row or

multiple rows of medals and decorations may be worn

on a sport coat with tie at our chapter meetings.

Single Row of Three. Neck Ribbon with SAR

Badge, Naval Aviator Wings, Legion of Merit, Dis-

tinguished Flying Cross, SAR War Service Medal

(with Vietnam and SW Asia Bars)

Double Row of Three. Neck Ribbon with SAR

Badge, Naval Aviator Wings, Legion of Merit, Dis-

Heraldry (Continued on page 5)

Vietnam Service Southwest Asia War Service

Meritorious Service Navy Comm Military Service

THE NAPLES CRIER - PAGE 5 - MAY 2012

tinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Southwest Asia Medal and SAR War Service

Medal (with Vietnam and SW Asia Bars)

Multiple Row of Three. Neck Ribbon with SAR Badge, Naval Aviator Wings, Defense Superior Service Medal, Le-

gion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, SW Asia Medal, and War Service Medal (with Vietnam and SW Asia Bars)

(Continued from page 4) Heraldry

Rules concerning the precedence of SAR medals when worn with United States decoration and campaign medals are as fol-

lows:

1. Federal Decorations: Consult the most current DOD publications for medal precedence and proper sequence.

2. Federal Campaign Medals: Consult the most current DOD publications for medal precedence for proper sequence.

3. SAR medals in proper sequence per the above SAR Decorations and Medals list.

Note: The source for the above information is THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF THE SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLU-

TION OFFICIAL HANDBOOK Volume III: Insignia, Medals and Awards, page 27, revised March 2012.

To be continued…

Table 1: SAR Medal Precedence

SAR Decorations and medals are worn in the following order of precedence, from the wearer’s right to left on the left breast.

1. SAR Badge 2. Minuteman Award

3. Gold Good Citizenship Medal

4. Daughters of Liberty Medal

5. War Service Medal 6. Military Service Medal

7. National Medal of Distinguished Service

8. Patriot Medal 9. State Medal of Distinguished Service

10. Medal for Heroism

11. SAR Meritorious Service Medal 12. Silver Good Citizenship Medal

13. Florence Kendall Medal

14. Law Enforcement Commendation Medal

15. Fire Safety Commendation Medal 16. EMS Commendation Medal

17. C.A.R.-SAR Medal of Appreciation (Gold)

18. C.A.R.-SAR Medal of Appreciation (Silver) 19. C.A.R.-SAR Medal of Appreciation (Bronze)

20. Liberty Medal

21. Lafayette Volunteer Service Award 22. Bronze Good Citizenship Medal

23. Silver ROTC Medal 24. Bronze ROTC Medal

25. Eagle Scout Medal

26. Robert E. Burt Boy Scout Volunteer Award

Medal 27. Service to Veterans Medal

28. SAR Medal of Appreciation

29. Martha Washington Medal 30. SAR Color Guard Medal (Gold)

31. Samuel Adams Congress Medal (Gold)

32. SAR Color Guard Medal (Silver) 33. Samuel Adams Congress Medal (Silver)

34. SAR Color Guard Medal (Bronze)

35. Samuel Adams Congress Medal (Bronze)

36. Council of State Presidents (Gold) 37. Council of State Presidents (Silver)

38. SAR Centennial Medal

39. George Washington Bicentennial Medal 40. Charter Centennial Medal

41. NSSAR Specialty Medals *

42. NSSAR Fundraising Medals

43. SAR State Society Medals

THE NAPLES CRIER - PAGE 6 - MAY 2012

MY MATERNAL FAMILY NAME IS CHAPLINE.

AN INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN OF THE NAME CHAP-

LINE CONNECTS IT WITH THE FAMOUS CLOAK OF ST. MARTIN.

WHILE ONLY 15 ST. MARTIN ENTERED THE ARMY AND WAS STA-

TIONED AT AMIENS ONE COLD NIGHT, HE DIVIDED HIS CLOAK

WITH A FREEZING BEGGAR AT THE CITY GATE. THE NEXT

NIGHT HE HAD A VISION OF CHRIST TELLING THE ANGELS OF

HIS ACT OF CHARITY. THE HALF OF THE CLOAK RETAINED BY ST

MARTIN BECAME THE STANDARD OF THE NATION FOR 600

YEARS. THE ORATORY WHERE THIS FAMOUS BLUE MANTLE, A

CHAPE, WAS CALLED A CHAPPELLE. THE PERSON WHO WAS IN

ALTENDANCE AT THIS ORATORY WAS CALLED THE CHAPLAIN.

THIS WAS THE ORIGIN OF OUR FAMILY NAME.

ISAAC CHAPLINE WAS BORN IN ENGLAND IN 1584. THE CHAP-

LINE FAMILY CAN BEST BE DESCRIBED AS HAVING ADVENTURE

IN THEIR HEARTS AND DARING IN THEIR SOULS. THEY WERE A

MILITARY FAMILY AS EVIDENCED BY THE SIX GENERATIONS

THAT ANSWERED THE CALL TO ARMS. THEY WERE ALSO A FAMI-

LY OF THE LAW WITH NUMEROUS GENERATIONS SUPPLYING

LAWYERS, JUSTICES, AND JUDGES. ISAAC ENTERED THE ENGLISH

ROYAL NAVY AND AS A RESULT OF HIS HIGH FAMILY POSITION,

HE SOON BECAME A CAPTAIN OF ONE OF HER MAJESTY'S SHIPS.

IN 1606 HE MARRIED MARY CALVERT, DAUGHTER OF LEONARD

CALVERT AND SISTER OF GEORGE CALVERT, THE FIRST LORD

BALTIMORE AND FOUNDER OF THE MARYLAND COLONY.

ISAAC FIRST CAME TO AMERICA ON JUNE 9, 1610 ON HIS SHIP

Ancestor in the Spotlight "STARR" BRINGING LORD DELAWARE, THE FIRST GOVERNOR OF

VIRGINIA. THE "STARR" AND THE TWO OTHER SHIPS ACCOMPA-

NYING HIM WERE LOADED WITH 200 SETTLERS AND SUPPLIES.

THEY ARRIVED IN THE JAMES RIVER NEAR JAMESTOWN AS THE

LAST FEW REMAINING RESIDENTS WERE LEAVING. THEY HAD

GIVEN UP HOPE AND HAD BOARDED THEIR SHIP TO RETURN TO

ENGLAND AND FORSAKE THIS DIFFICULT LAND. HAD ISAAC NOT

ARRIVED IN TIME, IT IS INTERESTING TO SPECULATE WHETHER

AMERICA WOULD HAVE DEVELOPED AS WE KNOW IT.

ENGLAND HAD ALREADY HAD SEVERAL SETBACKS IN AMERICA

AND WAS READY TO GIVE UP COLONIZING THE NEW WORLD.

JAMESTOWN WAS SAVED AND REESTABLISHED WITH THE NEW

PEOPLE AND FRESH SUPPLIES. ISAAC WAS APPOINTED A MEM-

BER OF THE KING'S COUNCIL TO THE COLONIES AND HELD THAT

POSITION FOR MANY YEARS. ALL LANDS AT THAT TIME WERE

KNOWN AS VIRGINIA IN HONOR OF THE VIRGIN QUEEN.

IN 1632, MARYLAND WAS SECTIONED OFF AND CHARLES CAL-

VERT WAS NAMED LORD PROPRIETARY.

ISAAC AND MARY HAD THEIR FIRST SON, JOHN, IN ENGLAND IN

1607. THEY DECIDED TO IMMIGRATE TO THE COLONIES IN 1622

WHERE THEY RECEIVED SEVERAL LARGE LAND GRANTS. THE

FAMILY ALSO BROUGHT WITH THEM THEIR FIVE SERVANTS. IN

1623 THEIR DAUGHTER, MARY, WAS BORN FOLLOWED IN 1625 BY

A SON, WILLIAM.

ISAAC NAMED HIS PROPERTY, "CHAPLAIN'S CHOICE". HE CON-

STRUCTED A FORTIFICATION AROUND THE HOUSE. IT WAS THE

ONLY STRUCTURE LIKE IT IN THE COLONY. IN 1624 AND 1625, HE

REPRESENTED "CHAPLAIN'S CHOICE" IN THE FIRST HOUSE OF

BURGESSES. HE SIGNED THE "LAWS IN ORDERS BY THE COUNCIL

AND ASSEMBLY" SENT TO ENGLAND FOR APPROVAL. IN 1626 HE

WAS APPOINTED A MEMBER OF THE COMMISSION TO HOLD

COURT FOR THE "UPPER PART" OF THE COLONY. THESE COMMIS-

SIONERS WERE IN PART AUTHORIZED TO HEAR AND DECIDE PET-

TY CONTROVERSIES NOT EXCEEDING A VALUE OF 200 POUNDS

OF TOBACCO AND ALSO TO CONSIDER PETTY OFFENSES. HE AL-

SO GREW TOBACCO WHICH WAS SHIPPED TO ENGLAND. ON A

VOYAGE BACK TO ENGLAND IN 1628, HE WAS LOST AT SEA. THAT

BRINGS US TO JOSEPH CHAPLINE, BUT THAT'S ANOTHER STORY.

Compatriot Ken Staley

Dr. Larry Fehrenbaker receives the FLSSAR Veterans Battalion Certificate and Military Service Medal

THE NAPLES CRIER - PAGE 7 - MAY 2012

Dr. Phil ip & Mrs. Mim Bal lou Book Awards Dr. Phil ip & Mrs. Mim Bal lou Book Awards for 2012for 2012

Presented to Col l ier County High SchoolPresented to Col l ier County High School students for scholarship in American History &students for scholarship in American History &

Pol i t ical SciencePol i t ical Science

Each year Dr. Philip E. Ballou, Past Chapter President and his wife,

Mim, sponsor book awards to Collier County High School students.

This year Harlow Giles Unger’s The Last Founding Father will be pre-

sented to one student during award programs in May at the following

high schools:

— Barron Collier High School

— Everglades High School

— Golden Gate High School

— Gulf Coast High School

— Immokalee High School

— Lely High School

— Naples High School

— Palmetto Ridge High School

— St. John Neumann High School

The Last Founding Father – James Monroe and the Nation’s Call To Great-ness by Harlow Giles Unger Review by Martin

What a guy! That is the phrase that now comes to mind after having read Harlow Giles Unger’s biog-raphy of James Monroe. Monroe was the president that every American yearns for. Unger paints a pic-ture of a man who was brave, honorable, kind, smart, and, well, manly. After you read this book, one thought persistently intrudes on your mind: “I wish we had presidents like that today!” It is a feeling sim-ilar to the one you get watching the movie Airforce One. The hero of that film is the President of the United States, played by Harrison Ford. In the movie, Ford’s character is a kick-butt ex-fighter pilot. The movie is fun and inspiring. The difference is, the movie is fiction, while the story that Unger tells is fact. In our reading about the history of this country, we’ve discovered that, unsurprisingly, the Founders had their faults and foibles. Many were heroes, bril-

liant contributors to the foundation of the great Amer-ican experiment. But not all of them stand out with a character balance as amazingly tilted in a positive di-rection as Monroe. Monroe served as a lieutenant in the Continental Ar-my and was among the first to cross the Delaware in 1776 for the all important attack on Trenton. His he-roic actions with Captain Washington, (a cousin to George Washington,) may have prevented a disaster. Although most of the Hessians had been sleeping off

their Christmas night celebration, one of them spot-

ted the Virginians approaching through the snow-

storm and called out. “A general alert then took

place”, Monroe recalled. “The drums were beat to

arms and two cannon were placed . . to bear on the

Monroe (Continued on page 8)

The Naples Chapter and students thank Compatriot Dr. Philip and Mim

Ballou for their generous support for these awards.

THE NAPLES CRIER - PAGE 8 - MAY 2012

head of our column as it entered. Captain Washington

rushed forward, attacked, and put the troops around

the cannon to flight and took possession of them. . . .

He received a severe wound. . . . The command fell on

Lieutenant Monroe, who advanced in like manner and

was shot down by a musket ball.”

It is interesting to note that only four Americans were

wounded in the battle and that two of them were these

officers, in the rush to capture the Hessian artillery

park, and prevent the guns from being turned on the

Americans.

Both wounded officers and their men continued firing,

fending off bayonet thrusts as the Hessians tried des-

perately to regain control of the big guns. The arrival

of George Washington’s Continentals finally forced

the Hessians to surrender. The fierce skirmish left

Monroe on the ground dying in a pool of his own

blood; a bullet had torn through his chest and lodged

in his shoulder, severing an artery. Only the chance

arrival of a quick thinking Patriot physician stemmed

the flow of blood and saved the young man’s life.

Washington cited both his cousin William Washington

and Monroe for conspicuous gallantry. He promoted

Washington to major and Monroe to captain.

Monroe’s heroism could not have come at a more im-

portant moment in the war. Trenton and subsequent

patriot success at Princeton revived American hopes

for victory and all but ensured desperately needed

French government military support. . . .

Although Monroe was in good company at Trenton,

with Alexander Hamilton, John Marshall, James Mad-

ison … and Aaron Burr, his actions were the most

conspicuous.

In April of 1782, Monroe and Marshall, who were to

be lifelong friends (in spite of political differences),

began their respective political careers. Both were

elected to the Virginia assembly.

Monroe’s life intersected with the lives of many fa-

mous people on the world stage. He enjoyed a close

personal relationships with many of the scions of Vir-

ginia, including George Washington, James Madison

and Thomas Jefferson, whom he considered his men-

tor. But Monroe also managed to foster and maintain

relationships with important people all over the coun-

try. Unger points out that this was to prove invaluable

in his later political career.

His career took an important step forward when

George Washington appointed him to go to France.

This was at the same time that John Jay went to Eng-

land to negotiate the treaty that bears his name. Ed-

mund Randolph, former governor of Virginia, was

Secretary of State, a post that Monroe himself would

later hold under Madison’s presidency.

One of the things that makes reading Unger’s books so

fascinating is his ability to tie in and make connections

between his subjects and other important historical

characters. Moving from his biography of Patrick

Henry to this one of James Monroe was an almost

seamless transition. These books truly feel like a series

of novels in which many of the same characters ap-

pear, with each taking a leading role in their appointed

volume. If anything, however, this book is even more

densely packed with historical intersections than Lion

of Liberty.

Several such interesting incidents pertain to Monroe’s

diplomatic missions to France. Monroe’s daughters

attended a prestigious school for young ladies which

was run by Madame Campan, one of the former

Queen Marie Antoinette’s ladies in waiting, and the

older sister of Citizen Genet, who is mentioned many

times at WWTFT. The future queen of Holland,

daughter of Napoleon’s then mistress Josephine, and a

student at this school, became a close friend of Mon-

roe’s daughter Eliza.

Another interesting connection is the brave rescue of

Adrienne de Lafayette, by Elizabeth Monroe! The

wife of the heroic Marquis was imprisoned in the no-

torious Plessis prison. Trading on the Monroe’s popu-

(Continued from page 7) Monroe

Monroe (Continued on page 9)

THE NAPLES CRIER - PAGE 9 - MAY 2012

larity with the French, Eliza-

beth decided to do something

about it.

The political rapport — and

growing social intimacy —

between Monroe and leading

government figures gave him

and Elizabeth an opportunity

for a bold thrust in 1795. By

then, he had used the good

will he had engendered to ob-

tain the release of Americans

from French prisons. Now he

set out to rescue the wife of an old friend with only

honorary American citizenship — Adrienne de Lafa-

yette, wife of the heroic Marquis. Knowing he would

risk his diplomatic status by intervening directly, he

was considering what other American in Paris could

act in his stead when Elizabeth insisted on going her-

self — directly to the prison to see Adrienne. Monroe

called the mission too dangerous, but Elizabeth

scoffed at her husband, saying the French admired

courageous women such as Joan of Arc, and that she

was the most logical person to handle the job. Eliza-

beth had her way.

Shortly thereafter, after 16 months in prison, Adrienne

was freed. Six days later, she was reunited with her

son, George Washington Lafayette. It was Monroe

who arranged to get the boy an American passport un-

der the name of George Motier. He placed the boy and

a tutor on board a ship bound for America, and his

godfather, then President George Washington.

Monroe also rescued Tom Paine who was languishing

in prison in deteriorating health. He had been arrested

by Robespierre for voting against the execution of

King Louis the XVI.

Political infighting over the Jay Treaty, seen as a

threat to Franco-American relations by those support-

ing France in the war with England, ended up marring

perceptions of Monroe’s mission to France and caused

hard feelings on the part of Monroe toward Washing-

ton, hitherto his hero. The French were displeased

with Monroe and America because of the Jay Treaty,

Randolph was removed from office because of a scan-

dal and replaced by Timothy Pickering, and Monroe

was recalled from France causing him great distress.

Racked by anger and bitterness, he felt he had been

deceived by two secretar-

ies of state and aban-

doned by the president he

had revered since his

boyhood. While John Jay,

his Federalist counter-

part in London, was un-

dermining Franco-

American relations, Mon-

roe had followed his in-

structions to the letter in

Paris. He had obtained

French recognition of

American neutrality, established warm cordial diplo-

matic relations, promoted peaceful trade in nonmili-

tary goods, and established America’s diplomatic

presence among the world’s great nations. He had

done his job to perfection. Although his original in-

structions pledged that “Mr. Jay . . . is positively for-

bidden to weaken the engagements between this coun-

try and France,” Monroe’s political opponents had

put partisan politics above the interests of their coun-

try and fired him.

When Monroe returned to America, he stepped into

another maelstrom he had inadvertently set into mo-

tion before he left for France. He had entrusted Thom-

as Jefferson with some highly personal and confiden-

tial papers from the volatile Alexander Hamilton. The-

se papers exculpated Hamilton from baseless charges

that he had engaged in graft while acting as Secretary

of the Treasury. Monroe had been one of three men to

whom Hamilton had “confessed” of an affair with Ma-

ria Reynolds, whose husband had blackmailed him.

Monroe, leaving for France, had entrusted documents

detailing the affair to Jefferson, for safekeeping in his

vault at Monticello.

Jefferson, bitter at his defeat at the hands of Adams,

due in part to his nemesis Hamilton, leaked the con-

tents to the press. Monroe, knowing nothing of Jeffer-

son’s behavior, had hardly disembarked before a livid

Hamilton accused him of breaking his trust. Monroe

was bewildered and sought to get to the bottom of the

issue before responding, but Hamilton was insistent

and persistent in his attacks. Unger points out another

intersection:

Ironically, [Aaron] Burr succeeded in preventing a

duel that might have saved him from his own confron-

(Continued from page 8) Monroe

Monroe (Continued on page 10)

THE NAPLES CRIER - PAGE 10 - MAY 2012

tation with Hamilton seven years later — almost to the

day.

This book is so full of interesting connections and

characters that it is impossible to do it justice in the

space of a review. However, any review would be re-

miss if it did not include an example of the kinds of

insights offered by the author. One such insight is the

exceptionally concise explanation of the differences

between the Federalists and the Republicans that Un-

ger provides in his recounting of Jefferson’s inaugural

address.

They differed on four basic issues: Federalists be-

lieved in a loose interpretation, or “construction” of

the Constitution, whose vague wording, they insisted,

implied powers not specifically detailed in the docu-

ment. Article I, Section 8, for example, gave congress

power to enact any laws it deemed “necessary and

proper” for executing its constitutional powers. Re-

publicans, on the other hand, believed the authors had

meant exactly what they wrote in the Constitution.

They supported a literal interpretation that limited

government powers to those specifically written. Fed-

eralists favored strong central government to maintain

law and order; Republicans placed individual states’

rights above those of the central government. Federal-

ists favored the primacy of industrial, financial, and

commercial economic interests of the Northeast over

the agricultural interests of the South and West. Re-

publicans took the opposite stance. Federalists fa-

vored close ties to Britain and condemned revolution-

ary disturbances in France; Republicans considered

France a “natural” ally of the United States and Brit-

ain the seat of monarchic tyranny.

Another aspect of this book that should not go unre-

marked is the wonderful choice of illustrations, almost

exclusively sourced from the Library of Congress.

Their selection was apt and brilliantly placed through-

out the text. This book, like The Lion of Liberty, is a

pleasure to read and the wonderful use of illustrations

augments it.

At the beginning of this review, we said “What a

guy!” This enthusiastic exclamation was not prompted

by Monroe’s heroism at Trenton and his service with-

out pay (or expenses, unlike Washington), in the Rev-

olution. Neither was it prompted by his efforts in

France which culminated in the Louisiana Purchase. It

wasn’t even prompted by Unger’s recounting of Mon-

roe’s successful presidency and his authorship of the

famous “Monroe Doctrine”.

The admiration that Unger engenders for his subject

really reaches its zenith with his depiction of Monroe

as Madison’s Secretary of State during the War of

1812.

Madison was a superb theoretician, but he was no

leader. With no defined policy of his own when he took

office, he filled his cabinet with Republican syco-

phants and either bowed to the pressures of Republi-

can senators or kept Jefferson’s policies in place —

even when they were no longer appropriate or effec-

tive.

Madison knew he was in over his head and prevailed

on his old friend Monroe for help in managing foreign

affairs. Unfortunately it was too late. Madison’s vacil-

lations had put the economy in ruins and frustrated the

European powers who looked upon the United States

with disdain. In entrusting Brigadier General John

Armstrong with the post of Secretary of War, Madison

inadvertently ensured the destruction of the capitol.

Armstrong was an ambitious and nasty man who lust-

ed for power. He was married to the sister of one of

Monroe’s few enemies, Robert Livingston. As Secre-

tary of War, Armstrong set out to destroy Monroe po-

litically. Monroe, like George Washington before him,

did not respond to calumny.

When Monroe suggested strengthening the defenses

around Washington because of the proximity of Brit-

ish ships in Chesapeake Bay, Armstrong scoffed at his

concerns. Madison believed Armstrong.

When the British attacked and sacked Washington,

burning almost every federal building, including the

presidential mansion, Armstrong ran away to the safe-

ty of Frederick, MD. Monroe did not. He tried to rally

the troops and did not leave until forced to do so by

overwhelming British force. Madison was so shattered

that he basically turned over the reigns of government

to Monroe. He appointed Monroe Secretary of War

pro tem and Supreme Military Commander, giving

Monroe complete power.

Monroe worked tirelessly to set up defenses around

the city. He acted swiftly and deliberately.

He was everywhere, immersing himself in every detail

of the city’s defense, all but hauling logs into the

breastworks himself. He was an inspiring presence

that rallied citizen spirits – bound the best of them as

(Continued from page 9) Monroe

Monroe (Continued on page 11)

THE NAPLES CRIER - PAGE 11 - MAY 2012

one to save their city from further assault.

Because there was no longer a central bank from

which to borrow, and the government was bankrupt,

Monroe had to find a way to save a country ill-

prepared for war.

Monroe ignored both the law and the Constitution

and seized power. Saying he was the government of

the United States, he intimidated private banks and

municipal corporations into lending him more than

$5 million on his own signature.

With respect to the army. Monroe realized that drastic

measures were necessary.

Monroe scrapped the republican principles of his

youth and drew up a plan to draft a standing army of

100,000 men . . . Even as a young man, Monroe had

never clung obstinately to any political position if he

recognized it to be contrary to the nation’s interests.

Although he recognized the dangers of a standing ar-

my to a nation’s liberties under an unscrupulous

commander in chief, he also recognized that there

might be no nation unless it was prepared at all times

to repel foreign invaders. Only a standing army could

provide such a defense.

It is Monroe’s character and his actions during the

War of 1812 that will resonate most powerfully with

readers in designating Monroe a true hero among the

Founding Fathers.

(Continued from page 10) Monroe

Have you ever attended an Annual NSSAR Congress?

It is not too late to plan for this year.

2012 offers a great opportunity to attend the 122nd Annual Congress in Phoenix, Arizona. Saturday, July 7 through Wednesday July 11, at Phoenix Bilt-July 7 through Wednesday July 11, at Phoenix Bilt-more.more.

The host states Arizona and New Mexico in conjunc-tion with NSSAR offer wonderful exclusive tours of local attractions and historic sites as well as enjoyable social gatherings for meals and conversation with members, their spouses and friends.

Or, 2013 when the 123rd Annual Congress will be held in Kansas City, Missouri, from Saturday, July 6 to to Wednesday, July 10th at Marriott KC Downtown. Or, 2014 when the 124th Annual Congress will be held Saturday, July 19 to Wednesday July 23, at Hyatt Green-ville, Greenville, SC

JROTC AWARD SCHEDULE

Compatriot James McGarity, JROTC Commit-

tee Chairman reports the following JROTC

awards schedule.

Compatriots are asked to advise Jim McGarity if

there any school’s awards ceremony you would

volunteer to attend to present the SAR Award to

a cadet.

The Dates for the Awards at the High Schools

this year are:

Golden Gate: May 10th at 7:00pm

Gulf Coast: May 4th at 9:00am

Naples High School: May 8th at 6:00pm -

Chuck Sweeney Barron Collier: May 2nd at 7:00pm

Palmetto Ridge: May 3rd at 8:00am

Lely High: May 15th at 9:00am

Immokalee: May 8th at 9:00am - Hil Bailey

Left to right: Gaël de Maisonneuve, Consul General of France in Miami; Mrs. van den Hove; Mrs. Brigitte van den Hove-Smith; Eugene Pettinelli and Mrs. Nicole Hirsh, VP American Society of the French Legion of Honor, at Legion d’Honneur Award Ceremony, April 13, 2012

THE NAPLES CRIER - PAGE 12 - MAY 2012

The Naples Crier established 1975

Newsletter for members of the Naples Chapter, Florida Society, Sons of the American Revolution

I. Harris Tucker, Editor Email: NaplesSAR@gmail.com

Next Meeting: Luncheon, Thursday, May 3, 2012

Naples Chapter of the FLSSAR Officers (2011-2012)

President: Colonel Charles T. Sweeney USMC (ret.)* email: chuck_sweeney@msn.com

Immediate Past President: Roy G. Richardson* email: royndory@aol.com

1st Vice President: John N. Dennis* email: EMSD26@yahoo.com

2nd Vice President: I. Harris Tucker* email: NaplesSAR@gmail.com

Acting Secretary: Colonel Charles T. Sweeney

USMC (ret.)*

Treasurer: W. Richard Hazen* email: wrhazen@comcast.net

Assistant Treasurer: Lawrence G. Fehrenbaker

email: lgfehrenbaker@comcast.net

Chancellor: James M. McGarity, Esq.* Chaplain: Charles E. Cortright

Acting Registrar: Charles T. Sweeney

Historian: Donald B. Cahill1

Sergeant-at-Arms: John L. McCullough1

* Board of Directors for (2011-2012) 1 At-Large Member Board of Directors for (2011-2012)

Active Past Presidents of the Naples Chapter NSSAR

1978-1979 Dennis R. White 1991-1992 W. John Chesney, Jr. 1993-1994 Andrew Barry Crook Nicholls III 1997-1998 John Anson Smith 1998-1999 Dr. Philip Edwin Ballou 2000-2001 James Madison McGarity III 2002-2003 Charles Edgar Ransom, Jr. 2004-2005 James Bennett Applegate, Sr. 2006-2007 Donald Barton Cahill 2007-2009 John Logan McCullough 2009-2011 Roy G. Richardson

Nominating Committee ReportNominating Committee ReportNominating Committee Report For the Year 2012For the Year 2012For the Year 2012---201320132013

Presented at the April 5, 2012, MeetingPresented at the April 5, 2012, MeetingPresented at the April 5, 2012, Meeting

President Lawrence G. Fehrenbacker, Sr.

1st Vice President Vacant

2nd Vice President John L. McCullough

Secretary Tom Woodruff

Treasurer W. Richard Hazen

Assistant Treasurer Lawrence G. Fehrenbacker, Sr.

Chancellor James M. McGarity

Chaplain Charles E. Cortright

Registrar Ronald Benson

Historian Donald B. Cahill

Sergeant at Arms John L. McCullough

Color Guard

Commander Donald B. Cahill

Crier Editor Vacant

Webmaster Vacant

A vote will be taken at the May 3, 2012 member

luncheon meeting to elect the above slate. Installa-

tion will follow the vote.

As we pass the 39th year of the Naples Chapter, we look forward to an even bigger year ahead as we celebrate

the Chapter’s 40th birthday in 2013.

The Board of Directors will be working through the summer to produce programs for the coming year. Please

share with the Board ideas you may have for speakers that will be of interest to fellow compatriots.

Ideas and suggestions may be addressed to officers at their e-mail addresses shown above.

THE NAPLES CRIER - PAGE 13 - MAY 2012

Next Meeting: Luncheon, Thursday, May 3, 2012

LUNCHEON MEETING RESERVATIONS FOR RESERVATIONS FOR THURSDAYTHURSDAY

May 3, 2012

Country Club of Naples is very accommodating and will provide special diet meals, if advised a week in ad-vance. To enable the Country Club of Naples to better accommodate us for both room size and meal quantities,

we are asked to provide them with the number of reservations a few days before each meeting. Accordingly,

compatriots and others planning to attend the luncheons are asked to let us know by telephone , email or by completing the reservation form below and mailing it with a check payable to Naples Chapter S.A.R. to:

Lawrence G. Fehrenbaker, Assistant Treasurer 25041 Goldcrest Drive, Bonita Springs, FL 34134-7952

Email: lgfehrenbaker@comcast.net

Please remit the form below with your check to be received by Friday, April 27, 2012

Make your luncheon reservation to be received by Friday, April 27.

Make your check payable to Naples Chapter SAR.

c/o Lawrence G. Fehrenbaker, Assistant Treasurer, 25041 Goldcrest Drive, Bonita Springs, FL 34134

Tel: (239) 949-0887

Email: lgfehrenbaker@comcast.net

________ Luncheon(s) @ $20. = _____________

Your name (Print) _______________________________________________

Guest names (Print) __________________________________________________________________ Additional names may be printed on reverse side.

Please send your reservation and payment to be received by Friday, April 27, 2012

2011 2011 -- 2012 Naples Chapter Meetings2012 Naples Chapter Meetings Thursday, May 3, 2012: Chapter Meeting, 11:30 Fellowship, noon Luncheon, Country Club of Naples. Election and

Installation of 2012-2013 officers. Immediate Past President Roy Richardson Chairman and Master of Ceremonies.

Installation officer: Naples Chapter Past President and Past FLSSAR Regional Vice President Don Cahill.

Fly Your Flag

Any Day you wish, but especially on Armed Forces Day (3rd Saturday in May),

5/19/2012; Memorial Day (last Monday in May and half staff until noon) 5/28/2012; Flag

Day, 6/14; Independence Day, 7/4; Labor Day, 9/3/2012; Patriot's Day Terrorists' attack

2001), 9/11; Constitution Day, 9/17; Veterans Day, 11/11; Columbus Day (2nd Monday

in October), 10/8/2012; George Washington's Birthday, 2/22/2013; Patriot’s Day (Battle

Lexington & Concord, Mass.) (Third Monday in April), Monday, 4/15/13; and such other days as may be

proclaimed by the President of the United States.

May 2012

Back issues of The Naples Crier and more information at www.NaplesSAR.orgBack issues of The Naples Crier and more information at www.NaplesSAR.org

The Naples Chapter Color Guard Marches On …in a special ceremony that honored DAR

Big Cypress Chapter Regent Brigitte van den Hove-Smith, with the awarding by the French

Government the Légion of d’Honneur (Officer Class). Caloosa President, Rev. Dr. Randy

Moody served as the chaplain for the event.

April 13, 2012, The Country Club of Naples