Sons of Confederate Veterans Col. Isaac Williams ... - Scvportland.org

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Northwest News: Jefferson Davis Park Update
The Bayonet
View from across Interstate-5.
The new flagpoles and base for the large granite historical plaque.
The flagpoles are in! This amazing project is really coming together and the end is in sight! Now we just
need to run up the flags! Marjorie-Ann Reeves is currently working hard on the park dedication agenda and
program. There will be several special guests and groups represented at the ceremonies, including the UDC
President-General Janice Langford and our own ATM Commander Chuck Norred, but interestingly one of the
groups that will not be there are the Washington Confederate reenactors. They are scared of the possibility
that members of the NAACP might protest our event. With “friends” like these, who needs enemies!
Reflections: One on One With A Local Confederate Hero
Sgt. Major David Emmons Johnston
by Brent A. Jacobs
The other day I was driving from Johnson Creek up to Gateway
for an appointment, and I had some time to kill. I took the scenic
route and found myself sauntering up Mt. Scott Blvd, so decided to
roam around Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery. It was raining
pretty steadily, but I remembered that there was at least one Confederate
veteran buried there and resolved myself to find him. I
drove around for just a few minutes, and though it had been a couple
of years since I had been there I found the Johnston family plot
very easily. As soon as came to a stop the rain stopped. So I decided
to get out of the car and pay my respects. I took a couple of
photos of the family marker and the personal gravestone and then
paused for a minute to reflect…and right then the sun broke out. Wow, what timing. Laying at rest just a
mere few feet from me were the remains of a true Confederate hero. David Emmons Johnston joined the army
at the age of 15 in Virginia. At 17 he was elected Sgt. Major of his regiment and held that rank throughout the
rest of the war. After the war he graduated from law school, had a
law practice, became a State Representative, and was a US Representative
from West Virginia. He later moved his practice to Portland
and penned his memoirs here. I stood there for a minute in total awe
of being in the presence of such a great man. Then I got back in the
car, the sun went away, and I continued on my way. We should all
remember to take the time to stop by and pay our respects to the Confederate
veterans scattered amongst us, and we should all hope to
have that sense of pride and humility. It really felt good and fired me
up to do even more to recognize these men and to honor their cause.
Johnston Family Marker