Mosby dinner back on with more interest

Event had to be canceled in 2010

By Joe Beck -- jbeck@nvdaily.com

FRONT ROYAL -- Members of the John S. Mosby Camp 1237 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans will sit down to their annual dinner Dec. 10 on a high note, the organization's leaders said Friday.

After lagging interest led to the cancellation of the 2010 dinner, this year's event has already attracted 30 or 40 registrants, with hopes of 60 signing up by the time registration officially closes today, said Dwayne Mauck, the camp's commander.

Unofficially, Mauck said, "I could probably take more folks up until Monday."

The dinner is scheduled 7-9 p.m. at Casteriana's Italian Restaurant, 865 John Marshall Highway. The cost is $25 per person, with checks or cash payable at the door. A happy hour is set for 6 p.m.

Those wishing to register should call Mauck at 636-6487 or email him at bohntr1@hotmail.com.

This year's guest speaker is Douglas Cooke, an expert on the Confederate navy and a descendent of James Wallace Cooke, captain of the Confederate warship Albemarle.

Mauck said Cooke's presentation should be especially interesting because the role of the Confederate navy in the Civil War is often overlooked.

"He's quite well-versed on the naval Civil War, which a lot of our fellows don't know much about," Mauck said. "A lot of our ancestors were infantry, cavalry and things like that.

"This is a new experience for me because I don't know that much about the Confederate states navy."

Mauck, and Glenn Martin, the camp's 1st lieutenant commander, said the higher interest in the dinner this year reflects an overall improvement in the vitality of their organization. Mauck estimated active membership has grown from 18 to 40 this year.

"Our camp is doing extremely well," Martin said. "With the sesquicentennial going on, there's a lot more interest in it, and we have some active members who seek out new members. We swore in three at our last meeting."

Mauck said the camp will be marching in today's holiday parade in Front Royal, another indication of the quickening pace of activity.

"We're just more visible than we've been in a long time," he said.