The Sons of Confederate Veterans James M. Keller Camp, #648 in Hot Springs, held its annual Christmas party on December 14. Camp members donated new unwrapped toys, which will be distributed to children in the greater Hot Springs area through the Salvation Army.
Most of the members of the Camp are descendants of Confederate veterans. They meet the second Thursday of each month at 5:30 pm at Smokin’ In Style BBQ (2278 Albert Pike Rd.) in Hot Springs. The meeting starts at 6:15 pm and usually includes a speaker on an aspect of the War Between the States. Judy Bowers of Hot Springs Village spoke on Christmas in the Confederacy in 1862 at the December meeting.
For more information, go to: www.jamesmkeller648.org/.
About Dr. James M. Keller
Dr. James M. Keller actively participated in various campaigns against Federal forces in Northwest Arkansas during the Civil War. His tireless dedication to the care and treatment of wounded soldiers, regardless of their allegiance (Confederate or Federal), earned him recognition. Dr. Keller was commended in numerous dispatches to Richmond and the Governor of Arkansas and received praise as an exceptional medical officer.
Seeking a new assignment in 1864, he was transferred to the Department of the Gulf, headquartered in Mobile, Alabama. His ambitious plan was to outfit a naval war vessel with a crew of his choosing and join the maritime war against Admiral Farragut’s fleet. However, shortly before the fall of Mobile, Dr. Keller’s assignment was changed, and he was transferred to the Army of Tennessee. He served on the staff of General Nathan Bedford Forrest for the remainder of the war, eventually surrendering on May 4, 1865, near Citronelle, Alabama.
After reuniting with his family in Louisville, Dr. Keller returned to Memphis, only to find his country home in ruins and the buildings burned. With no private medical practice to engage in, he accepted the position of Director of City Hospitals offered to him by the Mayor of Memphis. Over the next three years, Dr. Keller, with the assistance of his energetic wife, cared for and treated several thousand wounded and disabled war veterans.
In 1868, Dr. Keller and his family relocated to Hot Springs, Arkansas, where he resumed his private medical practice. The Kellers were active members of their new community, participating in and helping to organize various art, literary, and social clubs. Dr. Keller and Mrs. Keller remained staunch defenders of the Southern cause for which the Confederate States had fought in the late war.
Featured Image: Floyd Harvey, Incoming Camp Commander (left), and Loy Mauch, outgoing Camp Commander (right)
