Local SCV Camp honors Compatriot for restoring ancestor’s grave and Wilderness Cemetery

  • PHOTOGRAPH: Roger D. Hamrick (right} is presented with a distinguished SCV Bronze Cross by Commander Michael Oliver. The Bronze Cross and accompanying proclamation stand as lasting testimony of the camp’s gratitude and esteem for Compatriot Hamrick’s meritorious service.
    PHOTOGRAPH: Roger D. Hamrick (right} is presented with a distinguished SCV Bronze Cross by Commander Michael Oliver. The Bronze Cross and accompanying proclamation stand as lasting testimony of the camp’s gratitude and esteem for Compatriot Hamrick’s meritorious service.

    Lampasas, Texas — Salt Works Camp No. 2353 of the Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, recognized one of its own this week for outstanding work in preserving Confederate heritage.

    At the camp’s regular meeting Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at Little Texas Restaurant in Lampasas, Camp Commander Michael Oliver presented the Bronze Cross to Color Sergeant Roger Dale Hamrick. The award, formally dated July 4, 2026, was accompanied by a Guardian Proclamation issued by the camp.

    Hamrick, a member in good standing of both the Sons of Confederate Veterans and Salt Works Camp No. 2353, located the long-neglected grave of his Confederate ancestor, Private Burrell L. Hamrick (1820–1865), who served in the 2nd Frontier District, Texas State Troops, Confederate States Army. Through personal research and labor, Hamrick cleaned and restored the gravesite and reclaimed the wilderness burying ground known as Hamrick Cemetery in San Saba County, restoring dignity to the resting place of a Confederate soldier.

    The proclamation notes that these euorts were undertaken out of respect for the Confederate soldier, his family, and the community, so that Southern history and heritage may be preserved for future generations and the sacrifices of those who served from 1861 to 1865 may be forever remembered.

    Seventh Brigade Commander D. W. Davis delivered the evening’s program. Twenty-one people attended the meeting and meal.

    Salt Works Camp No. 2353 remains committed to locating and marking the graves of every Confederate soldier that can be identified in San Saba County.

    Anyone with knowledge of a Confederate burial in a rural or wilderness cemetery is asked to contact 1st Lt. Commander Ross J. Cox, Sr., at 325-205-0180.