Hey VA! Stop the Madness...let us MARK THEIR GRAVES!

Confederate Soldiers are American Veterans by Act of Congress

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/04/14/confederate-soldiers-are-american-veterans-by-act-of-congress/

Sign the Petition to amend the VA's Next-Of-Kin Rules here:

http://www.marktheirgraves.org/

More info:

Group Forms To Amend VA’s Next-Of-Kin Rules
(July 2013 Civil War News)

"A new organization that aims to change a federal regulation making it difficult to get government headstones for unmarked veterans’ graves has started an online petition campaign. According to Mark Their Graves, the Department of Veterans Affairs began enforcing a rarely-used regulation last year that, in effect, shuts down its Headstones and Markers Program.

The rule – Code of Federal Regulation section 38.632-(1) – precludes veterans’ groups, cemeteries, researchers and others from applying for government markers that identify the final resting places of military veterans unless they have permission from the veteran’s next of kin.  “This creates an impossible and unnecessary burden for groups seeking to honor veterans who served generations ago in conflicts like the Civil War, Spanish American War and even World War I,” says the group. Committee members ask the public to sign the petition at www.marktheirgraves.org and to contact their representatives in Washington and urge them to change the regulation. 

The effort is supported by the Civil War Trust, Ohio Historical Society, New York State Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee and the North Shore Civil War Roundtable.  Members include: Jeffrey I. Richman, Green-Wood Cemetery historian and North Shore Civil War Roundtable trustee; William Finlayson, president, Civil War Round Table of New York and North Shore Civil War Roundtable trustee; Robert MacAvoy, co-author of Our Brothers Gone Before and member, New Jersey Sesquicentennial Committee; Also, George J. Weinmann, vice president and instructor, Greenpoint Monitor Museum;  Vance Ingram, president, New York State Sesquicentennial Committee and Friends of the New York State Military Museum; Andrew Athanas, president, North Shore Civil War Roundtable; And, William Styple, author, Kearny (NJ) town historian; member, New Jersey Sesquicentennial Committee and Co. E, 15th New Jersey Infantry; and Bruce L. Sirak, president, Camp Olden Civil War Round Table & Museum; member, New Jersey Sesquicentennial Committee. 

The regulation’s effect can be seen at Brooklyn’s Historic Green-Wood Cemetery. In the past it successfully applied for and received 2,000 gravestones for Civil War veterans who researchers found to be in unmarked graves. Now, Green-Wood’s applications are being rejected, as are those of other researchers.

The petition is addressed to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki. It protests the redefinition of “applicant” as “next of kin” and implores the VA to limit the new regulation by “making it inapplicable to veterans who served more than 62 years ago — so that the veterans who now lie in unmarked graves can have a thankful nation mark where they lie, in tribute to their service.”

Within one week of the Mark Their Graves launch, almost 500 people had signed the petition. At presstime it had more than 900 signers.  Although Steve Muro, under secretary  for memorial affairs at the Veterans Administration, on April 10 told a Congressional subcommittee “We are actually looking at that reg. And we are going to do some rewrites of it … they made it over restrictive,” the committee says pressure must be brought to bear on the VA to amend the regulation.

Among the veterans denied government markers because of the regulation were Civil War veterans George Stillie and William Peter Strickland. Stillie (1839-1919) served in the United States Navy aboard the USS North Carolina, USS Valley City, USS Fernandina and USS Roebuck. He is buried in Melbourne, Australia. His wife predeceased him and their only child died in New Zealand in 1912.  Strickland (1809-1884), chaplain of the 48th New York Infantry for two years, believed that serving the Union was “the most sacred duty of every liberty-loving American citizen.” He is interred in Green-Wood Cemetery." 

Susan Hathaway
Va Flaggers

Godspeed and Best Wishes Kristian

   
On Saturday afternoon, June 22nd, the Va Flaggers gathered to say farewell to our Norwegian friend, Kristian Arntzen, who returns Tuesday to his home.

Kristian has been in the U.S. working on an anthropology thesis for his studies at the University of Oslo. After seeing the Va Flaggers on the Boulevard in Richmond, Kristian became intrigued by our movement, and passion for our heritage, and soon joined us in our endeavors. He was able to observe us and study firsthand the Southern Heritage Movement in the United States, and we were able to teach him about the War Between the States and the honor and bravery of our ancestors.

Along the way, a mutual friendship was formed, and today we presented Kristian with several tokens of our appreciation, including the signed flag pictured here. We wish you all the best Kristian, and will be praying for safe travels home, and an A+ on that thesis!

God bless you, always!

2:00 Clean up at Matoaca Cemetery CANCELED...

UPDATE   UPDATE   UPDATE

We have just received word from the News 6 Reporter, Greg McQuade, that some folks went to the cemetery bright and early this morning and have already cleaned up the area! :)

Hi, Susan!

Hope you're well.

Thanks for reaching out and offering your services to help clean up the cemetery.

I called Kathy to pass on your information and lo and behold she says some good Samaritans saw our story and went this morning to clean up the debris.

She says the area has never looked so good!

I truly believe there are far more good people in this world than bad and you're one of them.

Kathy sends her gratitude.

Thanks again, Susan.

Cheers,
Greg

This is the kind of report we LOVE to send! :)

Susan Hathaway
Va Flaggers

Va Flaggers Call to Action: Cemetery Clean up TODAY

Someone dumped a substantial amount of garbage and debris on Confederate graves at Matoaca Cemetery in Chesterfield, Virginia

http://wtvr.com/2013/06/19/trash-dumped-on-civil-war-gravesites-in-chesterfield/

Members of the Va Flaggers and R E Lee Camp #1589, SCV will meet at the cemetery at 2:00 today, Thursday, June 20th, to work on clean up. If you have a truck or trailer, or can lend a hand, we invite you to join us in the effort.

The cemetery is located on Memorial Ave, just off of River Road in Matoaca.

http://mapq.st/15nbH3k

Contact Tommy Clinger for more details: (804) 317-2736

Susan Hathaway
Va Flaggers

SAVE THE DATE!

Excellent Letter...

...sent to Alex Nyerges, Director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), in response to a Call To Action from the Va Flaggers earlier this week:

“When… there arose in the Northern States an antislavery agitation, it was a harmless and scarcely noticed movement until political demagogues seized upon it as a means to acquire power. Had it been left to pseudo-philanthropists and fanatics, most zealous where least informed, it never could have shaken the foundations of the Union and have incited one section to carry fire and sword into the other … the agitation was political in its character, and was clearly developed as early as 1803…”   ~Jefferson Davis, President, Confederate States of America

With all due respect, sir, what most p.c. “political demagogues” need is a little forbearance and education. While assuming a mantle of tolerance, many today become radically INtolerant of Confederate history. You may already know that the U.S. flag flies over the final resting place of many American veterans all across Europe. Of course, WE won that war too, so how could our “allies” refuse to honor our valiant dead?

As the African-American chairman of the Crestview, Florida city council told a group of “protesters” several years ago regarding the Confederate battle flag, “It’s a soldiers’ flag. I am a veteran of WW II, Korea, and Viet Nam. As long as I am Chairman of the City Council, the battle flag will fly over those Confederate veterans’ graves. It’s a soldiers’ flag.”

Sir, I somewhat understand the pressure on funding that can be applied through governmental channels. But, “It’s a soldiers’ flag.” Is it not time to “do the right thing?” Please return the soldiers’ flag to the Confederate Memorial Chapel."

Al Perry

Jesup, GA

Thank you, Mr. Perry for your eloquent and well written letter. We appreciate your support and that of so many others who have called, written, or emailed the VMFA during this campaign. PLEASE help us by continuing the efforts, which provide much needed support those who are boots on the ground in this battle.

Wednesday, June 12th found the Virginia Flaggers back on the sidewalk at the VMFA, forwarding the colors and protesting the forced removal of Confederate Battle Flags from the Confederate Memorial Chapel.

Our next flagging is THIS SATURDAY, June 15th, Noon - 4:00 p.m. PLEASE JOIN US and speak for those who no longer have a voice!

If you cannot attend, please help us by taking a few minutes to contact the VMFA and ask them to return the Confederate Battle Flags to the portico of the Confederate Memorial Chapel. This week, we are asking you to contact Stephen Bonadies, by email at stephen.bonadies@vmfa.museum, or by phone at (804) 340-1400.

TOGETHER, we will RETURN the flags and RESTORE the honor!

Grayson Jennings
Va Flaggers

Try our Confederate and family friendly search engine: www.confederatearchivescom

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UPCOMING EVENTS:
Tuesday, June 18th: 4:00 p.m. – Dusk – Flagging the VMFA
Saturday, June 22nd: Noon – 4:00 p.m. – Flagging the VMFA
Saturday, June 22nd: Two Confederate grave marker ceremonies. 3495 Davis Mill Road, Thurston Family Cemetery, Goochland, VA. Contact is James Waldrop, cell 804-513-9747. Honor Guard will be provided by Mr Frank Yates, and the William Latane SCV camp. Many relatives expected, should be a nice turnout. Plenty of parking.
Monday, June 24th: 6:30 p.m. - Susan and Barry will be traveling to Va Beach to speak to the Princess Anne Camp #484, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Gus and George's Spaghetti and Steakhouse, 4312 Virginia Beach, VA
Thursday, June 27th: 4:00 p.m. – Dusk – Flagging the VMFA
Saturday, June 29th: Noon – 4:00 p.m. – Flagging the VMFA
Saturday, June 29th: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 22nd Annual Point Lookout Pilgrimage, Confederate Memorial Park, Point Lookout, MD.

Southern Cross of Honor Dedication, Dewey Rose, GA

On Saturday, June 1^st, I had the privilege of attending the Southern Cross of Honor Dedication and Wreath Presentation in honor of Private Isham Johnson Booth, Company D, 1st Georgia Reserves, Elbert County Georgia, father of last living Georgia real son H.V Booth in Dewey Rose, GA.

The Georgia Society Order of Confederate Rose, Nancy Hart Chapter No. 1 & Georgia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans, Lt. Dickson L. Baker Camp 926 sponsored the event.  It was a beautiful, well attended ceremony, and I was honored  to represent the Va Flaggers and thrilled at the opportunity to meet Mr. Booth.  

 

"ELBERTON, Ga. — For most descendants of Confederate soldiers, their ancestor is maybe just a name in the family Bible, or a picture in a faded photograph of someone perhaps their grandparents recalled meeting.

For Herbert Booth, however, his Confederate ancestor was the man who bounced him on his knee and sent him to the fields to plow behind a mule when Booth was barely grown up enough to reach the plow handles. He was Booth’s father.

Booth did something Saturday that he is believed to be the only remaining person in Georgia who could. He took part in a ceremony honoring his father’s service in the Confederate Army.

The 94-year-old of Elberton was the guest of honor at a ceremony at Antioch Baptist Church, in the Dewy Rose community, where the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Georgia Society Order of the Confederate Rose made a Southern Cross of Honor presentation at Isham Johnson Booth’s grave.

Isham Booth, the youngest of three brothers to serve in the Confederate Army, joined at age 16, serving in Company D of the 1sr Georgia Reserves. He was assigned as a guard to Camp Sumter, the Confederate camp for Union prisoners at Andersonville, Ga.

The camp operated for from February 1864 to April 1865. Built to hold about 25,000 prisoners, its population would eventually be about 34,000, and by the war’s end about 45,000 prisoners would pass through the prison. Nearly a quarter of the prisoners would die, most from exposure and disease aggravated by having little food, which was scarce for the Confederates.

The younger Booth recalls that his father never really talked much about the war. But Herbert Booth has a vivid recollection of his father describing the Confederate prison camp as “the awfulest place he ever saw.”

Isham Booth contracted yellow fever while at the camp and was sent back to Elberton to recover. By the time the 17-year-old was well enough to return, the war was over. He never returned to Andersonville and was officially listed as a deserter, a situation he corrected in 1928, six years before he died at age 87. It made him eligible for a pension of $25 a month.

Keith Jones, a descendant of Isham Booth and the author of two books about Civil War history, said Saturday that guard duty was not combat duty but neither was it without dangers.

“About 22 percent of the guards at Andersonville died doing their duty,” Jones said.

Isham Booth married Herbert’s mother, a 38-year-old widow, when he was a 77-year-old widower. Herbert was Isham’s 12th and last child, born in 1918.”

“(Herbert Booth) is one of our last real connections with those brave men who went off to fight in 1861, not for the enslavement of a race but for basic human rights,” said Mike Mull, chief of staff of the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, on Saturday.

Those who seek to revise history, Mull said, especially the history of the South and the Civil War, don’t always necessarily lie, “they just don’t tell the whole truth.”

The ceremony Saturday, organized by the Lt. Dickson L. Baker Camp 936 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, of Hartwell, Ga., drew about 100 people.

Susan Hathaway came all the way from Richmond, Va., for the event, bringing her own Confederate battle flag.

A member of the Virginia Flaggers, a group dedicated to defending the Confederate heritage, Hathaway said she was moved by the ceremony.

“Keeping alive the memories of these (Confederate veterans) is important to our history,” she said. “The chance to meet and talk to someone who actually knew one of them is an opportunity almost gone, and we shouldn’t miss that chance.”

-Ray Chandler, Independent Mail, Anderson, SC

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2013/jun/01/son-helps-honor-confederate-veteran/

Special thanks to Ms. Ronda Reno for issuing me the invitation.  It was an honor to meet Ms. Ronda, and Ms. Amy Roberts and witness the good work they are doing for the Cause.

On the drive to Dewey Rose, I passed a flag display and monument, in the town of Colbert.  It was right on a busy thoroughfare and was a BEAUTIFUL sight to behold. On the way back, I stopped to admire it and took a few pics. Kudos to the Madison County Grays, Camp 1526, Sons of Confederate Veterans for this magnificent display and wonderful monument!  

More photos here:  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151708801164274.1073741835.698334273&type=3

God bless Private Booth, and God Save the South!



Susan Hathaway
Va Flaggers

God bless you, Pop. Go rest high...

I

When the Virginia Flaggers were formed, almost two years ago, I came to know of PoP Aaron when Billy Bearden suggested I write him and tell him about what I was up to.  PoP published my story as "Virginia Belle Needs Help"...

http://shnvalerts.blogspot.com/2011/10/virginia-belle-needs-help.html

...and word quickly spread through the Heritage community.   Thanks in large part to his help, what began as one woman taking a stand has now grown into a nationally recognized organization, with hundreds having joined us in our efforts, and hundreds more lending their support.   

I was very grateful for his support, but as I got to know PoP, found that the real treasure was in the friendship that blossomed with this most dedicated warrior.

Certainly, his record of standing against those who would attack our Heritage speaks for itself.  For years, he has been a tireless fighter, working mostly behind the scenes and without recognition, which if you knew PoP, was pretty much how he wanted it. 

Having recently lost my own Father,  PoP became a surrogate father to me.  He was my mentor, teacher, and spiritual counselor.  PoP had the kind of Faith...simple and unwavering...that I pray others see in me.  Throughout his illness, he told me on many occasions that he was quite ready to see his Savior...but would like just a little more time to put a  few more scalawags, traitors, and Southern Heritage haters in their place...if the good Lord saw fit.

Today, I am thankful that I had the opportunity to meet PoP, and share some very special moments with him.  One of his dreams was realized when the Tennessee Flaggers formed and I was there for their first flagging.  Although I was honored to be a part of the genesis of that group, I would be less than honest if I did not admit that there was something even more special pulling me to Tennessee that day...the chance to meet and speak with PoP Aaron.

I know PoP would not want much to made of his passing, and I want to honor his wishes, but I could not let him slip from this earth without sharing with others what he meant to me.  I intend to do my best to follow in the huge footprints he has left behind...by living a Godly life, inspiring others by lifting them up and encouraging them, and by NEVER, NEVER giving up the fight to defend our Southern Heritage.

PoP called me "Little Sister".  He will be greatly missed on this earth, but I am looking forward to the day when I will hear him call my name as I enter the gates. Go rest high, PoP...I'll see you soon.  

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14-  "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus."

Jefferson Davis Birthday Ceremony

A stormy, soaking start to the day did not stop the Va Flaggers from forwarding the colors...or flagging Scalawags.

The Flaggers were shocked and disappointed to find Museum of the Confederacy President and CEO Waite Rawls in attendance at the Jefferson Davis Birthday Ceremony. In a quiet, but effective show of disgust, we stood and turned our backs on him as he addressed the audience, in protest of his refusal to fly a Confederate flag on the grounds of the Museum of the Confederacy at Appomattox.

When the ceremony ended, the rain was still heavy, and it was decided cooking on the grill as planned might not be the best idea, so we left to get some lunch and met back at the VMFA at 1:00. By this time, the sun was shining and the weather was BEAUTIFUL! In spite of the earlier stormy weather, over two dozen Flaggers lined the sidewalk, stretching the line from the Chapel all away around the Boulevard to the main entrance of the VMFA. We had several new Flaggers join us and were pleased with the heavy traffic and great conversations that were held.

 At one point, Waite Rawls was spotted heading into the UDC HQ for the Massing of the Flags, and several Flaggers took position outside the building and were able to keep him on the hot seat as he entered the building. When Mr. Rawls exited the building for a smoke break…and later to leave the event, he was again met by Flaggers, who reminded him that his refusal to fly a Confederate Flag would not be forgotten…and that we would not stand down until a Confederate flag is flying…or he is removed from the museum.

Throughout the day, we were greeted by many who had attended the days’ events, and were offered words of encouragement and support. We posed for many pictures, including the one below, when a nice lady who was leaving the Massing of the Flags asked to take a picture with our “beautiful” flags...and were thrilled when Commander Givens took time out to visit with the Flaggers. :)

Willie Wells reported the only negative incident of the day, as his car was spit on by a young white kid on a bicycle, who threatened to do the same to Willie’s person, all at the very same moment an older lady had stopped to request a photo with him! A couple of VMFA guards came out and told the kid to move on and assured Willie that he would have been in the right to defend himself from such a disgusting, vile attack.

All in all, it was an AMAZING day in RVA… from a very soggy beginning to a beautiful afternoon with dozens of Confederate flags flying and many good conversations and opportunities to tell folks about the desecration of the Confederate Memorial Chapel at the hands of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts…and several new recruits to the Virginia Flaggers!

More photos here: https://www.facebook.com/jefferson.davis.5477/media_set?set=a.488888924516911.1073741826.100001874243048&type=3

Our next Flagging of the VMFA will be this WEDNESDAY, June 12th, 3:00 - Dusk. We invite you to join us on the Boulevard, as we forward the colors and protest the removal of Confederate Battle Flags from the Portico of the Confederate Memorial Chapel by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. If you cannot join us, please call museum Director Alex Nyerges at (804) 340-1502 and ask him to return the Confederate Battle Flags to the Confederate Memorial Chapel, or email him: alex.nyerges@vmfa.museum.

Follow our new blog: http://vaflaggers.blogspot.com/

Grayson Jennings
Va Flaggers

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Wednesday, June 12th: 4:00 p.m. – Dusk – Flagging the VMFA
Saturday, June 15th: Noon – 4:00 p.m. – Flagging the VMFA
Tuesday, June 18th: 4:00 p.m. – Dusk – Flagging the VMFA
Saturday, June 22nd: Noon – 4:00 p.m. – Flagging the VMFA
Saturday, June 22nd: Two Confederate grave marker ceremonies. 3495 Davis Mill Road, Thurston Family Cemetery, Goochland, VA. Contact is James Waldrop, cell 804-513-9747. Honor Guard will be provided by Mr Frank Yates, and the William Latane SCV camp. Many relatives expected, should be a nice turnout. Plenty of parking.
Monday, June 24th: 6:30 p.m. - Susan and Barry will be traveling to Va Beach to speak to the Princess Anne Camp #484, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Gus and George's Spaghetti and Steakhouse, 4312 Virginia Beach, VA
Thursday, June 27th: 4:00 p.m. – Dusk – Flagging the VMFA
Saturday, June 29th: Noon – 4:00 p.m. – Flagging the VMFA
Saturday, June 29th: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 22nd Annual Point Lookout Pilgrimage, Confederate Memorial Park, Point Lookout, MD.

Jefferson Davis Birthday Tribute, June 8, 2013

On Saturday, June 8th, the Va Flaggers attended the Nineteenth Annual National Jefferson F. Davis Memorial Service at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA. In spite of HEAVY downpours throughout the ceremony, a crowd of over 200 gathered in memory and honor of our President.

We handed out over 150 stick flags, and suggested that recipients leave them on the grave of a Confederate soldier before they left for the day. Several dozen Flaggers were on hand for the event, serving in many different capacities and, of course, forwarding the colors.

 The President General of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Commander In Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans were on hand to bring greetings, and I was grateful for the opportunity to address the attendees on behalf of the Va Flaggers.

At the close of the ceremony, I was deeply honored and very pleased to be presented with a flag that flew proudly over the grave sites of many Confederate Officers and soldiers during the year at the cemetery.  I wish to express my sincere thanks to Everette Ellis and the Jefferson F. Davis Memorial Committee for this wonderful gift. 

Many thanks to Commander Ellis and the Jefferson Davis Committee,   Jim Cochrane and the J.E.B. Stuart Camp#1343, SCV and Knibbâ's Battery, and all those who made this ceremony a memorable one. 

More photos here:  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151706783309274.1073741834.698334273&type=1&notif_t=like

Retiring the colors:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OweDBIFG4io#!

God bless Jefferson Davis and God save the South!

Susan Hathaway
Va Flaggers

CALLING ALL CONFEDERATES!

Come celebrate the birthday of President Jefferson Davis at  Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond THIS Saturday and then join us afterwards on the sidewalk in front of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and take a stand for our Confederate Veterans and the flags they fought and died under!

 
"Join the Virginia Division Sons Of Confederate Veterans at Davis Circle in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia, for the Presidents annual celebration. Bag Pipe band, Honor Guards, Rifle and Cannon salutes. Free ice water, folding chairs and port-a-jons, for your convenience. Souvenir programs and ribbons. Ceremonial flags available. Keynote speaker is Bert Hayes-Davis, great great grandson of Jeff Davis. Free and open to the public, come on out, present a wreath for your organization, hope to see you there."

 Immediately following the Jefferson Davis Birthday Memorial Service, the Virginia Flaggers will host a MASS FLAGGING of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Last year, we had over 100 folks on the sidewalk, forwarding the colors, protesting the VMFA and their forced removal of Confederate Battle Flags from the Confederate Memorial Chapel, and educating the public about our Confederate ancestors and the flags the fought and died under.

 We invite ALL to attend, and continue the celebration of President Davis' birthday by gathering on the Boulevard. We will provide hot dogs and drinks, and there will be plenty of veteran Flaggers to show you the ropes!

The ceremony at Hollywood Cemetery begins at 9:00 a.m. We will be on the Boulevard from 11-4. Come when you can, and stay as long as you can, JUST COME!

Facebook event here:  https://www.facebook.com/events/600428969981276/?fref=ts

Twenty years after Gen. Robert E. Lee rode into Appomattox and surrendered his tattered army, ending the War Between the States, a memorial chapel was built in Richmond in memory of the 260,000 Confederate soldiers who died during the conflict. The Pelham Chapel – Confederate War Memorial is designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S., and has been granted the status of Confederate Monument by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The organ in the chapel was donated by a group of Union veterans from Lynn, Mass. One of the contributors to the soldiers' home that surrounded the chapel was Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. And a Union private from Massachusetts donated his annual pension to support the home.

Confederate flags had flown over the grounds since the opening of the Old Soldiers Home in 1885. Those flags did not trouble the Union soldiers who donated the organ to the chapel; nor did they trouble Ulysses S. Grant. They were placed there by Confederate Veterans, to memorialize the Confederate dead, and honor the living.

Fast forward 150 years…on the eve of the Sesquicentennial Commemoration of the War Between the States, June 1st, 2010, Confederate Battle Flags were forcibly removed from the Confederate War Memorial by a restriction in the lease renewal, at the insistence of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

This is in direct violation of Virginia law, which clearly states: “it shall be unlawful for the authorities of the locality, or any other person or persons, to disturb or interfere with any monuments or memorials so erected, or to prevent its citizens from taking proper measures and exercising proper means for the protection, preservation and care of same. For purposes of this section, "disturb or interfere with" includes removal of, damaging or defacing monuments or memorials, or, in the case of the War Between the States, the placement of Union markings or monuments on previously designated Confederate memorials or the placement of Confederate markings or monuments on previously designated Union memorials.” (§ 15.2-1812)

As citizens of Virginia and descendants of Confederate soldiers who gallantly answered Virginia’s call to defend her, we demand that the VMFA remove these blatantly prejudicial restrictions and allow the Confederate Battle Flags to once again fly on the Confederate War Memorial.