Third Anniversary Celebration Picnic/Auction Report

Words cannot adequately convey the depth of our gratitude for the outpouring of support for our Third Anniversary Picnic/Auction. We were overwhelmed by the number of items received for the auctions and raffle... from supporters from New York to Texas! The picnic would not have been possible without the dozens of folks who helped with food prep, set up, organizing and leading activities, and clean up. Last but not least, we owe a deep debt of gratitude to those who attended, from all across the South, helping to make it our largest gathering yet, and generously bidding on the items donated. It was such a privilege and honor to have the opportunity to visit with so many Flaggers and supporters, and meet new folks who came to find out what we are all about.

Our goal was to raise enough money to order an additional flag for the Fredericksburg site, so that we would have an extra to use when repairs are needed, etc. Initial numbers from last night's event show that we not only met that goal, but we exceeded it -- by AT LEAST threefold -- and the final tally will not be known for a few more days.
The final item auctioned was the first flag flown at the Chester I-95 Memorial Flag Site, raised one year ago yesterday, a 10' x 15' AOT. It sold for a high bid of $200. After the auction, the gentleman who won the bid, one of our most dedicated Flaggers, quietly told me that he was donating the flag BACK TO THE VA FLAGGERS, to be auctioned again.

To say I was moved by his generosity and commitment to the Cause is an understatement.  "Who could not conquer with such troops as these..?" General Thomas J. Jackson, CSA

We could not have asked nor hoped for a better celebration of our Third Anniversary and the First Anniversary of the I-95 Memorial Battle Flag at Chester. To each and every one of you who had a part in making it, and our first three years, such an amazing success, we THANK YOU, and covet your prayers and continued support as we embark on our fourth year, with our spirits uplifted, our hearts full, and with a renewed determination to continue to forward the Colors and defend the honor of our Confederate Ancestors.

God bless you all, and God Save the South!

Susan Hathaway
Va Flaggers

Last Call! Third Anniversary Picnic and Auction

Final reminder! We hope you have made plans to join us tomorrow, Sunday, September 28th.  It's not too late...

The Virginia Flaggers will celebrate our third anniversary, and the ONE YEAR anniversary of the raising of the first I-95 flag in Chester, with a family picnic, and auction on Sunday, September 28th.

The fun starts at 3:00 pm, with live music, games for the kids, and great fellowship. Supper will be served at 5:30, with a live auction at 6:30, with the opportunity to bid on the first 10 x 15 Confederate Battle Flag that flew at the First Memorial Battle Flag site, as well as many other Confederate items, including fine artwork.

(View a small sampling of the some the items here:  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.530938213707527.1073741845.378823865585630&type=1 )

Raffle prize drawings and a silent auction for smaller items will also take place throughout the afternoon.

The Va Flaggers will provide BBQ and all the fixins, soft drinks, iced tea, and lemonade. Guests are asked to bring side dishes of their choosing to share.

Whether you are a core Flagger, supporter, or just interested in learning about the Va Flaggers, you are welcome to join us in the celebration, as we look back at our first three years...and look forward to what is yet to come.

No need to RSVP at this point...y'all just come!  :)

Susan Hathaway
 

Virginia Flaggers

P.O. Box 547

Sandston VA 23150

info@vaflaggers.com

VMFA Mass Flagging TODAY!

Va Flaggers report from the front line! Full court press at the VMFA today, as folks in town for our Third Anniversary picnic/auction are joining the Flaggers for an all day flagging, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm. A dozen flaggers are already on the ground on the Boulevard in the Capital of the Confederacy, with more expected to join us throughout the day.

If you have ever wanted to come see what we are all about, and/or are ready to take a stand for our ancestors, and against those who have desecrated the Confederate Memorial Chapel, today is a great day to get out and turn talk into action!

The VMFA Virginia Museum of Fine Arts forced the removal of Confederate Battle Flags from the portico of the Confederate Memorial Chapel, on the sacred grounds of the Old Soldiers' Home in Richmond. The Veterans can no longer stand up and speak out. Will you?

If you cannot join us today, please take a moment to call the VMFA and voice your concern. Ask them to honor ALL American Veterans and return the Confederate flags to the portico of the Confederate Memorial Chapel. Call 804.340.1563 TODAY... and phone in support for the men and women on the sidewalk at the VMFA.

Online auction opportunity! Many of you have requested that we offer an opportunity for an online auction, for those of you who won't be able to make it to the picnic on Sunday, but want to participate. We have two items available for online bids, both bids starting at $19.99. The auctions end Monday night at 7:00 EST. All proceeds benefit the Va Flaggers.

Approximately 7.5 inches wide by 10.5 inches high
Woodburning on irregular pieces of wood cut from a tree branch
Created and donated by Ms. Valerie Protopapas.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191348286545?ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649 

1917 Edition with inscription and signature of Mrs. George Pickett.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Happened-Me-LaSalle-Corbell-Pickett-1917-Signed-Edition-/191348289147

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

RETURN the flags!
RESTORE the honor!

Grayson Jennings
Virginia Flaggers

W&L Lee Chapel Desecration Update: The Tar Heels Arrive!

A group of flaggers from the Old North State traveled to Lexington this past weekend to protest Washington & Lee University after University officials stripped Confederate Battle Flags from the chamber of the LEE Chapel, desecrating the final resting place of Gen. Robert E. Lee and dishonoring Lee and all Confederate veterans. They filed this report:

"The flagging during the Washington & Lee University Alumni Homecoming was a great success. From the moment the Tar Heels set up at the entrance in front of Lee Chapel, motorists and pedestrians alike got a clear view of Confederate soldiers and their flags of honor. The streets were filled with parked cars and visitors flooding into Lexington for the homecoming events. The weather was perfect and pedestrians traveled the sidewalks all day.

Over the course of the day over 100 fliers where handed out, people stopped to talk to the flaggers and were upset to hear about the desecration of the LEE Chapel. Motorist honked horns, waved and shouted their thanks to the flaggers for their continuous efforts to restore the flags. Many cadets from VMI stopped to salute and shake hands with the flaggers, most in disbelief of how General Lee has been disgraced by the very University that would not be in existence today, if not for his efforts.

Students and Alumni frequently stopped to ask questions about the flags, uniforms, the soldiers, Lee's character and why the school would cave into six students' demands so easily. Camera phones were out in force as passers-by tried to get the perfect shots of the Confederate soldiers, many pulling over to get out of their cars and buses to have their photo taken with the soldiers.

A family of first time visitors to Lexington said that seeing the soldiers out in front of Lee Chapel was the best part of their day and that they couldn't believe how Lexington and Washington & Lee University is now ashamed to honor the Confederate soldier. Of course, not all of the students and visitors were as open minded. On the occasion where a supporter of the flag removal approached us, it gave the flaggers a perfect opportunity to educate them and debate the issues at hand, and afterwards, most left without animosity, and with new information which will hopefully spark further investigation about what the war was truly about .

In all, the flaggers made a big impact along the sidewalks of Jefferson St. Students and Alumni we spoke with vowed to write letters and let President Ruscio know of their displeasure. Many will go to their friends and pass the word along. Let's hope this makes a big impact on the return of the flags and the restoration of honor."

Jamie Funkhouser- Tar Heel Flagger

THREE CHEERS FOR THE TAR HEEL FLAGGERS!

Call to action:

CALLING ALL CONFEDERATE COLOR/HONOR GUARDS! Following up on the phenomenal success of the Tar Heel flagging, we would love to see a uniformed Confederate color/honor guard on duty AT LEAST once a week!  We will help coordinate your visit, provide your men with literature to distribute, talking points to share, and assist in any way possible.  For more information or to schedule your participation, contact info@vaflaggers.com.

For those who cannot make it to Lexington, we ask that you, once again, let University officials know that the desecration of the RE Lee Chapel is not acceptable. This week, we have added the contact information for Mr. J. Donald Childress, Rector of the Board of Trustees.  We ask that you contact him, in addition to President Ruscio, and continue the pressure that has been continually and effectively applied since the flags were ripped from the Chapel walls in July.

Contact Info:

J. Donald Childress
Rector of the Board of Trustees
Atlanta, Georgia
dchildress@childressklein.com

Kenneth P. Ruscio
President of the University
540.458.8700
president@wlu.edu

RETURN the flags!
RESTORE the honor!

Grayson Jennings
VaFlaggers

Confederate Archives Update

While the Va Flaggers have been busy fighting heritage violations, erecting Memorial Battle Flags and working to honor our Confederate Veterans, our Confederate search engine project -- ConfederateArchives.com -- has been quietly and very successfully expanding under the direction, guidance and hard work of TriPp and Jack Lewis. Please read the following update, including information regarding the exciting new Confederate Descendant Finder Project, share the information with others, use the search engine, and add any Confederate data that you find or possess...

ConfederateArchives.com -- Launched 03/2013
Total links -- 2.4 million links
Total Searches since 05/2013 -- 987,477
Confederate Descendant finder Project -- 1,654,612 descendants and counting

Confederate Archives is a fully functioning search engine that searches the internet for websites and data concentrating on Confederate history from 1828 to present day. Type "Lee" on other search engines and notice how many results are generated for LEE JEANS, for instance, instead of General Lee. Then try ours. The main purpose of ConfederateArchives.com is to record our Southern history and to be able to provide this content if/when other search engines are forced to censor what approved results will be displayed. We never will.

We provide a safe, family friendly search engine, screened of inaccurate, inappropriate, and false information, which will allow the documentation of our TRUE Southern Heritage and history for generations to come. Sounds good? We think so, too...and we need YOUR help to make this project successful. What can you do? USE IT!  When you're researching the WBTS, ancestry, or any search related to the CSA, use ConfederateArchives.com. The more it is used, the better the results will be when people search in the future.

Please add your favorite websites using the link on the front page of the search engine. http://www.confederatearchives.com/

Type of websites we would like to add to confederatearchives.com: - Confederate Cemeteries - Confederate Soldiers Lists - Museums with Confederate Artifacts - Newspapers collections from 1828 thru 1941 - Current day news articles concerning Confederate History - Current day news articles on heritage violations. - Historical Documents between 1828 to present day. - UDC Websites - SCV Camp websites - Heritage defense websites - Art work and pictures - Maps - Genealogy pages with family tree information Love letters and letters to family members...AND everything else Confederate!

In February 2014, after reviewing the data we had collected for over a year it came to our attention that we could endeavor to find ALL of the descendants of Confederate Soldiers, even those still living. The Sons of Confederate Veterans membership is around 30k members. What if we could find the living descendants of soldiers and invite these folks into our organization(s)? Just imagine...

We are working on this. We have about six more months before we finish up and can start providing SCV camps and others an outline of how to use the data we collected as well as provide the procedures and needed information to raise an army of heritage defenders.

Total develop time on ConfederateArchives.com since 03/2013 -- 288hrs.
www.confederatearchives.com


Susan Hathaway

VMFA Update, 9-17-2014

Thursday evening saw a cool 74 degrees in the Capital of the Confederacy, and 8 Flaggers lined the sidewalk on the Boulevard in front of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA).  Traffic was VERY heavy and conversations were plentiful. 

Our Flaggers reported that even after almost three years of having a presence TWICE A WEEK at the VMFA, there are still many folks who haven't heard of the desecration of the Confederate Memorial Chapel at the hands of VMFA officials.  Most agreed that if a Confederate flag belongs ANYWHERE, it's on a Confederate Memorial, and most certainly on a memorial which was erected on the sacred grounds of the Old Soldiers' Home/Confederate Memorial Park.

Response was almost all positive and encouraging.  It seems that, as is usually the case, the majority of residents, museum visitors, and tourists do not agree with the forced removal of Confederate battle flags from the portico of the Chapel.

Still, there is the occasional ill-bred, vulgar passer-by, and this report filed by one of our Flaggers is typical of their "drive by" behavior... As we were shuttin'  'er down this evening, some VCU type on his bicycle - filled with outrage and self-righteousness - blasted by us at the speed of a 9 mm and called us an ugly name. We were able to master our emotions and not dissolve in tears. But our challenge is to counter the false racist accusations with the very real accusations that these people are the "useful idiots" of a totalitarian regime.  "Ignorance is strength" - George Orwell, "1984."

A challenge, indeed€¦and one that we will continue to rise to meet, with our Battle Flags as our weapon, at least TWICE A WEEK, on the streets of Richmond, until the Confederate Battle Flags are returned to the portico of the Confederate Memorial Chapel.

We return to the Boulevard tomorrow, Saturday, September 20th, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm. JOIN US, and be a part of those taking a stand against those who have dishonored our Confederate Veterans.

RETURN the flags!
RESTORE the honor!

TriPp Lewis
Va Flaggers

Rededication of the LEE Tree, Rainelle, WV

In 1934, the Traveller's District Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, along with Greenbrier Co. and state agencies, placed a huge ironstone rock under the Lee Tree on Big Sewell Mountain, near Rainelle, WV. The rock has a bronze plaque commemorating the site where R.E Lee pitched his headquarters tent beneath a large Maple tree in 1861. This is also the site where Lee first saw Traveller, and where he first rode his famous war horse. A wrought iron fence was erected around the site.

In 1937, after the Maple Tree died, a second tree was planted.

Over the years, the concrete posts of the fencing had crumbled, and the fence had deteriorated badly and the second tree had died. In 2013, Allen K. Stone, who portrays General Lee, approached the Flat Top Copperheads SCV Camp 1694 and suggested they take on the restoration of the monument as a project. The Traveeller District UDC supplied the funding and the Flat Top Copperheads provided the labor to replant the tree, replace the corner posts, and restore the fence. One of the camp members confided to me that they placed a time capsule at the base of one of the newly placed footings, (right rear if standing at the front of the memorial) with the hopes that others, who will continue the care of this sacred place, will discover it one day. He asked me to record it in this report, so that there would be a record for those who come behind us.

On Sunday, September 7th, 2014, a crowd of over 200 people gathered for a ceremony to rededicate the Lee Tree and the marker, 80 years after the original placing of the memorial. It was a cool, foggy day on the mountain, but the dampness did not deter the spirit of those who attended, including the keynote speaker, C. Kelly Barrow, SCV Commander in Chief.

It was a wonderful event, with beautiful music, moving rituals, musket and cannon salutes, and speakers who discussed the history of the monument, heritage defense, and local history. I was honored and surprised to be recognized with the “Commander's Award” from the Flat Top Copperheads, a beautiful “Loyal Ladies of the Confederacy” brooch, and given the privilege of firing the cannon, courtesy of the Giles Light Artillery.

I had the pleasure of seeing a very beautiful part of (occupied) western Virginia, and meeting and chatting with some of the nicest folks I've ever met, including some new friends from the Mechanized Cavalry, among many others. Special thanks to Terry McAllister of the PJ Thurmond SV Camp #2190 for the warm welcome and escort. It was great to meet so many new friends and have the chance to visit with old ones.

Kudos and special thanks and to Commander Blaine Hypes and the Flat Top Copperheads for their ongoing commitment and dedication to living the Charge…and God bless all the men and women of the SCV and UDC who worked hard to repair and restore the monument, and for their diligence in organizing and hosting such a successful re-dedication event.

On the way home, I stopped in Lewisburg, WV and visited the Confederate Cemetery there. The remains of 95 unknown Confederate soldiers from the Battle of Lewisburg, fought May 23, 1862, lie in this cross-shaped common grave. It has a vertical length 80 feet long and a cross arm of 40 feet long, with an overall width of 10 feet.

 

Yankee Colonel George Crook would not permit the southern sympathizers to bury their own dead, and thus they were originally laid out in the Old Stone Church and later placed in a trench along the south wall of the church without ceremony. It wasn't until after the war that the remains of the 95 Confederate dead were removed from the churchyard and interred in the cross-shaped mass grave.

LEST WE FORGET!

Susan Hathaway
Virginia Flaggers

W&L LEE Chapel Desecration Update

Desecrating the LEE Chapel by removing the Confederate Battle flags placed there in 1930 dishonored ALL Confederate veterans, especially the hundreds with direct connections to the university, including Gen. George Washington Custis Lee, whose birthday was marked this week.  Born September 16, 1832, he served 26 years as the 9th President of Washington and Lee University, following the death of his father in 1870. "Custis Lee" as he was called by his family, is also buried in the family crypt below the Chapel.

Upon his death, on Feb. 18, 1913, University trustees resolved that "his administration witnessed periods of depression in the affairs of the University calculated to make the stoutest heart lose courage; yet at no time did he lose confidence in the work to which he put his hand."

http://www.wlu.edu/presidents-office/about-the-presidents-office/history-and-governance/past-presidents/george-washington-custis-lee

Just over 100 years after his death, the university saw fit to capitulate to the demands of 6 agitators, rather than defend the honor and sacred memory of Custis Lee, his father, and hundreds of other Confederate Veterans.

LEXINGTON FLAGGING REPORT:

The Va Flaggers traveled to Lexington for three days of Flagging Washington & Lee University last weekend.  It was VMI's homecoming and the streets and sidewalks were packed with students, parent, and alumni, almost all of whom offered their enthusiastic support for our efforts.

While the weather offered some challenges, our Flaggers were determined, and they had the chance to talk with many citizens, students and tourists about the desecration of the LEE Chapel by university officials.

On this trip, we were told by Chapel docents that they know, for a fact, that Robert E. Lee specifically did not want Confederate flags at his funeral.  When asked for documentation of this claim, none was provided.  The gentle lady simply said that "that was what they have been told to tell visitors who inquire about the missing flags."

It is certainly sad, but not unexpected, that these types of  statements are being fabricated to try and "explain away" the desecration of the Chapel.

FLAGGING THIS WEEKEND:
Jamie Funkhouser will be leading a group of Tar Heels to Lexington this weekend to continue the Flagging of Washington & Lee University after the removal of Confederate Battle Flags from the chamber of the LEE Chapel.  This weekend is Young Alumni/Homecoming weekend for the University, and it will be an opportune time to forward the colors, educate the thousands of students, parents, and alumni who will be on campus, and protest the vile act of desecration committed by university officials.

They will be on site at the Chapel from 9-5 on Saturday, September 20.  Join them and be a part of what has been 2 months of a continued presence at Washington & Lee.  Contact Jamie via email at: jamiefunkhouser@yahoo.com for more information.

RETURN the flags!
RESTORE the honor!

Grayson Jennings

Thunder in the Valley -- Flagging W&L

The Virginia Flaggers will be in Lexington this weekend, as a sponsor of "Thunder In the Valley," and to coordinate flagging Washington and Lee throughout the weekend. Join us Thursday-Sunday and enjoy this great cavalry re-enactment, and take the opportunity to stand against the administration of Washington and Lee and their desecration of the LEE Chapel.

http://events.lexingtonvirginia.com/events.php?view=d&id=5817&m=09&y=2014&d=14

Email info@vaflaggers.com for more information.

As a reminder, we have called for and implemented a TOTAL boycott of Lexington, since the September 1, 2011 actions of the Lexington City Council, which effectively banned the display of the flags of Lee and Jackson on city flag stands in the days leading up to and including the Virginia State Lee-Jackson Day holiday. PLEASE make sure you make your hotel reservations, dining, and shopping plans OUTSIDE of the city limits, and stop by City Hall and let them know WHY!

Washington & Lee Chapel Desecration Update:  We are receiving updates from alumni groups that are organizing, and hearing from several sources that law suits are being prepared to bring against the school and administration for the unlawful and improper removal of the Confederate Battle Flags from the LEE Chapel.  In the meantime, we ask that you continue to contact university officials by phone, email and US Mail. 

The following is a letter submitted to Washington & Lee University President Kenneth Ruscio and forwarded to us. Since the desecration of the LEE Chapel at the hands of the W&L administration, we have received copies of hundreds of well written, poignant communications. This one is different than most. It was written and sent by a 15 year old student, without prompting, instruction, or assistance. In this young man, we find the wisdom, maturity, and intestinal fortitude that is sorely lacking among W&L University leadership.  Submitted without correction or editing...

"Dear Mr. Ruscio/ Mr. Ruscio's Secretary,

As a Virginian, I am completely appalled and disgusted with your University's unintelligent decision to remove the replica (but historically accurate) Battle Flags from the Lee Chapel.

Your university has several different flags in the chapel that honor Robert E Lee, but you felt the need to exclude the Confederacy from the Chapel. The Battle Flags that were in the Chapel were appropriate for the following reasons: 1) They were positioned above/beside the "Recumbent Lee", a statue by Edward Valentine that depicts Lee in his Confederate uniform, asleep on the battlefield where these flags were present. 2) Most (if not all) Confederate Generals have at least one (yes replica) battle flag on their grave to honor them. For example: Nathan Bedford Forrest, Stonewall Jackson, JEB Stuart, John Singleton Mosby, George Pickett and the President of the Confederacy, Mr. Jefferson Davis. 3) The Battle flags that you removed were the flags of the Confederate Soldier, not the government. The Battle Flag never flew over any building of the Confederate government. It was kept safely in a wooden box and when battle occurred, it was raised and ran through the battlefield so the Confederate Soldiers could be identified. Therefore, if someone deems the Battle Flag "racist" then they don't understand the flag in no way represents the institution of slavery, which the South wasn't fighting to preserve in the first place.

I understand that the flags were added to the Lee Chapel in the thirties however, many years prior to when the flags were added, the Lee Crypt had Ivy growing inside and stick flags were placed in the Ivy to honor Robert E Lee. When Washington and Lee representatives say that the flags were not original to the Chapel does that mean that the "Recumbent Lee" must be removed considering that it was not original to the Chapel? Why don't we take out the rest of the flags that are on display since they are not original either? Why don't we strip off the extra layers of paint on the walls since they too are not original ?

I also understand that an original battle flag is coming to the museum downstairs however, it will not be their permanently, it is not meant to honor Lee, and it will be displayed in the very back of the museum in a separate section. Don't get me wrong, I applaud your discussion to bring an original flag to the museum, but just because you're putting an original in the museum does not make it necessary to remove the flags from the Lee Chapel.

I will end this letter with a few questions. Where are the United Daughters of the Confederacy's flags now? When will the original flag arrive to the museum? Why did you cave to the minority? And when will the flags be returned to the chapel to properly honor Robert E Lee?

With great repugnance,
Patrick S, Mechanicsville, VA"

CONTACT INFORMATION:

University President
Kenneth P. Ruscio
president@wlu.edu
(540) 458-8700
(540) 458-8945 (fax)

Senior Assistant to the President
Elizabeth Knapp
knappe@wlu.edu
(540) 458-8867
(540) 458-8745 (fax)

Mailing Address:
204 West Washington Street
Washington and Lee University
Lexington, Virginia 24450

We also encourage you to copy your letters to the local media.  Every time we get a letter printed, we speak for those who are no longer able, educate and influence those who need to hear the truth, and encourage those who have yet to speak out.  Great one here, from the Roanoke Times:  http://www.roanoke.com/opinion/nezbeth-don-t-remove-the-flags-and-rewrite-history/article_b7bb1616-9af1-51b7-938b-f1d203cad7fa.html


Please add your voice!

RETURN the flags!
RESTORE the honor!

I-295 Memorial Battle Flag Raised at Cold Harbor

On the third anniversary of the founding of our organization, the Va Flaggers are pleased to announce the completion of our third Interstate Memorial Battle Flag project.  Last month, a 9x12 Army of Tennessee pattern Confederate Battle Flag was quietly hoisted up a 45' pole, high on a hill, on a parcel of land adjacent to north bound Interstate 295, near Cold Harbor.  Raised just days after the 100th Anniversary of the dedication of the Hanover County Confederate Monument, she will fly as a living, breathing reminder of the courage and sacrifice of our Confederate Veterans.  This memorial was made possible through the diligence of several Va Flaggers, the continued and generous support from folks across the U.S., and the dogged determination of one 15 year old boy to honor his Confederate ancestors, several of whom fought in battles in Hanover County.

PROCLAMATION OF INTENT AND DEDICATION OF THE I-295 MEMORIAL BATTLE FLAG AT COLD HARBOR:

WHEREAS, in April 1861, the Commonwealth of Virginia, in order to retain her honor, exercised her Constitutional Right to secede from the Union; and

WHEREAS, Virginia, known as the Mother of States and Statesmen, did not make this decision lightly but only after exhaustive efforts to bring about a peaceful resolution to the issues which divided Southern and Northern states failed; and

WHEREAS, the sons of Hanover County, Virginia heeded the call of their Mother State by the tens of thousands to defend their country, their Commonwealth, their home and their family from an invading army; and

WHEREAS, these brave Virginians of Hanover County fought in the Confederate Armed Forces alongside other men from across the South; and

WHEREAS, these men sacrificed their all and spilled their blood defending the sacred soil of both Hanover County and Virginia; and

WHEREAS, their sacrifices Hallowed the Ground of Hanover County such as Hanover Courthouse, Mechanicsville, Gaines Mill, Seven Days, First and Second Cold Harbor, Haw's Shop/Enon Church, Peake's Station, Beaverdam, Watt House, North Anna and many other battlefields; and

WHEREAS, Richmond, Virginia, was the Capital of the Confederate States of America and the wartime home of President Jefferson Davis and many Hanoverians protected and served this Capital; and

WHEREAS, we must never forget the sacrifices made by the women of the South, who with every ounce of their being supported their men in uniform, undertook the duties normally performed by men, and suffered along with their children, and other citizens untold horrors in a war torn land; and

WHEREAS, after four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude, as General Robert E. Lee so eloquently wrote, the war for Southern Independence ended for the fabled Army of Northern Virginia on April 9, 1865; and

WHEREAS, the honorable blood of such brave Virginians from Hanover County such as John Tyler, Captain William Latane, Edmund Ruffin, and the thousands of known and unknown heroes of Hanover County, Virginia flows through the veins of thousands of its citizens; and

WHEREAS, it is the sworn duty and privilege of the citizens of Hanover County to encourage education within Hanover County, defend the good name of Hanover County, and to teach and promote the true history of the Hanover County to future generations;

THEREFORE, the Virginia Flaggers do hereby dedicate the I-295 Cold Harbor Memorial Confederate Battle Flag in honor of the sons of Hanover County, and in memory of all Confederate Soldiers who fought, bled, and died on her soil.  

Grayson Jennings

Gifts to the Interstate Memorial Battle Flag projects may be mailed to:

Va Flaggers
P.O. Box 547
Sandston VA 23150
Payable to Va Flaggers

or through PayPal:
http://www.vaflaggers.com/i95flagdonate.html

VMFA Update 9-4-2014

The Virginia Flaggers closed out our 152nd week, and 35th month of flagging the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) with a great showing on Saturday.  A dozen Flaggers were on hand to forward the colors and were able to spread out around the block, making sure all who entered and left the VMFA were greeted with Confederate flags!

Special shout out to Calvin Allen, Texas Division, SCV, 3rd Brigade Commander, who took time out of his schedule to come stand with us while visiting Richmond! Thank you, Commander for your support and for making your stand with us, ALL THE WAY FROM TEXAS!
 

 

For our Flaggers, it was pretty much a day like any other August day in the naked city.  Hot, humid, little or no breeze to float our flags with lots of bicycle traffic & young folks walking their dogs.  We had several VCU students stop and ask what the flags were all about.  Most seemed to be from up north but were attending college down here.  All good comments.

For a college town like Richmond, September brings thousands of new students to Richmond for the first time, and we are honored to have the privilege (thanks to our friends at the VMFA) to be able to welcome and greet them, and educate them about the honor of our Confederate ancestors and the flags under which they fought and died.

As we begin our 36th month on the Boulevard, we are excited about the coming fall weather...not only for the relief it brings our Flaggers, who have stood in the heat all summer, but for the new opportunities the changing season will bring for us to continue our work of changing hearts and minds in the Capital of the Confederacy...while we protest the VMFA and their forced removal of Confederate flags from the portico of the Confederate Memorial Chapel.

JOIN US TODAY, Thursday, September 4th, 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm, as we continue our vigil. 200 N. Boulevard, Richmond, VA.   If you cannot be on the Boulevard, you can still support the troops on the ground by contacting the VMFA, politely expressing your displeasure with their desecration of the Confederate Memorial, and asking them to return the flags and restore the honor! 

Contact:

Alex Nyerges
Director
VMFA, 200 N. Boulevard,
Richmond, VA 23220-4007
T 804-340-1504/F 804-340-1502
email: alex.nyerges@vmfa.museum 

Tale of Two Flags: Art Sparks Dialogue

Virginia Flaggers like Sydney Lester and Barry Isenhour plan to keep coming back week after week to the VMFA and not likely for the art. "Put them two flags back up there and the only time they'll ever see me is when I come down here for a memorial service."
http://wvtf.org/post/tale-two-flags-art-sparks-dialogue 

RETURN the flags!
RESTORE the honor!
TriPp Lewis
Va Flaggers

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Virginia Flaggers
P.O. Box 547
Sandston VA 23150
info@vaflaggers.com