Response to the Mayor of Richmond

Recently, the Mayor of Richmond issued the following statement when asked about the RVA Flag Site:

"I'm not looking to refight battles of the past and am not interested in symbols that divide Richmond. I'm interested in promoting symbols that unite people and would rather rally around the American flag than one that divides so many in our city. I encourage all Richmonders to do the same."

When asked for a response, we issued the following:

"In response to the statement issued by Mayor Jones, we wholeheartedly agree. We also are not looking to re-fight the battles of the past. If we were simply allowed to honor our Confederate Veterans in the manner in which we choose, there would be no "re-fighting" in Richmond, at all. Our battles are all defensive...in defense of the honor and good name of our ancestors, and against actions taken to dishonor them and desecrate their monuments and memorials.

"We, too, are interested in symbols that unite, and believe that the history of ALL Richmond residents should be included in the City's commemorations and remembrances. We also have no issue with encouraging Richmonders to "rally around the American flag", especially since the Confederate flag IS an American flag, as Confederate Soldiers are American Veterans by Act of the U.S. Congress, (http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/04/03/confederate-soldiers-american-veterans-by-act-of-congress/)

"As such, the Confederate Flag, which brave Virginians carried into battle in defense of the Commonwealth, should be offered the same respect as the U.S. Flag."

Jimmy Jones, Va Flaggers

VMFA Update 9/25/2013

As fall makes its way to the Capital of the Confederacy, the Virginia Flaggers approach the anniversary which will mark two years of Flagging the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.  For the past two years, Flaggers have stood vigil outside of the museum at least TWICE a week, forwarding the colors, educating the public, and protesting the forced removal of Confederate flags from the portico of the Confederate Memorial Chapel.  Along the way, we have brought national attention to the situation at the Chapel, and have once again made Confederate Flags a common, even expected part of the landscape in Richmond, ALL in an effort to make sure the honor and valor of the Confederate soldier is NOT forgotten!

Thursday, September 19th saw 16 Flaggers gathered on the Boulevard.  The weather was beautiful and foot and auto traffic was heavy, allowing many opportunities to share the truth about the Confederate Veteran, and the flags under which he fought and died.  As is usually the case, the overwhelming majority of those we spoke with agreed that the flags SHOULD be returned to the Chapel.

 

Our next flagging will be TONIGHT, Thursday, September 26th, 3:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.  We encourage all of you within driving distance to join us, and be a part of those fighting the good fight on the front line.

If you cannot be there, we hope you will take a moment to provide support to the Flaggers by calling the VMFA and asking them to return the Confederate Battle Flags to the Confederate Memorial Chapel.  Tell them that the Veterans who lived and died on the grounds of the Old Soldiers home deserve honor and respect, not contempt and disdain.  Call (804) 340-1400 and file a complaint. The Va Flaggers, like our fathers before us, are determined to stand for what is right!  Please make a phone call...and support us wherever you are!

This weekend is a JAM PACKED one for the Va Flaggers.  Following the dedication and raising of the I-95 Battle Flag on Saturday, and at the request of those traveling to join us, we will hold a special flagging of the VMFA.  We want to make sure that museum officials know that even though we have other projects in the works, we WILL NOT forget our commitment to the men of the Old Soldier's home.  We will be flagging the VMFA Saturday, September 28th from 2:00 p.m - 5:00 p.m. and are looking for many folks to join us for the first time.

The Va Flagger Picnic on Sunday will wrap up the weekend with a time of fellowship and celebration.  Please join us for any or all of these events!

RETURN the flags!
RESTORE the honor!

Grayson Jennings
Va Flaggers











UPCOMING EVENTS:

Thursday, September 26th:  Flagging the VMFA, 200 N. Boulevard, 3:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, September 28th:   I-95 RVA Battle Flag Flag Raising/Dedication, 10:00 a.m.  Chesterfield, VA., contact info@vaflaggers.com for directions/more information

Saturday, September 28th:  Flagging the VMFA, 200 N. Boulevard, 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, September 29th :  Va Flaggers 2nd Anniversary Celebration/Picnic, 3:00 p.m., Mechanicsville Moose Lodge Pavillion, 716 Flag Lane, Mechanicsville, VA 23111.  Va Flaggers will provide the main dish and drinks.  Please bring a side dish and RSVP to info@vaflaggers.com.  ALL ARE INVITED TO JOIN US!

Thursday, November 7th:  Susan will be speaking at the November meeting of the Jackson Rangers, Camp #1917, SCV, Jackson County NC.  The meeting is at 6:00 p.m., and is held at the Barker's Creek Community Center.

Saturday, November 9th:  2:00 p.m. Flag rededication at the NC Museum of History, Raleigh, NC

Friday, January 18th - Saturday, January 19th:  Lee-Jackson State Holiday/Flagging/Memorial Events, Lexington, Va

Saturday, February 1st:  Susan will travel to Statesboro, GA to speak at the Lee-Jackson Banquet, held by the Ogeechee Rifles, Camp #941, SCV.  RJ's Restaurant, 454 South Main St. (US 301 S.) @ 6 pm for the meal, preliminaries @ 7 pm and the program immediately following.  Seating limited to 125.  Ticket information forthcoming at a later date.

Saturday, February 22nd:  Susan will be speaking at the February meeting of the Rev. Beverly Tucker Lacy Camp #2141, SCV, Fredericksburg, VA.  4:00 p.m., Perkins Restaurant, 10 Simpson Rd.

April 19, 2014:  Susan will be traveling to Quincy, FL to speak at the Confederate Memorial Day Service at the Soldier's Cemetery, sponsored by the Finley's Brigade, SCV.

Contributions to the I-95 Battle Flag project 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

Virginia Flaggers' 2nd Anniversary Family Picnic

Plans are being finalized for the I-95 RVA Battle Flag Raising/Dedication/Memorial Service, which is scheduled for Saturday, September 28 at 10:00 a.m. in the Bermuda Hundred area of Chesterfield County.  More details will follow this weekend.  We hope you will attend.

The following day, Sunday September 29th, we will celebrate the occasion AND our 2nd Anniversary with a family picnic.  Attached, please find a flyer invitation, in both PDF and word documents.

Please forward to anyone you think may be interested in attending and RSVP to info@vaflaggers.com as soon as possible

Y’all come!

__________________________

Va Flaggers 2nd Anniversary Celebration and Family Picnic

Join us as we celebrate TWO YEARS of forwarding the colors, defending our Heritage and flags, honoring our Confederate ancestors, and changing hearts and minds!

   Who:  ANYONE who has ever flagged with us…supported us…is considering joining us...  wants to know what we are all about… or just wants to enjoy a Confederate friendly good time on a Sunday afternoon!
   When:  Sunday, September 29      
   Time:  3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Dinner served at 5:00
   Where:  At the Mechanicsville Moose Lodge picnic grounds, 7167 Flag Lane,  Mechanicsville, VA 23111.
   Bring:  Your family and friends, a chair or two, a side dish...and of course, your CONFEDERATE FLAGS!

The Va Flaggers will provide BBQ from Carter’s Pigpen, drinks, live blue grass music, a look back on our first year, and a peek at what we have planned for the future! 

Please share this invitation with your family and friends, and RSVP to info@vaflaggers.com with a head count  as soon as possible.

Facebook event here…  http://www.facebook.com/events/249895068464717/

Susan Hathaway
Va Flaggers











Contributions to the I-95 Battle Flag project 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

A Flag By Any Other Name...

There has been some discussion/speculation about the unusual lay out of the stars on the RVA I-95 Battle Flag. The flag, made especially for the RVA site, and special ordered weeks ago, is a replica of an Army of Northern Virginia, 3rd bunting issue battle flag. More info here... http://www.confederate-flags.org/army%20of%20northern%20virginia-2.html

Photo:  5th Alabama Infantry, Source:  http://www.alabamaheritage.com/Issues/issue71.htm

I-95 Battle Flag Projects Supporter Sandy Kendall eloquently expressed his feelings about the flag chosen...

"Let me tell you why the ANV Battle Flag is Historically Accurate and what it means to me and my family now living in South Carolina.

In 1647 the seed to my Ancestral Links was Col. William Kendall who was not in the first ship that landed at York Town, Va. , but he was definitely in the second or third ship and after a short stay at York Town moved to Colonial Williamsburg where he became the First Chairman of the Virginia House of Burgess. Here he lived and raised a family. He and his sons and there sons and daughters carved the Colony of Virginia out of the Wilderness. They fought the Indians and the British under George Washington. The family continued to grow and migrated further into Virginia and the Land known as the "Old Dominion" .

Their sons fought the British again with Richard Lee to defend Washington, DC during the war of 1812. The family grew a d migrated again into what was to become North Carolina, Maryland and Pennsylvania. When the Tyrant Lincoln chose to send armed troops into the waters of Charleston, SC and ignored the Constitution by Suspending the Writ of Habias Corpus , implementing Martiall Law, and Nullified the Fist and Second Amendments, the Grandsons of the Virginians revolted and fought with Robert E. Lee. The family had spread throughout the South , to the Carolinas , Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas. When the Union invaded Virginia and sent troops to attack Richmond , the Capital of the New Confederacy, her President Jefferson Davis called for troops from every state in the Confederacy. The combined troops under General Beauregard were formed into the Army of Northern Virginia . A new flag was needed for the Battlefield for these soldiers as the First National Flag of the Confederacy looked to much like the Union Flag from a distance . Therefore General Beauregard ordered a new flag that was so brilliant that it stood out and was easily recognized and No one would have any trouble in knowing what soldiers were under this flag.

The flag had to be designed to be resistive to weather conditions so the flag was reduced to a square 4 ft X 4 ft flag with an Inch and a half Border known as Bunting. The flag also bore the cross of St Andrew the Patron Saint of Scotland for reason of his known defiance and stand against Tyranny. The Thirteen stars were added , one for each of the Thirteen States or Territories of the Confederacy. This Flag was to be known as the Soldiers Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia and it represented further the unity of the Confederate States which had all sent their sons to Virginia to defend the Honor of their families unified under this most unique and distinctive Flag.

My family had members from each of those states fighting under this square ANV Battle Flag and many of them died on Virginia Soil to defend it. My ancestors from every Southern State shed their blood into the soil of VIRGINIA. We shall never forget them nor shall we forsake their sacred memory .

FOR ONCE WE WERE ALL VIRGINIANS . Thanks be to God."

Thank you, Sandy. We wholeheartedly agree.  Although we would believe that ALL Confederate flags are honorable and worthy of display, we thought it appropriate that our first project, in the heart of the Commonwealth, should showcase the flag of the ANV.   LEST WE FORGET!

Susan Hathaway
Va Flaggers

Commemorating the Birth of the Confederate Battle Flag

"When the Confederate Army of the Shenandoah, under Joseph E. Johnston, and the Confederate Army of the Potomac, under Pierre G. T. Beauregard, met Union forces at the First Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1861, their troops flew an assortment of flags, both state and national. (States' rights was a founding principle of the Confederacy and influenced the attachment many units had to their state flags. Some Virginia and North Carolina soldiers refused to fly anything but their state flags.) The Stars and Bars' resemblance to the U.S. flag, combined with similarities between the two sides' uniforms and the general confusion of battle, contributed to an incident at First Manassas in which Confederate forces fired on a Confederate infantry brigade commanded by Jubal A. Early. Shortly after, Johnston and Beauregard resolved to establish a new, sufficiently distinctive flag for their troops, and they consulted one of Beauregard's aides, the same William Miles who had opposed the original flag in the first place.

Miles resurrected what had been his preference for the national flag, a design of his own that featured a blue saltire, or X shape, with a white border and white stars (again, one for each state) on a field of red. The Committee on the Flag and Seal had rejected it the first time, suggesting that it looked "like a pair of suspenders," and now the members rejected it again. Johnston and Beauregard decided to use it anyway, with Beauregard proposing to Johnston two Confederate flags: "a peace or parade flag, and a war flag to be used only on the field of battle." This second flag, the so-called battle flag, would be the one Miles designed, and the two generals and their lieutenants met at Fairfax Court House in September 1861 to work out the details. At Johnston's urging, a square design was adopted, and each branch of the army was assigned a different size: forty-eight inches square for infantry, thirty-six inches square for artillery, and thirty inches square for cavalry." - Encyclopedia Virginia

152 years later, the Virginia Flaggers marked the occasion of the birth of the Confederate Battle Flag, THE SOLDIERS' FLAG, by displaying the 15x15 ANV Battle Flag that will be raised September 28th at the RVA I-95 Flag Site, on the steps of the Virginia State Capitol.

LEST WE FORGET!

Contributions to the I-95 Battle Flag project 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

Grayson Jennings

Va Flaggers

 

Virginian In Exile Sends Support to Flaggers In the Commonwealth

Letter from I-95 Flag Supporter:

"To the heroic Virginia Flaggers,

I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to your for every effort you make on behalf our heritage and people. Every few days I see something new about your work and your courage. As a fellow Virginian, my heart aches to be with you. The time is drawing near when I shall return to our beloved Commonwealth, and at that time I hope to be able to aid you with my own volunteer service. Until then, please accept this cheque in the spirit that it is given: the deepest love for our beautiful Virginia and the bond of brotherhood which unites us. I only regret that I cannot presently send more.

May God bless and protect each an every one of you. You are all in my heart and prayers."

Douglas B.
MN

Photo, Library of Congress : Unidentified soldier in Confederate uniform of Co. E, "Lynchburg Rifles," 11th Virginia Infantry Volunteers holding 1841 "Mississippi" rifle, Sheffield-type Bowie knife, canteen, box knapsack, blanket roll, and cartridge box

A Southern Woman's Birthright

"I had a right to my own political opinions. I am a Southern woman, born with Revolutionary blood in my veins. Freedom of speech and of thought were my birthright, guaranteed, signed and sealed by the blood of our fathers." - Rose O'Neal Greenhow, August 23, 1861

Photo courtesy of I-95 Battle Flag Supporter R. Bacon

Susan Hathaway
Va Flaggers