Southern Cross of Honor

Southern Cross of Honor
Date 1899 (1899)
Presented by United Daughters
of the Confederacy

The Southern Cross of Honor, also known as the Cross of Honor, was a commemorative medal created in 1899 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy to honor Confederate Veterans.[1]

Design

Obverse
Reverse

The Southern Cross of Honor is in the form of a cross pattée suspended from a metal bar with space for engraving. The award has no cloth ribbon. The obverse displays the Confederate battle flag placed on the center thereof surrounded by a wreath, with the inscription UNITED DAUGHTERS [of the] CONFEDERACY TO THE U. C. V. (the UCV is the United Confederate Veterans) on the four arms of the cross. The reverse of the medal is the motto of the Confederate States, DEO VINDICE ([With] God [As Our] Vindicator) and the dates 1861 1865 also surrounded by a laurel wreath. The arms of the cross bear the inscription SOUTHERN CROSS OF HONOR.[1]

Eligibility and allocation

The Southern Cross of Honor could only be bestowed through the United Daughters of the Confederacy. It could not be purchased; it was given in recognition of loyal, honorable service to the South and only a Confederate veteran could wear it. The first cross ever bestowed was upon Captain Alexander S. Erwin by the Athens (Ga.) Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy, on April 26, 1900.[2] Original crosses are serial numbered and an incomplete list of the 78,761 recipients, by serial number, is maintained by the United Daughters of the Confederacy to this day.[3]

Although no Civil War veterans are still living, the last verified Confederate veteran dying in 1951, Virginia Code section 18.2-176(b) remains in effect and makes it a Class 3 misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than US$500, to "wear any Southern Cross of Honor when not entitled to do so by the regulations under which such Crosses of Honor are given."[4]

Headstones and markers

The Southern Cross of Honor is also used as an emblem or marker on the graves of Confederate veterans who served honorably. The cross is still available to be placed as an emblem on all United States Government-furnished headstones or markers. This emblem will only be issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to be placed on the grave of a Confederate veteran. It is also available to be placed on existing headstones by some private monument companies and stone carvers. The second form of the Southern Cross of Honor seen on graves is a two-sided, cast iron marker. This marker stands atop a metal rod placed into the ground at the Confederate veteran's grave. The marker is typically installed by a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the Military Order of the Stars and Bars, or other interested parties. The grave of any Confederate Veteran who served honorably is eligible for placement of the government-furnished headstone.[5]

Other CSA honors

MedalAwardsAuthorizedPresentedEstablished
Confederate Medal of Honor>50SCVSCV1862/1977
Confederate Roll of Honor2,104CSACSA1862
Davis Guard Medal50CSATexas1864
New Market Cross of Honor294VirginiaVMI1904

See also

References

  1. 1 2 United Daughters of the Confederacy. History Committee. (1956). The History of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Volume I and Volume II: 1894-1955. Raleigh, North Carolina: Edwards & Broughton Company. pp. 145–150. LCCN 94135238.
  2. ↑ Inscoe, John. The Civil War in Georgia. University of Georgia Press, 2011. p. 203.
  3. ↑ "Library Services". United Daughters of the Confederacy. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Code of Virginia". Commonwealth of Virginia. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  5. ↑ "Pre-World War I Era Headstones and Markers". U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 14 June 2016.

Further reading

  • Bertram, Peter (2003). The Southern Cross of Honor: Historical Notes and Trial List of Varieties. Little Greybook #2. Atlanta, GA: P. Bertram. OCLC 55128888.
  • Buzzett, Isabell Smith (ed.). "Crosses of Honor Awarded by Atlanta Chapter No. 18, United Daughters of the Confederacy, from 1900 to 1935". RootsWeb. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  • Giambrone, Jeff T. (2013). "Southern Cross of Honor Records at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History". The Primary Source. 32 (2). doi:10.18785/ps.3202.03. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  • "List of Recipients of The Southern Cross of Honor, Henry County, GA". Cemetery Research Group, Henry County, GA. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  • Meares, Catherine de Rosset (January 19, 1901). Address by Mrs. Gaston Meares (Speech). Presentation of the Cross of Honor to Veterans of the Confederate Army by Cape Fear Chapter, Daughters of the Confederacy. Wilmington, N. C.: Review Job Office Print. OL 24610726M. Retrieved April 22, 2016 – via Internet Archive.
  • Northcutt, Dolly (ed.). "Southern Cross of Honor Recipients, R. B. Levy Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Longview, Texas". RootsWeb. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  • Rice, Charles (ed.). "Southern Cross of Honor Recipients, Huntsville, Alabama, from Madison, Jackson, and Marshall Counties". RootsWeb. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  • "Southern Cross of Honor Recipients, Athens, Georgia, April 26, 1900". RootsWeb. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  • "Southern Cross of Honor Recipients, Atlanta, Georgia, April 26, 1900". RootsWeb. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  • "Southern Cross of Honor Recipients, David O. Dodd Chapter No. 212, United Daughters of the Confederacy". RootsWeb. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  • "Southern Cross of Honor Recipients, Little Rock, Arkansas". RootsWeb. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  • "Southern Cross of Honor Recipients, Texas Division, UDC". Texas Division, United Daughters of the Confederacy. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
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