Searching for Black Confederates by Kevin Levin

O' Be Joyful

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they equate it with the French Legion of Honor and British Victoria Cross
The respective methods of the awarding those French and British honors appear to be a "slight" bit different from the UDC.

Organization of the Order
The President of the French Republic is the Grand Master of the Order and appoints all other members of the Order—by convention, on the advice of the Government. Its principal officers are the Chancellor and Secretary-General.

A chancery and a council of the order manage the order. They are located in Paris:

Chancellerie de la Légion d’Honneur
1, rue de Solférino
75007 Paris

In the United States, the American Society of the French Legion of Honor, Inc., that gathers all the recipients of the award, is presided by

The American Society of The French Legion of Honor, Inc.
PO Box 983
Harriman, NY 10926
Phone: +1 (212) 439-0205

https://losangeles.consulfrance.org/spip.php?article3483


The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest award of the United Kingdom honours system. It is awarded for gallantry “in the face of the enemy” to members of the British armed forces. It may be awarded posthumously. It was previously awarded to Commonwealth countries, most of which have established their own honours systems and no longer recommend British honours. It may be awarded to a person of any military rank in any service and to civilians under military command although no civilian has received the award since 1879. Since the first awards were presented by Queen Victoria in 1857, two thirds of all awards have been personally presented by the British monarch. These investitures are usually held at Buckingham Palace.

The VC was introduced on 29 January 1856 by Queen Victoria to honour acts of valour during the Crimean War. Since then, the medal has been awarded 1,358 times to 1,355 individual recipients. Only 15 medals, 11 to members of the British Army, and four to the Australian Army, have been awarded since the Second World War. The traditional explanation of the source of the metal from which the medals are struck is that it derives from Russian cannon captured at the Siege of Sevastopol. Some research has suggested a variety of origins for the material. Research has established that the metal for most of the medals made since December 1914 came from two Chinese cannons that were captured from the Russians in 1855.

http://victoria-cross.co.uk/medals/history-victoria-cross/
 

jgoodguy

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The respective methods of the awarding those French and British honors appear to be a "slight" bit different from the UDC.

Organization of the Order
The President of the French Republic is the Grand Master of the Order and appoints all other members of the Order—by convention, on the advice of the Government. Its principal officers are the Chancellor and Secretary-General.

A chancery and a council of the order manage the order. They are located in Paris:

Chancellerie de la Légion d’Honneur
1, rue de Solférino
75007 Paris

In the United States, the American Society of the French Legion of Honor, Inc., that gathers all the recipients of the award, is presided by

The American Society of The French Legion of Honor, Inc.
PO Box 983
Harriman, NY 10926
Phone: +1 (212) 439-0205

https://losangeles.consulfrance.org/spip.php?article3483


The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest award of the United Kingdom honours system. It is awarded for gallantry “in the face of the enemy” to members of the British armed forces. It may be awarded posthumously. It was previously awarded to Commonwealth countries, most of which have established their own honours systems and no longer recommend British honours. It may be awarded to a person of any military rank in any service and to civilians under military command although no civilian has received the award since 1879. Since the first awards were presented by Queen Victoria in 1857, two thirds of all awards have been personally presented by the British monarch. These investitures are usually held at Buckingham Palace.

The VC was introduced on 29 January 1856 by Queen Victoria to honour acts of valour during the Crimean War. Since then, the medal has been awarded 1,358 times to 1,355 individual recipients. Only 15 medals, 11 to members of the British Army, and four to the Australian Army, have been awarded since the Second World War. The traditional explanation of the source of the metal from which the medals are struck is that it derives from Russian cannon captured at the Siege of Sevastopol. Some research has suggested a variety of origins for the material. Research has established that the metal for most of the medals made since December 1914 came from two Chinese cannons that were captured from the Russians in 1855.

http://victoria-cross.co.uk/medals/history-victoria-cross/
The UDC metal of honor was designed to be cheaply made, with no enamel or other decoration. IMHO it was simular to those commemorative badges given out at reunions and conventions.

To use the medal as proof of CSA service needs several additional pieces of evidence.
1. Show the medal in question is a UDC medal.
2. Show that the individual was enlisted by the CSA.
3. Show that the medal was issued by the UDC to the individual.
 

Andersonh1

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https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Southern_Cross_of_Honor

The postwar version of the medal, which is a separate award than the original wartime medal, came into being following a reunion in 1898. The idea of bestowing the Southern Cross of Honor to Confederate veterans of the American Civil War was conceived in Atlanta in July 1898 by Mrs. Alexander S. (Mary Ann Lamar Cobb) Erwin of Athens, GA, at a reunion of Confederate veterans. Mrs. Erwin and Mrs. Sarah E. Gabbett of Atlanta are credited with the design of the medal. The medal was at this point authorized by the UDC to be awarded to any Confederate Veteran who had provided "loyal, honorable service to the South and given in recognition of this devotion."[2]

A metal cross pattée with the representation of a Confederate battle flag placed on the center thereof surrounded by a wreath, with the inscription "The Southern Cross of Honor." On the back of the medal is the motto of the Confederate States of America, "Deo Vindice" ([With] God [As Our] Vindicator), the dates 1861 1865, and the inscription, "From the UDC to the UCV." (UDC stands for the United Daughters of the Confederacy; UCV stands for the United Confederate Veterans.) 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 Mrs. Erwin’s husband, Captain Alexander S. Erwin, by the Athens (Ga.) Chapter on April 26, 1900.
https://www.southernpartisan.com/the-southern-cross-of-honor/

Applications were made by veterans and their families and descendants for the medal. I have a copy of the application made by my great-grandfather, and an exact transcription of the application (complete with spelling and punctuation errors), which reads as follows:

  • May 28, 1900 To the United Daughters of the Confederacy:
    The undersigned, residing at Lindale GA. who is an Ex-Confederate Soldier and a member of Camp No. 368 U.C.Vs., hereby makes application for a Confederate Cross of Honor. Applicant entered the service of the Confederate States on the 6th day of March 1862, as a private in Company D of the 9th Ga. Battalion artilrey Volunteers, _____________ C.S.A, and was at that time a resident of Lawranceville Gwinett County Ga. Your applicant was honorably discharged from said service by order of General R. E. Lee on the 9th day of April 1865, at which time he held the rank of Private
    Respectfully,
===================​

Awarding of the Southern Cross of Honor

The UCV organizations helped members complete their applications and certificates of eligibility for the Southern Cross of Honor. Many local chapters of the UDC worked with the UCVs to arrange grand ceremonies for the awarding of the large groups of medals. In some places, parades were arranged to commemorate the service of the Confederate soldiers and great veterans’ reunions were held. Later applicants were awarded their medals individually.

The UDC reports that 12,500 crosses were ordered and awarded within the first eighteen months of their existence, and that 78,761 had been delivered by the UDC by the year 1913.​
 

jgoodguy

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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.
Anyone that owned one could wear it. UDC might not be happy, but what are they going to do? The UDC might not sell them, but anyone that got one could sell it. Once someone had a Southern Cross of Honor , they could wear it no matter how they got it. The CSA was dead, who is going to enforce the wishes of the UDC?
 

Andersonh1

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Anyone that owned one could wear it. UDC might not be happy, but what are they going to do? The UDC might not sell them, but anyone that got one could sell it. Once someone had a Southern Cross of Honor , they could wear it no matter how they got it. The CSA was dead, who is going to enforce the wishes of the UDC?
I suspect that when the veterans were still around, they'd have rightly seen that as a case of stolen valor and done what they could to prevent it. Do you think they'd have let a black former slave wear one if they didn't agree with the decision to give him one in the first place? Not likely.
 

jgoodguy

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I suspect that when the veterans were still around, they'd have rightly seen that as a case of stolen valor and done what they could to prevent it. Do you think they'd have let a black former slave wear one if they didn't agree with the decision to give him one in the first place? Not likely.
You provided evidence that at least one medal was given a cook, not for heroism, but for his cooking.
 

Kirk's Raider's

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I suspect that when the veterans were still around, they'd have rightly seen that as a case of stolen valor and done what they could to prevent it. Do you think they'd have let a black former slave wear one if they didn't agree with the decision to give him one in the first place? Not likely.
Any documented evidence of how many black Confederate combat veterans actually existed.
Also if there were thousands of black Confederate soldiers why the harsh Apartheid in the South up to 1965 that only ended due to federal government intervention?
Kirk's Raider's
 

Kirk's Raider's

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But they didn't believe in black Confederates prior to 1977..... ;)
Prior to the TV show Roots in the 1970s Neo Confederate's didn't claim that tens of thousands of black Confederate soldiers fought for the joy of being enslaved.
Kirk's Raider's
 

5fish

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The Black Confederates .. what about Black Confederate sailors... the CSS Shenandoah had at least 4 black sailors there is a web site claiming other CSS ships had Black crew members. The navy was not run like the army and there are not body servants for each sailor. The Shenandoah was sinking whaling ships which also have many black sailors as well...

Link to the Shenandoah crew and prisoners... https://books.google.com/books?id=6...THE BLACK CREW MEMBERS ON THE WHALERS&f=false

Here is the link to the site: http://www.navyandmarine.org/ondeck/1862blackCSN.htm.

My question why is there not a big stink over Black Confederate sailors... They did exist...
 
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