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A Guide to the

United Daughters of the Confederacy

Southern Cross of Honor Documents, 1905-1941

SC# 2060

Compiled by: Scott DeNoon, April 1988

Updated by: Chelsea Gutshall, February 2010

Descriptive Summary

Repository: Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University

Title: United Daughters of the Confederacy, Southern Cross of Honor Documents, 1905-1941

Collection No.: SC# 2060

Creator: United Daughters of the Confederacy

Extent: 1/2 Hollinger box and 1 oversize folder; 1.88 linear feet

Language: English

Abstract: 

The United Daughters of the Confederacy, Southern Cross of Honor Documents, 1905-1941, consists of 1/2 Hollinger box and one oversize folder of the records and applications of Shenandoah Valley residents who received the Southern Cross of Honor and the Cross of Military Service from the United Daughters of the Confederacy from 1905-1941.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions:

None.

Use Restrictions:

None.

Preferred Citation: 

[Identification of Item], the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Southern Cross of Honor Documents, 1905-1941, SC# 2060, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

Acquisition Information:

This collection was placed on deposit by contract with the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society.

Alternate Format:

The collection is also available on microfilm in Special Collections at James Madison University, MF# 1486.

Biographical/Historical Note

The Southern Cross of Honor award, which later became known as the Cross of Military Service, originated on October 13, 1862 as an act of the Confederate Congress to recognize the courage, valor and good conduct of officers, non-commissioned officers and privates of the Confederate Army. Due to wartime shortages, however, the medals were unable to be made. The recipients' names were then recorded in an Honor Roll for future reference.

Mrs. Alexander S. Erwin first designed the cross that was used by the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) in July 1898. It featured a cross with a Confederate battle flag on the face surrounded by a laurel wreath and the inscription "The Southern Cross of Honor." On the reverse side the motto of the Confederate States, "Deo Vindice" (God our Vindicator), 1861-1865, appears alongside the inscription "From the U.D.C. to the U.C.V." The Southern Cross of Honor and the Cross of Military Service are the two most prestigious honors awarded by the UDC.

Scope and Content

The United Daughters of the Confederacy, Southern Cross of Honor Documents, 1905-1941, consists of 1/2 Hollinger box arranged in five folders and one oversize folder containing records and applications of Shenandoah Valley residents who received the Southern Cross of Honor and the Cross of Military Service. The folders are arranged topically, with applications arranged alphabetically by name. The first four folders contain applications for the Southern Cross of Honor, which were approved by S.B. Gibbons Camp No. 438, and are signed by veterans, descendants or widows of Confederate veterans.  Folder five contains applications for the Cross of Military Service, approved by Turner Ashpby Chapter No. 162, and are signed by World War I veterans who are descendants of Confederate veterans. The final oversize folder contains Southern Cross of Honor Recipient records.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged topically, then alphabetically by the names of the veterans within each folder.

Bibliography

United Daughters of the Confederacy. "The Southern Cross of Honor: General Information." Received from the Richmond Office of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Southern Historical Society. Southern Historical Society Papers, volume 29. Richmond: Southern Historical Society, 1901.

Related Material/Collections

SC# 3010: United Daughters of the Confederacy, Tuner Ashby Chapter, no. 162.

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