Our Heritage

Painting by Don Troiani, Used by Permission Click to View His Web Site

Painting by Don Troiani, Used by Permission
Click to View His Web Site

The Virginia Society, MOS&B, is dedicated to preservation of Southern Heritage and especially to honor the courageous service of the Confederate Officers Corps and it civil officials.

When inducted into the Military Order of the Stars and Bars, new members pledge themselves as follows:

We, the posterity of the Officer Corps and civil officials of the Confederacy do pledge ourselves to commemorate and honor the service of leadership these men rendered in the cause of the fundamental American principles of self-determination and states’ rights and to perpetuate the true history of their deeds for the edification of ourselves, our society, and for generations yet unborn.

When the War for Southern Independence erupted in 1861, the political and military leaders of the United States were forced to remain loyal to the Union or join the newly formed Confederate States of America. Almost without exception, Southerners chose to side with the Southern Confederacy. During four long years of warfare, deprivation, and sacrifice, the Confederacys elected officials and its Officer Corps provided unparalleled leadership for a country hopelessly outnumbered militarily and lacking sufficient resources to carry out successful warfare. Historians have since expressed admiration and amazement at the tenacity of purpose and the spiritual resolve of the Southern people and their leaders. Robert E. Lee, Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson, and Raphael Semmes are but a few of the men whose names have become synonymous with courage, honor, and perseverance. The Confederacys civil officials included men like Jefferson Davis, Stephen A. Mallory, James M. Mason, Zebulon B. Vance, John Reagan, and Judah P. Benjamin, classic examples of civilian leaders who kept the Southern nation afloat against over-powering obstacles. The diversity of the Confederacy’s senior officials also was extraordinary. It was in the South, rather than the North, where occurred appointment of the first woman as a commissioned officer in any American army: Virginian Sally Louisa Tomkins appointed Captain of Cavalry by President Davis. Davis also appointed the first Roman Catholic to a presidential gen_leecabinet, the Hon. Stephen Russell Mallory as Secretary of the Navy, and the first Jew, the Hon. Judah Philip Benjamin, first as Attorney General, then Secretary of War, and finally Secretary of State and Chief of the Secret Service. The last Confederate general officer to submit to Federal authority was Cherokee chief General Stan Watie. These men and woman were appointed to their respective portfolios not for appearances or political correctness but rather because they were the best qualified individuals for those positions.

When the War for Southern Independence ended, Confederate civil leaders and military officers continued to guide the South through the dark days of political and eco-nomic reconstruction. In the face of northern hostility and reprisals, the actions of ex-Confederate officials are a study in patience and determination. No nation ever has produced braver or more dedicated leaders than those of the Confederate States of America. Today the Military Order of the Stars & Bars continues its dedication to the preservation of Southern history. A wide range of programs recognize outstanding literary contributions in the fields of history and journalism. Scholarships and monetary awards are offered to emphasize the need for truth in Confederate history. The MOS&B also emphasizes family and tradition and encourages our membership to preserve their family’s Confederate history for posterity. Each MOS&B membership application becomes a permanent historical record and is kept on file at International Headquarters, Daphne, Alabama so that our descendants can continue our pride in our Confederate heritage.

As was stated by General Robert E. Lee:

“Everyone should do all in his power to collect and disseminate the truth, in the hope that it may find a place in history and descend to posterity. History is not the relation of campaigns and battles and generals or other individuals, but that which shows the principles for which the South contended and which justified her struggle for those principles.”

For membership information and applications, send an email to Membership