Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Medal, Commemorative |
Common Name |
Southern Cross of Honor |
Catalog Number |
1997.57.5 |
Maker |
Whitehead & Hoag, Co. |
Date |
ca. 1900 |
Material(s) |
Brass |
Dimensions |
H-1.938 W-1.625 inches |
Description |
This Southern Cross of Honor medal is made of brass. It is in the form of a cross pattée suspended from a metal bar with space for engraving. The bar is engraved with the name "W.T.B. SOUTH." The bar has a pin back closure. The back of the bar has an inscription that reads "WHITEHEAD & HOAG CO. NEWARK N.J." The obverse cross medallion displays the Confederate battle flag placed on the center surrounded by a wreath, with the inscription "United Daughters (of the) Confederacy to the U.C.V." on the four arms of the cross. The reverse of the medal is the motto of the Confederate States of America, "Deo Vindice" and the dates 1861 and 1865 surrounded by a laurel wreath. The arms of the cross bear the inscription "Southern Cross of Honor." |
Notes |
The Southern Cross of Honor was a postbellum honor presented by the United Daughters of the Confederacy to members of the United Confederate Veterans. This medal was presented to Captain William Tyler Barry South. He was captain of Company B, Fifth (C.S.A.) Kentucky Infantry, one of the units making up the Orphan Brigade. He served throughout the war, primarily in the Western theater, and took part in almost every major battle in Kentucky and Tennessee. In October 1862, the Confederate Congress approved an act to honor the service and valor of officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates in the Confederate Army. Intended to be the equivalent of the Federal Medal of Honor, the Southern version of the medal was never issued during the war, given metal shortages in the South. A Confederate Honor Roll was established, and the names of men awarded the honor were recorded by the Adjutant Inspector General. Unlike the Medal of Honor, which was awarded to an individual based on government criteria, Confederate non-commissioned officers and privates voted for a solider in their company who deserved a spot on the Honor Roll. At a Confederate veterans' reunion in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1898, Mrs. Mary Ann Cobb Erwin conceived the idea of issuing awards to former Confederate soldiers for their service. Mrs. Erwin and Mrs. Sarah E. Gabbett designed the Southern Cross of Honor medal, and the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) authorized it to be distributed to any Confederate veteran who demonstrated "loyal, honorable service to the South." Once the UDC obtained a copyright in 1900, production of the medal began. 12,500 medal were ordered and delivered in eighteen months. A veteran or his family could apply for a medal, or the eldest descendant of the veteran could accept the medal if the veteran was deceased. If the eldest descendant did not want the medal, he or she could sign over the "rights" to the medal to the veteran's widow, but only if she were "a Confederate woman, who has endured the hardships and privations" of the Civil War. It is not known when the last Southern Cross of Honor was awarded, but records indicate that veterans or their families received them until the mid-1930s. In total, nearly 79,000 medals were distributed. |
Media Links |
History of the Southern Cross of Honor |
Collection |
The Estate of Elizabeth McCarty Cassilly Collection |
People |
South, William Tyler Barry |
Subjects |
Veterans Medals Military decorations |
Search Terms |
Civil War Confederacy Confederate Cross of Honor Southern Cross of Honor UCV UDC United Confederate Veterans United Daughters of the Confederacy Veterans Veterans Groups |