Military Crosses
Bestowal of a Southern Cross of Honor came only through the UDC and money could not purchase this post-war Cross. It was given in recognition of loyal and honorable service to the South and could only be worn by Confederate veterans. During the first 18 months of the Cross's availability, 12,500 were ordered, delivered and awarded. The first Cross to be bestowed went to Captain Alexander S. Erwin by the Athens UDC Chapter of
Georgia on April 26, 1900.
When a soldier was asked in 1909 what the Southern Cross meant to him, he said “to me and to my comrades of the old war days, this Cross is a little thing, and in the great markets of trade it would not count for much, and yet to those who wear it worthily, it has a world of meaning. It means that during those four years, in infinite self-denial and supreme self-sacrifice, in loyal and sublime devotion to patriotic duty, the Southern soldier reached a higher plane of moral manhood than had ever touched his life”. (Walter A. Clark, Augusta, Ga. 1909)
The United Daughters of the Confederacy honors men and women of Confederate descent who have served their country in time of war by bestowing a variety of military service awards.
The Cross of Military Service, an outgrowth of the Southern Cross of Honor, is presented to veterans of World War I, World War II, the Korean War, & the Vietnam Conflict who are lineal blood descendants of Confederate military personnel. UDC Military Crosses awarded for 'service during wartime' have Pentagon approval and can be worn on the uniforms of today's service personnel.
The National Defense Medal is presented to veterans who are lineal blood descendants of Confederate military personnel and who served a minimum of 90 days active-duty and does not meet the requirements for a Military Service Cross for the Korean War, Vietnam Conflict or the Persian Gulf (Desert Shield/Desert Storm) Service.
The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal is presented to veterans who are lineal blood descendants of Confederate military personnel and who served a minimum of 90 days active-duty in the U.S. Armed Forces with service of at least 30 days in U.S. Military Operations, U.S. Military Operations in Direct Support of United Nations, or U.S. Operations of Assistance for Friendly Foreign Nations after July 1, 1958.
The Meritorious Service Award is presented to veterans who are collateral descendants of Confederate military personnel and who have given military service to our country in certain time-frames.
The Pioneer in Space Award is presented to men and women who are lineal blood descendants of Confederate military personnel and who have flown in space.
**The UDC Business Office does not have applications for the Southern Cross of Honor; however, it does have ledgers compiled by Mrs. Anna Davenport Raines during her seven-year term as Custodian of Crosses of Honor. Mrs. Raines recorded every recipient of the Cross bestowed, beginning with Number One, until she resigned in 1913, for a total of 78,761 Crosses.
The ledgers provide the name and unit of each recipient and may in some cases give the date and place of the award. An cumulative index was developed by the Caroline Meriwether Goodlett Library Committee in the 1980s to cross reference the information contained in the ledgers.
To request confirmation of the bestowal of a Southern Cross of Honor between 1900 and 1913 and/or for any information available for subsequent years, please contact the UDC Business Office or send a request via US Postal Service to:
UDC Memorial Building
Southern Cross of Honor Research
328 North Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23220-4057
‘Fortes Creantur Fortibus’
The Brave beget the Brave!
