Immediately following the May 5th Confederate Memorial Day services in Columbia, the Division’s Flag Preservation Fund Committee made a visit en masse to the Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum (CRR&MM).  Every man on this newly created body had casually visited the CRR&MM many, many times.  But this particular visit, however, by Chairman Ken Howle and his Committeemen was a business visit!

The story actually begins, strangely enough, in a small upstairs room in the Florence Museum.  This largely forgotten room held the records and memories of three local UDC Chapters.  Only one, the Ellison Capers Chapter, still exists today, but their “rediscovery” of this room’s contents would ultimately lead to one of the most important projects that this Division has ever undertaken.  A small shell jacket, belonging to 1st Sgt. Joseph Woods Brunson of the Pee Dee (Rifles, later) Light Artillery, drew much interest from descendants and conservators alike.

The Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum was the obvious place to take the jacket, to look into identifying and preserving it.  Executive Director Allen Roberson and his staff, wishing to shed some publicity on the jacket, invited the UDC ladies and some descendants of the battery members down to Columbia.  There, they discussed another prized and hallowed artifact in the Relic Room’s possession---the company guidon.  The very flag sewn by the “ladies of Society Hill,” carried through many battles---Mechanicsville, 2nd Manassas, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and so forth---, rescued from capture at Durham Station, and returned home in 1865.  Although torn and faded, blackened and shot through, the flag continued to serve at Survivor’s meetings every July 21st (the date the company formed) until the last few - Joe Brunson among them - gave the flag to Gov. Heyward in 1905.  The Relic Room came into possession of it in 1916.

Word of this new interest found its way to the Pee Dee Rifles Camp #1419 of Florence.  After contacting the Relic Room, a plan to conserve and display the flag was made.  The top three textile conservation labs in the country gave estimates on the flag’s preservation efforts.  The Rifles, meanwhile, began successfully soliciting funds.  This, naturally, led to the Camp approaching the Division for help.  There was much discussion between Division Commander Randy Burbage and Camp Commander Ken Howle about the effort.  It was determined that not only should the flag of the Pee Dee Rifles/Light Artillery be preserved, but ALL the flags relating to the War Between the States as well.  This would obviously be no small undertaking requiring substantial amounts of funding, both public and private.  Working with Director Roberson, a plan was developed to raise the funds needed.  The plan was presented at the Division’s Executive Council meeting in January of this year, and was unanimously approved.

There is not much cause for discussion on WHY the Division should take up this project.  The question may be, “Why now?” and “Can’t the Relic Room get the State to pay for it?”  The Relic Room would like nothing better than to have them all conserved and on display.  However, due to many recent years of renovation and expansion projects, restoration has been slowed to a snail’s pace.  Director Roberson stated, “Without organizations like the SCV, these artifacts would simply not be saved.”  The staff estimates another 25 flags that will require some level of conservation.  Costs can run from $2000 to $18,000, depending on the condition of the flag and the level of conservation.

So, now back to the “business visit” by Ken and his fellow Committeemen who were accompanied by Commander Burbage as an ex-officio member …

Given to the Division’s strong willingness and commitment to this project, the Relic Room and the Budget and Control Board, its parent state agency, immediately pledged matching funding for conservation.  Basically, this means that the State will match any donations we obtain up to a total of $25,000.  Now that sounds like really GOOD BUSINESS to us by golly!  With a continuous flow of funding and some hard work, we will be able to ensure that ALL of our ancestors’ flags are “preserved for future generations.”

The committee has adopted the motto “RALLY TO THE COLOURS .. SAVE OUR FLAGS.”  In battle, the command, “Rally to the Colors.” was given to re-form a line on the unit’s flag when the unit became widely dispersed or when the flag was in danger.  Compatriots, that is exactly what WE must do.  We must come together and save these priceless artifacts.  The enemy now is not Yankees or even the media; it’s TIME, APATHY, and POLITICAL CORRECTIVENESS.

Donations to both the fund and the Relic Room directly have been very promising.  But continued funding is needed.  All donations are tax deductible.  Let’s make sure that they stay around for generations to come.

The Pee Dee Rifles/Light Artillery flag is already at the Textile Preservation Labs in Maryland.  Twenty-four more gloried banners of South Carolina’s Confederate heritage are still fighting the ravages of time.  We MUST “Rally to the Colours” and “Save our Flags!”

Our best and most appreciative thanks certainly goes to Director Roberson and his fine and capable staff for caretaking the precious relics and artifacts of our ancestors.  Hip-Hip Hooray to the CRR&MM!