Order of Confederate Rose

Bonnie Blue Chapter #3
History of the Rose

     The idea for the Order of Confederate Rose came to Jane Latture of Birmingham, AL, after a Robert E. Lee birthday dinner in January 1993, when the speaker, Charles Lunsford, told Mrs. Latture of an Order of Robert E. Lee that had been reactivated in Georgia. Knowing that other ladies in Alabama felt the need to help combat the growing attack on their Confederate Heritage, Mrs. Latture proposed the idea of theri own order tosome ladies, including Ellen Daniel, Sharon Dasinger, and Harriet Outlaw. All responded positively. The first name to occur to Mrs. Latture was The Order of the Confederate Rose, based on the movie "The Rose and the Jackal" about Rose O'Neal Greenhow, a Confederate Spy.

     On May 1, 1993, eleven wives and daughters of Alabama Division SCV members met by a picturesque pond in Alabama City during the SCV state convention and organized the order. The ladies amended and approved the name Order of Confederate Rose, and everyone agreed it was perfect.

     Then, using ideas from the Georgia order, they mapped out the purposes and the structure of the organization. One evening late in May, Ellen Daniel and Jane Latture met by chance at the home of Sharon Dasinger, where they wrote up a tentative constitution and by-laws for the organization.

      In July 1993, the first application and a short history of the order appeared in the "Alabama Confederate" offering charter membership to those whose applications came in by August 1, 1993. As a result, 65 applications were received and a charter signing ceremony was scheduled at Cahaba, the first capital of Alabama, on 16 October 1993, to coincide with the fall muster of the MOSB.

     Great interest in the order was expressed by women from other states at the 1993 SCV National Convention in Lexington, KY., so the Alabama ladies put up a sign and handed out applications. Most importantly, the Alabama member then decided to petition the SCV General Executive Council for official recognition, which was granted on August 14, 1993; the Order was now a national one.

     Also during the convention, an insignia for the order was decided upon. It was a rose placed on top of the Confederate battle flag, with the name of the order inscribed around the sides of the flag.

     Now, today this is where the order stands. The next steps in its history are up to the members. Their ideas, support and talents will determine the direction of its future.

An Invitation to Join a New Confederate Order

What is the Order of Confederate Rose? It is a way for you to support our Confederate heritage which is under vicious attack right now. The organization was formed in 1993 to aid and further the cause of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and to support all endeavors sponsored by the SCV.

Who may join the OCR? The organization is open to all, ten years of age and older, regardless of lineage or gender. It is non-racial, no-political and non-sectarian. It will not compete with the UDC or any other genealogical organization.

What will the OCR do? Our goal is to aid and further the cause of the SCV and support all endeavors sponsored by the SCV, including but not limited to, the support of "ALL" Confederate symbols.

Each state chapter is free to focus on problems important to its own area as well as to support efforts of national scope. The OCR will aid the SCV by providing additional communications, promoting continuing educational programs and organizing social functions.