The Southern Historical Society was an American organization founded to preserve archival materials related to the government of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

and to document the history of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

.Historical Convention
" ''The Daily Picayune,'' July 16, 1873, page 4 via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

A Southern Historical Society
, ''The Daily Phoenix'' (Columbia, South Carolina) May 28, 1869, page 2. via Newspapers.com The society was organized on May 1, 1869, in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, Louisiana. The society published 52 volumes of its ''Southern Historical Society Papers'' which helped preserve valuable historical resources.

History

The Southern Historical Society was founded on April 15, 1869, in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, by Maj. Gen.

Dabney H. Maury Dabney Herndon Maury (May 21, 1822 – January 11, 1900) was an officer in the United States Army, instructor at West Point, author of military training books, and a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. E ...

. He and the eight other founding members donated family papers, books, and artifacts to the society to form its initial collection. Its first publication began in 1876 and continued until 1959. The society was officially organized on May 1, 1869; signatories included Gen.

Braxton Bragg Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, serving in the Western ...

, Maj. J. E. Austin, Maj. Gen. Dabney H. Maury, Maj. B. M. Harrod, Lieut. Gen.

Simon Bolivar Buckner Simon Bolivar Buckner ( ; April 1, 1823 – January 8, 1914) was an American soldier, Confederate combatant, and politician. He fought in the United States Army in the Mexican–American War. He later fought in the Confederate States Army ...

, Capt. S. H. Buck, Col. A. L. Stuart, Capt. George Norton, and Mr. C. L. C. Dupuy. As originally organized, the society had a president and secretary-treasurer which were paid positions. Prominent individuals from each of the former Confederate states, plus the border states of Maryland, Kentucky, and the District of Columbia, were appointed as state vice–presidents to help expand the society throughout the South and to gather material relating to their areas. The first officers were Benjamin Morgan Palmer, president; Braxton Bragg, vice–president for Louisiana; Robert E. Lee, vice–president for Virginia;

John C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. He represented Kentucky in both houses of Congress and became the 14th and youngest-ever vice president of the United States. Serving ...

, vice–president for Kentucky; and

Alexander H. Stephens Alexander Hamilton Stephens (February 11, 1812 – March 4, 1883) was an American politician who served as the vice president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865, and later as the 50th governor of Georgia from 1882 until his death in 1 ...

, vice–president for Georgia. The society's stated objective was "to collect reliable data of the workings of the late Confederate Government, and the battles, sieges, and exploits of the war." Other targeted Southern materials for the archive included newspapers, speeches, literary and medical journals, journals, maps, agricultural and manufacturing reports, geological reports, weather reports, sermons, poetry, songs and ballads, mining operation records, and foreign relations. The society also wanted to document the names and details of wounded soldiers, as well as mortality records and exchanges of prisoners of war. In addition, records of enslaved people and documentation of the impact of emancipation on the South. Once collected, the archival materials were to be classified and preserved, with an outlook for eventual publication. Preservation was to be achieved by securing a fireproof storage building. The society's president, Benjamin Morgan Palmer, wrote in July 1873:

It is due to the noble men who fell martyrs to the "
Lost Cause The Lost Cause of the Confederacy (or simply Lost Cause) is an American pseudohistorical negationist mythology that claims the cause of the Confederate States during the American Civil War was just, heroic, and not centered on slavery. Firs ...
" that a faithful history of the events of the four years of bloody war be truthfully recorded, and an impartial view of the motives that actuated them be handed down to posterity with the seal of an impartial and unbiased history… The country has been flooded with partisan histories, in many of which the pretended historian has wandered as far from truth as if he had been writing a work of fiction, and in all of these every incident favorable to the Southern character has been suppressed, and the plainest facts so warped that the actors themselves would not recognize them. It is high time steps were taken to record the events of those years as they occurred….

With the assistance of these state vice–presidents, 6,000 copies of the circular were distributed throughout the South. Newspapers and magazines reprinted the circular in both Southern and Northern states. However, membership was mostly limited to New Orleans and there were only 44 dues-paying members at the start of the society's second year. In 1870, its president was B. M. Palmer. When Palmer turned down reelection as president, he was replaced by

was vice–president and J. Williams Jones became the secretary-treasurer. When Jones' health declined, Col. James Strawbridge was elected secretary-treasurer. However, Strawbridge resigned at a meeting on December 12, 1870. The society did not meet again until July 10, 1871, with just ten members present. Palmer presided over the meeting and was reelected president and General P. G. T. Beauregard as vice–president. Dr.

John W. Caldwell John William Caldwell (January 15, 1837 – July 4, 1903) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Kentucky. Early life and family John W. Caldwell was born in Russellville, Kentucky, on January 15, 1837."Caldwell, ...

was elected secretary-treasurer with an annual salary of $500. The society held a reorganizational convention on August 14, 1873 at White Sulphur Springs,

Montgomery County, Virginia Montgomery County is a county located in the Valley and Ridge area of the U.S. state of Virginia. As population in the area increased, Montgomery County was formed in 1777 from Fincastle County, which in turn had been taken from Botetourt Coun ...

The convention opened with a speech by General Jubal A. Early. Representatives attended from Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. At this time, the society moved its offices and archives from New Orleans to Richmond, Virginia. On August 25, 1873, a letter from a writer in Charlottesville, Virginia to the editor of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' said:

The meeting of the Southern Historical Society might seem like a harmless affair. Its ostensible object is to make a defense in history of "the Lost Cause." The spirits in this movement are mainly the military chieftains of the rebellion. …As a mere nursery of military vanity, and a desperate effort to write the Confederacy and its leaders into some measure of posthumous fame, it might be permitted to pass with a sneer at its folly. But I am constrained to believe that its real purposes are hidden, and are by no means so innocent as they appear.

Seal

In October 1888, the executive committee adopted a seal for the society, adapted from the great or broad seal of the Confederate States of America by Robert A. Brock; the seal was engraved, pro bono, by Mr. M. S. O'Donnell of Malden, Massachusetts. The circular seal has the motto: "The Southern Historical Society, Organized May 1, 1869;

Deo Vindice ''Deo vindice'' (Latin for "(With) God (as our) defender/protector") was the national motto of the Confederate States of America. It appears on the margin beneath the device of the Seal of the Confederate States. Never codified by law, ''Deo ...

". Its central device is a man on a horse, with the text "Re–organized Aug.15.1873" surrounded by a wreath of assorted plants.

Publications

In 1869, the society started publishing editorials and reports in '' The New Orleans Picayune'' and '' The Land We Love'', a literary and agricultural magazine published by former Confederate general

Daniel Harvey Hill Lieutenant-General Daniel Harvey Hill (July 12, 1821 – September 24, 1889), commonly known as D. H. Hill, was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the eastern and western theaters of the American Civil Wa ...

. By 1874, '' Southern Magazine'' took over Hill's publication, and included twenty pages in each issue from the society. Eventually, the society began publishing its own journal, the ''Southern Historical Society Papers''. Starting in January 1876, the ''Southern Historical Society Papers'' eventually comprised 52 volumes of articles written by Southern soldiers, officers, politicians, and civilians. Contributors included Jefferson Davis,

Jubal Early Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was a Virginia lawyer and politician who became a Confederate States of America, Confederate general during the American Civil War. Trained at the United States Military Academy, Early r ...

, John B. Gordon,

John Bell Hood John Bell Hood (June 1 or June 29, 1831 – August 30, 1879) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Although brave, Hood's impetuosity led to high losses among his troops as he moved up in rank. Bruce Catton wrote that "the de ...

, J. William Jones,

, Robert M. T. Hunter,

William Henry Fitzhugh Lee William Henry Fitzhugh Lee (May 31, 1837 – October 15, 1891), known as Rooney Lee (often spelled "Roony" among friends and family) or W. H. F. Lee, was the second son of General Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Custis. He was a planter, a Confed ...

, and

Zebulon Baird Vance Zebulon Baird Vance (May 13, 1830 – April 14, 1894) was the 37th and 43rd governor of North Carolina, a U.S. Senator from North Carolina, and a Confederate officer during the American Civil War. A prolific writer and noted public speake ...

. The first fourteen volumes were edited by Rev. J. William Jones, who also published ''Personal Reminiscences, Anecdotes, and Letters of Gen. Robert E. Lee'' in 1875. The ''Papers'' had a nationwide circulation and was published through 1959. Historian Richard D. Starnes has noted that the society was uninterested in historical accuracy and objectivity, and "dedicated itself to the creation of a Confederate historical memory" and "to preserving the Confederate perspective of the Civil War". He added, "Sometimes, the documents were altered as part of the society's campaign to construct a Southern historical memory and in an effort to protect its own leadership."

Legacy

The organization's purpose, according to modern historians, was to promote the Lost Cause in its publications. Historian Alan T. Nolan quotes from the advertisement for subscriptions to the organization's publication, and comments, "Writing whose purpose is to 'vindicate' the 'name and fame' of the South's 'great struggle' plainly proceeds from an advocacy premise". Historian Gaines Foster said it was an "avowedly" historical organization, which "eventually became important in the Confederate tradition" and, through their publications, a group of Virginian pro-Confederacy writers "refought the war,". The society established itself at Richmond, Virginia which became the home of the

American Civil War Museum The American Civil War Museum is a multi-site museum in the Greater Richmond Region of central Virginia, dedicated to the history of the American Civil War. The museum operates three sites: The White House of the Confederacy, American Civil War ...

. It was an influence on the

Sons of Confederate Veterans The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is an American neo-Confederate nonprofit organization of male descendants of Confederate soldiers that commemorates these ancestors, funds and dedicates monuments to them, and promotes the pseudohis ...

and on activists in favor of public display of the Confederate battle flag. Historians use the society's journal as a source for Civil War research as well as an example of how historical memory can be shaped to serve external goals. One modern historian notes, "For historians today, the ''Southern Papers'' serve as a storehouse of information concerning the Confederacy. Second, only to the War of the Rebellion records, the Papers represent the largest collection of battle accounts, unit rosters, and other primary material about the southern armies during the Civil War."

Notable members and contributors

Edward Porter Alexander Edward Porter Alexander (May 26, 1835 – April 28, 1910) was an American military engineer, railroad executive, planter, and author. He served first as an officer in the United States Army and later, during the American Civil War (1861–1865) ...

* Robert H. Anderson * Bishop James Atkins * P. G. T. Beauregard *

* Joseph E. Brown *

* Matthew C. Butler *

* Alexander William Campbell * George Llewellyn Christian * Charles Magill Conrad * William Wilson Corcoran *

Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry (June 5, 1825 – February 12, 1903) was an American Democratic politician from Alabama who served in the state legislature and US Congress. He also served as an officer of the Confederate States Army in the American C ...

* Jefferson Davis * Jubal A. Early * Charles Erasmus Fenner *

Charles W. Field Charles William Field (April 6, 1828 – April 9, 1892) was a career military officer, serving in the United States Army and then, during the American Civil War, in the Confederate States Army. His division was considered one of the finest in ...

Augustus Hill Garland Augustus Hill Garland (June 11, 1832 – January 26, 1899) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Arkansas, who initially opposed Arkansas' secession from the United States, but later served in both houses of the Congres ...

* Randall L. Gilbson * Jeremy Francis Gilmer * John B. Gordon *

Wade Hampton Wade Hampton may refer to the following people: People * Wade Hampton I (1752–1835), American soldier in Revolutionary War and War of 1812 and U.S. congressman *Wade Hampton II (1791–1858), American plantation owner and soldier in War of 1812 * ...

* Isham G. Harris *

Harry T. Hays Harry Thompson Hays (April 14, 1820 – August 21, 1876) was an American Army officer serving in the Mexican–American War and a general who served in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Known as the "Louisiana Tigers," his brigad ...

Paul Octave Hébert Paul Octave Hébert (December 12, 1818 – August 29, 1880) was the 14th Governor of Louisiana from 1853 to 1856 and a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army. Early life Hébert was born on December 12, 1818 about five miles south of ...

Henry Heth Henry Heth ( not ) (December 16, 1825 – September 27, 1899) was a career United States Army officer who became a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He came to the notice of Robert E. Lee while serving briefly as his quartermast ...

* William Y. C. Humes * Benjamin G. Humphreys * Robert M. T. Hunter * Eppa Hunton * William Preston Johnston * J. William Jones * James Henry Lane *

Alexander Lawton Alexander Robert Lawton (November 4, 1818 – July 2, 1896) was a lawyer, politician, diplomat, and brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Early life Lawton was born in the Beaufort District of South ...

Fitzhugh Lee Fitzhugh Lee (November 19, 1835 – April 28, 1905) was a Confederate cavalry general in the American Civil War, the 40th Governor of Virginia, diplomat, and United States Army general in the Spanish–American War. He was the son of Sydney S ...

* Robert E. Lee *

John Letcher John Letcher (March 29, 1813January 26, 1884) was an American lawyer, journalist, and politician. He served as a Representative in the United States Congress, was the 34th Governor of Virginia during the American Civil War, and later served in ...

* Robert D. Lilley * George Washington Logan *

Armistead Lindsay Long Armistead Lindsay Long (September 13, 1825 – April 29, 1891) was a brigadier general for the Confederate States of America, and the author of the 1886 book ''Memoirs of Robert E. Lee''. Early life and career Long was born in Campbell County, Vi ...

Stephen Mallory Stephen Russell Mallory (1812 – November 9, 1873) was a Democratic senator from Florida from 1851 to the secession of his home state and the outbreak of the American Civil War. For much of that period, he was chairman of the Committee on Nav ...

* John S. Marmaduke * William T. Martin * Henry M. Matthews *

* Joseph C. Mayo * Thomas T. Munford * Cyrus S. Oberly * Henry W. Ogden * James Phelan * Trusten Polk * Beverly Robertson *

Raphael Semmes Raphael Semmes ( ; September 27, 1809 – August 30, 1877) was an officer in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. Until then, he had been a serving officer in the US Navy from 1826 to 1860. During the American Civil War, Semmes wa ...

Thomas Jenkins Semmes Thomas Jenkins Semmes (December 16, 1824 – June 23, 1899) was an American politician who served as a Confederate States Senator from Louisiana from 1862 to 1865. He was once described as "the most distinguished statesman and brilliant law ...

Ashbel Smith Ashbel Smith (August 13, 1805 – January 21, 1886) was a pioneer physician, diplomat, slave owner, and official of the Republic of Texas, Confederate officer and first President of the Board of Regents of the University of Texas. Smith was an a ...

* James Strawbridge * Walter H. Taylor * William Terry *

Robert Toombs Robert Augustus Toombs (July 2, 1810 – December 15, 1885) was an American politician from Georgia, who was an important figure in the formation of the Confederacy. From a privileged background as a wealthy planter and slaveholder, Toomb ...

* Isaac R. Trimble *

* Charles S. Venable * Severn Teackle Wallis * Gabriel C. Wharton * Cadmus M. Wilcox * Robert E. Withers

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Southern Historical Society, the 1869 establishments in Louisiana Dabney H. Maury Historical societies of the United States Historiography of the American Civil War History of Montgomery County, Virginia History of New Orleans History of Richmond, Virginia Neo-Confederate organizations Organizations based in Richmond, Virginia Organizations established in 1869